became unbearable to him. And now listen how Nemesis overtakes one!
A year later I wrote a book-I am, you must know, an author who's
not made his name. ... And in this book I described incidents of
family life: how I played with my daughter--she was called Julia,
as Caesar's daughter was--and with my wife, whom we called Caesar's
wife because no one spoke evil of her. ... Well, this recreation,
in which my mother-in-law joined too, cost me dear. When I was
looking through the proofs of my book, I saw the danger and said to
myself: you'll trip yourself up. I wanted to cut it out but, if
you'll believe it, the pen refused, and an inner voice said to me:
let it stand! It did stand! And I fell.

STRANGER. Why didn't you publish the letter from your friend that
would have explained everything?

PILGRIM. When the disaster had happened I felt at once that it was
the finger of God, and that I must suffer for my ingratitude.

STRANGER. And you did suffer?

PILGRIM. Not at all! I smiled to myself and wouldn't let myself be
put out. And because I accepted my punishment with calmness and
humility God lightened my burden; and I didn't feel myself
ridiculous.

TEMPTER. That's a strange story; but such things happen. Shall we
move on now? We'll go for an excursion, now we've weathered the
storms. Pull yourself up by the roots, and then we'll climb the
mountain.