broom again, and the pestle a pestle. Now this charm I never could got him to disclose to me, with all my entreaties; he was jealous on this one point, though in everything else he was most obliging. But one day, standing in a dark corner, I overheard the spell—it was but three syllables—without his knowing it. He went off to market after giving the pestle its orders. So next day, when he was gone out on business, I took the pestle, dressed it up, and bid it go and draw water. When it had filled the pitcher and brought it back, "Stop!" said I; "draw no more water; be a pestle again." But it paid no attention to me, but went on drawing water till the whole house was full. Not knowing what on earth to do (for Pancrates was sure to be in a terrible way when he came back, as indeed fell out), I laid hold on a hatchet, and split the pestle in two. At once both halves took up a pitcher apiece, and began drawing water. So instead of one water-carrier, I had two. In the middle of it all, in came Pancrates, and understanding how matters stood, changed them back into wood again as they were before. But he went off and left me without a word, and I never knew what became of him."
They afterwards went on to tell so many horrible stories, that Tychiades left them in disgust; and he declares to his friend that even now he has nothing but goblins and spectres before his eyes ever since, and would give something to forget the conversation.
A passage occurs in this Dialogue worthy of remark,
