242 PHILEMON.

Meg. “Tmplicitly.”

Cal. “Can anybody overhear us?”

Meg. “No one.”

Cal. “Then listen. When Charmides was on the
point of leaving Athens, he showed me a treasure
which he had buried in a room in this house — you
are sure there is no one listening ?”

Meg. “There is no one near.”

Cal. “As much as three thousand philips. He
begged me not to let his son know anything about it.
If he comes back safe, I shall give it up to him; if
anything should happen to him, then I have the
means of finding a dowry for his daughter.”

Meg. “Good heavens! this is quite another story.
But go on.” .

Cal. “Well, I happened to go away for a week,
and, without saying a word, my young friend adver-
tises the house for sale.”

Meg. “ Ah! the old story. The wolf watches till
the dog is asleep, and then makes a meal of the
whole flock.”

Cal. “So he would have done, but the dog was
beforehand with him. But tell me, what was I to
do? Was I to inform him of-the existence of the
treasure, when his father had specially charged me
to say nothing about it? Or was I to let a stranger
become the owner of the house? Of course not.
I had to buy it myself, not for my own profit, as you
see, but for my friend. So I did; I paid the money