He had the key of the tablinum, in which the work was lying, about his person; and when, on his return, he found the servants still sitting round the fire, he shut the door of the out-buildings while a feeling came over him which he remembered having experienced last on occasions when he and his brothers had robbed a forbidden fruit-tree.  He was on the point of giving up his mad project; and when, in the tablinum itself, a horrible inward tremor again came over him he had actually turned to retreat—­but he remembered old Chrysippus and his prompts.  To turn and fly now would be cowardice.  Heliodora must have the large emerald, and with his verses; his father might give away all the rest as he pleased.  When he was kneeling in front of the work with his knife in his hand, that sickening terror had come over him for the third time; if the large emerald had not come off into his hand at the first effort he would certainly have rolled the bale up again and have left the tablinum clean-handed.  But the evil demon had been at his elbow, had thrust the gem into his hand, as it were, so that two cuts with the knife had sufficed to displace it from its setting.  It rolled into his hand and he felt its noble weight; he cast aside all care, and had thought no more with anything but pleasure of this splendid trick, which he would relate to-morrow to old Chrysippus—­of course under seal of secrecy.

But now, in the sober light of day, how different did this mad, rash deed appear; how heavily had he already been punished; what consequences might it not entail?  His hatred of Paula grew every minute:  she had certainly seen all that had happened and would not hesitate to betray him—­that she had shown last night.  War, as it were, was declared between them, and he vowed to himself, with fire in his eyes, that he would not shirk it!  At the same time he could not deny that she had never looked handsomer than when she stood, with hair half undone, confronting him—­threatening him.  “It is to be love or hate between us.” he muttered to himself.  “No half-measures:  and she has chosen hate!  Good!  Hitherto I have only had to fight against men; but this bold, hard, and scornful maiden, who rejects every gentle feeling, is no despicable foe.  She has me at bay.  If she does her worst by me I will return it in kind!—­And who is the owner of the shoes?  I have taken all possible means to find him.  Shameful, shameful! that I cannot hold up my head to look boldly at my own face in the glass.  Heliodora is a sweet creature, an angel of kindness.  She loved me truly; but this—­this—­Ah; even for her, this is too great a sacrifice!”

He pressed his hand to his brow and flung himself on a divan.  He might well be weary, for he had not closed his eyes for more than thirty hours and had already done much business that morning.  He had given orders to Sebek the house-steward and to the captain of the Egyptian guard to hunt out the owner of the sandals by the aid of the dogs, and to cast him into prison; next he had of his own accord—­since his father generally did not fall asleep till the morning and had not yet left his room—­tried to pacify the Arab merchant with regard to the mishap that had befallen his head man under the governor’s roof; but with small success.