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80. A pious man did strange things, i. e., placed a young girlin his bed,& c., but was not suspected of any wrong by hisdisciples who found afterwards that they were justified innot having suspected him.

81. R. Joshua b. Hananya entered the house of a matron inRome, locked the door behind him, was closeted with her,bathed& c., and yet was not suspected of committing anysin. He afterwards explained his strange actions. They wereoccasioned by secrets of state, and the bathing was due tocontact with impurity.

82. A pious disciple died in his youth. Aba Eliahu ex-plained it to his lamenting widow, to be due to neglectof a strict observance of the law of" Niddah" althoughapparently he had fulfilled the commandment.

83. Two boys passed in front of the Elders. The one coveredand the other uncovered his head. Rabbi Akiba said,that the boy who uncovered his head was a bastard, andinquiring of the mother found that his statement was correct.

84. Story of the man who tried Hillel's patience by askinghim irrelevant questions, in the hope of angering him andthereby winning a wager of 400 zuzim. The first questionwas:" Why are not the heads of the Babylonians round?"and the answer was:" Because they have no clever mid-wives." The second question, put after an hours delay, was:" Why are the eyes of the inhabitants of Tadmor small?" Theanswer was:" Because they live in caves." At the end ofanother hour the third question was put." Why are thefeet of the inhabitants of Afrikį flat?" and the replywas:" Because they live in swamps." Hillel did not losepatience after all.

85. Story of Nakdiman b. Gorian and the twelve wellswhich were filled by raindrops at the close of the last dayof the loan of them, the sun reappearing and thus pro-longing the day, to the discomfiture of the Hegemon theowner. Nakdiman had promised to restore them filled withwater on that day. Hence his name Nakdiman, for the sunreappeared after it had" set."