His wife met the undeserved reproaches patiently, for she knew that they came not from an angry heart--and she brought him numerous good remedies: rats' litter to be applied to his cheek, some strong liquid in which a scorpion was preserved, and a real chip of the tablets that Moses had broken.

He began to feel a little better from the rats' litter, but not for long, also from the liquid and the stone, but the pain returned each time with renewed intensity.
During the moments of rest Ben-Tovit consoled himself with the thought of the little donkey, and he dreamed of him, and when he felt worse he moaned, scolded his wife, and threatened to dash his head against a rock if the pain should not subside.

He kept pacing back and forth on the flat roof of his house from one corner to the other, feeling ashamed to come close to the side facing the street, for his head was tied around with a kerchief like that of a woman.

Several times children came running to him and told him hastily about Jesus of Nazareth.

Ben-Tovit paused, listened to them for a while, his face wrinkled, but then he stamped his foot angrily and chased them away.