And now the sun broke out pallid and waterish; the rain yet fell, but there was no more tempest: that hot firmament had cloven and poured out its lightnings. A longer delay would scarce leave daylight for my return, so I rose, thanked the father for his hospitality and his tale, was benignantly answered by a pax vobiscum , which I made kindly welcome, because it seemed uttered with a true benevolence; but I liked less the mystic phrase accompanying it.