Confessions by Augustine (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Book VI.
His mum follows him from Carthage and attends Ambrose's church. We read of Augustine's interaction with Ambrose. Particularly that Augustine realises that he has misunderstood the Christian faith and so departs further from the Manichees.
But Augustine is still in despair and even envies a beggar who is happier than him once he has a full belly and is drunk on wine.
A fair amount of Augustine's time is now spent with two of his students, Alypius and Nebridius. Augustine considers marriage and even makes a proposal, but backs out once his friends decide to live together with all their possessions in common. Augustine's concubine leaves with his son and Augustine finds another woman. Yet he writes to God: 'I was becoming more miserable, and Thou nearer'.
I thoroughly enjoyed the description of Ambrose, particularly that he was so busy that Augustine barely got to talk to him: 'For I could not ask of him, what I would as I would, being shut out both from his ear and speech by multitudes of busy people, whose weaknesses he served. With whom when he was not taken up (which was but a little time), he was either refreshing his body with the sustenance absolutely necessary, or his mind with reading. But when he was reading, his eye glided over the pages, and his heart searched out the sense, but his voice and tongue were at rest.'
Ah, the life of the pastor! Meeting with people and reading. And getting a meal in when necessary :)
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