III

The Pilgrim of the Night
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N the ancient days of faith the doors of
the churches used to be opened with
the first glimmer of the dawn in summer,
and long before the moon had set in winter ;
and many a ditcher and woodcutter and
ploughman on his way to work used to enter
and say a short prayer before beginning the
labour of the long day.
Now it happened that in Spain there was
a farm-labourer named Isidore, who went
daily to his early prayer, whatever the weather
might be. His fellow-workmen were sloth-
ful and careless, and they gibed and jeered at
his piety, but when they found that their
mockery had no effect upon him, they spoke
spitefully of him in the hearing of the master,
and accused him of wasting in prayer the time
which he should have given to his work.
When the farmer heard of this he was dis-
pleased, and he spoke to Isidore and bade