be models for you."

"Eloi was not a slave, and as he enjoyed the fruit of his labor he must
have become very rich, Father Bonaik?"

"Yes, my boys, very rich. Dagobert, upon succeeding to the throne of
his father Clotaire II, kept Eloi as his goldsmith. But the good Eloi,
mindful of his hard condition as an artisan, and of the cruel fate of
the slaves who had often been his fellow-workmen, when he became rich
spent all his income in ransoming slaves. He used in that way to
emancipate twenty, thirty and even fifty on one day. He often went to
Rouen and bought whole cargoes of slaves of both sexes taken from all
countries to that town, celebrated for its market of human flesh. Among
those unfortunate people were Romans, Gauls, English, and even Moors,
but above all Saxons. If it happened that the good Eloi did not have
money enough to purchase the slaves, he used to distribute among them
all the money he had in order to relieve their misery. 'How often,'
Thil, his favorite apprentice said to me, 'his purse being exhausted, I
saw my master sell his cloak, his belt and even his shoes.' But you must
know, my boys, that that mantle, that belt, those shoes were embroidered
with gold and often enriched with pearls. The good Eloi, who ornamented
the robes of others, also took pleasure in ornamenting his own. In his
younger years he was magnificently dressed."

"It was the least he could do to deck himself out well--he who decked
others so well. It is not as with us who work on gold and silver, and
never have but rags."

"My poor boys, we are slaves, while Eloi had the fortune of being free;
but he utilized his freedom for the benefit of his fellows. He had
around him several servants who adored him. I knew some of them, among
others, Bauderic, Tituen, Buchin, Andre, Martin and John. So you see old
Bonaik has a good memory. But how can one fail to remember anything
connected with Eloi!"

"Do you know, master, that it is an honor to us poor goldsmith slaves,
to number such a man in our profession?"

"A great honor, my boys! Certes, we should be proud of it. Imagine that
the reputation of the good Eloi for charity was such that his name was
known all over Gaul, and even in other countries. Strangers considered
it an honor to call upon the goldsmith who was at once so great an
artist and so good a man. If anyone asked in Paris where he lived, the
first passer-by would answer: 'Do you want to know where the good Eloi
lives? G