im.

"Isn't your knife sharp enough, my lad?" said Old Brownsmith dryly.

"Yes, sir," I said; and I went on trimming. "Well, he thought that if
this saved the tree, why should it not save the life of the man?" and he
grew so excited that he went in at once and had a look at the patient,
and then went in to the prior, who shook his head.

"`Poor fellow,' he said; `he will die.'

"`Yes,' said the young monk, `unless--'

"`Unless--' said the prior.

"`Yes, unless,' said the young monk; and he horrified the prior by
telling him all his ideas, while the other monks shook their heads.

"`It could not be done,' they said. `It would be too horrible.'

"`There is no horror in performing an act like that to save a man's
life,' said the young monk; `it is a duty.'

"`But it would kill the poor fellow,' they chorused.

"`He will die as it is,' said the young monk. `You said as much when I
came in, and I am sure of it.'

"`Yes,' said the prior sadly, `he will die.'

"`This might save his life,' said the young monk; but the old men shook
their heads.

"`Such a thing has never been done,' they said. `It is too horrible.'

"`And even if it saved his life he would only have one leg.'

"`Better have no legs at all,' said the young monk, `than die before his
time.'

"`But it would be his time,' said the old monks.

"`It would not be his time if I could save his life,' said the young
monk.

"But still the old monks shook their heads, and said that no man had
ever yet heard of such a thing. It was too terrible to be thought of,
and they frowned very severely upon the young monk till the prior, who
had been very thoughtful, exclaimed:--

"`And cutting the limb off the apple-tree made you think that?'

"The young monk said that it was so.

"`But a man is not an apple-tree,' said the oldest monk present; and all
the others shook their heads again; but, oddly enough, a few minutes
later they nodded their heads, for the prior suddenly exclaimed:--

"`Our brother is quite right, and he shall try.'

"There was a strange thrill ran through the monks, but what the prior
said was law in those days, Grant, and in a few minutes it was known all
through the priory that Brother Anselm was going to cut off the poor
swineherd's leg.

"Then--I say, my boy, I wish you'd go on with your work. I can't talk
if you do not," said Old Brownsmith, with a comical look at me, and I
went on busily again while he continued his story.