halfpence. When that is gone I shall have to beg
like yourself."

However, he divided the loaf into four parts, and gave the saint one,
with a halfpenny. The saint thanked him, and having gone a little
further along the road seated himself like another beggar in the way
of the soldier. When Brother Merry came up the saint again asked alms
of him, and the old soldier again gave him another quarter of the loaf
and another halfpenny.

The saint thanked him, and seated himself in the way a third time,
like another beggar, and again addressed Brother Merry. Brother Merry
gave him a third quarter of the loaf, and the third halfpenny.

The saint thanked him, and Brother Merry journeyed on with all he had
left--one quarter of the loaf and a single halfpenny. When he came to
a tavern, being hungry and thirsty, he went in and ate the bread, and
spent the halfpenny in beer to drink with it. When he had finished, he
continued his journey, and the saint, in the disguise of a disbanded
soldier, met him again and saluted him.

"Good day, comrade," said he; "can you give me a morsel of bread, and
a halfpenny to get a drop of drink?"

"Where shall I get it?" answered Brother Merry. "I got my discharge,
and nothing with it but a loaf and four halfpence, and three beggars
met me on the road and I gave each of them a quarter of the loaf and a
halfpenny. The last quarter I have just eaten at the tavern, and I
have spent the last halfpenny in drink. I am quite empty now. If you
have nothing, let us go begging together."

"No, that will not be necessary just now," said the saint. "I
understand a little about doctoring, and I will in time obtain as
much as I need by that."

"Ha!" said Brother Merry, "I know nothing about that, so I must go and
beg by myself."

"Only come along," replied the saint, "and if I can earn anything, you
shall go halves."

"That will suit me excellently," replied Brother Merry.

So they travelled on together.

They had not gone a great distance before they came to a cottage in
which they heard a great lamenting and screaming. They went in to see
what was the matter, and found a man sick to the death, as if about to
expire, and his wife crying and weeping loudly.

"Leave off whining and crying," said the saint. "I will make the man
well again quickly enough," and he took a salve out of his pocket and
cured the man instantly, so that he could stand up and was quite
hearty. Then the man and his wife, in g