of a bitch and her puppies, seated himself
in the middle of the terrace. As he sat tidying his coat the puppies
conceived the foolish idea of a gambol with him. The cat continued to
lick himself, though no doubt fully aware of the puppies' intention, and
it was not till they were almost on him that he rose, hackle erect, to
meet the onset in which they would have been torn badly if Jesus had not
hopped hastily forward and menaced him with his crutches. Even then the
puppies, unmindful of the danger, continued to dance round the cat. You
little fools, he will have your eyes, Jesus cried, and he caught them up
in his arms, but unable to manage them and his crutches together, he
dropped the crutches and started to get back to his seat without them.

It was this last imprudence that compelled Esora to cry out to Joseph
that her work would be undone if Joseph did not run at once to Jesus and
give him his crutches: now, Master, I hope ye told him he must leave
cats and dogs alone, she said as soon as Joseph returned to her. If he
doesn't we shall have him on our hands all the winter. All the winter!
Joseph repeated. It is for thee to say, Master, how long he is to stay
here; three weeks, till he is fit to travel, or all the winter, it is
for you to say. Fit to travel, Joseph repeated. Why should he leave when
he is fit to travel? he asked. Only, Master, because it will be hard to
keep him in hiding much longer. Secrets take a long time to leak out,
but they leak out in the end. But I may be wrong, Master, in thinking
that there is a secret. I hardly know anything about this man, only that
thou broughtest him back one night. So thou'rt not certain then that
there is a secret, Esora? Joseph said. I won't say that, Master, for I
can see by his back that he has been scourged, and cruelly, she
answered. His hands and feet testify that he has been on the cross.
Therefore, Joseph interposed, thou judgest him to be a malefactor of
some sort. Master, I would judge no one. He is what thou choosest to
tell me he is. Come then, Esora, Joseph replied, and I will tell thee
his story and mine, for our stories have been strangely interwoven. But
the telling will take some time. Come, let us sit in the shade of the
acacia-trees yonder; there is a seat there, and we shall be in view of
our sick man, ready to attend upon him should he require our attention.

She sat listening, immovable, like a figure of stone, her hands hanging
over her knees.