Page:Shiana - Peadar Ua Laoghaire.djvu/255

Rh virtue of the Holy Things, that the purse should be in your possession and should remain with you for thirteen years in full. That day that you went to the fair to buy a horse and a milch cow some one took the purse from you, and it was out of your possession for four hours. It was I that took it from you. I took it from you unknown to him. Had you bought that cow or that horse and paid money for the purchase, you would have violated the contract, and he would have had power to work his will upon you. When I saw what you were bent upon, I took the purse from you, so that even if you bought, there should be no danger that you would pay. It was to buy leather you got the money. He is watching you ever since, to see if you would buy anything but leather. You did not. It was well for yourself that you did not. You paid out a good deal of the money in other ways, but that did not affect the contract. No contract would have power to forbid charity. Whatever money you gave away for the Saviour's sake was given in charity. The money you spent in any other way, apart from the buying of the leather, was made out of the work. It was your own."

"I give thanks to the Eternal Father, who created you!" said Shiana, as he looked up at her. It was not in answer to her words he said it, but through the great joy that was in his heart because of her being there near him and he looking up at her and listening to the sweet music of her speech.

"He does not know," said she, "that the purse spent those four hours out of your possession. He was bound not to let anybody take the purse from you. He himself believes that he did not. He is