ve
defiance in words sent by the Tlahuicos, who afterwards were such
cowards in deeds.

In fact, during the brief time of his imprisonment Fray Antonio had not
spoken to a soul save the man who brought him drink and food. Yet his
talk with this man, scant though it had been, had filled him with the
hope that, could he only hold free converse with the people at large,
even as he had done at Huitzilan, the purpose that he had in mind in
coming into the valley would be fulfilled. Although a priest of the
temple, his jailer had listened with a most earnest and hearty attention
to the expounding of Christian doctrine that was opened to him, and had
shown a very cheering willingness to recognize the shortcomings of his
own idolatrous belief as compared with the principles of this purer and
nobler faith. And he had told Fray Antonio that many of his companions
in the service of the temple, having heard somewhat of the new creed
from those who had tome up from Huitzilan, were eager to know more
concerning it; so that it would seem, Fray Antonio declared, as though
there were a harvest there ready to be reaped to Christianity by his
hand. The case was such, he thought, that could he but speak publicly to
the multitude, and especially could there but be vouchsafed from Heaven
some sign by which the verity of his words might be established, he yet
would win to the glorious Christian faith this whole community, that,
through no fault of its own, until that time had remained lost in
heathen sin.

Rayburn and I exchanged glances as Fray Antonio spoke of aid being given
him in his work by a sign from Heaven, for to our notions the time of
miracles was a long while past. But Fray Antonio, as we knew (for once
or twice we three had spoken together of this matter), did not at all
hold with us in believing that miracle-working had come to an end; and
indeed his faith was entirely logical; for, as he himself put it, those
who believed that miracles ever had been wrought for the advancement of
Christianity could not reasonably draw a line at any year since the
Christian Church was founded, and say that in that year miracles ceased
to be. In this matter, as in many others, the resemblance between Fray
Antonio and the founder of his Order, Saint Francis of Assisi, was very
strong.

Pablo's experience as a prisoner had been of a far more trying sort; for
the priests had sought earnestly, he said, by most stringent means, to
pervert him fro