e frozen surface of a lake.

Suddenly he remembered something, and hastily coughed, rubbing his
perfectly healthy chest with his hairy hand: maybe some one was not yet
asleep, and was listening to what Judas was thinking!

CHAPTER II

They gradually became used to Judas, and ceased to notice his ugliness.
Jesus entrusted the common purse to him, and with it there fell on
him all household cares: he purchased the necessary food and clothing,
distributed alms, and when they were on the road, it was his duty to
choose the place where they were to stop, or to find a night's lodging.

All this he did very cleverly, so that in a short time he had earned the
goodwill of some of the disciples, who had noticed his efforts. Judas
was an habitual liar, but they became used to this, when they found
that his lies were not followed by any evil conduct; nay, they added a
special piquancy to his conversation and tales, and made life seem like
a comic, and sometimes a tragic, tale.

According to his stories, he seemed to know every one, and each person
that he knew had some time in his life been guilty of evil conduct, or
even crime. Those, according to him, were called good, who knew how to
conceal their thoughts and acts; but if one only embraced, flattered,
and questioned such a man sufficiently, there would ooze out from him
every untruth, nastiness, and lie, like matter from a pricked wound. He
freely confessed that he sometimes lied himself; but affirmed with an
oath that others were still greater liars, and that if any one in this
world was ever deceived, it was Judas.

Indeed, according to his own account, he had been deceived, time upon
time, in one way or another. Thus, a certain guardian of the treasures
of a rich grandee once confessed to him, that he had for ten years been
continually on the point of stealing the property committed to him, but
that he was debarred by fear of the grandee, and of his own conscience.
And Judas believed him--and he suddenly committed the theft, and
deceived Judas. But even then Judas still trusted him--and then he
suddenly restored the stolen treasure to the grandee, and again deceived
Judas. Yes, everything deceived him, even animals. Whenever he pets a
dog it bites his fingers; but when he beats it with a stick it licks his
feet, and looks into his eyes like a daughter. He killed one such dog,
and buried it deep, laying a great stone on the top of it--but who
knows? Perhaps just b