art--a
sense of love for the poor, of longing not only to help them, but to
share their very lives, to be one of them. At first he tried to satisfy
his longing to help them by making great feasts and serving his poor
guests with his own hands. One day he went on a pilgrimage to Rome, and
as he saw the crowd of beggars clustering round a certain shrine in hope
that the pilgrims would give them money, he longed to become just one of
them. So, taking one of them aside, he exchanged his fine clothes with
the beggar for his dirty rags, and spent the whole day with his poor
brothers in the dust and the scorching sun, enjoying the sense of being
a mere outcast to whom rich men threw ha'pence.

Still, when he returned to his home he was as puzzled as ever as to what
he should do. He took to spending long hours at prayer in a certain cave
begging God to make known His Will; and at last God answered his prayer,
and I will tell you how.

Francis had been for a long walk outside the city, and as he returned
along the stony little mountain paths, the evening sunlight dazzling
his eyes, and the olive-trees whispering to each other in the soft
evening air, he noticed a tumble-down little wayside church. Something
made him stop and turn in.

It was very dim and cool and quiet. There was no one there--except God.
A lamp burned with a feeble flicker in the sanctuary. Francis knelt down
and began to pray. Then, out of the stillness a strange, wonderful Voice
spoke his name--"_Francis_." He knew directly Whose Voice it was--Our
Blessed Lord's. "Yes, Lord," he answered, his heart beating rather fast,
though he felt very happy. "Francis, go and repair My church, which thou
seest falling," said the Voice. Then all was still.

The tones of that Voice seemed to vibrate through and through Francis.
He was filled with a great desire to obey--to do anything, anything Our
Lord wanted. "Repair My church," He had said. He must mean this poor
little tumble-down house of His, that was certainly on the point of
falling. So Francis jumped up from his knees and went out into the
sunlight very happy. He found the old priest, who lived in a poor little
house near by, and, telling him the wonderful thing that had happened,
gave him all the money he had, and promised to return soon with enough
to rebuild the church. Then he hurried home.

His father was away on a journey. So Francis went down to the warehouse
and picked out the most costly bale of rich s