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a softness that might displease his Maker, so he took it off
and said his prayers naked. When he got into bed he was so
cold that for some time he could not sleep, but when he did,
it was so soundly that Mary Ann had to shake him when
she brought in his hot water next morning. She talked to
him while she drew the curtains, but he did not answer; he
had remembered at once that this was the morning for the
miracle. His heart was filled with joy and gratitude. His first
instinct was to put down his hand and feel the foot which
was whole now, but to do this seemed to doubt the good-
ness of God. He knew that his foot was well. But at last he
made up his mind, and with the toes of his right foot he just
touched his left. Then he passed his hand over it.
He limped downstairs just as Mary Ann was going into
the dining-room for prayers, and then he sat down to break-
fast.
‘You’re very quiet this morning, Philip,’ said Aunt Louisa
presently.
‘He’s thinking of the good breakfast he’ll have at school
to-morrow,’ said the Vicar.
When Philip answered, it was in a way that always irri-
tated his uncle, with something that had nothing to do with
the matter in hand. He called it a bad habit of wool-gather-
ing.
‘Supposing you’d asked God to do something,’ said Phil-
ip, ‘and really believed it was going to happen, like moving
a mountain, I mean, and you had faith, and it didn’t happen,
what would it mean?’
‘What a funny boy you are!’ said Aunt Louisa. ‘You asked

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