that the Master were here to hear him speak, Philip interjected.  He was with the Master last night, and the Master was well pleased with him.  It all depends on what mood the Master be in, John answered, and they all fell to asking each other what the Master’s mood was that morning.  But it would seem that all read him differently, and it was with joy at the prospect of a new opinion that they viewed Judas coming towards them.

And taking Judas into the discussion Peter said:  now I’ve two boats, and John and James have four, so we aren’t without money though our riches are small compared with the young Master’s.  Are we to sell our boats and give the money to the poor, and if we do who then will look after the Master’s wants?  They are small it is true, a bit of fish and bread every day, and a roof over his head; but who will give him a roof if mine be taken from me?  Is not this so?  All seemed in agreement, and Peter continued:  I am thinking, John, that our new brother might help us to buy the Master a new cloak, for his is falling to pieces and my wife’s mother is weary with patching it.  He cured her of the fever, but she thinks that a great cost is put upon me and would ask the Master something for his keep.  Whereupon John spoke out that the story of his mother-in-law was for ever the same; and seeing that he was offending Peter with the words he addressed against his wife’s mother, though indeed Peter liked her not too much himself, Joseph put his hand in his pocket and said:  here are some shekels, go and buy Jesus a cloak, but say not to him whence the money came.

Say not to him!  Judas interjected.  No need to tell him that can read the thoughts in the mind.  It would be better for the young Master to give him one of his old cloaks.  Jesus would question the new cloak and say it savours of money.  He sees into the heart.  We have tried to keep things from him before, Judas continued turning to Joseph....  It is our duty to save him as much as we can.  Peter has done much and I’ve shared the expense with Peter, though I am a poor man; we pick the stones from his path, for he walks with his eyes fixed upon the Kingdom of God always.  Yes, he sees into our hearts, Philip interrupted, and reads through all we are thinking even before the thoughts come into our minds.  It is as Philip says, Judas muttered:  our hearts are open to him always.  But James, who had not spoken till now, put forward the opinion, and no one seemed inclined to gainsay it, that if Jesus knew men’s thoughts before they came into men’s minds he must be warned of them by the angels.  He goes into the solitude of the mountains to converse with the angels, James said—­for what else?  Moses went into the clefts of Mount Sinai, Joseph added, and he asked Peter to tell him if Jesus believed that the soul existed apart from the body, at which question Peter was fairly embarrassed, for the soul must be somewhere, he said, and if there be no body to contain it——­ You must ask the Master about these things, we have not considered them.  All the same we are glad that you are with us and ready to follow him into danger, for if the Sadducees and Pharisees are against him we are with him.  Is that not so, sons of Zebedee?