hurt me still more.  I could hardly bear to sit on the cold steps any longer, and my eyes were blind with tears.  A barrel was set down in front of the house, and while a clerk was rolling it over the sidewalk into the shop, the stream of passers was stopped.  That woman there—­I remember her well—­stood still in front of me.  I offered her one of my sheep, and looked at her through my tears.  She seemed so hard and stern, that I thought:  ‘She won’t give me anything.’  But she did.  It seemed suddenly as if her face grew softer, and her eyes kinder.  She glanced at me, and before I knew it, she had put her hand in the bag which she carried on her arm, and thrown the nuts into my lap.  The cask had been rolled into the shop by this time, and the throng of people carried her along.  She tried to stop.  It was not easy, and she only did it to toss me a second, third, and fourth handful of the most beautiful walnuts.  I can still see it all, as if it were to-day!  Then she felt in her pocket, probably to get some money for me, but the press of people was too strong for her to stand against it longer.  I doubt if she heard that I thanked her.’

“Here the angel broke off, and threw a kiss to the condemned woman, and St. Peter asked her how it happened that she, who had been so deaf to all appeals from the poor, had been so sweetly generous to the child.

“The tormented woman answered amid her loud sobs:  ’The tearful eyes of the little one reminded me of my small sister, who died a painful death before I had grown to be hard and wicked, and a strange sensation—­I know not how it happened myself—­overpowered me.  It seemed as if my heart warmed within me, and something seemed to say to me that I would never forgive myself as long as I lived, and would be even unhappier than I was, if I did not give the child something to rejoice over at Christmas time.  I longed to draw her towards me and kiss her.  After I had tossed her half of the nuts, which I had just bought, I felt happier than I had for many a day, and I would certainly have given her some money, though only a little . . . .’

“But Peter interrupted her.  He had heard enough, and as he knew that it was impossible for any one in Heaven or Hell to tell an untruth, he nodded to her, saying:  ’That was, beyond dispute, a good deed, but it is too small to counterbalance the great weight of your bad deeds.  Perhaps it may lighten your punishment.  Still great riches were meted out to you on earth, and what were a few nuts to you!  The motive that urged you to bestow them is pleasing in the sight of the Lord, I acknowledge; but as I said before, your charity was too paltry for you to be released from your pains because of it.’

“He turned to go, but a clear voice of wonderful sweetness held him back.  It was that of the Saviour, who advanced with majestic dignity towards the apostle and spoke:  ’Let us first hear if the alms-giving of which we have just learned was really too small to plead for leniency towards this sinning soul.  Let us hear’—­turning to the angel—­’what became of the nuts.’