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 because he killed it, it has come to life again, and instead of lying in the trench, is running about cheerfully with other dogs.

All laughed merrily at Judas’ tale, and he smiled pleasantly himself, winking his one lively, mocking eye—­and by that very smile confessed that he had lied somewhat; that he had not really killed the dog.  But he meant to find it and kill it, because he did not wish to be deceived.  And at these words of Judas they laughed all the more.

But sometimes in his tales he transgressed the bounds of probability, and ascribed to people such proclivities as even the beasts do not possess, accusing them of such crimes as are not, and never have been.  And since he named in this connection the most honoured people, some were indignant at the calumny, while others jokingly asked: 

“How about your own father and mother, Judas—­were they not good people?”

Judas winked his eye, and smiled with a gesture of his hands.  And the fixed, wide-open eye shook in unison with the shaking of his head, and looked out in silence.

“But who was my father?  Perhaps it was the man who used to beat me with a rod, or may be—­a devil, a goat or a cock....  How can Judas tell?  How can Judas tell with whom his mother shared her couch.  Judas had many fathers:  to which of them do you refer?”

But at this they were all indignant, for they had a profound reverence for parents; and Matthew, who was very learned in the scriptures, said severely in the words of Solomon: 

“’Whoso slandereth his father and his mother, his lamp shall be extinguished in deep darkness.’”

But John the son of Zebedee haughtily jerked out:  “And what of us?  What evil have you to say of us, Judas Iscariot?”

But he waved his hands in simulated terror, whined, and bowed like a beggar, who has in vain asked an alms of a passer-by:  “Ah! they are tempting poor Judas!  They are laughing at him, they wish to take in the poor, trusting Judas!” And while one side of his face was crinkled up in buffooning grimaces, the other side wagged sternly and severely, and the never-closing eye looked out in a broad stare.