5
Another day Jesus Christ and His disciples dined at a tavern.[9]
‘What’s to pay?’ said Jesus Christ, when they had finished their meal.
‘Nothing at all,’ answered the host.
But the host had a little hunchback son, who said to him, ‘I know some have found it answer to give these people food instead of making them pay for it; but suppose they forget to give us anything, we shall be worse off than if we had been paid in the regular way. I will tell you what I’ll do now, so as to have a hold over them. I’ll take one of our silver spoons and put it in the bag that one of them carries, and accuse them of stealing it.’
Now St. Peter was a great eater, and when anything was left over from a good meal he was wont to put it by in a bag against a day when they had nothing. Into this bag therefore the hunchback put the silver spoon.
When they had gone on a little way the young hunchback ran after them and said to Jesus Christ,—
‘Signore! one of these with you has stolen a spoon from us.’
‘You are mistaken, friend; there is not one of them who would do such a thing.’
‘Yes,’ persevered the hunchback; ‘it is that one who took it,’ and he pointed to St. Peter.
‘I!!’ said St. Peter, getting very angry. ‘How dare you to say such a thing of me!’
But Jesus Christ made him a sign that he should keep silence.
‘We will go back to your house and help you to look for what you have lost, for that none of us have taken the spoon is most certain,’ He said; and He went back with the hunchback.
‘There is nowhere to search,’ answered the hunchback, ‘but in that man’s bag; I know it is there, because I saw him take it.’
‘Then there’s my bag inside out,’ said St. Peter, as he cast the contents upon the floor. Of course the silver spoon fell clattering upon the bricks.
‘There!’ said the hunchback, insolently. ‘Didn’t I tell you it was there? You said it wasn’t!’
St. Peter was so angry he could not trust himself to speak; but Jesus Christ answered for him:
‘Nay, I said not it was not there, but that none of these had taken it. And now we will see who it was put it there.’ With that He motioned to them all to stand back, while He, standing in the midst and raising his eyes to Heaven, said solemnly,
‘Let whoso put it in the bag be turned to stone!’
Even as He spoke the hunchback was turned into stone.