'It is all gospel truth,' said an old artisan; 'nevertheless deadly sin may come of it.'
'What sin is stinking in your old nostrils, Filippo?' asked a lad, smiling contemptuously.
'There can be no sin in it,' said another.
'It's a trap of the Evil One,' said Filippo undaunted. 'We are demanding a miracle. But we may be unworthy of a miracle. Is it not written in Scripture, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God?"'
'Hold your tongue, old man! Is not a mustard-seed of faith able to raise mountains? God cannot avoid a miracle once we have faith.'
'No! He can't! He can't!' cried many voices.
'But who is to go into the fire first? Fra Domenico or Fra Girolamo?'
'The two together.'
'No, Fra Girolamo will only pray. He is not going in.'
'You don't know what you are talking about. 'Twill be first Fra Domenico, then Fra Girolamo, and then all of us who wrote ourselves down last night at the convent.'