"You're a devil, not a friar; for if you were a man of God you could not have got over Kökényesdi so easily—Kökényesdi, who was wont to overthrow whole armadas single-handed—and now to be beaten by an unarmed man!"
"Thou didst come against me with an axe and a fokos,[14] but I came against thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, and He who permitted David the shepherd to pluck the raging lion by the beard and slay him, hath aided my arm also in order that I might be a blessing to thee."
[14] Sledge-hammer.
"Blessing indeed!—hang me up! I deserve it for letting myself be collared by a parson."
"Oh, my dear son, to attribute such flagrant cruelty to me! Heaven rejoices not in the death of a sinner."
"Then let me go!"
"How could I let thee go when thou art but half converted? Rather remain here, my son, in this holy seclusion and try and cleanse thy soul by holy penance and prayer."
The robber foamed with rage.
"Where is there a nail that I may hang myself upon it?"
"That thou certainly wilt never be able to do, for a worthy pater shall always be by thy side to teach thee how to sing the Psalter."