A monk approaches the man kneeling before the high altar, and says:
'Brother, whosoever thou mayst be, go to rest, and do not disturb the peace of the Lord.'
The man answers nothing. Another draws near him, saying:
'Away from the church; be not guilty of sacrilege!'
The man makes no reply. A third monk stands beside him and says:
'I excommunicate thee, and the steel which thou darest to draw at the very foot of the cross.'
The culprit then rises, and replies:
'I waited for these words, that the stroke might be certain, and the blow mortal.'
He leaves the church slowly—slowly, as if counting his own footfalls, knowing them to be his last on earth!