All toiled zealously, scarcely noticing his Reverence, who appeared directly after Mass beside his farm-servant, ploughing close to the road; and their amazement was extreme when they saw him coming round to the corn-plots, hailing his parishioners jovially, offering them snuff, and, after some friendly words, patting the children’s heads, joking with the younger women, seizing a bough to drive a flight of sparrows from the barley, blessing the first handful of seed to be sown, or even sowing a handful himself: all the while urging the work on so energetically that no overseer could have done better! He visited them again, too, immediately after dinner; for though (as he told the women) it was St. Mark’s day, the procession was not to take place till the octave, on the 3rd of May. “We must not interrupt our work, for our helpers will no longer be here to-morrow.” He stayed on in the open till the very end, with cassock tucked up, and leaning on a stick, as he was a corpulent man; yet going about unweariedly, and only now and then sitting down to wipe the perspiration from his bald forehead. They were most pleased to see him; and somehow the work seemed to go on faster and easier under his eye: moreover, the peasants felt vastly pleased at his Reverence’s kindness in coming to superintend the work. The red sun was rolling forestwards, and they were already finishing the more urgent work in haste, because they were anxious to be home ere dusk. Several of them would not even stay to sup, but departed after swallowing a mouthful of food; others quickly stowed away the contents of the dishes offered them; for their horses were harnessed and waited in front of the cabins. The priest went round again with Roch, thanking every man, and especially those of Rzepki, for their friendly assistance. “What you give to the needy you give to Jesus Himself. Aye, and though ye are not liberal in your offerings for Masses, and forget the wants of the church, and though I have for a whole year pointed out to you that your pastor’s roof lets in the rain—still I shall always remember you in prayers for your generosity towards Lipka.” So he spoke, moved even to tears, and kissing each man’s head as it bent before him. They were then close to the blacksmith’s, and on their way to the farther end of the village, when they were stopped by a crowd of weeping _Komorniki_, headed by Kozlova. “Excuse us, your Reverence; we have come to ask whether these people are not going to help us too,” she said boldly, in a loud tone of voice. “We were waiting for our turn to come.” The others chimed in here: “Are we poor wretches to remain without any help?” The priest, much embarrassed, grew exceedingly red in the face. “What am I to do?” he said; “there were not enough workers for all.... As it is, they have kindly given us their toil for two whole days ... and ... and....” he stammered, looking from one to another.