Oh, it is no matter, lad; it was merely that I noticed the discrepancy. It is several days, and you cannot be expected to remember precisely. One is apt to be inexact when there is no particular circumstance to impress the count upon the memory.
But there was one, sir, said Seppi, eagerly.
What was it, my son? asked the astrologer, indifferently.
First, we all counted the piles of coin, each in turn, and all made it the same eleven hundred and six. But I had slipped one out, for fun, when the count began, and now I slipped it back and said, I think there is a mistake there are eleven hundred and seven; let us count again. We did, and of course I was right. They were astonished; then I told how it came about.
The astrologer asked us if this was so, and we said it was.
That settles it, he said. I know the thief now. Lads, the money was stolen.
Then he went away, leaving us very much troubled, and wondering what he could mean. In about an hour we found out; for by that time it was all over the village that Father Peter had been arrested for stealing a great sum of money from the astrologer. Everybodys tongue was loose and going. Many said it was not in Father Peters character and must be a mistake; but the others shook their heads and said misery and want could drive a suffering man to almost anything. About one detail there were no differences; all agreed that Father Peters account of how the money came into his hands was just about unbelievable it had such an impossible look. They said it might have come into the astrologers hands in some such way, but into Father Peters, never! Our characters began to suffer now. We were Father Peters only witnesses; how much did he probably pay us to back up his fantastic tale? People talked that kind of talk to us pretty freely and frankly, and were full of scoffings when we begged them to believe really we had told only the truth. Our parents were harder on us than any one else. Our fathers said we were disgracing our families, and they commanded us to purge ourselves of our lie, and there was no limit to their anger when we continued to say we had spoken true. Our mothers cried over us and begged us to give back our bribe and get back our honest names and save our families from shame, and come out and honorably confess. And at last we were so worried and harassed that we tried to tell the whole thing, Satan and all but no, it wouldnt come out. We were hoping and longing all the time that Satan would come and help us out of our trouble, but there was no sign of him.