It was Sunday, and the bells were ringing for church. As the people went
in, Jean followed them; he heard God’s word, joined in singing the psalms,
and listened to the preacher. It seemed to him just as if he were in his own
church, where he had been christened, and had sung the psalms with his
father. Out in the churchyard were several graves, and on some of them the
grass had grown very high. Jean thought of his father’s grave, which he
knew at last would look like these, as he was not there to weed and attend to
it. Then he set to work, pulled up the high grass, raised the wooden crosses
which had fallen down, and replaced the wreaths which had been blown
away from their places by the wind, thinking all the time, “Perhaps some
one is doing the same for my father’s grave, as I am not there to do it “
Outside the church door stood an old beggar, leaning on his crutch. Jean
gave him his silver shillings, and then he continued his journey, feeling
lighter and happier than ever. Towards evening, the weather became very
stormy, and he hastened on as quickly as he could, to get shelter; but it was
quite dark by the time he reached a little lonely church which stood on a
hill. “I will go in here,” he said, “and sit down in a corner; for I am quite
tired, and want rest.”
So he went in, and seated himself; then he folded his hands, and offered
up his evening prayer, and was soon fast asleep and dreaming, while the
thunder rolled and the lightning flashed without. When he awoke, it was
still night; but the storm had ceased, and the moon shone in upon him
through the windows. Then he saw an open coffin standing in the centre of
the church, which contained a dead man, waiting for burial. Jean was not at
all timid; he had a good conscience, and he knew also that the dead can
never injure any one. It is living wicked men who do harm to others. Two
such wicked persons stood now by the dead man, who had been brought to
the church to be buried. Their evil intentions were to throw the poor dead
body outside the church door, and not leave him to rest in his coffin.
“Why do you do this?” asked Jean, when he saw what they were going to
do; “it is very wicked. Leave him to rest in peace, in Christ’s name.”
