THE NINTH MAN
And the words that he spoke, that had once seemed to me the ravings of a madman, now seemed as though they were spoken by the voice of God. I felt, when I heard him speak, as if I had been dying of thirst and he gave me to drink. I had forgotten what hope was, and love, and, lo, here were both. And thus he delivered me, as he did all those wretched ones before him who had had to suffer not only the pains of poverty and of their feeble bodies, but also, under the wise plan of Messer Gubbio, the fear of death.
Brother Agnello called forth from all of us those fair things, love and hope, and he linked us together into a mighty army of love, and not one of us who heard him could have lifted his hand to kill his fellow-man. Hate was gone from among us: the San Moglio that I had seen turning to me the face of one who lives in hell was now full of the rejoicing of heaven, and we who heard him speak believed that for this end was Brother Agnello born.
Mighty and terrible is the tramping of an angry crowd, and red with lust a city drunk with the love of life, and worse a city that
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