Chapter LIX. How he gave a cloak to a poor woman suffering from her eyes

92. At the time when S. Francis was staying at the Bishop of Rieti's palace for the cure of a disease of the eyes a poor woman from Machilone, suffering also from the like disease, came to the physician. The Saint, therefore, turned to his warden and addressed him familiarly somewhat as follows: "Brother warden, we must restore the property of another". "Let it be restored, father," he answered, "if there is any such thing with us." i( That cloak," said S. Francis, "which we have borrowed from the poor woman yonder let us restore to her, for she has nothing in her purse for her expenses." The warden replied, "Brother, the cloak is mine and has not been lent us by any one. Use it as long as thou pleasest; when thou wilt not use it any more, give it back to me." (Now the warden had bought it a little while before for S. Francis' need.) The Saint said to him: "Brother warden, thou hast ever been courteous to me; I pray thee show [me] courtesy now." "Do as thou wilt, father," answered the warden, "whatsoever the spirit doth prompt thee." So [S. Francis] called a certain very devout layman and said to him: M Take this cloak and twelve loaves, and go and say to yonder poor woman: ' The poor man to whom thou lentest the cloak thanks thee for the loan: but now take what is thine own ' ". The man went and did as he had been told. The woman, thinking it was in joke, said with shame: "Oh, don't bother me with thy cloak; I don't know what thou art talking about". But he insisted and put all into her hands. When she saw that there was indeed no deception, fearing lest what had been so easily gained might be taken away from her, she rose up by night, and, heedless of the cure of her eyes, carried the cloak home with her.