“‘I have a son, a good boy, but he has only just got a place with Mr. Drake, here in the hotel. He began tonight. He has had experience in restaurants as a waiter, but I thought he would do better in a house. He will make a good servant. He’s quick and honest.’

“‘Is his name Roger?’

“‘Yes. How did you know?’

“‘I have just come from Mr. Drake’s. You spoke of a girl, your daughter.’

“‘I don’t know where she is.’ The woman spoke slowly, and paused in her work as she looked up at Jesus.

“Then there occurred the most astonishing thing about this whole affair. Jesus said gently, ‘You are not well. The work is too hard for you. I am strong. Let me help you.’

“‘Well, sir, years ago of course there was much more of this work to do before they put in the new vacuum cleaners. But the stairs and office floors are marble and have to be washed, and I still have a lot of night work, but not so much as I used to, so I fill out with washing at home. The day and night work together, of course, makes it a little—’

“‘You are tired and sick. Let me help you.’

“And then he got down on his knees, took the woman’s brush and short-handled mop, and scrubbed the stairs, while she crouched down, without even a word, and buried her head in a short shawl she had been wearing about her neck.

“Barnes, if this person you say is Jesus, really is the son of God, as you believe, what do you think of a scene like that?”

“I should say it was just like him,” answered Barnes, while his face glowed and the tears stood in his eyes. “It is the best possible proof that he is the Son of God. Did he not once wash the disciples’ feet? Did he not spend most of his life doing manual labor?”

“Yes, but it is not common to see men in evening dress scrubbing hotel stairs between two and three in the morning. I have never seen such a sight before and it staggered me. I watched for a while, and then, not wanting to be caught in the somewhat embarrassing position I was in, I went back up three or four flights and out to the other end of the corridor. Then I took the elevator down and got out of doors.

“I have not seen him since. News came in this morning, and of course you have it, about the tremendous gathering in Mount Calvary Hall at which Jesus stirred all New York over the white slave traffic, in the most startling series of revelations ever made.