There were six of them besides the Prior and Abbot. The seventh was away in the village, collecting the gifts of charity. It was the student John's week in the bake-house, and from there he had heard every word; and now that the worthy fathers had gone away, he came out of the bake-house and hobbled off to the kitchen. The master of the kitchen was not there, but Samuel, a fellow-student, hung over the edge of a large two-handled tub. John was lank, and Samuel was thickset; both were in rags, out of respect to the golden saying, "In rags is a student at his best". It was the daily duty of these two students to carry to the pigs this large tub full of kitchen refuse.
