It was almost enough to make him laugh again – the beggar’s automatic agreement, the way he called him some forbidden fruit, the presumption that he’d been an innocent priest-in-training for most of his life. Almost enough.

Malachi hummed instead, though the sound positively buzzed with amusement.

“I see,” he said quite gravely. “We wouldn’t want that. You said it yourself, Mister Tully, that I should set an example to the people that look up to me.”