FELGELD had for a long time suffered from an angry red swelling on his face, and he worried that he might have to give up his cherished retreat and move into the infirmary at Lindisfarne. So he kept back a piece of the calfskin, steeped it in water, and then gently laved his face in the water. As he had confidently expected, the swelling immediately subsided, never to return.

Bede told us this little history as the very last act in the dramatic life of St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, though he acknowledged that the calfskin was Ethelwald’s and he deserved at least some of the credit. Of the truth of it he was certain. For one thing, he knew a priest who had examined Felgeld’s face both before and after. For another, Bede knew Felgeld himself, and he had confirmed every word. And whether we credit it to Cuthbert or to Ethelwald, said Bede, we must credit it to Almighty Grace, which in this world heals many of us, and in the world to come will heal our every sickness of mind and body, satisfy our longing for all that is good, and crown us everlastingly with mercy and compassion.