It haunted his waking hours and obsessed his nights . I heard him talking in his sleep about it . If anything could have made him thin the way he worried over this matter would have done it . For myself , I cared not a groat . I had wished to be successful in the sermon contest , and felt sore whenever I thought of my failure . But I had no burning desire to eat sour apples without grimacing , and I did not sympathize over and above with my brother . When , however , he took to praying about it , I realized how deeply he felt on the subject , and hoped he would be successful . Felix prayed earnestly that he might be enabled to eat a bitter apple without making a face . And when he had prayed three nights after this manner , he contrived to eat a bitter apple without a grimace until he came to the last bite , which proved too much for him . But Felix was vastly encouraged . `` Another prayer or two , and I 'll be able to eat a whole one , '' he said jubilantly . But this devoutly desired consummation did not come to pass . In spite of prayers and heroic attempts , Felix could never get beyond that last bite . Not even faith and works in combination could avail . For a time he could not understand this . But he thought the mystery was solved when Cecily came to him one day and told him that Peter was praying against him . `` He 's praying that you 'll never be able to eat a bitter apple without making a face , '' she said . `` He told Felicity and Felicity told me . She said she thought it was real cute of him . I think that is a dreadful way to talk about praying and I told her so .
She wanted me to promise not XXXXX tell you , but I would n't promise , because I think it 's fair for you to know what is going on . ''
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