Apostles presented their pieces of bread in turn, and each received his
share. They ate it in haste, separating the flesh from the bone, by
means of their ivory knives, and the bones were afterwards burnt. They
also ate the garlic and green herbs in haste, dipping them in the
sauce. All this time they remained standing, only leaning slightly on
the backs of their seats. Jesus brake one of the loaves of unleavened
bread, covered up a part of it, and divided the remainder among his
Apostles. Another cup of wine was brought, but Jesus drank not of it:
'Take this,' he said, 'and divide it among you, for I will not drink from
henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink
it with you new in the kingdom of my Father' (Matt. 26:29). When they had
drunk the wine, they sang a hymn; then Jesus prayed or taught, and they
again washed their hands. After this they sat down.

Our Lord cut up another lamb which was carried to the holy women in
one of the buildings of the court, where they were seated at table. The
Apostles ate some more vegetables and lettuce. The countenance of our
Divine Saviour bore an indescribable expression of serenity and
recollection, greater than I had ever before seen. He bade the Apostles
forget all their cares. The Blessed Virgin also, as she sat at table
with the other women, looked most placid and calm. When the other women
came up, and took hold of her veil to make her turn round and speak to
them, her every movement expressed the sweetest self-control and
placidity of spirit.

At first Jesus conversed lovingly and calmly with his disciples, but
after a while he became grave and sad: 'Amen, amen, I say to you, that
one of you is about to betray me:' he said, he that dippeth his hand with
me in the dish' (Matt. 26:21.23). Jesus was then distributing the
lettuce, of which there was only one dish, to those Apostles who were