ideth himself in his shame, and says he has openly professed. It is to
please the hypocritical master he serves. And he boasts that our late
king--defender of the faith--was shrived on his deathbed by a Popish
friar."

"I cannot believe it, my lady."

"You are a good man--a good simple man, Master Willis," she said; and
although the words of her designation were above my deserts, seeing that
simplicity and goodness are the great ornaments of the Christian
character, still the tone in which she spoke did not pertake of the
nature of a compliment, and I bowed, but made no observation in reply.

"But it needs men of other minds in these awful times which I see
approaching--men of firmness, men of boldness--yea, who can shed blood
and shudder not; for great things are at stake."

"I trust not, my lady--albeit the shedding of blood"----

"I know, is generally condemned; yet be there texts which make it
imperative, and I think I foresee that the occasion for giving them
forth is at hand. All means in their power they will try; yes, though
James of York has been but four days a king, he had already made
perquisition for such as may be useful to him, not in settling the crown
upon his head, but in carrying off this people and kingdom, a bound
sacrifice to the blind idol which he worshippeth at Rome. You know not
the history of that man; no, nor of my son. Alas! that a mother's lips
should utter such words about her own flesh and blood! The one of them I
tell you is a bigot, a pursuer, a persecutor--the other a sensualist, a
Gallio, a tool. For many years he has never beheld his mother's face; he
married in his youth; he injured, deserted, yea, he killed his wife--not
with his own hand or with the dagger, but by the surer weapons of
hatred, neglect, unkindness. And she died. He has but one child; that
child was left in charge of my honoured and loving daughter, the Lady
Pevensey of Notts, and hath been brought up in a Christian manner; but
now, he--this man of Belial--wishes to get this infant in his own hands;
nay, he boldly has made a demand of her custody both on me and Pevensey,
my daughter. We will not surrender her; he is now great and powerful.
The king will back his efforts with all the weight of the crown; and we
have considered, if we could confide the persecuted dove to the hands of
some assured friend--some true son of our holy church--some steady,
firm-hearted, strong-nerved man, who in such cause would set lord