er in a day or twain: and if any of your pests
come meantime, you shake my stick at them, Madge, and tell them I'm at
hand."

"No fear! I'll see to that!" was the hearty answer.

So the Justice took up his abode at Primrose Croft, and the cantankerous
toads did not venture near. Mr Roberts had requested his brother to
hold the estate for him, or in the event of his death for Gertrude,
until they should return; which, of course, meant, and was quite
understood to mean, until the death of the Queen should make way for the
accession of the Protestant Princess Elizabeth. Plain speech was often
dangerous in those days, and people generally had recourse to some vague
form of words which might mean either one thing or another. The Justice
went down to the cloth-works on the following Tuesday, and called Roger
Hall into the private room.

"Read those, Hall, an' it like you," he said, laying before him Mr
Roberts' letter and the power of attorney.

Roger only glanced at them, and then looked up with a smile.

"I looked for something of this kind, Mr Justice," he said. "When
Master left the works on Tuesday evening, he said to me, `If my brother
come, Hall, you will see his orders looked to--' and I reckoned it meant
somewhat more than an order for grey cloth. We will hold ourselves at
your commands, Mr Justice, and I trust you shall find us to your
satisfaction."

"No doubt, Hall, no doubt!" replied the easy-tempered Justice. "Shut
that further door an instant. Have you heard aught of late touching
your sister?"

"Nought different, Mr Justice. She is yet in the Castle, but I cannot
hear of any further examination, nor sentence."

"Well, well! 'Tis sore pity folks cannot believe as they should, and
keep out of trouble."

Roger Hall was unable to help thinking that if Mr Justice Roberts had
spoken his real thoughts, and had dared to do it, what he might have
said would rather have been--"'Tis sore pity folks cannot let others
alone to believe as they like, and not trouble them."

That afternoon, the Lord Bishop of Dover held his Court in Canterbury
Castle, and a string of prisoners were brought up for judgment. Among
them came our friends from Staplehurst--Alice Benden, who was helped
into Court by her fellow-prisoners, White and Pardue, for she could
scarcely walk; Fishcock, Mrs Final, Emmet Wilson, and Sens Bradbridge.
For the last time they were asked if they would recant. The same answer
came from all-