beating out its life against the bars of its cage, and he wished to show
her that neither he nor the world would blame her for yielding to the
tremendous pressure which would be put upon her.

For himself, he would have died a thousand times rather than renounce
his faith; but he told himself that Thekla was but a child, that women
cared little for dogmas, and that she would learn to pray as sincerely
in a Catholic as in a Protestant church, without troubling her mind as
to whether there were gross abuses in the government of the church, in
the sale of absolutions, or errors in abstruse doctrines. But to Thekla
it had seemed impossible that she could become a Catholic.

The two religions stood in arms against each other; Catholics and
Protestants differed not only in faith but in politics. In all things
they were actively and openly opposed to each other, and the thought
that she might be compelled to abjure her faith was most terrible to the
girl; and she was firmly resolved that, so long as her strength lasted
and her mind was unimpaired, she would resist whatever pressure might
be placed upon her, and would yield neither to menaces, to solitary
confinement, or even to active cruelty. The prospect, however; had
weighed heavily upon her mind. Her father had appeared to consider any
escape impossible; her mother had said nothing of her hopes; and the
words which Malcolm had spoken, indicating something like a surety of
freeing her from her terrible position, filled her with surprise and
delight.

"Whom have you here?" the governor asked, indicating Malcolm by a motion
of the head.

"It is a craftsman from Nuremberg. The clock had stopped, and the count,
with whom the hours pass but slowly, fretted himself at not being able
to count them; so I asked our attendant to bring hither a craftsman
to put it in order, first sending her with a note to you asking for
permission for him to come; as you were out your deputy signed the
order."

"He should not have done so," the baron said shortly, "for the orders
are strict touching the entry of any here. However, as he has taken the
clock to pieces, he can put it together again." So saying he went over
to the table where Malcolm was at work and stood for a minute or two
watching him. The manner in which Malcolm fitted the wheels into their
places, filing and oiling them wherever they did not run smoothly,
satisfied him that the youth was what he seemed.

"You are young to h