uld these be? He
was a FitzHerbert; there was no evading his own blood; and he was the
victim chosen by the Council to answer for the rest. Nothing, then,
except the denial of his faith--a formal and deliberate apostasy--could
serve him; and to think that of the nephew of old Sir Thomas, and the
son of John, was inconceivable. There seemed no way out; the torment of
this prison must be borne. She only wished he could have borne it more
manfully.

It seemed, as she watched him, that some other train of thought had
fastened upon him. His wife had begun again her lamentations, bewailing
his cell and his clothes, and his loss of liberty, asking him whether he
were not ill, whether he had food enough to eat; and he hardly answered
her or glanced at her, except once when he remembered to tell her that a
good gift to the gaoler would mean a little better food, and perhaps
more light for himself. And then he resumed his pacing; and, three or
four times as he turned, the girl caught his eyes fixed on hers for one
instant. She wondered what was in his mind to say.

Even as she wondered there came a single loud rap upon the door, and
then she heard the key turning. He wheeled round, and seemed to come to
a determination.

"My dearest," he said to his wife, "here is the gaoler come to turn you
out again. I will ask him--" He broke off as the man stepped in.

"Mr. Gaoler," he said, "my wife would speak alone with you a moment."
(He nodded and winked at his wife, as if to tell her that this was the
time to give him the money.)

"Will you leave Mistress Manners here for a minute or two while my wife
speaks with you in the passage?"

Then Marjorie understood that she had been right.

The man who held the keys nodded without speaking.

"Then, my dearest wife," said Thomas, embracing her all of a sudden,
and simultaneously drawing her towards the door, "we will leave you to
speak with the man. He will come back for Mistress Manners directly."

"Oh! my Thomas!" wailed the girl, clinging to him.

"There, there, my dearest. And you will come and see me again as soon as
you can get the order."

* * * * *

The instant the door was closed he came up to Marjorie and his face
looked ghastly.

"Mistress Manners," he said, "I dare not speak to my wife. But ... but,
for Jesu's sake, get me out of here. I ... I cannot bear it....
Topcliffe comes to see me every day.... He ... he speaks to me
continuall