in London, whither his father took
him and a volume of sermons in the first year of the reign of King James;
and Tom returned but once, a year afterwards, to Castlewood for many years
of his scholastic and collegiate life. Thus there was less danger to Tom
of a perversion of his faith by the director, who scarce ever saw him,
than there was to Harry, who constantly was in the vicar's company; but as
long as Harry's religion was his Majesty's, and my lord's, and my lady's,
the doctor said gravely, it should not be for him to disturb or disquiet
him: it was far from him to say that his Majesty's Church was not a branch
of the Catholic Church; upon which Father Holt used, according to his
custom, to laugh and say, that the Holy Church throughout all the world,
and the noble army of martyrs, were very much obliged to the doctor.

It was while Dr. Tusher was away at Salisbury that there came a troop of
dragoons with orange scarfs, and quartered in Castlewood, and some of them
came up to the Hall, where they took possession, robbing nothing however
beyond the hen-house and the beer-cellar; and only insisting upon going
through the house and looking for papers. The first room they asked to
look at was Father Holt's room, of which Harry Esmond brought the key, and
they opened the drawers and the cupboards, and tossed over the papers and
clothes--but found nothing except his books and clothes, and the vestments
in a box by themselves, with which the dragoons made merry, to Harry
Esmond's horror. And to the questions which the gentleman put to Harry, he
replied, that Father Holt was a very kind man to him, and a very learned
man, and Harry supposed would tell him none of his secrets if he had any.
He was about eleven years old at this time, and looked as innocent as boys
of his age.

The family were away more than six months, and when they returned they
were in the deepest state of dejection, for King James had been banished,
the Prince of Orange was on the throne, and the direst persecutions of
those of the Catholic faith were apprehended by my lady, who said she did
not believe that there was a word of truth in the promises of toleration
that Dutch monster made, or in a single word the perjured wretch said. My
lord and lady were in a manner prisoners in their own house; so her
ladyship gave the little page to know, who was by this time growing of an
age to understand what was passing about him, and something of the
characters