door. Flemild went to open it.

"Holy saints!" they heard her cry.

Then the door opened, and in walked two men in red and white livery,
with four golden crosses patee embroidered on the left arm. With a
glance round, they addressed themselves to Manning.

"Are you the owner of this house?"

Manning knew in a moment who his visitors were--official sumners of the
Bishop of Lincoln.

"I am," he said. "What would you have?"

One of the sumners unrolled a parchment deed.

"We have here a writ to take the bodies of certain persons believed to
be in your house, and we bid you, in the name of holy Church, that you
aid us in the execution of our office."

Isel, terribly frightened, was muttering Ave Marias by the dozen. To
Gerhardt's forehead the blood had surged in one sudden flush, and then
subsiding, left him calm and pale.

"When holy Church bids, I am her lowly servant," was Manning's answer.
"Do your duty."

"You say well," replied the sumner. "I demand the body of one Gerard, a
stranger of Almayne, of Agnes his wife, of Rudolph their son, and of
Ermine, the man's sister."

"Of what stand they accused?"

"Of the worst that could be--heresy."

"Then will I give them no shelter. I pray you to note, Master Sumner,
that I returned but last night from over seas, whither I have followed
the cross, and have not hitherto had any opportunity to judge of these
whom I found here."

"You will have opportunity to clear yourself before the Council," said
the sumner. "Find me a rope, good woman. Is _this_ your son?" he
added, appealing to Gerhardt.

"This is my son," answered Gerhardt, with a tremulous smile. "He is
scarcely yet old enough to commit crime."

"Eh, dear, good gentlemen, you'll never take the little child!" pleaded
Isel. "Why, he is but a babe. I'll swear to you by every saint in the
Calendar, if you will, to bring him up the very best of Catholic
Christians, under Father Dolfin's eye. What can he have done?"

"He believes what has been taught him, probably," said the sumner
grimly. "But I cannot help it, good wife--the boy's name is in the
writ. The only favour in my power to show is to tie him with his
mother. Come now, the rope--quick!"

"No rope of mine shall tie _them_!" said Isel, with sudden determination
which no one had expected from her. "You may go buy your own ropes for
such innocent lambs, for I'll not find you one!"

"But a rope of mine shall!" thundered Manning. "Sit