up. A friar, so it seemed by his dress, was standing near me.
For some moments I was at a loss to recollect who he was, till I
recognised him as the companion of Father Overton. I had the presence
of mind, however, to be silent till I could frame a wise answer.

"Perchance you mistake me for some one else," I answered. "I am a young
man still under instruction; but, young as I am, I desire to follow the
true faith."

"You are cautious in your speech," said the friar; "but go on--I find I
am not mistaken. I wish to have a word with you in private. I mean you
no harm. You can tell me of one in whom I am interested."

Keeping hold of A'Dale's arm, I at length found myself again in the
street. We went down the hill towards Ludgate, and then turning along
the bank of the Fleet, soon found ourselves in a quiet spot, free from
observation. The friar had kept us in sight, and soon again joined us.

"I thank you for this confidence, young sir," he said. "These are
dangerous times, and those who trust others may fare ill; but of you I
have no fear. I want to learn from you news of one whom you knew as
Father Overton. I have received several epistles from him, and by their
means I have been brought to hold very different doctrines to those I
had before believed were true; yet hitherto I have not dared to express
them, but I feel that I can keep silence no longer. My great desire is
to go forth and preach the great doctrine of justification by faith,
held by Luther and those true and pious bishops who have lately been
committed to the flames. Their deaths, testifying as they did to the
truth, were, with the exhortations of my friend Overton, the means of
turning me from the Church of Rome. I trust that you have not fallen
back into the errors of that Church."

"No, indeed, I have not," I answered. "I rejoice to find that you, as
well as Father Overton, have deserted them. With regard to him, I saw
him several times at Antwerp, where he was supported by my patron,
Master Gresham, but suddenly he disappeared, and no one could tell what
had become of him. The fears were that he had been carried off by the
Inquisition."

"We shall ere long meet again," said the friar, after we had exchanged a
few more words. "However tempted, my young friends, hold fast to the
faith. I never knew happiness till I embraced it. I am very sure that
bitter regret and misery will be the lot of those who have once known
and then de