cannot believe it, my lady."

"You are a good man--a good simple man, Master Willis," she said; and
although the words of her designation were above my deserts, seeing
that simplicity and goodness are the great ornaments of the Christian
character, still the tone in which she spoke did not partake of the
nature of a compliment, and I bowed, but made no observation in reply.

"But it needs men of other minds in these awful times which I see
approaching--men of firmness, men of boldness--yea, who can shed blood
and shudder not; for great things are at stake."

"I trust not, my lady--albeit the shedding of blood"----

"I know, is generally condemned; yet be there texts which make it
imperative, and I think I foresee that the occasion for giving them
forth is at hand. All means in their power they will try; yes, though
James of York has been but four days a king, he had already made
perquisition for such as may be useful to him, not in settling the
crown upon his head, but in carrying off this people and kingdom, a
bound sacrifice to the blind idol which he worshippeth at Rome. You
know not the history of that man; no, nor of my son. Alas! that a
mother's lips should utter such words about her own flesh and blood!
The one of them I tell you is a bigot, a pursuer, a persecutor--the
other a sensualist, a Gallio, a tool. For many years he has never
beheld his mother's face; he married in his youth; he injured,
deserted, yea, he killed his wife--not with his own hand or with the
dagger, but by the surer weapons of hatred, neglect, unkindness. And
she died. He has but one child; that child was left in charge of my
honoured and loving daughter, the Lady Pevensey of Notts, and hath
been brought up in a Christian manner; but now he--this man of
Belial--wishes to get this infant in his own hands; nay, he boldly has
made a demand of her custody both on me and Pevensey, my daughter. We
will not surrender her; he is now great and powerful. The king will
back his efforts with all the weight of the crown; and we have
considered, if we could confide the persecuted dove to the hands of
some assured friend--some true son of our holy church--some steady,
firm-hearted, strong-nerved man, who in such cause would set lord and
king at defiance"----

Here she paused, and looked upon me with her eyes dilated, and her
nostrils panting with some great thought which was within her; and I
availed myself of the pause to say--

"Oh, my lady! if y