d towards himself. They were
pointing to his head, and two of them had caught him by the shoulders,
when another voice rose "Ha! Let him alone. I say, Bill! Faithful! It's
my brother. He knows no better!" Then dashing up, Jeph rammed the great
hat down over Stead's brow, eyes and all, and called out, "Whoever
touches my brother must have at me first."

"There," said one of the others, "the old Adam need not be so fierce in
thee, brother Jephthah! No one wants to hurt the lad, young prelatist
though he be, so he will make amends by burning their superstitious
books on the fire, even as Jehu burnt the worshippers of Baal."

Steadfast felt somewhat as Christians of old may have felt when called
on to throw incense on the altar of Jupiter, as a handful of pages torn
from a Prayer-book was thrust into his hands. Words did not come
readily to him, but he shook his head and stood still, perhaps stolid in
resistance.

"Come," said Jeph, laying hold of his shoulder to drag him along.

"I cannot; 'tis Scripture," said Stead, as in his distress his eye fell
on the leaves in his hand, and he read aloud to prove it--

"Thy Word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

There was one moment's pause. Perhaps the men had absolutely forgotten
how much of their cherished Bible was integral in the hated Prayer-book;
at any rate they were enough taken aback to enable Jeph to pull his
brother out at the door, not without a fraternal cuff or two, as he
exclaimed:

"Thou foolish fellow! ever running into danger for very dullness."

"What have I done, Jeph?" asked poor Stead, still bewildered.

"Done! Why, doffed thy hat, after the superstitious and idolatrous
custom of our fathers."

"How can it be idolatrous? 'Twas God's house," said Stead.

"Aye, there thou art in the gall of bitterness. Know'st thou not that no
house is more holy than another?" and Jeph would have gone on for
some time longer, but that he heard sounds which made him suspect
that someone had condemned the version of the Psalms as prelatical and
profane, and that his comrades might yet burst forth to visit their
wrath upon his young brother, whom he therefore proceeded to lead out
of sight as fast as possible into the Dean's garden, where he had the
entree as being orderly to Captain Venn, who, with other officers, abode
in the Deanery.

There, controversy being dropped for the moment, Stead was able to tell
his brother of his expedition, and how h