there through private passages and listened to him for the last time. As
the company was dispersing one of the priests stumbled and fell, making a
noise that roused the sentry outside. Again the house was searched, and
again with no success. In despair they were leaving it, when Jenkins,
Eliot's companion, who was coming downstairs with a servant of the house,
beat with his stick on the wall, saying that they had not searched there.
It was noticed that the servant showed signs of agitation; and men were
fetched to the spot; the wall was beaten in and the three priests were
found together, having mutually shriven one another, and made themselves
ready for death.

Campion was taken out and sent first to the Sheriff of Berkshire, and
then on towards London on the following day.

* * * *

The summer days went by, and every day brought its fresh rumour about
Campion. Sir Owen Hopton, Governor of the Tower, who at first had
committed his prisoner to Little-Ease, now began to treat him with more
honour; he talked, too, mysteriously, of secret interviews and promises
and understandings; and gradually it began to get about that Campion was
yielding to kindness; that he had seen the Queen; that he was to recant
at Paul's Cross; and even that he was to have the See of Canterbury. This
last rumour caused great indignation at Lambeth, and Anthony was more
pressed than ever to get what authentic news he could of the Jesuit. Then
at the beginning of August came a burst of new tales; he had been racked,
it was said, and had given up a number of names; and as the month went by
more and more details, authentic and otherwise, were published. Those
favourably inclined to the Catholics were divided in opinion; some feared
that he had indeed yielded to an excess of agony; others, and these
proved to be in the right when the truth came out, that he had only given
up names which were already known to the authorities; though even for
this he asked public pardon on the scaffold.

Towards the end of August the Archbishop again sent expressly for Anthony
and bade him accompany his chaplain on the following day to the Tower, to
be present at the public disputation that was to take place between
English divines and the Jesuit.

"Now he will have the chance he craved for," said Grindal. "He hath
bragged that he would meet any and all in dispute, and now the Queen's
clemency hath granted it him."