do what we can between
us. Her Grace noticed this morning that I had been weeping; I put her off
with excuses that she knows to be excuses; and she is so curious that she
will not rest till she knows the cause. Come after dinner to-day; we are
at Greenwich now; and we will see what may be done. It may even be
needful for you to see her Grace yourself, and tell her the story. Your
loving friend, Mary Corbet."

Anthony gave a message to the royal groom, to tell Mistress Corbet that
he would do as she said, and then rode off immediately to the city. There
was another disappointing delay as the Bishop was at Fulham; and thither
he rode directly through the frosty streets under the keen morning
sunshine, fretting at the further delay.

He had often had occasion to see the Bishop before, and Aylmer had taken
something of a liking to this staunch young churchman; and now as the
young man came hurrying across the grass under the elms, the Bishop, who
was walking in his garden in his furs and flapped cap, noticed his
anxious eyes and troubled face, and smiled at him kindly, wondering what
he had come about. The two began to walk up and down together. The
sunshine was beginning to melt the surface of the ground, and the birds
were busy with breakfast-hunting.

"Look at that little fellow!" cried the Bishop, pointing to a thrush on
the lawn, "he knows his craft."

The thrush had just rapped several times with his beak at a worm's earth,
and was waiting with his head sideways watching.

"Aha!" cried the Bishop again, "he has him." The thrush had seized the
worm who had come up to investigate the noise, and was now staggering
backwards, bracing himself, and tugging at the poor worm, who, in a
moment more was dragged out and swallowed.

"My lord," said Anthony, "I came to ask your pity for one who was
betrayed by like treachery."

The Bishop looked astonished, and asked for the story; but when he heard
who it was that had been taken, and under what circumstances, the
kindliness died out of his eyes. He shook his head severely when Anthony
had done.

"It is useless coming to me, sir," he said. "You know what I think. To be
ordained beyond the seas and to exercise priestly functions in England is
now a crime. It is useless to pretend anything else. It is revolt against
the Queen's Grace and the peace of the realm. And I must confess I am
astonished at you, Mr. Norris, thinking that anything ought to be done to
shield a crimin