tenderness and gaiety of Mr. Buxton; and at first there was the
pleasant company of Mary Corbet as well.

There was little or no anxiety resting on any of them. "God was served,"
as the celebration of mass was called, each morning in the little room
where Anthony had made the exercises, and the three others were always
present. It was seldom that the room was not filled to over-flowing on
Sundays and holy-days with the household and the neighbouring Catholics.

Everything was, of course, perfection in the little chapel when it was
furnished; as was all that Mr. Buxton possessed. There was a wonderful
golden crucifix by an unknown artist, that he had picked up in his
travels, that stood upon the altar, with the bird-types of the Saviour at
each of the four ends; a pelican at the top, an eagle on the right
supporting its young which were raising their wings for a flight, on the
left a phoenix amid flames, and at the foot a hen gathering her
chickens under her wings--all the birds had tiny emerald eyes; the figure
on the cross was beautifully wrought, and had rubies in hands and feet
and side. There were also two silver altar-candlesticks designed by
Marrina for the Piccolomini chapel in the church of St. Francis in Siena;
and two more, plainer, for the Elevation. The vestments were exquisite;
those for high festivals were cloth of gold; and the other white ones
were beautifully worked with seed pearls, and jewelled crosses on the
stole and maniple. The other colours, too, were well represented, and
were the work of a famous convent in the south of France. All the other
articles, too, were of silver: the lavabo basin, the bell, the thurible,
the boat and spoon, and the cruets. It was a joy to all the Catholics who
came to see the worship of God carried on with such splendour, when in so
many places even necessaries were scarcely forthcoming.

There was a little hiding-hole between the chapel and the priest's room,
just of a size to hold the altar furniture and the priests in case of a
sudden alarm; and there were several others in the house too, which Mr.
Buxton had showed to Anthony with a good deal of satisfaction, on the
morning after his arrival.

"I dared not show them to you the last time you were here," he said, "and
there was no need; but now there must be no delay. I have lately made
some more, too. Now here is one," he said, stopping before the great
carved mantelpiece in the hall.

He looked round to see tha