the
church had had somewhat too much of that. He was a hot advocate of
the new doctrine that every man should think and judge for himself.
And Dalaber's nature was one very ready to imbibe such teaching.

Clarke, though he believed that the more the Scriptures were read
and understood by the people, the more would light pour into the
church, was not one of those who was ready to conceal and
distribute the forbidden books, whether words of holy Scripture or
the writings of the Reformers upon them and upon controverted
subjects and church abuses. He held that his own position as a
canon forbade this action on his part, and he was also of opinion
that there was danger in the too great independence of thought
which these writings might engender amongst the unlearned and the
hot-headed of the land. He loved to read and discourse upon holy
things with men whose hearts were attuned to thoughts of devotion;
but he was not one who would willingly stir up strife in the fold,
and he clung earnestly to the hope that the church herself would
awaken from her sleep and cleanse herself of her many impurities.

Yet he was a greater power than he guessed in Oxford, for he was
regarded as somewhat of a saint by those who knew him; and of late
the attention of the heads of the university had become attracted
towards him. Quite unaware of this, he pursued the even tenor of
his way, seeking to inspire devotion and love of purity and truth
in all with whom he came into contact, but never overstepping the
written or unwritten laws of the college, save perhaps that he knew
something of the spread of heretical books and doctrines without
betraying his knowledge to those in authority.

So the winter weeks flew by; and Dalaber, divided between his hours
of bliss and love with Freda (to whom he told everything, and whose
sympathies were all astir in the cause to which he was pledged) and
his perilous work with Garret, whose visits to Oxford from Abingdon
and other places were made in a more or less secret fashion,
scarcely heeded the flight of time. He was taken out of himself by
the excitement of the flying hours. He knew he was doing perilous
work; but he knew that Freda's sympathy was with him, and that she
regarded him as a hero in a noble cause. That was enough to keep
him steadfast and fearless, even if the magnetic personality of
Garret had not been so often brought to bear upon him. Whenever
Garret was in Oxford---and now he was more a