ough to search the books. What shall I do? What can I do? I dare not
visit Mosk. I dare not ask Graham to see him. There is nothing to be
done but to hope for the best. If this miserable man speaks out, I shall
be ruined.'

Dr Pendle quite expected ruin, for he had no hope that a coarse and
cruel criminal would be honourable enough to hold his tongue. But this
belief, although natural enough, showed how the bishop misjudged the
man. From the moment of his arrest, Mosk spoke no ill of Dr Pendle; he
hinted at no secret, and to all appearances was quite determined to
carry it with him to the scaffold. On the third day of his arrest,
however, he roused himself from his sullen silence, and asked that young
Mr Pendle might be sent for. The governor of the prison, anticipating a
confession to be made in due form to a priest, hastily sent for Gabriel.
The young man obeyed the summons at once, for, his father having
informed him of Mosk's acquaintance with the secret, he was most anxious
to learn from the man himself whether he intended to talk or keep
silent. It was with a beating heart that Gabriel was ushered into the
prison cell.

By special permission the interview was allowed to be private, for Mosk
positively refused to speak in the presence of a third person. He was
sitting on his bed when the parson entered, but looked up with a gleam
of joy in his blood-shot eyes when he was left alone with the young man.

''Tis good of you to come and see a poor devil, Mr Pendle,' he said in a
grateful voice. 'Y'll be no loser by yer kin'ness, I can tell y'.'

'To whom should a priest come, save to those who need him?'

'Oh, stow that!' growled Mosk, in a tone of disgust; 'if I want religion
I can get more than enough from that Baltic cove. He's never done
preachin' and prayin' as if I were a bloomin' 'eathen. No, Mr Pendle, it
ain't as a priest as I asked y' t' see me, but as a man--as a
gentleman!' His voice broke. 'It's about my poor gal,' he whispered.

'About Bell,' faltered Gabriel, nervously clasping his hands together.

'Yes! I s'pose, sir, you won't think of marryin' her now?'

'Mosk! Mosk! who am I that I should visit your sins on her innocent
head?'

'Hold 'ard!' cried Mosk, his face lighting up; 'does that Bible speech
mean as y' are goin' to behave honourable?'

'How else did you expect me to behave? Mosk!' said Gabriel, laying a
slim hand on the man's knee, 'after your arrest I went to The Derby
Winner. It is