p, solemnly; 'and oh, Amy,
dearest, let us thank Him for His great mercy.'

'Do you think He has been merciful?' asked Mrs Pendle, doubtfully, for
her religious emotion was not strong enough to blind her to the stubborn
fact that their troubles had been undeserved, that they were innocent
sinners.

'Most merciful,' murmured the bishop, bowing his head. 'Has He not shown
us how to expiate our sin?'

'Our sin; no, George, I won't agree to that. We have not sinned. We
married in the fullest belief that Stephen was dead.'

'My dear, all that is past and done with. Let us look to the future, and
thank the Almighty that He has delivered us out of our troubles.'

'Yes, I thank Him for that, George,' said Mrs Pendle, meekly enough.

'That is my own dear Amy,' answered the bishop; and producing his pocket
Bible, he opened it at random. His eye alighted on a verse of Jeremiah,
which he read out with thankful emotion,--

'And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked; and I will
redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.'

CHAPTER XXXVII

DEA EX MACHINA

As may be guessed, Captain Pendle, now that the course of true love ran
smoother, was an assiduous visitor to the Jenny Wren house. He and Mab
were all in all to one another, and in the egotism of their love did not
trouble themselves about the doings of their neighbours. It is true that
George was relieved and pleased to hear of Mosk's arrest and confession,
because Gabriel was thereby exonerated from all suspicion of having
committed a vile crime; but when reassured on this point, he ceased to
interest himself in the matter. He was ignorant that his brother loved
Bell Mosk, as neither Baltic nor the bishop had so far enlightened him,
else he might not have been quite so indifferent to the impending trial
of the wretched criminal. As it was, the hot excitement prevalent in
Beorminster left him cold, and both he and Mab might have been dwellers
in the moon for all the interest they displayed in the topic of the day.
They lived, according to the selfish custom of lovers, in an Arcadia of
their own creation, and were oblivious to the doings beyond its borders.
Which disregard was natural enough in their then state of mind.

However, George, being in the world and of the world, occasionally
brought to Mab such scraps of news as he thought might interest her. He
told her of his mother's return, of her renewed health, of her pleasure
in hearing that the e