of the peace foolish and ignorant enough to be made their instruments,
but if it came to the worst, the penalty could only be a fine, which
he would gladly pay himself.

"He cannot be imprisoned then?" inquired Miss Armstrong.

"No; they would not dare," he said, to himself in a tone so low
that Faith could catch only a word or two here and there, "send
him--disorderly--no settlement--no, no--too bad--might be done. No,
Faith," he said, "you need anticipate no serious trouble about your
_protege_."

"Cannot we prevent his being arrested? It would mortify him
exceedingly."

"For that, perhaps, there is no remedy, but we will see. We are all
equally amenable to the laws. But after all, the thing may not be
noticed. These may be only rumors put out by some mischievous person
to keep Holden away from the village."

"They can have no such effect."

"No: and yet the rogue who invents them may think they will."

"I should not be at all anxious, Faith," said Anne. "Here are my
father, and yours, and my chivalrous brother, and--"

"And Mr. Thomas Pownal," said Faith, smiling, observing she hesitated.

"Yes, and Mr. Pownal; I am sure they would all be happy to spend a
great deal of breath and a little money in your service. They will
protect Father Holden. What are the gentlemen good for, if they cannot
grace a fair lady thus far?"

"And Mistress Anne, should they fail, would, like another Don Quixote,
with lance in rest, charge the enemy, and release the captive knight,
herself," said her father, pinching her cheek.

"Like Amadis de Gaul, father, and then would I present the captive of
my sword and lance to you, Faith, though what you would do with him I
do not know."

"Do not let us hear of swords and lances from you, Anne," said her
mother. "Thimbles and needles become you better."

"If I had been a man," exclaimed Anne, "and lived in the olden time,
how I would have gloried in such an adventure! You, Faith, should have
been the distressed damsel, I the valorous knight, and Father Holden a
captured seneschal. How would I have slashed around me, and how
would you have blushed, and hung about my neck, and kissed me, when I
appeared leading by the hand your venerable servitor!"

"What! what!" cried her father, "before the seneschal?"

"He would be so old he could not see, or, if he was not, tears of joy
would fill his eyes so that they would blind him," said Anne.

"An excellent idea, my dear," said Mrs. Ber