with a startled air. "What other
name?"

"I mean, plainly--is not thy name Mary Grove?"

At the question, the lady, unable longer to control herself, burst
into tears. Quickly recovering herself, however, and drying her eyes,
she said:

"The wicked man who first insulted me with the name and the infamy
connected therewith is dead. Dread ye not a like judgment on
yourselves?"

"Thou dost ill to remind us," observed an Assistant, "that thou art,
according to thine own opinion, in some sort, a cause of the death of
our brother, Spikeman, and to threaten us with his fate."

"I threatened not. I did but repel a wrongful accusation," said the
lady, more humbly.

"Yet dost thou not deny the name?" persisted Endicott.

"If it availed, I would deny it; but I see that ye are all leagued
together to persecute me unto the death. Not my will," she sighed,
folding her hands and looking up, "but Thine be done!"

"Wilt thou say nothing more touching this subject?" inquired Endicott.

"I desire to say nothing thereupon, except to protest against the
injurious constructions you seem determined to put on all that I can
say."

"How hath it happened," continued Endicott, "that you have never
appeared with the congregation, in the Lord's house?"

"Consider the distance we did live in the woods, and the difficulty of
the travel," answered the lady, deprecatingly. "But, has not Sir
Christopher attended?"

Endicott paid no attention to the question, but went on.

"What is thy profession of faith?"

"I am a Christian, and most miserable sinner."

"Aye, but Protestant or Catholic?"

"Protestant," answered the lady, with an inflexion of the voice which
made it difficult to decide whether the word was intended for an
ejaculation, a question, or a declaration. "Holy Virgin!" she
murmured, so low as not to be overheard, "forgive me this half lie.
Not for my own sake do my lips utter it, and my heart abhors it."

The answer seemed to take Endicott by surprise.

"Have heed to thy words," he said. "We are well advised that this
runnigadoe and thyself were, until of late at least, at Rome."

"You seem to know all things," said the lady, scornfully, "and I
wonder why ye trouble yourselves with anything that an ignorant woman
can say. Have it as you will."

"Hath not our examination proceeded far enough?" asked Sir Richard.
"Is there aught else ye expect to elicit?"

"The woman, I think, hath confessed the whole," said Dudley.