their small
meetings to much comfort; there are a few among them who have stood firm
through the heat of trial, and these are precious individuals. The priests
are exceedingly jealous. On our arrival in the town we held our little
meeting with, these pious people on First-day morning; the priest came to
the house of the woman Friend where we had been to demand who we were and
where we lodged, and said it was we who had caused them to err, and he
would convince us in their presence that we were not only in error
ourselves, but had led them into error also. But we saw nothing of him,
and left the place in safety, which we considered a great favor; for such
has been their rage that they have dared to shoot at some missionaries who
have been in the neighborhood (_Letter to Thomas Yeardley, 4 mo.
19_.)

The rest of the journey through France was in general dreary, the external
accommodation being bad, and the consolation of spiritual intercourse very
scanty. At Arras, however, they were refreshed by the company of a
Protestant minister, a liberal and worthy man, who had "to stand alone in
a large district of weak-handed Protestants among strong-headed
Catholics."

Arriving at Calais, Martha Savory and Martha Towell, with Edward Brady,
crossed over to England, leaving John Yeardley to follow at a later
period. On the 14th of the Fourth Month he writes:--

My dear companions left for England. I watched them from the pier until I
could bear to stay no longer, and then returned sorrowfully to my
quarters, and soon repaired to the little retired lodging we had engaged
for me in the country, where I spent a few days in learning French, &c. In
taking a retrospect of our long journey I feel a large degree of peaceful
satisfaction in having been desirous to fulfil (though very imperfectly) a
religious duty; and these feelings of gratitude excited a wish that the
remainder of my few days might be more faithfully devoted to the service
of my great Lord and Master.

The little lodging of which he speaks was "a retired chamber on the
garden-wall;" and having left it for a few days to go to Antwerp with the
carriage and horses which they had used on the journey, on his return it
had already acquired, in his view, something of the character of home.

The beautiful green branches, says he, modestly looking in at the window,
give me a silent welcome; and the little birds chirruping in the garden,
which is my drawing-room and stu