rm you
to the Catholic religion as it now is in England? If you will do this,
we will gladly show you all manner of favour; ye shall be our white
child, I promise you, and any requests ye may prefer unto us shall have
good heed. Consider, I pray you, into what evil case your obstinacy
hath hitherto brought you, and how blissful life ye might lead if ye
would but renounce your womanish opinions, and be of the number of the
Catholics. Now, my daughter, what say you?"

Then Alice Benden lifted her head and answered.

"I am thoroughly persuaded, by the great extremity that you have already
showed me, that you are not of God, neither can your doings be godly;
and I see that you seek mine utter destruction. Behold, I pray you, how
lame I am of cold taken, and lack of food, in that painful prison
wherein I have lain now these nine weary weeks, that I am not able to
move without great pain."

"You shall find us right different unto you, if you will but conform,"
replied the Bishop, who, as John Bunyan has it, had "now all besugared
his lips."

"Find you as it list you, I will have none ado with you!" answered the
prisoner sturdily.

But at that moment, trying to turn round, the pain was so acute that it
brought the tears to her eyes, and a groan of anguish to her lips. The
Bishop's brows were compressed.

"Take her to West Gate," he said hastily. "Let her be clean kept, and
see a physician if she have need."

The gaoler of West Gate was no brutal, selfish Perkins, but a man who
used his prisoners humanely. Here Alice once again slept on a bed, was
furnished with decent clean clothing and sufficient food. But such was
the effect of her previous suffering, that after a short time, we are
told, her skin peeled off as if she had been poisoned.

One trouble Alice had in her new prison--that she must now be deprived
of Roger's visits. She was not even able to let him know of the change.
But Roger speedily discovered it, and it was only thanks to the
indolence of Mr Perkins, who was warm in bed, and greatly indisposed to
turn out of it, that he was not found out and seized on that occasion.
Once more he had to search for his sister. No secret was made of the
matter this time; and by a few cautious inquiries Roger discovered that
she had been removed to West Gate. His hopes sprang up on hearing it,
not only because, as he knew, she would suffer much less in the present,
but also because he fondly trusted that it hi