, a lad of about twelve years old, who
sat on the bench by the Court House door, idly whistling, and throwing
up a pebble to catch it again.

"Then, I pray you, Master Constable," said Alice eagerly, "send the lad
with me. I am loth to put you to this labour, but verily I am forced to
it; and methinks you may lightly guess I shall not run away from
custody."

The constable laughed, but looked undecided.

"In very deed," said he, "I see not wherefore you should not go home and
tarry there, till such time as I come to fetch you. But if it must be,
it must. I will go saddle mine horse, and he shall carry you to
Canterbury with George."

While the constable went to saddle the horse, and Alice sat on the bench
waiting till it was ready, she fought with a very strong temptation.
Her husband would not receive her, so much she knew for a certainty; but
there were others who would. How welcome Roger would have made her! and
what a perfect haven of rest it would be, to live even for a few days
with him and Christabel! Her old father, too, at Frittenden, who had
told her not many days before, with tears in his eyes, how bitterly he
repented ever giving her to Edward Benden. It must be remembered that
in those days girls were never permitted to choose for themselves,
whether they wished to marry a man or not; the parents always decided
that point, and sometimes, as in this instance, they came to a sadly
mistaken decision. Alice had not chosen her husband, and he had never
given her any reason to love him; but she had done her best to be a good
wife, and even now she would not depart from it. The temptation was
sore, and she almost gave way under it. But the constant habit of
referring everything to God stood her in good stead in this emergency.
To go and stay with her brother, whose visits to her Mr Benden had
forbidden, would be sure to create a scandal, and to bring his name into
even worse repute than it was at present. She must either be at
Briton's Mead or in Canterbury Gaol; and just now the gaol was the only
possible place for her. Be it so! God would go with her into the
gaol--perhaps more certainly than into Roger's home. And the place
where she could be sure of having God with her was the place where Alice
chose and wished to be.

Her heart sank heavily as she heard the great door of the gaol clang to
behind her. Alice was made of no materials more all-enduring than flesh
and blood. She could enjoy re