ll where the King
was, and he should have "a thousand pounds for his payns...."
This Southall was a great priest-catcher.

[Illustration: "PRIEST'S HOLE," MOSELEY HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE]

The hiding-place is located beneath the floor of a cupboard,
adjoining the quaint old panelled bedroom the King occupied while
he was at Moseley. Even "the merry monarch" must have felt depressed
in such a dismal hole as this, and we can picture his anxious
expression, as he sat upon the rude seat of brick which occupies
one end of it, awaiting the result of the sudden alarm. The cupboard
orginally was screened with wainscoting, a panel of which could
be opened and closed by a spring. Family tradition also says
there was a outlet from the hiding-place in a brew-house chimney.
Situated in a gable end of the building, near the old chapel,
in a garret, there is another "priest's hole" large enough only
to admit of a person lying down full length.

Before the old seat of the Whitgreaves was restored some fifteen
or twenty years ago it was one of the most picturesque half-timber
houses, not only in Staffordshire, but in England. It had remained
practically untouched since the day above alluded to (September
9th, 1651).

Before reaching Trent, in Somersetshire, the much sought-for king
had many hardships to undergo and many strange experiences. We
must, however, confine our remarks to those of the old buildings
which offered him an asylum that could boast a hiding-place.

Trent House was one of these. The very fact that it originally
belonged to the recusant Gerard family is sufficient evidence.
From the Gerards it passed by marriage to the Wyndhams, who were
in residence in the year we speak of. That his Majesty spent much
of his time in the actual hiding-place at Trent is very doubtful.
Altogether he was safely housed here for over a fortnight, and
during that time doubtless occasional alarms drove him, as at
Moseley, into his sanctuary; but a secluded room was set apart
for his use, where he had ample space to move about, and from
which he could reach his hiding-place at a moment's notice. The
black oak panelling and beams of this cosy apartment, with its
deep window recesses, readily carries the mind back to the time
when its royal inmate wiled away the weary hours by cooking his
meals and amusing himself as best he could--indeed a hardship
for one, such as he, so fond of outdoor exercise.

Close to the fireplace are two small, squ