et take place here! The Stuarts are
again upon the throne, and, with James's leaning towards Papacy, there is
no saying whether, some day, all the lands which Cromwell divided among
his soldiers may not be restored to their original possessors, and in
that case our sons may have to make their way in other paths of life than
ours; and, if it be so, John will assuredly be more likely to make his
way than I should have done."

"We would never surrender, save with our lives, what our swords have won.
We will hold the inheritance which the Lord has given us," the old man
said fiercely.

"Yes, father; and so said those whose lands we have inherited. So said
Walter Davenant, of whose lands we are possessed. It will be as God wills
it. He has given to us the lands of others, and it may be that he will
take them away again. The times have changed, father, and the manners;
and I am well pleased to see that John, while I am sure he is as true to
the faith as I am myself, will take broader and, perhaps, happier views
of life than I have done."

Zephaniah gave a snort of displeasure. He grieved continually at the
influence which his daughter-in-law exercised over her son, and which now
extended clearly to her husband; but Jabez was now a man of
five-and-forty, and had lately shown that, in some respects at least, he
intended to have his way, while Zephaniah himself, though still erect and
strong, was well-nigh eighty.

"Remember, Jabez," he said, "that it goes hard with those who, having set
their hands to the plough, turn aside."

"I shall not turn aside, father," Jabez said quietly. "I have gone too
long along a straight furrow to change now; but I am not ill pleased that
my son should have a wider scope. I trust and believe that he will drive
his furrow as straight as we have done, although it may not be exactly in
the same line."

But neither Zephaniah nor old Mrs. Davenant knew that their respective
grandsons had made friends, although both the boys' fathers knew, and
approved of it, although for somewhat different reasons.

"The Whitefoot boy," Mr. Davenant had said to his wife, "is, I fancy from
what I have seen of him, of a different type to his father and
grandfather. I met him the other day when I was out, and he spoke as
naturally and outspokenly as Walter himself. He seems to have got rid of
the Puritanical twang altogether. At any rate, he will do Walter no harm;
and, indeed, I should say that there was a solid