ere? You'll have some work to peace Mrs Louvaine; she's
lamenting and weeping, you never heard!--and all for her son as cometh
not home, and she is fair sure he'll be hung, because she saith he was
in with those rogues yonder."

"He was nothing of the sort," said Mr Marshall, breaking in sternly on
the flow of Silence's tide of words: "and let me tell you, Mrs Abbott,
if you spread such a lie, you may have a death at your door, as like as
not. Mr Louvaine, I have no doubt, is safe and well, and had no more
ado with the Gunpowder Plot than you had: and I saw you with mine own
eyes talking with Fawkes, that rascal that called himself Johnson."

"Eh deary, Parson, but you'd never go to tell on a poor woman, and as
honest as any in Westminster, if I did pass the time o' day to a fellow,
that I never guessed to be a villain? I do assure you, on my truth
as--"

"I hope you are an honest woman, Mrs Abbott; and so is Mr Louvaine an
honest man; and if you would have me keep my tongue off your doings, see
that you keep yours off his. Now I have given you warning: that is a
bargain."

"Eh deary, deary! but I never heard Parson i' such a way afore!"
lamented Mrs Abbott to her daughter Mary, the only listener she had
left, for Mr Marshall had walked straight into the White Bear. "I'll
say the lad's a Prince of the Blood, or an angel, or anything he's a
mind, if he'll but let me be. Me talk to Guy Fawkes, indeed! I never
said no worser to him than `Fine morning,' or `Wet, isn't it?' as it
might be: and to think o' me being had up afore the Lords of the Council
for just passing a word like that--and the parson, too! Eh, deary me!
whatever must I say to content him, now?"

"I fancy, Mother," said Mary, who took after her quiet father, "he'll be
content if you'll hold your peace."

Mr Marshall found the ladies at the White Bear all assembled in the
parlour. Mrs Louvaine had the ear of the House as he entered.

"So unfeeling as you are, Temperance, to a poor widow! and my only child
as good as lost, and never found again. And officers and third-boroughs
and constables all going about, making all manner of inquirations,
trying to bring folks to justice, and Aubrey in with those wicked
people, and going to sup with them, and all--and nobody ever trying to
prevent him, and not a soul to care but me whether he went right or
wrong--I do believe you thought more of the price of herrings than you
ever did of the dear boy--and