amber, or
out of door?"

"Dear heart! in the church."

"But for why?"

"Prithee ask at him, for I can ne'er tell thee."

"Did you ne'er ask him, Aunt?" said Edith.

"For sure did I, and gat no answer that I could make aught of: only some
folly touching Catholic practice, and the like. And, `Master Twinham,'
said I, `I know not well what you would be at, but I can tell you, I
lived through the days of Queen Mary, and, if that be what you mean by
Catholic practices, they are practices we don't want back again.' Well,
he mumbled somewhat about being true to the Church, and such like: but
if he be an honest man, my shoes be made of Shrewsbury sweet bread. We
tumbled all such practices out of the Church, above forty years gone;
and what's more, we'll not stand to have them brought in again, though
there be some may try."

"They will not bring any such folly in while the Queen liveth, I guess,"
answered Edith.

"Amen! but the Queen, God bless her! is seventy this year."

"Would you have her live for ever, Aunt Joyce?" asked Aubrey.

"Would she could!" she answered. "As to this fellow, I know not what
he'll be at next. He told me to my face that a Papist was better than a
Puritan. `Well, Mr Twinham,' said I, `you may be a Papist, but I am a
Puritan, and there I tarry till I find somewhat better.'"

"Why, Joyce!" said Lady Louvaine, smiling, "thou wert not wont to call
thyself a Puritan, in the old days when thou and Bess Wolvercot used to
pick a crow betwixt you over Dr Meade's surplice at Keswick."

"No, I wasn't," said she. "But I tell you, Lettice, there be things
human nature cannot bear. A clean white surplice and Christ's Gospel is
one thing, and a purple vestment and an other Gospel is another. And if
I'm to swallow the purple vestment along with the white surplice, I'll
have neither. As to old Bess, dear blessed soul! she's in her right
place, where she belongs; and if I may creep in at a corner of Heaven's
door and clean her golden sandals, I shall be thankful enough, the Lord
knows."

"But, Mrs Morrell! sure you never mean to say that surplices be giving
place to purple vestments down this road!" cried Temperance in much
horror.

"Children," said the old lady very solemnly, "we two, in God's mercy,
shall not live to see what is coming, but very like you will. And I
tell you, all is coming back which our fathers cast forth into the
Valley of Hinnom, and afore you--Temperance, Faith, and Edi