ing from his mouth stops soon you will not have cause
to fear him much longer," replied Foy sadly, "but if you want my opinion
about the business, father, why here it is--I think that you have made
too much of a small matter. Adrian is--Adrian; he is not one of us, and
he should not be judged as though he were. You cannot imagine me flying
into a fury because the women forgot to set my place at table, or trying
to stab Martin and bursting a blood vessel because you told him to lead
me out of the room. No, I should know better, for what is the use of any
ordinary man attempting to struggle against Martin? He might as well try
to argue with the Inquisition. But then I am I, and Adrian is Adrian."

"But the words he used, son. Remember the words."

"Yes, and if I had spoken them they would have meant a great deal, but
in Adrian's mouth I think no more of them than if they came from some
angry woman. Why, he is always sulking, or taking offence, or flying
into rages over something or other, and when he is like that it all
means--just nothing except that he wants to use fine talk and show off
and play the Don over us. He did not really mean to lie to me when he
said that I had not seen him talking to Black Meg, he only meant to
contradict, or perhaps to hide something up. As a matter of fact, if you
want to know the truth, I believe that the old witch took notes for him
to some young lady, and that Hague Simon supplied him with rats for his
hawks."

"Yes, Foy, that may be so, but how about his talk of the pastor? It
makes me suspicious, son. You know the times we live in, and if he
should go that way--remember it is in his blood--the lives of every one
of us are in his hand. The father tried to burn me once, and I do not
wish the child to finish the work."

"Then when they come out of his hand, you are at liberty to cut off
mine," answered Foy hotly. "I have been brought up with Adrian, and I
know what he is; he is vain and pompous, and every time he looks at
you and me he thanks God that he was not made like that. Also he has
failings and vices, and he is lazy, being too fine a gentleman to work
like a common Flemish burgher, and all the rest of it. But, father, he
has a good heart, and if any man outside this house were to tell me that
Adrian is capable of playing the traitor and bringing his own family to
the scaffold, well, I would make him swallow his words, or try to, that
is all. As regards what he said about my mo