to you."

"I shall be happy if you will give me your company for a little. I must
be at Padley before dark, if I can, and must visit a couple of houses on
the way."

He called out to his two servants, who ran out from the kitchen wiping
their mouths, telling them to follow at once, and the three rode off
down the hill.

Then Robin told him.

He was silent for a while after he had put a question or two, biting his
lower lip a little, and putting his little beard into his mouth. Then he
burst out.

"And I dare not ask you to come to me for Easter," he said. "God only
knows where I shall be at Easter. I shall be married, too, by then. My
father is in London now and may send for me. My uncle is in the Fleet. I
am here now only to see what money I can raise for the fines and for the
solace of my uncle. I cannot ask you, Mr. Audrey, though God knows that
I would do anything that I could. Have you nowhere to go? Will your
father hold to what he says?"

Robin told him yes; and he added that there were four or five places he
could go to. He was not asking for help or harbourage, but advice only.

"And even of that I have none," cried Mr. Thomas. "I need all that I can
get myself. I am distracted, Mr. Babington, with all these troubles."

Robin asked him whether the priests who came and went should be told of
the blow that impended; for at those times every apostasy was of
importance to priests who had to run here and there for shelter.

"I will tell one or two of the more discreet ones myself," said Mr.
Thomas, "if you will give me leave. I would that they were all discreet,
but they are not. We will name no names, if you please; but some of them
are unreasonable altogether and think nothing of bringing us all into
peril."

He began to bite his beard again.

"Do you think the Commissioners will visit us again?" asked Anthony.
"Mr. Fenton was telling me--"

"It is Mr. Fenton and the like that will bring them down on us if any
will," burst out Mr. FitzHerbert peevishly. "I am as good a Catholic, I
hope, as any in the world; but we can surely live without the sacraments
for a month or two sometimes! But it is this perpetual coming and going
of priests that enrages her Grace and her counsellors. I do not believe
her Grace has any great enmity against us; but she soon will, if men
like Mr. Fenton and Mr. Bassett are for ever harbouring priests and
encouraging them. It is the same in London, I hear; it is the same in