discovered hanging on the gallows in Cheapside, while the offer of a
large reward failed to reveal the offender.

During this time, Mistress Winter's piety had been blooming in a
wonderful manner. She kept Saint Thomas of Canterbury on a small table,
with a lamp burning before it, and every morning diligently courtesied
to this stock and stone. When her hands were not otherwise busied, a
rosary was pretty sure to be found in them, on which she recounted
Paters and Aves with amazing celerity. The bitterness of her tongue
kept pace with her show of religiousness. Ugly adjectives, and uglier
substantives, were flung at Agnes all the day long, and whether she
deserved reproof or not appeared to make no difference. But though
words and even blows were not spared, Mistress Winter went no further.
Agnes was much too useful to be denounced as a heretic, at least so long
as she remained at her post in Cow Lane. She did all the unpleasant
work in the house, besides filling the convenient offices of a vent for
Joan's temper, and a butt for Dorothy's ridicule. But though getting
rid of her was not to be thought of, words were cheap, however peppery,
and a box on the ear was a great relief to the feelings of the giver--
those of the recipient not being taken into account. So Agnes got
plenty of both.

"Sweet-heart, how earnest by yonder black eye?" anxiously demanded John
Laurence, on the last Sunday afternoon in January, when Agnes and he
were coming back from their favourite stroll towards Clerkenwell.

"'Tis nought new, belike," said she with a smile.

"Please God," returned he, "it shall be ancient matter and by-gone, very
soon."

He stood still a moment, looking over the crowded chimneys of the City,
just beyond the green field through which they were walking.

"Doth the thought e'er come to thy mind, Agnes," asked he, "how soon all
things shall be bygones? At the most afore many years,--yea, afore many
days, it may be,--thou and I shall be away hence from this world. And
even this great city, that doth look thus firm and substantial, ere long
shall not be left thereof one trace. Yea, heaven and earth shall pass
away: but Christ's words shall not pass away."

Agnes listened with interest, but gave no answer beyond a gesture of
assent.

"I have fallen to think much of late," said the Black Friar, "of one
word of His,--assuredly not to pass away, nor be forgotten--`Whosoever
shall deny Me before men, him wil