Danfield, hath discovered his child?"

"No, I have not been informed thereof. And hath he gained possession
of her?"

"No, nor shall not!" and hereupon he frowned a great frown, and let
his sword-sheath strike heavily upon the floor. All the company looked
sharply round; but seeing it was by hazard, they took no notice of
what occurred.

"And where, then, is the maiden bestowed?" I demanded.

"In this house; you shall see her soon."

"And what have I to do with these matters? They are above my
concernment!" I exclaimed, in great anguish of mind.

"You have to unite her in the holy bands of wedlock."

"Nay, that is clearly impossible! Where, I pray thee, is the license?"

"All that has been cared for by means of a true bishop of our church.
There can be no scruple on canonical grounds; and if there be
hesitation in obeying the Lady Mallerden's orders (provided she
finally makes up her mind to deliver the same), I would not answer for
the recusant's life, no, not for an hour."

"But wherefore in such secresy, with such haste?" I said, in dreadful
sort.

"Because we know that the father slept at Oxford last night with store
of troops, and that he will be here this night with a royal warrant to
enforce his right to the bestowal of his child; and he hath already
promised her to the leader of the malignant Papists."

"And are we here to resist the king's soldiers and the mandate of the
king?"

"Yea, to the death!" he said, and sank into gloomy thoughts and said
no more.

I looked around among the assembly, and recognised no other faces that
I knew, and in a short space the great lady, having finished her
colloquy with her next neighbour, rose up and said--"My lords, I
believe ye be all of kin to this house, and the other gentlemen be its
friends--a falling house, as represented by a feeble woman of
fourscore years and five. Yet in the greatness of the cause, may we
securely expect a gift of strength even to so frail an instrument as I
am. I have consulted with you all, and finally I have taken counsel
with my kind cousin and sweet friend, the Earl of Fitzoswald, now at
my side, and he hath agreed to what I have proposed. It now, then, but
remains to carry our project into effect; and for that purpose I have
summoned hither a good man and excellent divine, Master Willis of this
neighbourhood, to be efficacious in that behalf."

I started up, and said in great agitation--"Oh, my lady!"----but had
not proceed