iniquity
unfathomable. He could well understand some new upstart sect being
persecuted, but not the old Religion. He kept on returning to this.

"Have they so far forgotten the Old Faith as to think it can be held in a
man's private conscience without appearing in his life, like their
miserable damnable new fangled Justification by faith without works? Or
that a man can believe in the blessed sacrament of the altar and yet not
desire to receive it; or in penance and yet not be absolved; or in Peter
and yet not say so, nor be reconciled. You may believe, say they, of
their clemency, what you like; be justified by that; that is enough!
Bah!"

However mere declaiming against the Government was barren work, and Sir
Nicholas soon saw that; and instead, threw himself with more vigour than
ever into entertaining and forwarding the foreign emissaries.

Mary Corbet had returned to London by the middle of July; and Hubert was
not yet returned; so Sir Nicholas and the two ladies had the Hall to
themselves. Now it must be confessed that the old man had neither the
nature nor the training for the _role_ of a conspirator, even of the
mildest description. He was so exceedingly impulsive, unsuspicious and
passionate that it would have been the height of folly to entrust him
with any weighty secret, if it was possible to dispense with him; but the
Catholics over the water needed stationary agents so grievously; and Sir
Nicholas' name commanded such respect, and his house such conveniences,
that they overlooked the risk involved in making him their confidant,
again and again; besides it need not be said that his honour and fidelity
was beyond reproach; and those qualities after all balance favourably
against a good deal of shrewdness and discretion. He, of course, was
serenely unable to distinguish between sedition and religion; and
entertained political meddlers and ordinary priests with an equal
enthusiasm. It was pathetic to Lady Maxwell to see her simple old husband
shuffling away his papers, and puzzling over cyphers and perpetually
leaving the key of them lying about, and betraying again and again when
he least intended it, by his mysterious becks and nods and glances and
oracular sayings, that some scheme was afoot. She could have helped him
considerably if he had allowed her; but he had an idea that the
capacities of ladies in general went no further than their harps, their
embroidery and their devotions; and besides, he was ch