Robin Tremayne Part 36

"I felt I must use words easy to be received, for her understanding seemed gone, and like unto that of a little child. '_Ay doncella mia_!'

she sighed, 'I shall be glad when the end of this life is come.'

"And she laid down her poor head so wearily. 'When the Lord seeth good,' I answered. 'Sometimes,' she said dreamily again, 'I want so sorely to go forth. I long so much to breathe the sweet, cool air--to see the cork-trees and the olives. They never bring me so much as an orange flower. Then my head goes wrong, thou seest, when this longing cometh on me; and then--. And sometimes I feel sick, and cannot eat.

Then they make me eat with the _cuerda_. I wish Jesus would make haste and help me. I used to understand it all better before I had the _cuerda_. But I had my husband then, and my children around me. Not one of them ever comes now; and there are six [Note 3]. My husband is dead--I think he is; they say so [Note 4]. I think they might have let one of them come, if only just to say "Mother" to me. I cannot understand it now; and it seems so long--so long! _Ay de mi_! if Jesus would come!'

"I could not utter another word ere Rosada brake in. 'Ines!' she cried in a loud whisper; 'what do you here? Know you not, _amiga_, that the Lord Marquis will well-nigh kill you if he find you in this chamber?

None of her Highness' women are ever allowed to enter at will. Back, back, as fast as you can go!'

"Then, kneeling a moment, she said hastily, '_Criada umilisima de Su Alteza_!' ['The most humble servant of her Highness.'] and arising, pushed me forth of the chamber, and into mine own, almost before I knew what she had said or done. Five minutes later, my Lord of Denia his steps sounded in the corridor. 'Thank the holy Virgin and all the saints!' cried Rosada under her breath. '_Amiga_, you know not that man. He would not hesitate one minute to stab you if he found you there, and fancied any cause of suspicion against you. 'Tis forbidden ground--Maria _sin pecado_ [without sin]! How came you in such peril?

I knew her never before left alone even a moment.'--'I did but hear her Highness moaning,' I said bewilderedly, 'and was moved to go to her.'--'The Devil must have moved you!' she saith breathlessly. 'I think rather,' I answered, 'saving your presence, Rosada, and not intending you, it was the Devil pushed me forth hither.'--'You mean my Lord Marquis?' quoth she, taking me rightly. 'The saints pardon her Highness! You know she is quite out of her mind. She saith all manner of evil of him.'

"I thought it better, perchance, to make no answer. But into my mind came a remembrance touching a way wherein the fools should not err; and I thought she should maybe come in at the gates of Heaven afore either Rosada or I.

"O Isoult! I would I were forth of this horrible country! It is peopled with devils. Leonor is not one, methinks; nor a.s.suredly is Rosada, neither this my poor sely maiden Maria; but I should find it hard to write a fourth within this palace.

"I may not make my letter much longer. Prithee tell me some news of England, if any be; and shouldst thou hear ought of my gracious mistress [the d.u.c.h.ess of Suffolk], I would like much to know it.

"I do well-nigh wish I had not gone into that chamber! and yet, if I have in any wise comforted her, it is well. It hath maybe done her some little good to pour forth her sorrows to me for a minute. But now I never awake of a night but I listen for those fearful screams. I thank G.o.d, I have not heard them again as yet. Methinks her gossips did blunder in naming her Juana; they should have called her Dolores [sorrows].

"I pray thee, make mine hearty commendations to Mr Avery and all other that I know; and kiss thy little Kate for me. And so I commend thee to the tuition of G.o.d. From Tordesillas, this fourteenth of August.--Thine own a.s.suredly,--

"Annis Holland."

When we look back over the way which the Lord has led us these forty years in the wilderness, we sometimes find in retrospect the Marahs no sadder than the Elims. Nay, there are times when the Elims are the sadder.

"A sorrow's crown of sorrow Is, remembering happier things."

There was much sorrow of that cla.s.s for the Gospellers at this time.

Ease and liberty had gone already: they were followed by the cruel agony of parting. Within fourteen days of the 25th of February, every married priest in the diocese of London was commanded to be deprived and divorced. The first would have been a sufficiently bitter draught, without the added desolation of the second. On the table before Isoult Avery lay a sheet of paper, containing a few lines of uneven writing.

They were blotted with tears, and were signed "Marguerite Rose." Their purport was to ask for shelter at the Lamb, for a few weeks, until she could see her way more clearly. Thekla herself brought her mother's letter. There were no tears from her, only her face was white, and worn, and weary.

"And you have not wept, Thekla?" said Isoult.

"There are tears enough elsewhere," she said, and shook her head. "I cannot weep. It would ease me, perhaps, if I could."

"These fiends of men!" cried Dr Thorpe, who was not renowned for weighing his words carefully when he was indignant. "Is it because they cannot drive nor persuade us into the sin and unbelief of h.e.l.l, that they be determined we shall lose none of the torment of it, so far as lieth in their hand to give us? Shall G.o.d see all this, and not move?

Have they banished Him out of the realm, with other strangers?"

"Bitter words, Dr Thorpe!" answered Robin, softly. "'Shall G.o.d cast away His people, whom He foreknew?' From them that are lights in the world, shall He who is the Light of the World depart? Nay, 'when we pa.s.s through the waters He will be with us.'"

"They are dark waters for some of us," whispered Thekla under her voice.

"But not fathomless, dear Thekla," replied Robin. "There are footsteps before us, though we may not see them; and at the dreariest, there is G.o.d above us."

"I hope so," responded Dr Thorpe. "I am afeard, Robin, thou shalt say I am an unbeliever and a fool; but it doth look mainly as if He had fallen asleep, and the Devil had stole the reins of the world out of His hands."

"Not an unbeliever," said Robin, in his gentle manner; "only a believer in the dark. 'Lord, carest Thou not that we perish?' They were not unbelievers that said that. But you well know the answer--'How is it that ye have no faith?'"

"'Tis main hard to get hold of it, lad!" said Dr Thorpe, more quietly, but with some choking in his voice.

"'Tis harder to do without it," answered Robin.

Dr Thorpe never twitted Robin with his youth now. On the contrary, he seemed to respect him, as one who with few years had ama.s.sed much wisdom.

There was only one unpleasant element in the grant of a refuge to Mrs Rose. It would lock the doors of the Lamb on the beloved pastor. Where she was, he must come no more. The chief element of comfort was Thekla.

She could have free access to both her parents, so long as they remained at liberty; and Mr Rose might yet be heard to preach in the houses of other Gospellers.

"Isoult," said Dr Thorpe, coming in, a few days after this woeful letter had been received and answered, "for all the late 'headings, there be fools left in the realm."

"Troth," said she, laughing, "I never cast doubt else."

"Why," pursued he, "if they hang up all the wise men, what else shall be left? But list the marvellous news. Yesterday, a parcel of lads did gather in a field by Saint James, for to have a game of childre's play."

"Is that such news?" said John.

"Hold thy peace till I have made an end," said Dr Thorpe. "These childre in their playing (as childre will) did elect to follow their fathers in their late diversion; and one half of them should be the Queen's men, and the other half Wyatt's men. And so rough was their play, that the lad which stood for the Prince of Spain was caught of Wyatt's side, and half strangled of them. But in the midst thereof, ere he were full hanged, come the watch, and took all the young rebels into custody, as well the one side as the other."

"I take it they boxed their ears and let them go," said John.

"Do you so?" answered Dr Thorpe. "Not by no manner of means, worthy Sir; but this day are the great and mighty rebels on their trial afore the Queen's Council, and the statesmen of this realm do sit in sad debate what shall be done with them. I had counted that the lad which was half hanged should have been enough punished for his state crimes; but maybe they think not so, but shall hang him out. But saw you a copy of the Queen's Majesty's ordinances?"

"Nay," replied John. "What be they?"

"It were well to know them," he answered. "These be they:--

"First, all the statutes of King Henry touching religion shall be put in force. No Sacramentary shall be admitted to any benefice; all married priests shall be deprived, but more lenity shall be shown to them whose wives be dead (to wit, I take it, they shall not be divorced from their dead wives). If they shall part by consent, and shall promise to commit the crime of matrimony no further, they may be admitted again, at discretion of the Bishop, but in no case to the same benefice. No religious man shall be suffered to wed. Processions, Latin service, holy days, fasts, and all laudable and honest ceremonies, shall be observed. Homilies shall be set forth. Men shall go to their parish church only. Suspected schoolmasters shall be put forth, and Catholic men put instead. And lastly, touching such persons as were heretofore promoted to any orders, after the new fashion (hark to this, Robin!) considering they were not ordained in very deed, the Bishop of the diocese, finding otherwise sufficiency and ability in these men, may supply that thing which wanted in them before, and thus according to his discretion permit them to minister."

"Now here is a knot to untie: how say you concerning the divorce of such men, _not_ again ordained of the Bishops? If they be not priests, then they need not to be divorced: or, if they be divorced, then are they priests."

"Friend," said John, "there is no better man in this world than Dr Gardiner for getting round a corner; and where he may not come round the corner, he hath Alisaunder's sword, to cut the knot with no more ado."

The blow fell at last, and the home in Leadenhall Street was broken up.

Mr Rose himself brought his wife and daughter to the Lamb on the evening of the 10th of March, which was the last allowed for all married priests to separate from their wives. Doubtless the parting was very painful; but it pa.s.sed in private, and the Averys too much reverenced his sorrow to suffer him to depart otherwise than in silence. Only John walked with him to his desolate home, and he told Isoult that not a word was spoken by either, but the clasp of Mr Rose's hand at parting was not to be lightly forgotten.

The lads who had mimicked the rebellion were whipped and imprisoned for three days, and then released, by the Queen's own command. On the 12th of March, the Archbishop, Dr Ridley, and Mr Latimer, set out for Oxford, where they were--ostensibly, to maintain their theories in a public disputation; really, to be martyred. Dr Hooper went part of the way with them. He was going to Gloucester--to the same end. For a week, Thekla flitted backwards and forwards between her parents; generally spending her mornings with her father, and the evenings with her mother.

Robin const.i.tuted himself her guard in all her journeyings.

Sunday was the day after his bereavement, and Mr Rose was silent; but the following Sunday he preached at Mr Holland's house, where the Gospellers gathered to hear him. Thekla remained with her mother; she would not leave her alone with her sorrowful thoughts. It was a rainy morning, but in the days before umbrellas were invented, rain was less thought of than it has been since. John Avery and his wife, Dr Thorpe, Esther, and Robin, set forth, despite the rain. Before they had gone many yards, they overtook a crowd of people, all running riverwards; and Isoult, looking towards the water, fancied that she could see the standard of the royal barge.

"Whither away?" asked John of some of the crowd.

But no answer was vouchsafed, except a cry of "The Tower!" till suddenly Mr Underhill hove in sight, and was questioned at once.

"What, know you not what all London knoweth?" said he; "that the Lady Elizabeth's Grace is this morrow a prisoner of the Tower? 'Tis very true, I warrant you: would it were less! This moment is the Queen's barge at hand with her. Will you see?"

"Have with you," said Dr Thorpe, who never missed a sight, if he could possibly help it.

The rest went on. Mr Rose looked older, they thought, and more worn than was his wont; but his voice was as gentle and his smile as sweet as ever. He came to them as soon as they came in, and wanted to know all they could tell him of Mrs Rose and Thekla, though his eyes asked rather than his lips; yet his first words were a query why Thekla was not with them. His sermon was on three words of David, "He shall live." And first he showed that David spoke this of Christ, by prophecy: and then divided his subject into three heads--"He hath lived," "He doth live,"

"He shall live." And under the first head, he pointed out how from all eternity Christ had lived with the Father, and was His delight, rejoicing alway before Him; and how then He had lived a little babe and a weary man upon this earth defiled with sin, amidst a people who knew Him not, and would not receive Him. Then coming to the next part, "He doth live," he showed what he now does, standing before the throne of G.o.d, within the true veil and beside the better mercy-seat, presenting in Himself every one of His people, and pleading every moment for them.