)
"That was the very matter I was come about," he said. "You have only a
few of the names, I see. Now the rest will be over before Christmas, and
will all be in London together."
"Can you not give me the names?" she said.
"I could give you the names, certainly. And I will do so before I leave;
I have them here. But--Mistress Marjorie, could you not come to London
with me? It would ease the case very much."
"Why, I could not," she said. "My mother--And what good would it
serve?"
"This is how the matter stands," said Anthony, crossing his legs. "We
have a dozen priests coming all together--at least, they will not travel
together, of course; but they will all reach London before Christmas,
and there they will hold counsel as to who shall go to the districts.
Eight of them, I have no doubt, will come to the north. There are as
many priests in the south as are safe at the present time--or as are
needed. Now if you were to come with me, mistress--with a serving-maid,
and my sister would be with us--we could meet these priests, and speak
with them, and make their acquaintance. That would remove a great deal
of danger. We must not have that affair again which fell out last
month."
Marjorie nodded slowly. (It was wonderful how her gravity had grown on
her these last two years.)
She knew well enough what he meant. It was the affair of the clerk who
had come from Derby on a matter connected with her father's will about
the time she was looking for the arrival of a strange priest, and who
had been so mistaken by her.
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