“I verily believe that God will visit the earth and His church, and that He will sit as a refiner, and purify her from all impurities; but whether He will condescend to use again such imperfect instruments as we have proved, I do not know.  We have bowed ourselves in the house of Rimmon.  Shall we ever be fit for the service of the house of God?”

Garret was still for a moment, silenced by the strange expression of concentrated remorse upon Dalaber’s face.  It was Ferrar who spoke in his low, even voice.

“’And when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon his servant in this thing.  And Elisha said unto him, Go in peace.’”

Deep silence fell upon the room, and then Freda spoke.

“I think God is ever more merciful than man.  God reads the heart, and He knows that, though men may fail through weakness, they may rise again in His strength and yet do valiantly.”

“I will yet live to do Him service!” cried Garret, with kindling eyes.  “I will yet live that I may lay down my life for Him if He call me.  If I have been deceived this once, He will lead me aright in the days to come.  Mine hour will yet come; I know it, I feel it.  And He shall see then that Thomas Garret will not shrink even from death for His name’s sake.”

Dalaber looked straight into his face.

“I consented to take part in this penance today because I heard that you had submitted.  I believed that all had done so.  Had I known that Master Clarke had refused, God helping me, I would have refused also; for surely never was there a man who had so fully the mind of the Lord Jesus as John Clarke.”

Garret’s glance fell before that burning gaze.  He too had noted that Clarke was not amongst the penitents, and it had cut like a knife into his heart.  He had always been so ready with his protestations of willingness to die for the faith, yet he had been won over to an act which looked like one of recantation.  Clarke had never boasted, had always spoken with gentle warning of the dangers which beset them, and his doubts as to whether they should have strength to withstand the fiery trial if it came upon them.  There had been times when Garret had openly charged him with being lukewarm in the cause.  Yet Clarke lay still in his noisome prison, excommunicate, and in danger of death at the stake, whilst they stood free men, reconciled to the church, and restored to her favour.

Whose position was that of most true blessedness?  Garret twisted his hands nervously together as this flood of thought came surging over him.

“They say that Clarke would have been there,” spoke young Fitzjames, “but that he was too enfeebled by captivity to walk in the procession.”

“That is false,” said Freda, in a low voice.  “Master Clarke might have won his liberty with the rest, but he refused to take any part in the spectacle today at Carfax.”

“Yet he never circulated the books,” broke out Garret.  “He ofttimes cautioned me against importing too many of the treatises written in Germany.  He would not approve all that they contained.  He could have cast such books upon the flames without violating his conscience.  Wherefore was he not there with the rest of us?”