I contented myself with bowing; when the Secretary spoke to me on such high matters, it was for me to listen, and not to bandy opinions with him. "Yes, we are much threatened," said he. "Well, Mr Dale, I shall trust that we may have other meetings. You are to be found at Mr Darrell's lodging? You may look to hear from me, sir." He moved away, cutting short my thanks with a polite wave of his hand. Suddenly to my amazement the King turned round and called to me: "Mr Dale, there is a play to be acted at my house to-morrow evening. Pray give me the pleasure of your company." I bowed almost to the ground, scarcely able to believe my ears. "And we'll try," said the King, raising his voice so that not only we who were close to him but the gentlemen behind also must hear, "to find an ugly woman and an honest man, between whom we may place you. The first should not be difficult to come on, but the second, I fear, is well-nigh impossible, unless another stranger should come to Court. Good-day to you, Mr Dale." And away he went, smiling very happily and holding the boy's hand in his. The King's immediate party was no sooner gone than Darrell ran up to me eagerly, and before my lord could rejoin me, crying: "What did he say to you?" "The King? Why, he said----" "No, no. What did my lord say?" He pointed to Arlington, who was walking off with the King. "He asked whether I were a good Churchman, and told me that I should hear from him. But if he is so solicitous about the Church, how does he endure your religion?" Darrell had no time to answer, for Lord Quinton's grave voice struck in. "He is a wise man who can answer a question touching my Lord Arlington's opinion of the Church," said he. Darrell flushed red, and turned angrily on the interrupter. "You have no cause, my lord," he cried, "to attack the Secretary's churchmanship." "Then you have no cause, sir," retorted Quinton, "to defend it with so much temper. Come, let me be. I have said as much to the Secretary's face, and he bore it with more patience than you can muster on his behalf." By this time I was in some distress to see my old friend and my new at such variance, and the more as I could not understand the ground of their difference; the Secretary's suspected leaning towards the Popish religion had not reached our ears in the country. But Darrell, as though he did not wish to dispute further with a man his superior in rank and age, drew off with a bow to my lord and a kindly nod to me, and rejoined the other gentlemen in attendance on the King and his party. "You came off well with the King, Simon," said my lord, taking my arm again. "You made him laugh, and he counts no man his enemy who will do him that service. But what did Arlington say to you?" When I repeated the Secretary's words, he grew grave, but he patted my arm in a friendly fashion, saying,