Jack saw that his patient was becoming over-excited, and was likely to do himself harm. "Hush!" said he, with kindly authority. "You will do yourself a mischief by talking so much, and I am sure your mother will not be pleased with that. Let me give you some refreshment, and then I will read to you, and you must try to sleep." "But what will you read? Will you read from the Scriptures?" asked Paul, looking eagerly into Jack's face. "But no, you must not do so, or they will put you in prison and on the rack as they did me. See here," and he pushed up his sleeves and showed his emaciated wrists covered with terrible scars, the sight of which made Jack's blood boil and his fingers clinch involuntarily. "You must not read the Scripture, and besides you do not know it." "I do both know the Scripture, and will read it to you, dearest brother," said Jack, striving to speak calmly, though he was thrilling all over with excitement. "Do but lie down and be quiet, and I will read as much as you will." "But are you then a Lutheran?" asked Paul, looking wistfully into his face, "Or are you laying a trap for me, as they did in Flanders? There be no Lutherans in England." "May God so deal with me as I am dealing truly with you," said Jack, solemnly. "There are some—yes many, in this place—who love the Gospel and read it, but as yet secretly, for fear of the oppressors. Have no fear, but down and rest, and I will read the holy Scripture to you as long as you will." Seemingly reassured, Paul lay down, and Jack began reading from the book he had discovered. There was much of course that he did not in the least understand, but he found enough which was plain to make him long for more. Paul now and then spoke a few words, but more and more dreamily, and Jack had at last the satisfaction of seeing him fall into a sound quiet sleep. He sat reading and thinking by the bedside till the gray dawn began to steal in at the window. As he rose to replenish the fire, Paul was roused and opened his eyes. "Are you still here, my kind nurse?" said he, speaking faintly, but with no appearance of wandering or bewilderment. "Is it not very late? It seems as though I had been sleeping for a long time." "It is very late, or rather very early. It is just growing daylight. You have slept soundly for several hours. How do you feel?" "Much better," replied Paul. "My dreams have been very sweet. Did I dream it, or were you reading to me before I went to sleep? "You were not dreaming, dear brother," said Jack. "Have you any recollection of what read?" "Why do you call me brother?" asked Paul, with a wondering look. "It is a dear name, but I never knew I had a brother." "I call you so because I cannot but think that in one sense we are brothers," said Jack. "But tell me, do you remember what I read?"