Alice assented to that indisputable fact.
“You’ll come to church with me?”
For one instant Alice was silent. Her husband thought she was wavering in her decision, but on that point he was entirely mistaken. She was doing what Nehemiah did when he “prayed to the God of heaven” between the King’s question and his answer. Well she knew that to reply in the negative might lead to reproach, prison, torture, even death. Yet that was the path of God’s commandments, and no flowery By-path Meadow must tempt her to stray from it. In her heart she said to Him who had redeemed her—
“Saviour, where’er Thy steps I see,
Dauntless, untired, I follow Thee!”
and then she calmly answered aloud, “No, Edward, that I cannot do.”
“What, hath your taste of the Bishop’s prison not yet persuaded you?” returned he angrily.
“Nay, nor never will.”
“Then you may look to go thither again, my mistress.”
“Very well, Edward.” Her heart sank low, but she did not let him see it.
“You’ll either go to church, or here you bide by yourself.”