He would fear I had forsaken the church of my fathers.'
'And returned to the church of thy grandfathers--eh, mistress
Dorothy? And wherefore, then, should that weigh so much with thee,
so long as thou wert no traitor to our blessed Lord?'
'But should I be no traitor, sir, an' I served him not with my
best?'
'Thou hast nothing better than thy heart to give him, and nothing
worse will serve his turn; and that we two have offered where I
would have thee offer thine--and I trust, Herbert, the offering hath
not lain unaccepted.'
'I trust not, my lord,' responded Herbert.
'But, my lord,' said Dorothy, with hot cheek and trembling voice,
'if I brought it him upon a dish which I believed to be of brass,
when I had one of silver in the house, would it avail with him that
your lordship knew the dish to be no brass, but the finest of gold?
I should be unworthy of your lordship's favour, if, to be replaced
in the honour of men, I did that which needed the pardon of God.'
'I told thee so, sir!' cried lord Herbert, who had been listening
with radiant countenance.
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