"It will be cowardly and disgraceful to deny our faith," she said. "Let
me entreat you, Guy, not to do so, whatever may be the consequences.
Our father is still unhappily blinded by the hope of securing worldly
advantages, or he would not think of acting as he proposes. He may thus
secure his own safety, and perhaps, for his sake, the inquisitors may
not interfere with us; but if they do, let us pray that we may be firm.
It is very, very, very sad, and will break our poor mother's heart, for
she already feels dreadfully the position in which we are placed. Oh,
what shall we do?"
"Trust in God," said Arthur, who just then came into the room, and had
overheard Marian's last remark. "My uncle is undoubtedly wrong, and had
I known before we left home the state of affairs in this island, and
what we were to encounter, I would have implored him not to come to
Trinidad; however, as we are here, we must seek for guidance how to act
should we, as I fear we shall, be questioned as to our religious
belief."
We three talked the matter over, and determined, if questioned, to
acknowledge ourselves Protestants, and refuse to attend the Roman
Catholic Church. We felt sure that Uncle Paul would agree with us, and
we proposed to get him to speak to our mother.
We were not disappointed in Uncle Paul's reply. He blamed himself
greatly for having yielded to our father's persuasions, and consented to
urge on our mother the duty of adhering firmly to her religious
convictions.
On Monday morning, Uncle Paul, Arthur, and I set off to return to the
city. On the way our uncle told us that our mother had solemnly
promised him not to change her religion, and to suffer anything rather
than be induced to do so. He had also spoken to our father, who seemed
very anxious, but who declared that, rather than abandon his estate and
the prospect of retrieving his fortunes, he would conform outwardly, if
necessary, to the religion of the country; but that he would allow us,
if we desired it, to quit the island.
We reached the town, and carried on business as usual, without any
interference from the officials of the Inquisition.
We were about to leave our place of business on Wednesday evening, when
Tim arrived with a message from my father, summoning us home on account
of the dangerous illness of my mother. We immediately ordered our
horses and rode off, accompanied by Don Antonio, a physician of great
repute, to whom our uncle, on receiving the intelligence, forthwith sent
requesting his assistance.
We found, on our arrival, that our father, unhappily, had not been
alarmed without reason. Our poor mother was dangerously ill, and the
physician gave us but slight hopes of her recovery. He was necessitated
to return at once to the town, but he promised to be back the next day.
Our mother rallied greatly, and when Don Antonio again appeared she
seemed to be much better. He, however, looked so grave, that on his
following Arthur and me into the sitting-room, we expected to hear him
express an unfavourable opinion of her case. But after looking about to
see that none of the servants were within hearing, he closed the door,
and said in a low voice:--
"It is not on account of your mother's health that I am anxious, but for
your sakes, my friends. You are supposed to be rank heretics; and I
have received information that unless you forthwith attend mass, go to
confession, and in all respects conform to the obligations of the
Catholic faith, the Inquisition intends to lay hands on you, and to
punish you severely as a warning to others. Even should your father
conform, he will be unable to shield you, and you will be equally liable
to punishment. If you will be advised by me, unless you are prepared to
adopt the religion of the country, you will, without delay, make your
escape to some part of the sea-coast remote from the capital, where you
may get on board a vessel bound to one of the neighbouring islands or
elsewhere. You know not the fearful punishment to which you may be
subjected, should you once fall into the hands of the Inquisition; and
though I myself run the risk of losing my liberty, not to speak of other
consequences, by thus warning you, I could not find it in my heart to
leave without doing so."
We warmly thanked our kind friend for the advice he had given us, and he
repeated what he had said to our father, who shortly afterwards came
into the room; but at the time he made no remark, though he was
evidently greatly agitated.
Scarcely had Don Antonio gone when my mother appeared to grow much
worse; and Arthur, throwing himself on horseback, galloped off as hard
as his horse could go to bring him back. We anxiously waited his return
with the physician, for every moment my mother grew worse and worse.
How thankful we were when Don Antonio arrived; but no sooner had he felt
her pulse, than, calling my father out of the room, he told him that she
was dying, and that he could do nothing for her. His words proved too
true. As we all stood round her bed, she entreated us to adhere firmly
to the faith in which we had been brought up; then, desiring us to go
out of the room, she had a conversation with my father on the same
subject, I suspect, for he seemed much moved when we again entered. As
daylight streamed into the room, she breathed her last.
We all felt her loss greatly, and poor Marian was so overwhelmed with
grief that we were in serious anxiety on her account.
In that latitude, burial rapidly follows death. It was a sore trial to
us to see her carried to her grave, which had been prepared in a
picturesque spot on the side of a hill not far from the house. Scarcely
had the coffin been lowered into it, when two priests arrived to perform
the burial-service. They appeared to be highly indignant that the
funeral should have taken place without their presence, and, from
expressions which they let drop, it was very evident that they looked
upon us all as a family of heretics. My father tried to pacify them,
however, and fancied that he had sent them away satisfied.
"Remember the warning I have given you," observed Don Antonio, as he
bade us goodbye. "Do not be deceived, even should the friars who may
come here appear to be on friendly terms; their object will be to betray
you."
It had been arranged that Uncle Paul and Arthur should return to the
town and attend to business next morning, while I was to remain with
poor Marian to try and comfort her.
Some time after dark, while we were all assembled in the sitting-room,
there was a knock at the door, and Arthur went out to see who had come
to visit us. He quickly returned with a note for my father in his hand,
which he said Don Antonio had sent by his black servant. It contained
merely the words, "Follow the advice I gave. It should on no account be
put off till to-morrow."
The negro having been sent back with a verbal message to the effect that
the prescription should be strictly followed, my father sat down, with
Uncle Paul and Arthur, to consider what was to be done.
"For myself," he said, "I have resolved to remain. I cannot throw away
the advantages I have gained; and circumstances, not my fault, will
compel me to conform to the religion of the country. But you and Arthur
may do as you think fit; and if you resolve to make your escape from the
island, I will send Guy and Marian with you--and Tim also, if he wishes
to go."
Uncle Paul expressed his sorrow at having to leave our father; but as he
had determined not to change his faith, he said he was ready to set off
with us immediately, and to try to carry out the plan Don Antonio had
proposed.
Poor Tim, when he heard of our resolution, was sorely troubled what to
do.
"If you remain, you must become a Roman Catholic with me," said my
father.
"Then, your honour, with all respect to you, I'll be after going
wherever Master Guy and Miss Marian go; though it will be a sad day that
we have to leave you."
"It must be done, however," said my father. "Now go and get the horses
ready. We will have such things as may be required packed up
forthwith."
We had horses enough to mount the whole party, so arrangements were
speedily made; and within half an hour after we had received Don
Antonio's warning we were in the saddle, and, under the guidance of
natives well acquainted with the country, were making our way along a
narrow path up the side of the mountains which rose between our house
and the sea.
Uncle Paul and the guides went first. Marian rode next, mounted on a
small pony, and attended by Arthur. I followed them; and Tim brought up
the rear. Our great object was to get to the seaside, where we might
remain concealed, in case the officials of the Inquisition should pursue
us.
The narrow and steep path on which we were travelling wound its way up
the side of the hill till the summit was reached, when we began to
descend towards the sea. It was generally too rugged to allow us to
move out of a walk, for our horses might have fallen and sent us down a
precipice either on one side or the other; still, whenever the ground
allowed it, we pushed on as fast as we could venture.
At length, after descending some distance, we found ourselves travelling
along with the ocean on our left and the rugged sides of the hill rising
on our right. The pathway seldom allowed two to ride abreast. Now it
ran along scarcely eight or ten feet above the level of the water; now
it ascended to the height of eighty or a hundred feet, with a steep
precipice below us.
Daylight had just broken, when, glancing over the ocean, I caught sight
of a couple of vessels, which appeared to be standing in for the coast.
I could not help crying out to Uncle Paul, in case he might not have
observed them. My voice, unfortunately, startled Arthur's horse, which
began to sidle and prance; when what was my horror to see its hinder
feet slipping over the precipice! Marian shrieked out with alarm, and I
expected the next moment that Arthur would be dashed to pieces on the
rocks below. Such would have been his fate, had he not sprung from his
saddle just as the animal went over the precipice. In vain the creature
instinctively attempted to spring up again, desperately clinging to the
rock with its feet. Arthur tried to seize its bridle to help it; but in
another instant we saw it fall on the rocks below with a force which
must have broken every bone in its body.
So thankful did we feel that Arthur had been preserved, that we scarcely
thought about the poor horse.
"Go forward! go forward!" cried out Arthur. "I'll run on by Marian's
side. You must not be delayed on my account."
We accordingly pushed on, and at length came to a part of the coast
where the road ceased, and it was impossible to proceed further with our
horses. Our chief guide--who, knowing that we had strong reasons for
wishing to escape, was anxious to assist us--advised that we should send
the horses back over the mountains by a different road from that by
which we had come, while we continued along the coast till we reached a
place of concealment, which he said we should find some way further on;
he himself proposing to accompany the horses, and to rejoin us when he
had conveyed them to a place of safety, where the officials of the
Inquisition were not likely to find them.