"Woe to the queen should she take any other road! Woe to her if she lends her ear to the false doctrines which come ringing over here from Germany and Switzerland, and in the worldly prudence of her heart imagines that she can rest secure! I will be her most faithful and zealous servant, if she is with me; I will be her most implacable enemy if she is against me." "And will you call it being against you, if the queen does not choose you for her confessor ?" "Will you ask me to call it, being for me ?" "Now God grant that she may choose you!" exclaimed Cranmer, fervently, as he clasped his hands and raised his eyes to heaven.

"Poor, unfortunate queen! The first proof of thy husband's love may be thy first misfortune! Why gave he thee the liberty of choosing thine own spiritual director?
Why did he not choose for thee ?" And Cranmer dropped his head upon his breast, and sighed deeply.
At this instant the door of the royal chamber opened, and Lady Jane, daughter of Earl Douglas, and first maid of honor to the queen, made her appearance on the threshold.

Both bishops regarded her in breathless silence.

It was a serious, a solemn moment, the deep importance of which was very well comprehended by all three.
"Her majesty the queen," said Lady Jane, in an agitated voice, "her majesty requests the presence of Lord Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, in her cabinet, in order that she may perform her devotions with him." "Poor queen!" murmured Cranmer, as he crossed the room to go to Catharine--"poor queen! she has just made an implacable enemy." Lady Jane waited till Cranmer had disappeared through the door, then hastened with eager steps to the bishop of Winchester, and dropping on her knee, humbly said, "Grace, your highness, grace! My words were in vain, and were not able to shake her resolution." Gardiner raised up the kneeling maiden, and forced a smile.

"It is well," said he, "I doubt not of your zeal.