Deliver us from Evil Read Online Free Page B

stay with Lady Vaughan, who always reduced her to a state of nervous over-awe. Robert's mother had worked as a servant in Salisbury before her marriage, whereas Lady Vaughan was the wife of a gentleman. Mrs Foxe could never forget this; not even though her husband and Sir Henry were the best of friends, not even though, since the war, all the world was turned upside down, the small made great and the great made small. It was Captain Foxe, after all, who had saved the Vaughans from being utterly beggared after the war, for Sir Henry had been a tireless partisan of the King, and might have had his property confiscated had not Captain Foxe pleaded his cause. Although it was never spoken of by his parents, Robert knew this, because Emily had told him everything; and in truth, his mother had no cause to be timid, for Lady Vaughan had always shown her the utmost affection and respect. Robert knew it was she who had refused to discourage Emily from playing with him; and for that alone, he would always honour her.
    And indeed, when he arrived at the Vaughans' house to discover his mother folded in Lady Vaughan's embrace, his sense of gratitude was reinforced, for although his mother's face was white and pinched with grief, he knew that without her neighbour's comforting she would have been paler still. Lady Vaughan surrendered her; Mrs Foxe's relief at seeing her son was very evident, but he saw her flinch when he was offered supper and, although she encouraged him to eat, Robert knew she was thinking of the goose they would never now have cooked. She said nothing, however, about Hannah, and continued silent as they returned to their home; only once Robert's horse had been stabled and he held her in his arms, did she at last start to talk. She confirmed, what he had almost forgotten needed confirmation, that it was indeed Hannah who was dead. All day, Sir Henry and a group of villagers had been searching, ever since the alarm had first been raised that morning - at which point Hannah had already been missing for several hours. Not until after sunset had the body finally been found. Robert asked if it was the candles which had first drawn the search party to Wolverton Manor; but his mother looked blank. She had heard no mention of candles. Robert let the matter drop.
    Mrs Foxe rose at length and drew out her Bible. She hugged it to herself; then began to turn the much-thumbed pages, like someone lost who is scanning a map. Together, she and her son studied them for several hours. Mrs Foxe could not read, but she knew the words of scripture almost by heart, and those parts she could not remember she would narrate as she saw fit. In this way, she found a gradual balm for her grief; and for Hannah, the servant who had also been her dearest friend, a tribute of tender and heartfelt love.
    It began to grow l ate. At length, as they sat there together at their reading, Robert and his mother were joined by Mr Webbe. Mrs Foxe rose to greet him, but he gestured her to sit down. Gently, he kissed her on her brow. ' "He that is without sin among you,"' he murmured, ' "let him first cast a stone at her." ' Mrs Foxe stared up at him, then reached for the Bible from Robert's lap, to find the place where the verse could be found. But she did not need her son to read the story to her; she knew it well enough; for she had quoted it often in defence of Hannah who, like the woman brought before Jesus, had been taken in adultery. Mrs Foxe spoke the verses again now, and when she repeated Christ's words of forgiveness and hope, Mr Webbe joined with her: ' " I am the light of the world," ' they proclaimed together; ' "he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." ' Mrs Foxe began to smile. 'She has reached her journey's end, Mr Webbe,' she said. 'My Hannah and her child, they are at rest now, with Him whose company is Peace-after-life.' Then she turned to Robert, and hugged him tightly. She was still smiling. But down