A True Hero: A Story of the Days of William Penn

  CHAPTER ELEVEN.

  "Come with my mother and me to a meeting to which we are going thisevening!" said Gretchen, when Wenlock returned home at a somewhatearlier hour than usual, for he still lived at the house of the kindsurgeon. "Some Englishmen arrived yesterday in Rotterdam, and they areabout to address the public on some important religious matters. Theyare said to be very earnest and devoted people, and one of them speaksDutch perfectly. Their names I cannot remember. Those short, curious,English names quickly escape my memory."

  Wenlock at once agreed to Gretchen's request; indeed he had no longerthe heart to refuse her anything she asked. It might have been justpossible that, had he learned that the fair Mary had forgotten him andaccepted another suitor, he would have had no great difficulty inconsoling himself. Yet it was not so at present. He always treatedGretchen with kindness and respect, but was fully convinced in his ownmind that he never allowed a warmer feeling to enter his bosom. Thelarge public hall in which meetings of the sort were generally held wasnearly filled by the time the Van Erk party arrived. They, however,were shown to seats near the platform whence the speakers were toaddress the people. Many more persons crowded in, till the hall wasquite full. Just then five gentlemen appeared on the platform,advancing with slow and dignified steps. A curious and very mixedfeeling agitated Wenlock's heart when among them he recognised MasterWilliam Penn, and his father's old friend, Captain Mead. The thought ofhis father rushed into his mind, and a tear filled his eye. He thought,however, also of Mary, and he longed to ask her father about her; yet,at that moment, to do so was impossible. As the speakers appeared, thewhole hall was hushed in silence. At length William Penn offered up aprayer in Dutch. He then introduced a tall thin, careworn man, asGeorge Fox, who addressed the people in English, Penn interpreting as hespoke. He urged on them in forcible language to adopt the principleswhich the Friends had accepted, and many were moved to tears while hespoke. William Mead then came forward, but said little. AnotherEnglishman, Robert Barclay, then addressed the assemblage. He wasfollowed by Penn himself; who, in calm yet forcible language, placed thesimple truths of the gospel before his hearers. Wenlock's feelings weregreatly moved. His reason too was convinced. He had had a severelesson. He had declined to accept those principles, and sought forworldly honour and distinction instead. The result had been the loss ofhis beloved father, he himself escaping with life almost by a miracle."Those are old friends I little expected to meet again," said Wenlock toGretchen and her mother. "I must speak to them now, lest they leave thecity to-morrow and I may miss them."

  As the assembly broke up, the speakers descended into the body of thehall, and Wenlock found himself standing before William Penn and CaptainMead. Neither of them knew him, though they looked at him kindly,having observed the deep attention with which he had listened to theirdiscourses. "I am afraid, Master Mead, I am forgotten," said Wenlock,feeling that he must speak at last. The Quaker started, and examinedhis countenance narrowly. "What!" he exclaimed, "art thou the son of myancient comrade? Verily I thought that he and thou were long sincenumbered with the dead. How is it, young man? Has thy father escapedalso?"

  "Alas! no," said Wenlock; and he gave a brief account of his father'sdeath.

  "And hast thou been content to pass so long a time without communicatingwith thy old friends?" said Mead, in a reproachful tone.

  "No, indeed. I wrote to Mistress Mary," said Wenlock; "but she repliednot to my letter."

  "My daughter received no letter from thee, young man," said Mead; "and Iwill not deny that she grieved at the thought of thy loss."

  "O Master Mead, I wish that I had written oftener, till one of myletters had reached you or her," exclaimed Wenlock; "but I thought thatshe had discarded me."

  "I see; I see! And thou wast too proud to run the risk of being chidfurther for thy youthful folly," said the Quaker.

  "You are right, I confess," answered Wenlock. "But tell me, how is she?Where is she? Would I could once more see her and explain my conduct."

  "Perchance thou mayst see her sooner than thou dost expect," said Mead."Come to-morrow morning to the house where we lodge, and we will talkfurther of this matter."

  "What! is she in Rotterdam?" exclaimed Wenlock, in a voice tremblingwith agitation.

  "She accompanied us thus far on our journey; but I know not whether shewill go farther. I must not let thee see her, however, to-night, as,believing thee dead, it might perchance somewhat agitate her; for I donot deny, Wenlock, that thou wast once dear to us all. But whether thoucanst sufficiently explain thy conduct since thou didst part from us, toregain thy lost place in our regard, I cannot now determine."

  "Oh, I trust I can," exclaimed Wenlock, all his affection for Maryreviving immediately at the thought of again meeting her.

  William Penn received the young man very kindly, and then for someminutes spoke to him with deep seriousness of his past life. "Thoucanst not serve God and Mammon, Friend Wenlock," he said. "Thou didstattempt to do so, and Mammon left thee struggling for thy life on theocean. More on that matter I need not say."

  Wenlock, on reaching home, found that his friends had been deeplyimpressed by the addresses they had heard. They were also muchsurprised to find that two of the speakers were known to him.

  "Indeed, one of them," he said, "is a very old friend; and should heinvite me to accompany him to England, I should wish to do so."

  "What! and leave us all here, not to return?" said Gretchen.

  "It is right that I should tell the truth at once," thought Wenlock. Hedid so.

  "And is this English girl very, very pretty," asked Gretchen; and hervoice trembled slightly.

  "I thought her so when we parted; and amiable, and right-minded, andpious I know she is."

  "Ah!" said Gretchen, "I should like to see her while she remains in thiscity."

  The next morning Wenlock set out to pay his promised visit to his Quakerfriends. Master Mead met him at the door of the house.

  "Come in; Mary will see thee," he said; and taking him upstairs, he ledhim into a room, at the farther end of which a young lady was seatedwith a book before her. She rose as her father and their visitorentered, and gave an inquiring glance at Wenlock, apparently at firstscarcely knowing him. Another look assured her who it was, but no smilelighted up her countenance. She advanced, however, and held out herhand. "Thou art welcome, Master Christison," she said; "and I rejoiceto find that thou didst escape the sad fate we heard had overtaken thee.And yet, was it kind to leave old friends who were interested in thee,albeit thou didst differ from them in opinion, without knowing of thyexistence?" Her voice, which had hitherto remained firm, began totremble.

  "Oh, no, no, Mary!" exclaimed Wenlock. "I cannot blame myself too much.Yet I did write; but I ought to have written again and again, till Iheard from you. I should have known that the risk of a lettermiscarrying was very great."

  "Yea; verily thou ought to have put more confidence in us," said Mary.

  Then Wenlock again blamed himself, and Mary showed herself before longinclined to be more lenient than her manner had at first led him to hopeshe might prove.

  Penn and his party remained for some days at Rotterdam, holding numerousmeetings. Many among the most educated of the inhabitants,--officers ofthe government, merchants, and others,--came to hear them preach; whilemany of the principal houses of the place were thrown open to them.Among other converts was Wenlock's employer, Mynheer Van Erk, as wasalso his kind friend the surgeon and his family. Gretchen and Mary metfrequently. "You have not over praised the English maiden," said theformer to Wenlock. "I hope you will be fortunate in regaining herregard; for it is clear to me that you still look on her withaffection."

  Penn, with three of his companions, proceeded on their tour throughHolland and part of Germany, gaining many proselytes to their opinions.Mead, who had some mercantile transactions at Rotterdam, remained inthat city. After they were concluded he prepared to return home.Wenlock w
ished to accompany him. "No, my young friend," he answered, "Icannot allow thee to quit thy present employer without due notice.Should he wish to dispense with thy services, I will receive thee whenthou dost come to me." Wenlock had now openly professed himself to be aQuaker. Perchance, Master Mead, who had no lack of worldly wisdom,desired to try the young man's constancy, both as to his love and hisreligion; for, in both, people are very apt to deceive themselves,mistaking enthusiasm and momentary excitement for well groundedprinciple. As winter approached, Penn and his party returned toRotterdam, and sailed for England.