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Show 164 the poor of Lambeth looked to him as their father. Still, perhaps it was not the same...He would not look back. His cause, his obsession, was the King and the Church. England would be better off without such men as Lathrop who were the impediments of uniformity and supremacy. The family sensed that Laud was thinking, but the suspense caused Jane to speak. "Are you going to release Father?" she asked. "If I do---and I'm not saying I will--he will have to take an oath that he will not engage in any private conventicles," "He will. He will." assured Hyrum. "If he causes trouble for the Crown, I will take it as a personal affront, and he along with any other trouble makers will be sent to the gallows...It is not an idle threat." Laud spoke conclusively. When he walked to his desk and took out a quill and paper, the famiy looked at one another almost breathless with anticipation. Could he in fact be ordering their father's release? Laud handed the paper to Benny. "You may leave," Laud stated without smiling. Samuel started to reach for the paper. Benny hugged it to his breast and walked up to the Archbishop. He had a difficult time reading script. "What does it say?" Benny whispered to Laud. "It says," quoted Laud, "1634, April 24. John |