Here is part 2 of Faithful Unto Death; we left Marianne as she goes out to bring bread to her ailing neighbor…
This is part 2 of a 3 part story – click here if you have not read part 1
Faithful Unto Death, Part II
Master Greene opened the door at her knock. “My child, what are you doing out on a night like this?” he exclaimed as he ushered her into the cottage.
“I have brought you some fresh bread, hot from the oven,” she answered, smiling. “It is but a step from my door to yours and I knew Mistress Greene was not able to bake today. The Bible commands us to bear one another’s burdens, does it not?”
Before Master Greene could reply, there was a loud knocking at the door. “More visitors?” he muttered, shaking his head. “The whole village must be mad.”
He opened the door.
“Stand aside!” The huge form of a soldier loomed in the doorway.
Master Greene was so surprised to see anyone besides those within the village that he stood stock still, staring at the stranger.
“Let us in!” the soldier commanded, unceremoniously pushing past the astonished Master Greene. The latter, coming to his senses, closed the door after the five soldiers and demanded why they had thus forced themselves upon him.
The first soldier eyed him with a sneer. “Are you, or are you not, one of the accursed Christians?” he asked pointedly.
Master Greene answered him coolly. “I am not.”
Marianne stood as if frozen, with the bread and lantern still in her hand. At Master Greene’s reply, she turned pale. Was it possible he was denying his Savior at the first hint of danger?
The soldier was not satisfied. “Are you then a Roman Catholic?”
Master Greene again answered, “I am not.”
“What, then, are you?”
“I am a Christian.”
The soldier stared at him. “What do you mean, fool? A moment since you declared you were not.”
“I beg your pardon, sir,” replied Master Greene. “I meant that I was not an accursed Christian.”
Under other circumstances, Marianne would have laughed. Master Greene was always adding a little dry wit at times when one least expected it. But now was not the time for laughter. The soldier was evidently angry.
“Bah! Enough talk!” he exclaimed. “Toy not with me, man. Will you renounce your religion and embrace the Catholic faith? If you will not, we are commanded to take you to prison for heresy.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Master Greene replied, “I will not deny my Lord though you should kill me.”
“Bind him,” commanded the soldier to his companions.
They hastened to do his bidding. “Oh, Lord, strengthen me,” Master Greene began to pray aloud.
One of the soldiers struck him across the mouth. “Cease your babbling, heretic!” They gagged him to prevent him from speaking.
Once Marianne realized they were taking Master Greene, she hurriedly scribbled a note to Mistress Greene to explain what had happened. She left it on the counter top, not daring, in taking it to Mistress Greene, to let the soldiers know that there were more people in the house. Her heart was heavy, knowing what would be the likely outcome of Master Greene’s imprisonment.
“You, girl!”
Marianne spun around and came face to face with the head soldier.
“Are you also a Christian?”
For a moment Marianne wavered. The thought of her parents at home, expecting her back any minute now, and how worried they would be when she did not come, flashed through her mind. But immediately after she remembered the words her father had just been reading and hesitated no longer.
“Thank God, I am,” she responded.
“And will you renounce your faith and become a Catholic? You see what has happened to your father for not complying with us.”
“He is not my father,” Marianne answered quietly. “And I will not renounce my faith,” she hastened to add, lest the soldier should press her into details concerning her family.
The soldier regarded her for a moment; then he tried persuasion. “But you are young; you have all of life before you. Do you know that most heretics are tortured and eventually killed?”
“Tempt me not,” replied Marianne. “My Savior has said I am blessed if I suffer for His sake. You cannot persuade me to do otherwise.”
“Very well,” the soldier answered, his voice hardening. He turned to the others. “Tie the girl as well. Then let us go; the night grows worse.”
Later that night Marianne found herself locked in a filthy prison cell, awaiting trial the next day. “Dear Lord,” she prayed, smiling up into the night sky through the barred window, “I thank Thee that Thou hast counted me worthy to suffer for Thy sake. Help me to stay faithful to Thee, no matter what the cost. Be with my dear ones at home, and with Mistress Greene and the children. Please protect them, Father, and if it be Thy will, restore Master Greene to his family. My own desire, of course, is to be returned to my home as well; but Thy will be done. Help me to do as Thou hast said in Thy word, that when trial cometh, to ‘count it all joy’ and ‘be of good cheer.’ It may not be easy, Lord. But Thou knowest my heart, and canst change it if Thou wilt; and I pray Thee to give me joy in suffering for Thy sake. In Thy holy Name I pray, Amen.”
This story is copyrighted © 2009 by Kathryn Y., All Rights Reserved.
Tomorrow I will post the end of the story…
