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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, When Knighthood Was in Flower, by Charles
+Major
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: When Knighthood Was in Flower
+ or, the Love Story of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor the King's Sister, and Happening in the Reign of His August Majesty King Henry the Eighth
+
+
+Author: Charles Major
+
+
+
+Release Date: January 13, 2006 [eBook #17498]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Jeannie Howse, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/)
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+ file which includes the original illustrations.
+ See 17498-h.htm or 17498-h.zip:
+ (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/4/9/17498/17498-h/17498-h.htm)
+ or
+ (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/4/9/17498/17498-h.zip)
+
+
+ +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+ | Transcriber's Note: |
+ | |
+ | A number of obvious typographical errors have been corrected |
+ | in this text. For a complete list, please see the bottom of |
+ | this document. |
+ | |
+ +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER
+
+or, the Love Story of
+Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor
+the King's Sister, and Happening
+in the Reign of
+His August Majesty
+King Henry the
+Eighth
+
+Rewritten and Rendered into Modern English from
+Sir Edwin Caskoden's Memoir
+
+by
+
+EDWIN CASKODEN
+[Charles Major]
+
+Julia Marlowe Edition
+With Scenes from the Play
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+Indianapolis, U.S.A.
+The Bowen-Merrill Company
+Publishers
+Copyright, Eighteen Hundred Ninety
+Eight, and Nineteen Hundred One
+by The Bowen-Merrill Company
+Press of
+Braunworth & Co.
+Bookbinders and Printers
+Brooklyn, N.Y.
+
+
+
+
+
+ _"There lived a Knight, when Knighthood was in flow'r,
+ Who charmed alike the tilt-yard and the bow'r_."
+
+
+
+
+To My Wife
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+ The Caskodens 1
+
+ I The Duel 6
+
+ II How Brandon Came to Court 13
+
+ III The Princess Mary 23
+
+ IV A Lesson in Dancing 45
+
+ V An Honor and an Enemy 74
+
+ VI A Rare Ride to Windsor 89
+
+ VII Love's Fierce Sweetness 102
+
+ VIII The Trouble in Billingsgate Ward 128
+
+ IX Put Not Your Trust in Princesses 146
+
+ X Justice, O King! 169
+
+ XI Louis XII a Suitor 182
+
+ XII Atonement 202
+
+ XIII A Girl's Consent 213
+
+ XIV In the Siren Country 226
+
+ XV To Make a Man of Her 244
+
+ XVI A Hawking Party 256
+
+ XVII The Elopement 268
+
+XVIII To the Tower 289
+
+ XIX Proserpina 302
+
+ XX Down into France 320
+
+ XXI Letters from a Queen 337
+
+ _"Cloth of gold do not despise,
+ Though thou be match'd with cloth of frize;
+ Cloth of frize, be not too bold,
+ Though thou be match'd with cloth of gold_."
+
+ Inscription on a label affixed to Brandon's lance under a picture
+ of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, at Strawberry Hill.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+The Play
+
+
+The initial performance of the play was given in St. Louis on the
+evening of November 26, 1900, and the first New York production was on
+the fourteenth of the following January.
+
+Its instant and continued success is well known. A prominent dramatic
+critic of the press has said:
+
+"Julia Marlowe fully realized the popular idea of the Mary described
+by the novelist. She seemed to revel in the role. With its
+instantaneous changes from gay daring to anger and fear, from coyness
+to the dignity that hedges a princess, from resentment to ardent love,
+the part of Mary Tudor gives Julia Marlowe full scope for the display
+of her talent. She has never appeared to better or as good advantage
+as in this play for the reason that it gives opportunity for broader
+and more effective lights and shades than anything she has hitherto
+given us."
+
+
+
+
+When Knighthood Was in Flower
+
+
+
+
+When Knighthood Was in Flower....
+
+_The Caskodens_
+
+
+We Caskodens take great pride in our ancestry. Some persons, I know,
+hold all that to be totally un-Solomonlike and the height of vanity,
+but they, usually, have no ancestors of whom to be proud. The man who
+does not know who his great-grandfather was, naturally enough would
+not care what he was. The Caskodens have pride of ancestry because
+they know both who and what.
+
+Even admitting that it is vanity at all, it is an impersonal sort of
+failing, which, like the excessive love of country, leans virtueward;
+for the man who fears to disgrace his ancestors is certainly less
+likely to disgrace himself. Of course there are a great many excellent
+persons who can go no farther back than father and mother, who,
+doubtless, eat and drink and sleep as well, and love as happily, as if
+they could trace an unbroken lineage clear back to Adam or Noah, or
+somebody of that sort. Nevertheless, we Caskodens are proud of our
+ancestry, and expect to remain so to the end of the chapter,
+regardless of whom it pleases or displeases.
+
+We have a right to be proud, for there is an unbroken male line from
+William the Conqueror down to the present time. In this lineal list
+are fourteen Barons--the title lapsed when Charles I fell--twelve
+Knights of the Garter and forty-seven Knights of the Bath and other
+orders. A Caskoden distinguished himself by gallant service under the
+Great Norman and was given rich English lands and a fair Saxon bride,
+albeit an unwilling one, as his reward. With this fair, unwilling
+Saxon bride and her long plait of yellow hair goes a very pretty,
+pathetic story, which I may tell you at some future time if you take
+kindly to this. A Caskoden was seneschal to William Rufus, and sat at
+the rich, half barbaric banquets in the first Great Hall. Still
+another was one of the doughty barons who wrested from John the Great
+Charter, England's declaration of independence; another was high in
+the councils of Henry V. I have omitted one whom I should not fail to
+mention: Adjodika Caskoden, who was a member of the Dunce Parliament
+of Henry IV, so called because there were no lawyers in it.
+
+It is true that in the time of Edward IV a Caskoden did stoop to
+trade, but it was trade of the most dignified, honorable sort; he was
+a goldsmith, and his guild, as you know, were the bankers and
+international clearance house for people, king and nobles. Besides, it
+is stated on good authority that there was a great scandal wherein the
+goldsmith's wife was mixed up in an intrigue with the noble King
+Edward; so we learn that even in trade the Caskodens were of honorable
+position and basked in the smile of their prince. As for myself, I am
+not one of those who object so much to trade; and I think it
+contemptible in a man to screw his nose all out of place sneering at
+it, while enjoying every luxury of life from its profits.
+
+This goldsmith was shrewd enough to turn what some persons might call
+his ill fortune, in one way, into gain in another. He was one of those
+happily constituted, thrifty philosophers who hold that even
+misfortune should not be wasted, and that no evil is so great but the
+alchemy of common sense can transmute some part of it into good. So he
+coined the smiles which the king shed upon his wife--he being
+powerless to prevent, for Edward smiled where he listed, and listed
+nearly everywhere--into nobles, crowns and pounds sterling, and left a
+glorious fortune to his son and to his son's son, unto about the
+fourth generation, which was a ripe old age for a fortune, I think.
+How few of them live beyond the second, and fewer still beyond the
+third! It was during the third generation of this fortune that the
+events of the following history occurred.
+
+Now, it has been the custom of the Caskodens for centuries to keep a
+record of events, as they have happened, both private and public. Some
+are in the form of diaries and journals like those of Pepys and
+Evelyn; others in letters like the Pastons'; others again in verse and
+song like Chaucer's and the Water Poet's; and still others in the
+more pretentious form of memoir and chronicle. These records we always
+have kept jealously within our family, thinking it vulgar, like the
+Pastons, to submit our private affairs to public gaze.
+
+There can, however, be no reason why those parts treating solely of
+outside matters should be so carefully guarded, and I have determined
+to choose for publication such portions as do not divulge family
+secrets nor skeletons, and which really redound to family honor.
+
+For this occasion I have selected from the memoir of my worthy
+ancestor and namesake, Sir Edwin Caskoden--grandson of the goldsmith,
+and Master of the Dance to Henry VIII--the story of Charles Brandon
+and Mary Tudor, sister to the king.
+
+This story is so well known to the student of English history that I
+fear its repetition will lack that zest which attends the development
+of an unforeseen denouement. But it is of so great interest, and is so
+full, in its sweet, fierce manifestation, of the one thing insoluble
+by time, Love, that I will nevertheless rewrite it from old Sir
+Edwin's memoir. Not so much as an historical narrative, although I
+fear a little history will creep in, despite me, but simply as a
+picture of that olden long ago, which, try as we will to put aside the
+hazy, many-folded curtain of time, still retains its shadowy lack of
+sharp detail, toning down and mellowing the hard aspect of real
+life--harder and more unromantic even than our own--into the blending
+softness of an exquisite mirage.
+
+I might give you the exact words in which Sir Edwin wrote, and shall
+now and then quote from contemporaneous chronicles in the language of
+his time, but should I so write at all, I fear the pleasure of perusal
+would but poorly pay for the trouble, as the English of the Bluff King
+is almost a foreign tongue to us. I shall, therefore, with a few
+exceptions, give Sir Edwin's memoir in words, spelling and idiom which
+his rollicking little old shade will probably repudiate as none of his
+whatsoever. So, if you happen to find sixteenth century thought
+hob-nobbing in the same sentence with nineteenth century English, be
+not disturbed; I did it. If the little old fellow grows grandiloquent
+or garrulous at times--_he_ did that. If you find him growing
+super-sentimental, remember that sentimentalism was the life-breath of
+chivalry, just then approaching its absurdest climax in the bombastic
+conscientiousness of Bayard and the whole mental atmosphere laden with
+its pompous nonsense.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER I_
+
+_The Duel_
+
+
+It sometimes happens, Sir Edwin says, that when a woman will she
+won't, and when she won't she will; but usually in the end the adage
+holds good. That sentence may not be luminous with meaning, but I will
+give you an illustration.
+
+I think it was in the spring of 1509, at any rate soon after the death
+of the "Modern Solomon," as Queen Catherine called her old
+father-in-law, the late King Henry VII, that his august majesty Henry
+VIII, "The Vndubitate Flower and very Heire of both the sayd Linages,"
+came to the throne of England, and tendered me the honorable position
+of Master of the Dance at his sumptuous court.
+
+As to "worldly goods," as some of the new religionists call wealth, I
+was very comfortably off; having inherited from my father, one of the
+counselors of Henry VII, a very competent fortune indeed. How my
+worthy father contrived to save from the greedy hand of that rich old
+miser so great a fortune, I am sure I can not tell. He was the only
+man of my knowledge who did it; for the old king had a reach as long
+as the kingdom, and, upon one pretext or another, appropriated to
+himself everything on which he could lay his hands. My father,
+however, was himself pretty shrewd in money matters, having inherited
+along with his fortune a rare knack at keeping it. His father was a
+goldsmith in the time of King Edward, and enjoyed the marked favor of
+that puissant prince.
+
+Being thus in a position of affluence, I cared nothing for the fact
+that little or no emolument went with the office; it was the honor
+which delighted me. Besides, I was thereby an inmate of the king's
+palace, and brought into intimate relations with the court, and above
+all, with the finest ladies of the land--the best company a man can
+keep, since it ennobles his mind with better thoughts, purifies his
+heart with cleaner motives, and makes him gentle without detracting
+from his strength. It was an office any lord of the kingdom might have
+been proud to hold.
+
+Now, some four or five years after my induction into this honorable
+office, there came to court news of a terrible duel fought down in
+Suffolk, out of which only one of the four combatants had come
+alive--two, rather, but one of them in a condition worse than death.
+The first survivor was a son of Sir William Brandon, and the second
+was a man called Sir Adam Judson. The story went that young Brandon
+and his elder brother, both just home from the continental wars, had
+met Judson at an Ipswich inn, where there had been considerable
+gambling among them. Judson had won from the brothers a large sum of
+money which they had brought home; for, notwithstanding their youth,
+the elder being but twenty-six and the younger about twenty-four years
+of age, they had gained great honor and considerable profit in wars,
+especially the younger, whose name was Charles.
+
+It is a little hard to fight for money and then to lose it by a single
+spot upon the die, but such is the fate of him who plays, and a
+philosopher will swallow his ill luck and take to fighting for more.
+The Brandons could have done this easily enough, especially Charles,
+who was an offhand philosopher, rather fond of a good-humored fight,
+had it not been that in the course of play one evening the secret of
+Judson's winning had been disclosed by a discovery that he cheated.
+The Brandons waited until they were sure, and then trouble began,
+which resulted in a duel on the second morning following.
+
+This Judson was a Scotch gentleman of whom very little was known,
+except that he was counted the most deadly and most cruel duelist of
+the time. He was called the "Walking Death," and it is said took pride
+in the appellation. He boasted that he had fought eighty-seven duels,
+in which he had killed seventy-five men, and it was considered certain
+death to meet him. I got the story of the duel afterwards from Brandon
+as I give it here.
+
+John was the elder brother, and when the challenge came was entitled
+to fight first,--a birthright out of which Charles tried in vain to
+talk him. The brothers told their father, Sir William Brandon, and at
+the appointed time father and sons repaired to the place of meeting,
+where they found Judson and his two seconds ready for the fight.
+
+Sir William was still a vigorous man, with few equals in sword play,
+and the sons, especially the younger, were better men and more skilful
+than their father had ever been, yet they felt that this duel meant
+certain death, so great was Judson's fame for skill and cruelty.
+Notwithstanding they were so handicapped with this feeling of
+impending evil, they met their duty without a tremor; for the motto of
+their house was, "_Malo Mori Quam Fedrai_."
+
+It was a misty morning in March. Brandon has told me since, that when
+his elder brother took his stand, it was at once manifest that he was
+Judson's superior, both in strength and skill, but after a few strokes
+the brother's blade bent double and broke off short at the hilt when
+it should have gone home. Thereupon, Judson, with a malignant smile of
+triumph, deliberately selected his opponent's heart and pierced it
+with his sword, giving the blade a twist as he drew it out in order to
+cut and mutilate the more.
+
+In an instant Sir William's doublet was off, and he was in his dead
+son's tracks, ready to avenge him or to die. Again the thrust which
+should have killed broke the sword, and the father died as the son had
+died.
+
+After this, came young Charles, expecting, but, so great was his
+strong heart, not one whit fearing, to lie beside his dead father and
+brother. He knew he was the superior of both in strength and skill,
+and his knowledge of men and the noble art told him they had each been
+the superior of Judson; but the fellow's hand seemed to be the hand of
+death. An opening came through Judson's unskilful play, which gave
+young Brandon an opportunity for a thrust to kill, but his blade, like
+his father's and brother's, bent double without penetrating. Unlike
+the others, however, it did not break, and the thrust revealed the
+fact that Judson's skill as a duelist lay in a shirt of mail which it
+was useless to try to pierce. Aware of this, Brandon knew that victory
+was his, and that soon he would have avenged the murders that had gone
+before. He saw that his adversary was strong neither in wind nor arm,
+and had not the skill to penetrate his guard in a week's trying, so he
+determined to fight on the defensive until Judson's strength should
+wane, and then kill him when and how he chose.
+
+After a time Judson began to breathe hard and his thrusts to lack
+force.
+
+"Boy, I would spare you," he said; "I have killed enough of your
+tribe; put up your sword and call it quits."
+
+Young Brandon replied: "Stand your ground, you coward; you will be a
+dead man as soon as you grow a little weaker; if you try to run I will
+thrust you through the neck as I would a cur. Listen how you snort. I
+shall soon have you; you are almost gone. You would spare me, would
+you? I could preach a sermon or dance a hornpipe while I am killing
+you. I will not break my sword against your coat of mail, but will
+wait until you fall from weakness and then.... Fight, you bloodhound!"
+
+Judson was pale from exhaustion, and his breath was coming in gasps as
+he tried to keep the merciless sword from his throat. At last, by a
+dexterous twist of his blade, Brandon sent Judson's sword flying
+thirty feet away. The fellow started to run, but turned and fell upon
+his knees to beg for life. Brandon's reply was a flashing circle of
+steel, and his sword point cut lengthwise through Judson's eyes and
+the bridge of his nose, leaving him sightless and hideous for life. A
+revenge compared to which death would have been merciful.
+
+The duel created a sensation throughout the kingdom, for although
+little was known as to who Judson was, his fame as a duelist was as
+broad as the land. He had been at court upon several occasions, and,
+at one time, upon the king's birthday, had fought in the royal lists.
+So the matter came in for its share of consideration by king and
+courtiers, and young Brandon became a person of interest. He became
+still more so when some gentlemen who had served with him in the
+continental wars told the court of his daring and bravery, and related
+stories of deeds at arms worthy of the best knight in Christendom.
+
+He had an uncle at the court, Sir Thomas Brandon, the king's Master of
+Horse, who thought it a good opportunity to put his nephew forward
+and let him take his chance at winning royal favor. The uncle broached
+the subject to the king, with favorable issue, and Charles Brandon,
+led by the hand of fate, came to London Court, where that same fate
+had in keeping for him events such as seldom fall to the lot of man.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER II_
+
+_How Brandon Came to Court_
+
+
+When we learned that Brandon was coming to court, every one believed
+he would soon gain the king's favor. How much that would amount to
+none could tell, as the king's favorites were of many sorts and taken
+from all conditions of men. There was Master Wolsey, a butcher's son,
+whom he had first made almoner, then chief counselor and Bishop of
+Lincoln, soon to be Bishop of York, and Cardinal of the Holy Roman
+Church.
+
+From the other extreme of life came young Thomas, Lord Howard, heir to
+the Earl of Surrey, and my Lord of Buckingham, premier peer of the
+realm. Then sometimes would the king take a yeoman of the guard and
+make him his companion in jousts and tournaments, solely because of
+his brawn and bone. There were others whom he kept close by him in the
+palace because of their wit and the entertainment they furnished; of
+which class was I, and, I flatter myself, no mean member.
+
+To begin with, being in no way dependent on the king for money, I
+never drew a farthing from the royal treasury. This, you may be sure,
+did me no harm, for although the king _sometimes_ delighted to give,
+he always hated to pay. There were other good reasons, too, why I
+should be a favorite with the king. Without meaning to be vain, I
+think I may presume to say, with perfect truth, that my conversation
+and manners were far more pleasing and polished than were usual at
+that day in England, for I made it a point to spend several weeks each
+year in the noble French capital, the home and center of good-breeding
+and politeness.
+
+My appointment as Master of the Dance, I am sure, was owing entirely
+to my manner. My brother, the baron, who stood high with the king, was
+not friendly toward me because my father had seen fit to bequeath me
+so good a competency in place of giving it all to the first-born and
+leaving me dependent upon the tender mercies of an elder brother. So I
+had no help from him nor from any one else. I was quite small of
+stature and, therefore, unable to compete, with lance and mace, with
+bulkier men; but I would bet with any man, of any size, on any game,
+at any place and time, in any amount; and, if I do say it, who perhaps
+should not, I basked in the light of many a fair smile which larger
+men had sighed for in vain.
+
+I did not know when Brandon first came to London. We had all remained
+at Greenwich while the king went up to Westminster to waste his time
+with matters of state and quarrel with the Parliament, then sitting,
+over the amount of certain subsidies.
+
+Mary, the king's sister, then some eighteen or nineteen years of age,
+a perfect bud, just blossoming into a perfect flower, had gone over to
+Windsor on a visit to her elder sister, Margaret of Scotland, and the
+palace was dull enough. Brandon, it seems, had been presented to Henry
+during this time, at Westminster, and had, to some extent at least,
+become a favorite before I met him. The first time I saw him was at a
+joust given by the king at Westminster, in celebration of the fact
+that he had coaxed a good round subsidy out of Parliament.
+
+The queen and her ladies had been invited over, and it was known that
+Mary would be down from Windsor and come home with the king and the
+court to Greenwich when we should return. So we all went over to
+Westminster the night before the jousts, and were up bright and early
+next morning to see all that was to be seen.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+[Here the editor sees fit to substitute a description of this
+tournament taken from the quaint old chronicler, Hall.]
+
+ The morow beyng after dynner, at tyme conuenenient, the Quene with
+ her Ladyes repaired to see the Iustes, the trompettes blewe vp,
+ and in came many a noble man and Gentleman, rychely appeareiled,
+ takynge vp thir horses, after whome folowed certayne lordes
+ appareiled, they and thir horses, in cloth of Golde and russet and
+ tynsell; Knyghtes in cloth of Golde, and russet Veluet. And a
+ greate nomber of Gentlemen on fote, in russet satyn and yealow,
+ and yomen in russet Damaske and yealow, all the nether parte of
+ euery mans hosen Skarlet, and yealow cappes.
+
+ Then came the kynge vnder a Pauilion of golde, and purpul Veluet
+ embroudered, the compass of the Pauilion about, and valenced with
+ a flat, gold beaten in wyre, with an Imperiall croune in the top,
+ of fyne Golde, his bases and trapper of cloth of Golde, fretted
+ with Damask Golde, the trapper pedant to the tail. A crane and
+ chafron of stele, in the front of the chafro was a goodly plume
+ set full of musers or trimbling spangles of golde. After folowed
+ his three aydes, euery of them vnder a Pauilion of Crymosyn
+ Damaske & purple. The nomber of Gentlemen and yomen a fote,
+ appareiled in russet and yealow was clxviii. Then next these
+ Pauilions came xii chyldren of honor, sitting euery one of them on
+ a greate courser, rychely trapped, and embroudered in seuerall
+ deuises and facions, where lacked neither brouderie nor
+ goldsmythes work, so that euery chyld and horse in deuice and
+ fascion was contrary to the other, which was goodly to beholde.
+
+ Then on the counter parte, entered a Straunger, fyrst on
+ horsebacke in a long robe of Russet satyne, like a recluse or a
+ religious, and his horse trapped in the same sewte, without dromme
+ or noyse of mynstrelsye, puttinge a byll of peticion to the Quene,
+ the effect whereof was, that if it would please her to license hym
+ to runne in her presence, he would do it gladly, and if not, then
+ he would departe as he came. After his request was graunted, then
+ he put off hys sayd habyte and was armed at all peces with ryche
+ bases & horse, also rychely trapped, and so did runne his horse to
+ the tylte end, where dieurs men on fote appareiled in Russet satyn
+ awaited on him. Thereupon the Heraulds cryed an Oyez! and the
+ grownd shoke with the trompe of rushynge stedes. Wonder it were to
+ write of the dedes of Armes which that day toke place, where a man
+ might haue seen many a horse raysed on highe with galop, turne and
+ stoppe, maruaylous to behold. C.xiv staves were broke and the
+ kynge being lusty, he and the straunger toke the prices.
+
+When the queen had given the stranger permission to run, and as he
+moved away, there was a great clapping of hands and waving of
+trophies among the ladies, for he was of such noble mien and comely
+face as to attract the gaze of every one away from even the glittering
+person of his majesty the king.
+
+His hair, worn in its natural length, fell in brown curls back from
+his forehead almost to the shoulder, a style just then new, even in
+France. His eyes were a deep blue, and his complexion, though browned
+by exposure, held a tinge of beauty which the sun could not mar and a
+girl might envy. He wore neither mustachio nor beard, as men now
+disfigure their faces--since Francis I took a scar on his chin--and
+his clear cut profile, dilating nostrils and mobile, though firm-set
+mouth, gave pleasing assurance of tenderness, gentleness, daring and
+strength.
+
+I was standing near the queen, who called to me: "Who is the handsome
+stranger that so gracefully asked our license to run?"
+
+"I can not inform your majesty. I never saw him until now. He is the
+goodliest knight I have ever beheld."
+
+"That he is," replied the queen; "and we should like very much to know
+him. Should we not, ladies?" There was a chorus of assent from a dozen
+voices, and I promised, after the running, to learn all about him and
+report.
+
+It was at this point the heralds cried their "Oyes," and our
+conversation was at an end for the time.
+
+As to height, the stranger was full six feet, with ample evidence of
+muscle, though no great bulk. He was grace itself, and the king
+afterwards said he had never seen such strength of arm and skill in
+the use of the lance--a sure harbinger of favor, if not of fortune,
+for the possessor.
+
+After the jousting the Princess Mary asked me if I could yet give her
+an account of the stranger; and as I could not, she went to the king.
+
+I heard her inquire:
+
+"Who was your companion, brother?"
+
+"That is a secret, sister. You will find out soon enough, and will be
+falling in love with him, no doubt. I have always looked upon you as
+full of trouble for me in that respect; you will not so much as glance
+at anyone I choose for you, but I suppose would be ready enough with
+your smiles for some one I should not want."
+
+"Is the stranger one whom you would not want?" asked Mary, with a
+dimpling smile and a flash of her brown eyes.
+
+"He most certainly is," returned the king.
+
+"Then I will fall in love with him at once. In fact, I don't know but
+I have already."
+
+"Oh, I have no doubt of that; if I wanted him, he might be Apollo
+himself and you would have none of him." King Henry had been compelled
+to refuse several very advantageous alliances because this fair,
+coaxing, self-willed sister would not consent to be a part of the
+moving consideration.
+
+"But can you not tell me who he is, and what his degree?" went on Mary
+in a bantering tone.
+
+"He has no degree; he is a plain, untitled soldier, not even a knight;
+that is, not an English knight. I think he has a German or Spanish
+order of some sort."
+
+"Not a duke; not an earl; not even a baron or knight? Now he has
+become interesting."
+
+"Yes, I suppose so; but don't bother me."
+
+"Will he be at the dance and banquet to-night?"
+
+"No! No! Now I must go; don't bother me, I say." And the king moved
+away.
+
+That night we had a grand banquet and dance at Westminster, and the
+next day we all, excepting Lady Mary, went back to Greenwich by boat,
+paying a farthing a head for our fare. This was just after the law
+fixing the boat fare, and the watermen were a quarreling lot, you may
+be sure. One farthing from Westminster to Greenwich! Eight miles. No
+wonder they were angry.
+
+The next day I went back to London on an errand, and over to Wolsey's
+house to borrow a book. While there Master Cavendish, Wolsey's
+secretary, presented me to the handsome stranger, and he proved to be
+no other than Charles Brandon, who had fought the terrible duel down
+in Suffolk. I could hardly believe that so mild-mannered and boyish a
+person could have taken the leading part in such a tragedy. But with
+all his gentleness there was an underlying dash of cool daring which
+intimated plainly enough that he was not all mildness.
+
+We became friends at once, drawn together by that subtle human quality
+which makes one nature fit into another, resulting in friendship
+between men, and love between men and women. We soon found that we had
+many tastes in common, chief among which was the strongest of all
+congenial bonds, the love of books. In fact we had come to know each
+other through our common love of reading, for he also had gone to
+Master Cavendish, who had a fine library, to borrow some volumes to
+take with him down to Greenwich.
+
+Brandon informed me he was to go to Greenwich that day, so we
+determined to see a little of London, which was new to him, and then
+take boat in time to be at the palace before dark.
+
+That evening, upon arriving at Greenwich, we hunted up Brandon's
+uncle, the Master of Horse, who invited his nephew to stay with him
+for the night. He refused, however, and accepted an invitation to take
+a bed in my room.
+
+The next day Brandon was installed as one of the captains of the
+king's guard, under his uncle, but with no particular duties, except
+such as should be assigned him from time to time. He was offered a
+good room on one of the lower floors, but asked, instead, to be lodged
+in the attic next to me. So we arranged that each had a room opening
+into a third that served us alike for drawing-room and armory.
+
+Here we sat and talked, and now and then one would read aloud some
+favorite passage, while the other kept his own place with finger
+between the leaves. Here we discussed everything from court scandal to
+religion, and settled to our own satisfaction, at least, many a great
+problem with which the foolish world is still wrestling.
+
+We told each other all our secrets, too, for all the world like a pair
+of girls. Although Brandon had seen so much of life, having fought on
+the continent ever since he was a boy, and for all he was so much a
+man of the world, yet had he as fresh and boyish a heart as if he had
+just come from the clover fields and daisies. He seemed almost
+diffident, but I soon learned that his manner was but the cool
+gentleness of strength.
+
+Of what use, let me ask, is a friend unless you can unload your heart
+upon him? It matters not whether the load be joy or sorrow; if the
+former, the need is all the greater, for joy has an expansive power,
+as some persons say steam has, and must escape from the heart upon
+some one else.
+
+So Brandon told me of his hopes and aspirations, chief among which was
+his desire to earn, and save, enough money to pay the debt against his
+father's estate, which he had turned over to his younger brother and
+sisters. He, as the eldest, could have taken it all, for his father
+had died without a will, but he said there was not enough to divide,
+so he had given it to them and hoped to leave it clear of debt; then
+for New Spain, glory and fortune, conquest and yellow gold. He had
+read of the voyages of the great Columbus, the Cabots, and a host of
+others, and the future was as rosy as a Cornish girl's cheek. Fortune
+held up her lips to him, but--there's often a sting in a kiss.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER III_
+
+_The Princess Mary_
+
+
+Now, at that time, Mary, the king's sister, was just ripening into her
+greatest womanly perfection. Her skin was like velvet; a rich, clear,
+rosy snow, with the hot young blood glowing through it like the faint
+red tinge we sometimes see on the inner side of a white rose leaf. Her
+hair was a very light brown, almost golden, and fluffy, soft, and fine
+as a skein of Arras silk. She was of medium height, with a figure that
+Venus might have envied. Her feet and hands were small, and apparently
+made for the sole purpose of driving mankind distracted. In fact, that
+seemed to be the paramount object in her creation, for she had the
+world of men at her feet. Her greatest beauty was her glowing dark
+brown eyes, which shone with an ever-changing luster from beneath the
+shade of the longest, blackest upcurving lashes ever seen.
+
+Her voice was soft and full, and, except when angry, which, alas, was
+not infrequent, had a low and coaxing little note that made it
+irresistible; she was a most adroit coaxer, and knew her power full
+well, although she did not always plead, having the Tudor temper and
+preferring to command--when she could. As before hinted, she had
+coaxed her royal brother out of several proposed marriages for her,
+which would have been greatly to his advantage; and if you had only
+known Henry Tudor, with his vain, boisterous, stubborn violence, you
+could form some idea of Mary's powers by that achievement alone.
+
+Will Sommers, the fool, one day spread through court an announcement
+that there would be a public exhibition in the main hall of the palace
+that evening, when the Princess Mary would perform the somewhat
+alarming, but, in fact, harmless, operation of wheedling the king out
+of his ears. This was just after she had coaxed him to annul a
+marriage contract which her father had made for her with Charles of
+Germany, then heir to the greatest inheritance that ever fell to the
+lot of one man--Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, and heaven only knows
+what else.
+
+She had been made love to by so many men, who had lost their senses in
+the dazzling rays of her thousand perfections--of whom, I am ashamed
+to say, that I, for a time, had been insane enough to be one--that
+love had grown to be a sort of joke with her, and man, a poor,
+contemptible creature, made to grovel at her feet. Not that she liked
+or encouraged it; for, never having been moved herself, she held love
+and its sufferings in utter scorn. Man's love was so cheap and
+plentiful that it had no value in her eyes, and it looked as if she
+would lose the best thing in life by having too much of it.
+
+Such was the royal maid to whose tender mercies, I now tell you
+frankly, my friend Brandon was soon to be turned over. He, however,
+was a blade of very different temper from any she had known; and when
+I first saw signs of a growing intimacy between them I felt, from what
+little I had seen of Brandon, that the tables were very likely to be
+turned upon her ladyship. Then thought I, "God help her," for in a
+nature like hers, charged with latent force, strong and hot and fiery
+as the sun's stored rays, it needed but a flash to make it patent,
+when damage was sure to follow for somebody--probably Brandon.
+
+Mary did not come home with us from Westminster the morning after the
+joustings, as we had expected, but followed some four or five days
+later, and Brandon had fairly settled himself at court before her
+arrival. As neither his duties nor mine were onerous, we had a great
+deal of time on our hands, which we employed walking and riding, or
+sitting in our common room reading and talking. Of course, as with
+most young men, that very attractive branch of natural history, woman,
+was a favorite topic, and we accordingly discussed it a great deal;
+that is, to tell the exact truth, _I_ did. Although Brandon had seen
+many an adventure during his life on the continent, which would not do
+to write down here, he was as little of a boaster as any man I ever
+met, and, while I am in the truth-telling business, I was as great a
+braggart of my inches as ever drew the long-bow--in that line, I mean.
+Gods! I flush up hot, even now, when I think of it. So I talked a
+great deal and found myself infinitely pleased with Brandon's
+conversational powers, which were rare; being no less than the
+capacity for saying nothing, and listening politely to an infinite
+deal of the same thing, in another form, from me.
+
+I remember that I told him I had known the Princess Mary from a time
+when she was twelve years old, and how I had made a fool of myself
+about her. I fear I tried to convey the impression that it was her
+exalted rank only which made her look unfavorably upon my passion, and
+suppressed the fact that she had laughed at me good humoredly, and put
+me off as she would have thrust a poodle from her lap. The truth is,
+she had always been kind and courteous to me, and had admitted me to a
+degree of intimacy much greater than I deserved. This, partly at
+least, grew out of the fact that I helped her along the thorny path to
+knowledge; a road she traveled at an eager gallop, for she dearly
+loved to learn--from curiosity perhaps.
+
+I am sure she held me in her light, gentle heart as a dear friend, but
+while her heart was filled with this mild warmth for me, mine began to
+burn with the flame that discolors everything, and I saw her
+friendliness in a very distorting light. She was much kinder to me
+than to most men, but I did not see that it was by reason of my
+absolute harmlessness; and, I suppose, because I was a vain fool, I
+gradually began to gather hope--which goes with every vain man's
+love--and what is more, actually climbed to the very apex of idiocy
+and declared myself. I well knew the infinite distance between us; but
+like every other man who came within the circle of this charming
+lodestone I lost my head, and, in short, made a greater fool of myself
+than I naturally was--which is saying a good deal for that time in my
+life, God knows!
+
+I knew vaguely but did not fairly realize how utterly beyond my reach
+in every way she was until I opened the flood-gates of my passion--as
+I thought it--and saw her smile, and try to check the coming laugh.
+Then came a look of offended dignity, followed by a quick softening
+glance.
+
+"Leave me one friend, I pray you, Edwin. I value you too highly to
+lose, and esteem you too much to torment. Do not make of yourself one
+of those fools who feel, or pretend to feel, I care not which, such
+preference for me. You cannot know in what contempt a woman holds a
+man who follows her though she despises him. No man can beg a woman's
+love; he must command it; do not join their ranks, but let us be good
+friends. I will tell you the plain truth; it would be no different
+were we both of the same degree; even then I could not feel toward you
+as you think you wish, but I can be your friend, and will promise to
+be that always, if you will promise never again to speak of this to
+me."
+
+I promised solemnly and have always kept my word, as this true,
+gracious woman, so full of faults and beauties, virtues and failings,
+has, ever since that day and moment, kept hers. It seemed that my
+love, or what I supposed was love, left my heart at once, frozen in
+the cold glint of her eyes as she smiled upon my first avowal;
+somewhat as disease may leave the sickened body upon a great shock.
+And in its place came the restful flame of a friend's love, which so
+softly warms without burning. But the burning! There is nothing in
+life worth having compared with it for all its pains and agonies. Is
+there?
+
+"Now if you must love somebody," continued the princess, "there is
+Lady Jane Bolingbroke, who is beautiful and good, and admires you,
+and, I think, could learn to----" but here the lady in question ran
+out from behind the draperies, where, I believe, she had been
+listening to it all, and put her hand over her mistress' mouth to
+silence her.
+
+"Don't believe one word she says, Sir Edwin," cried Lady Jane; "if you
+do I never _will_ like you." The emphasis on the "will" held out such
+involuntary promise in case I did not believe the princess, that I at
+once protested total want of faith in a single syllable she had said
+about her, and vowed that I knew it could not be true; that I dared
+not hope for such happiness.
+
+You see, I had begun to make love to Jane almost before I was off my
+knees to Mary, and, therefore, I had not been much hurt in Mary's
+case. I had suffered merely a touch of the general epidemic, not the
+lingering, chronic disease that kills.
+
+Then I knew that the best cure for the sting which lies in a luckless
+love is to love elsewhere, and Jane, as she stood there, so _petite_,
+so blushing and so fair, struck me as quite the most pleasing antidote
+I could possibly find, so I began at once to administer to myself the
+delightful counter-irritant. It was a happy thought for me; one of
+those which come to a man now and then, and for which he thanks his
+wits in every hour of his after life.
+
+But the winning of Jane was not so easy a matter as my vanity had
+prompted me to think. I started with a handicap, since Jane had heard
+my declaration to Mary, and I had to undo all that before I could do
+anything else. Try the same thing yourself with a spirited girl,
+naturally laughter-loving and coy, if you think it a simple, easy
+undertaking. I began to fear I should need another antidote long
+before I heard her sweet soul-satisfying "yes." I do not believe,
+however, I could have found in the whole world an antidote to my love
+for Jane. You see I tell you frankly that I won her, and conceal
+nothing, so far as Jane and I are concerned, for the purpose of
+holding you in suspense. I have started out to tell you the history of
+two other persons--if I can ever come to it--but find a continual
+tendency on the part of my own story to intrude, for every man is a
+very important personage to himself. I shall, however, try to keep it
+out.
+
+In the course of my talk with Brandon I had, as I have said, told him
+the story of Mary, with some slight variations and coloring, or rather
+discoloring, to make it appear a little less to my discredit than the
+barefaced truth would have been. I told him also about Jane; and, I
+grieve and blush to say, expressed a confidence in that direction I
+little felt.
+
+It had been perhaps a year since my adventure with Mary, and I had
+taken all that time trying to convince Jane that I did not mean a word
+I had said to her mistress, and that I was very earnest in everything
+I said to her. But Jane's ears would have heard just as much had they
+been the pair of beautiful little shells they so much resembled. This
+troubled me a great deal, and the best I could hope was that she held
+me on probation.
+
+On the evening of the day Mary came home to Greenwich, Brandon asked:
+"Who and what on earth is this wonderful Mary I hear so much about?
+They say she is coming home to-day, and the court seems to have gone
+mad about it; I hear nothing but 'Mary is coming! Mary is coming!
+Mary! Mary!' from morning until night. They say Buckingham is beside
+himself for love of her. He has a wife at home, if I am right, and is
+old enough to be her father. Is he not?" I assented; and Brandon
+continued: "A man who will make such a fool of himself about a woman
+is woefully weak. The men of the court must be poor creatures."
+
+He had much to learn about the power of womanhood. There is nothing
+on earth--but you know as much about it as I do.
+
+"Wait until you see her," I answered, "and you will be one of them,
+also. I flatter you by giving you one hour with her to be heels over
+head in love. With an ordinary man it takes one-sixtieth of that time;
+so you see I pay a compliment to your strength of mind."
+
+"Nonsense!" broke in Brandon. "Do you think I left all my wits down in
+Suffolk? Why, man, she is the sister of the king, and is sought by
+kings and emperors. I might as well fall in love with a twinkling
+star. Then, besides, my heart is not on my sleeve. You must think me a
+fool; a poor, enervated, simpering fool like--like--well, like one of
+those nobles of England. Don't put me down with them, Caskoden, if you
+would remain my friend."
+
+We both laughed at this sort of talk, which was a little in advance of
+the time, for a noble, though an idiot, to the most of England was a
+noble still, God-created and to be adored.
+
+Another great bond of sympathy between Brandon and myself was a
+community of opinion concerning certain theories as to the equality of
+men and tolerance of religious thought. We believed that these things
+would yet come, in spite of kingcraft and priestcraft, but wisely kept
+our pet theories to ourselves: that is, between ourselves.
+
+Of what use is it to argue the equality of human kind to a man who
+honestly thinks he is better than any one else, or to one who really
+believes that some one else is better than he; and why dispute about
+the various ways of saving one's soul, when you are not even sure you
+have a soul to save? When I open my mouth for public utterance, the
+king is the best man in Christendom, and his premier peer of the realm
+the next best. When the king is a Catholic I go to Mass; since,
+praised be the Lord, I have brains enough not to let my head interfere
+with the set ways of a stone wall.
+
+Now, when Mary returned the whole court rejoiced, and I was anxious
+for Brandon to meet her and that they should become friends. There
+would be no trouble in bringing this meeting about, since, as you
+know, I was upon terms of intimate friendship with Mary, and was the
+avowed, and, as I thought, at least hoped, all but accepted lover of
+her first lady in waiting and dearest friend, Lady Jane Bolingbroke.
+Brandon, it is true, was not noble; not even an English knight, while
+I was both knighted and noble; but he was of as old a family as
+England boasted, and near of kin to some of the best blood of the
+land. The meeting came about sooner than I expected, and was very near
+a failure. It was on the second morning after Mary's arrival at
+Greenwich. Brandon and I were walking in the palace park when we met
+Jane, and I took the opportunity to make these, my two best-loved
+friends, acquainted.
+
+"How do you do, Master Brandon?" said Lady Jane, holding out her
+plump little hand, so white and soft, and dear to me. "I have heard
+something of you the last day or so from Sir Edwin, but had begun to
+fear he was not going to give me the pleasure of knowing you. I hope I
+may see you often now, and that I may present you to my mistress."
+
+With this, her eyes, bright as overgrown dew-drops, twinkled with a
+mischievous little smile, as if to say: "Ah, another large handsome
+fellow to make a fool of himself."
+
+Brandon acquiesced in the wish she had made, and, after the
+interchange of a few words, Jane said her mistress was waiting at the
+other side of the grounds, and that she must go. She then ran off with
+a laugh and a courtesy, and was soon lost to sight behind the
+shrubbery at the turning of the walk.
+
+In a short time we came to a summer house near the marble
+boat-landing, where we found the queen and some of her ladies awaiting
+the rest of their party for a trip down the river, which had been
+planned the day before. Brandon was known to the queen and several of
+the ladies, although he had not been formally presented at an
+audience. Many of the king's friends enjoyed a considerable intimacy
+with the whole court without ever receiving the public stamp of
+recognition, socially, which goes with a formal presentation.
+
+The queen, seeing us, sent me off to bring the king. After I had
+gone, she asked if any one had seen the Princess Mary, and Brandon
+told her Lady Jane had said she was at the other side of the grounds.
+Thereupon her majesty asked Brandon to find the princess and to say
+that she was wanted.
+
+Brandon started off and soon found a bevy of girls sitting on some
+benches under a spreading oak, weaving spring flowers. He had never
+seen the princess, so could not positively know her. As a matter of
+fact, he did know her, as soon as his eyes rested on her, for she
+could not be mistaken among a thousand--there was no one like her or
+anything near it. Some stubborn spirit of opposition, however,
+prompted him to pretend ignorance. All that he had heard of her
+wonderful power over men, and the servile manner in which they fell
+before her, had aroused in him a spirit of antagonism, and had
+begotten a kind of distaste beforehand. He was wrong in this, because
+Mary was not a coquette in any sense of the word, and did absolutely
+nothing to attract men, except to be so beautiful, sweet and winning
+that they could not let her alone; for all of which surely the prince
+of fault-finders himself could in no way blame her.
+
+She could not help that God had seen fit to make her the fairest being
+on earth, and the responsibility would have to lie where it
+belonged--with God; Mary would have none of it. Her attractiveness was
+not a matter of volition or intention on her part. She was too young
+for deliberate snare-setting--though it often begins very early in
+life--and made no effort to attract men. Man's love was too cheap a
+thing for her to strive for, and I am sure, in her heart, she would
+infinitely have preferred to live without it--that is, until the right
+one should come. The right one is always on his way, and, first or
+last, is sure to come to every woman--sometimes, alas! too late--and
+when he comes, be it late or early, she crowns him, even though he be
+a long-eared ass. Blessed crown! and thrice-blessed blindness--else
+there were fewer coronations.
+
+So Brandon stirred this antagonism and determined not to see her
+manifold perfections, which he felt sure were exaggerated; but to
+treat her as he would the queen--who was black and leathery enough to
+frighten a satyr--with all respect due to her rank, but with his own
+opinion of her nevertheless, safely stored away in the back of his
+head.
+
+Coming up to the group, Brandon took off his hat, and, with a graceful
+little bow that let the curls fall around his face, asked: "Have I the
+honor to find the Princess Mary among these ladies?"
+
+Mary, who I know you will at once say was thoroughly spoiled, without
+turning her face toward him, replied:
+
+"Is the Princess Mary a person of so little consequence about the
+court that she is not known to a mighty captain of the guard?"
+
+He wore his guardsman's doublet, and she knew his rank by his
+uniform. She had not noticed his face.
+
+Quick as a flash came the answer: "I can not say of what consequence
+the Princess Mary is about the court; it is not my place to determine
+such matters. I am sure, however, she is not here, for I doubt not she
+would have given a gentle answer to a message from the queen. I shall
+continue my search." With this, he turned to leave, and the ladies,
+including Jane, who was there and saw it all and told me of it,
+awaited the bolt they knew would come, for they saw the lightning
+gathering in Mary's eyes.
+
+Mary sprang to her feet with an angry flush in her face, exclaiming:
+"Insolent fellow, I am the Princess Mary; if you have a message,
+deliver it and be gone." You may be sure this sort of treatment was
+such as the cool-headed, daring Brandon would repay with usury; so,
+turning upon his heel and almost presenting his back to Mary, he spoke
+to Lady Jane:
+
+"Will your ladyship say to her highness that her majesty, the queen,
+awaits her coming at the marble landing?"
+
+"No need to repeat the message, Jane," cried Mary. "I have ears and
+can hear for myself." Then turning to Brandon: "If your insolence will
+permit you to receive a message from so insignificant a person as the
+king's sister, I beg you to say to the queen that I shall be with her
+presently."
+
+He did not turn his face toward Mary, but bowed again to Jane.
+
+"May I ask your ladyship further to say for me that if I have been
+guilty of any discourtesy I greatly regret it. My failure to recognize
+the Princess Mary grew out of my misfortune in never having been
+allowed to bask in the light of her countenance. I cannot believe the
+fault lies at my door, and I hope for her own sake that her highness,
+on second thought, will realize how ungentle and unkind some one else
+has been." And with a sweeping courtesy he walked quickly down the
+path.
+
+"The insolent wretch!" cried one.
+
+"He ought to hold papers on the pillory," said another.
+
+"Nothing of the sort," broke in sensible, fearless little Jane; "I
+think the Lady Mary was wrong. He could not have known her by
+inspiration."
+
+"Jane is right," exclaimed Mary, whose temper, if short, was also
+short-lived, and whose kindly heart always set her right if she but
+gave it a little time. Her faults were rather those of education than
+of nature. "Jane is right; it was what I deserved. I did not think
+when I spoke, and did not really mean it as it sounded. He acted like
+a man, and looked like one, too, when he defended himself. I warrant
+the pope at Rome could not run over him with impunity. For once I have
+found a real live man, full of manliness. I saw him in the lists at
+Windsor a week ago, but the king said his name was a secret, and I
+could not learn it. He seemed to know you, Jane. Who is he? Now tell
+us all you know. The queen can wait."
+
+And her majesty waited on a girl's curiosity.
+
+I had told Jane all I knew about Brandon, so she was prepared with
+full information, and gave it. She told the princess who he was; of
+his terrible duel with Judson; his bravery and adventures in the wars;
+his generous gift to his brother and sisters, and lastly, "Sir Edwin
+says he is the best-read man in the court, and the bravest, truest
+heart in Christendom."
+
+After Jane's account of Brandon, they all started by a roundabout way
+for the marble landing. In a few moments whom did they see, coming
+toward them down the path, but Brandon, who had delivered his message
+and continued his walk. When he saw whom he was about to meet, he
+quickly turned in another direction. The Lady Mary had seen him,
+however, and told Jane to run forward and bring him to her. She soon
+overtook him and said:
+
+"Master Brandon, the princess wishes to see you." Then, maliciously:
+"You will suffer this time. I assure you she is not used to such
+treatment. It was glorious, though, to see you resent such an affront.
+Men usually smirk and smile foolishly and thank her when she smites
+them."
+
+Brandon was disinclined to return.
+
+"I am not in her highness's command," he answered, "and do not care
+to go back for a reprimand when I am in no way to blame."
+
+"Oh, but you must come; perhaps she will not scold this time," and she
+put her hand upon his arm, and laughingly drew him along. Brandon, of
+course, had to submit when led by so sweet a captor--anybody would. So
+fresh, and fair, and lovable was Jane, that I am sure anything
+masculine _must_ have given way.
+
+Coming up to the princess and her ladies, who were waiting, Jane said:
+"Lady Mary, let me present Master Brandon, who, if he has offended in
+any way, humbly sues for pardon." That was the one thing Brandon had
+no notion on earth of doing, but he let it go as Jane had put it, and
+this was his reward:
+
+"It is not Master Brandon who should sue for pardon," responded the
+princess, "it is I who was wrong. I blush for what I did and said.
+Forgive me, sir, and let us start anew." At this she stepped up to
+Brandon and offered him her hand, which he, dropping to his knee,
+kissed most gallantly.
+
+"Your highness, you can well afford to offend when you have so sweet
+and gracious a talent for making amends. 'A wrong acknowledged,' as
+some one has said, 'becomes an obligation.'" He looked straight into
+the girl's eyes as he said this, and his gaze was altogether too
+strong for her, so the lashes fell. She flushed and said with a smile
+that brought the dimples:
+
+"I thank you; that is a real compliment." Then laughingly: "Much
+better than extravagant comments on one's skin, and eyes, and hair. We
+are going to the queen at the marble landing. Will you walk with us,
+sir?" And they strolled away together, while the other girls followed
+in a whispering, laughing group.
+
+Was there ever so glorious a calm after such a storm?
+
+"Then those mythological compliments," continued Mary, "don't you
+dislike them?"
+
+"I can't say that I have ever received many--none that I recall,"
+replied Brandon, with a perfectly straight face, but with a smile
+trying its best to break out.
+
+"Oh! you have not? Well! how would you like to have somebody always
+telling you that Apollo was humpbacked and misshapen compared with
+you; that Endymion would have covered his face had he but seen yours,
+and so on?"
+
+"I don't know, but I think I should like it--from some persons," he
+replied, looking ever so innocent.
+
+This savored of familiarity after so brief an acquaintance, and caused
+the princess to glance up in slight surprise; but only for the
+instant, for his innocent look disarmed her.
+
+"I have a mind to see," she returned, laughing and throwing her head
+back, as she looked up at him out of the corner of her lustrous eyes.
+"But I will pay you a better compliment. I positively thank you for
+the rebuke. I do many things like that, for which I am always sorry.
+Oh! you don't know how difficult it is to be a good princess." And she
+shook her head, with a gathering of little trouble-wrinkles in her
+forehead, as much as to say, "There is no getting away from it,
+though." Then she breathed a soft little sigh of tribulation as they
+walked on.
+
+"I know it must be a task to be good when everybody flatters even
+one's shortcomings," said Brandon, and then continued in a way that, I
+am free to confess, was something priggish: "It is almost impossible
+for us to see our own faults, even when others are kind enough to
+point them out, for they are right ugly things and unpleasant to look
+upon. But lacking those outside monitors, one must all the more
+cultivate the habit of constant inlooking and self-examination. If we
+are only brave enough to confront our faults and look them in the
+face, ugly as they are, we shall be sure to overcome the worst of
+them. A striving toward good will achieve at least a part of it."
+
+"Oh!" returned the princess, "but what _is_ good and what _is_ wrong?
+So often we can not tell them apart until we look back at what we have
+done, and then it is all too late. I truly wish to be good more than I
+desire anything else in the world. I am so ignorant and helpless, and
+have such strong inclinations to do wrong that sometimes I seem to be
+almost all wrong. The priests say so much, but tell us so little.
+They talk about St. Peter and St. Paul, and a host of other saints and
+holy fathers and what-nots, but fail to tell us what we need every
+moment of our lives; that is, how to know the right when we see it,
+and how to do it; and how to know the wrong and how to avoid it. They
+ask us to believe so much, and insist that faith is the sum of virtue,
+and the lack of it the sum of sin; that to faith all things are added;
+but we might believe every syllable of their whole disturbing creed,
+and then spoil it all through blind ignorance of what is right and
+what is wrong."
+
+"As to knowing right and wrong," replied Brandon, "I think I can give
+you a rule which, although it may not cover the whole ground, is
+excellent for every-day use. It is this: Whatever makes others unhappy
+is wrong; whatever makes the world happier is good. As to how we are
+always to do this, I can not tell you. One has to learn that by
+trying. We can but try, and if we fail altogether, there is still
+virtue in every futile effort toward the right."
+
+Mary bent her head as she walked along in thought.
+
+"What you have said is the only approach to a rule for knowing and
+doing the right I have ever heard. Now what do you think of me as a
+flatterer? But it will do no good; the bad is in me too strong; it
+always does itself before I can apply any rule, or even realize what
+is coming." And again she shook her head with a bewitching little look
+of trouble.
+
+"Pardon me, your highness; but there is no bad _in_ you. It has been
+put _on_ you by others, and is all on the outside; there is none of it
+in your heart at all. That evil which you think comes out of you,
+simply falls from you; your heart is all right, or I have greatly
+misjudged you." He was treating her almost as if she were a child.
+
+"I fear, Master Brandon, you are the most adroit flatterer of all,"
+said Mary, shaking her head and looking up at him with a side glance,
+"people have deluged me with all kinds of flattery--I have the
+different sorts listed and labeled--but no one has ever gone to the
+extravagant length of calling me good. Perhaps they think I do not
+care for that; but I like it best. I don't like the others at all. If
+I am beautiful or not, it is as God made me, and I have nothing to do
+with it, and desire no credit, but if I could only be good it might be
+my own doing, perhaps, and I ought to have praise. I wonder if there
+is really and truly any good in me, and if you have read me aright."
+Then looking up at him with a touch of consternation: "Or are you
+laughing at me?"
+
+Brandon wisely let the last suggestion pass unnoticed.
+
+"I am sure that I am right; you have glorious capacities for good, but
+alas! corresponding possibilities for evil. It will eventually all
+depend upon the man you marry. He can make out of you a perfect woman,
+or the reverse." Again there was the surprised expression in Mary's
+face, but Brandon's serious look disarmed her.
+
+"I fear you are right, as to the reverse, at any rate; and the worst
+of it is, I shall never be able to choose a man to help me, but shall
+sooner or later be compelled to marry the creature who will pay the
+greatest price."
+
+"God forbid!" said Brandon reverently.
+
+They were growing rather serious, so Mary turned the conversation
+again into the laughing mood, and said, with a half sigh: "Oh! I hope
+you are right about the possibilities for good, but you do not know.
+Wait until you have seen more of me."
+
+"I certainly hope I shall not have long to wait."
+
+The surprised eyes again glanced quickly up to the serious face, but
+the answer came: "That you shall not:--but here is the queen, and I
+suppose we must have the benediction." Brandon understood her
+hint--that the preaching was over,--and taking it for his dismissal,
+playfully lifted his hands in imitation of the old Bishop of
+Canterbury, and murmured the first line of the Latin benediction. Then
+they both laughed and courtesied, and Brandon walked away.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER IV_
+
+_A Lesson in Dancing_
+
+
+I laughed heartily when Jane told me of the tilt between Brandon and
+Princess Mary, the latter of whom was in the habit of saying unkind
+things and being thanked for them.
+
+Brandon was the wrong man to say them to, as Mary learned. He was not
+hot-tempered; in fact, just the reverse, but he was the last man to
+brook an affront, and the quickest to resent, in a cool-headed,
+dangerous way, an intentional offense.
+
+He respected himself and made others do the same, or seem to do so, at
+least. He had no vanity--which is but an inordinate desire for those
+qualities that bring self-respect, and often the result of conscious
+demerit--but he knew himself, and knew that he was entitled to his own
+good opinion. He was every inch a man, strong, intelligent and brave
+to temerity, with a reckless disregard of consequences, which might
+have been dangerous had it not been tempered by a dash of prudence and
+caution that gave him ballast.
+
+I was not surprised when I heard of the encounter; for I knew enough
+of him to be sure that Mary's high-handedness would meet its
+counterpart in my cool friend Brandon. It was, however, an unfortunate
+victory, and what all Mary's beauty and brightness would have failed
+to do, her honest, open acknowledgment of wrong, following so quickly
+upon the heels of her fault, accomplished easily. It drew him within
+the circle of her fatal attractions, and when Jane told me of it, I
+knew his fate was sealed, and that, sooner or later, his untouched
+heart and cool head would fall victim to the shafts that so surely
+winged all others.
+
+It might, and probably would, be "later," since, as Brandon had said,
+he was not one of those who wear the heart upon the sleeve. Then he
+had that strong vein of prudence and caution, which, in view of Mary's
+unattainableness, would probably come to his help. But never was man's
+heart strong enough to resist Mary Tudor's smile for long.
+
+There was this difference between Brandon and most others--he would be
+slow to love, but when love should once fairly take root in his
+intense nature, he would not do to trifle with.
+
+The night after the meeting, Mary cuddled up to Jane, who slept with
+her, and whispered, half bashfully:
+
+"Tell me all about Brandon; I am interested in him. I believe if I
+knew more persons like him I should be a better girl, notwithstanding
+he is one of the boldest men I ever knew. He says anything he wishes,
+and, with all his modest manner, is as cool with me as if I were a
+burgher's daughter. His modesty is all on the outside, but it is
+pretty, and pretty things must be on the outside to be useful. I
+wonder if Judson thought him modest?"
+
+Jane talked of Brandon to Mary, who was in an excellent humor, until
+the girls fell asleep.
+
+When Jane told me of this I became frightened; for the surest way to
+any woman's heart is to convince her that you make her better, and
+arouse in her breast purer impulses and higher aspirations. It would
+be bad enough should Brandon fall in love with the princess, which was
+almost sure to happen, but for them to fall in love with each other
+meant Brandon's head upon the block, and Mary's heart bruised, broken
+and empty for life. Her strong nature, filled to the brim with latent
+passion, was the stuff of which love makes a conflagration that burns
+to destruction; and should she learn to love Brandon, she would move
+heaven and earth to possess him.
+
+She whose every desire from childhood up had been gratified, whose
+every whim seemed to her a paramount necessity, would stop at nothing
+when the dearest wish a woman's heart can coin was to be gained or
+lost. Brandon's element of prudence might help him, and might
+forestall any effort on his part to win her, but Mary had never heard
+of prudence, and man's caution avails but little when set against
+woman's daring. In case they both should love, they were sure to try
+for each other, and in trying were equally sure to find ruin and
+desolation.
+
+A few evenings after this I met the princess in the queen's
+drawing-room. She beckoned me to her, and, resting her elbows on the
+top of a cabinet, her chin in her hands, said: "I met your friend,
+Captain Brandon, a day or two ago. Did he tell you?"
+
+"No," I answered; "Jane told me, but he has not mentioned it."
+
+It was true Brandon had not said a word of the matter, and I had not
+spoken of it, either. I wanted to see how long he would remain silent
+concerning an adventure that would have set most men of the court
+boasting at a great rate. To have a tilt with the ever-victorious
+Mary, and to come off victor, was enough, I think, to loosen any
+tongue less given to bragging than Brandon's.
+
+"So," continued Mary, evidently somewhat piqued, "he did not think his
+presentation to me a thing worth mentioning? We had a little
+passage-at-arms, and, to tell you the truth, I came off second best,
+and had to acknowledge it, too. Now, what do you think of this new
+friend of yours? And he did not boast about having the better of me?
+After all, there is more virtue in his silence than I at first
+thought." And she threw back her head, and clapped her hands and
+laughed with the most contagious little ripple you ever heard. She
+seemed not to grieve over her defeat, but dimpled as though it were a
+huge joke, the thought of which rather pleased her than otherwise.
+Victory had grown stale for her, although so young.
+
+"What do I think of my new friend?" I repeated after her; and that
+gave me a theme upon which I could enlarge eloquently. I told her of
+his learning, notwithstanding the fact that he had been in the
+continental wars ever since he was a boy. I repeated to her stories of
+his daring and bravery, that had been told to me by his uncle, the
+Master of the Horse, and others, and then I added what I knew Lady
+Jane had already said. I had expected to be brief, but to my surprise
+found a close and interested listener, even to the twice-told parts,
+and drew my story out a little, to the liking of us both.
+
+"Your friend has an earnest advocate in you, Sir Edwin," said the
+princess.
+
+"That he has," I replied. "There is nothing too good to say of him."
+
+I knew that Mary, with her better, clearer brain, held the king almost
+in the palm of her hand, so I thought to advance Brandon's fortune by
+a timely word.
+
+"I trust the king will see fit to favor him, and I hope that you will
+speak a word in his behalf, should the opportunity occur."
+
+"What in the name of heaven have we to give him?" cried Mary
+impatiently, for she kept an eye on things political, even if she were
+only a girl--"the king has given away everything that can be given,
+already, and now that the war is over, and men are coming home, there
+are hundreds waiting for more. My father's great treasure is
+squandered, to say nothing of the money collected from Empson,
+Dudley, and the other commissioners. There is nothing to give unless
+it be the titles and estate of the late Duke of Suffolk. Perhaps the
+king will give these to your paragon, if you will paint him in as fair
+a light as you have drawn him for me." Then throwing back her head
+with a laugh, "Ask him."
+
+"It would be none too much for his deserts," I replied, falling in
+with her humor.
+
+"We will so arrange it then," went on Mary, banteringly; "Captain
+Brandon no longer, but Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. How sounds
+it, Master Caskoden?"
+
+"Sweet in my ears," I replied.
+
+"I really believe you would have the king's crown for him, you absurd
+man, if you could get it. We must have so interesting a person at
+court; I shall at least see that he is presented to the queen at once.
+I wonder if he dances; I suppose not. He has probably been too busy
+cutting and thrusting." And she laughed again at her own pleasantry.
+
+When the mirth began to gather in her face and the dimples came
+responsive to her smiles; when she threw back her perfectly poised
+head, stretching her soft, white throat, so full and round and
+beautiful, half closing her big brown eyes till they shone again from
+beneath the shade of those long, black sweeping lashes; when her red
+lips parted, showing her teeth of pearl, and she gave the little clap
+of her hands--a sort of climax to the soft, low, rippling laugh--she
+made a picture of such exquisite loveliness that it is no wonder men
+were fools about her, and caught love as one catches a contagion. I
+had it once, as you already know, and had recovered. All that
+prevented a daily relapse was my fair, sweet antidote, Jane, whose
+image rested in my heart, a lasting safeguard.
+
+"I wonder if your prodigy plays cards; that is, such as we ladies
+play?" asked Mary. "You say he has lived much in France, where the
+game was invented, but I have no doubt he would scorn to waste his
+time at so frivolous a pursuit, when he might be slaughtering armies
+single-handed and alone."
+
+"I do not know as to his dancing and card-playing, but I dare venture
+a wager he does both," I replied, not liking her tone of sarcasm. She
+had yet to learn who Brandon was.
+
+"I will hazard ten crowns," said Mary quickly, for she loved a wager
+and was a born gambler.
+
+"Taken," said I.
+
+"We will try him on both to-morrow night in my drawing-room," she
+continued. "You bring him up, but tell no one. I will have Jane there
+with her lute, which will not frighten you away, I know, and we will
+try his step. I will have cards, too, and we shall see what he can do
+at triumph. Just we four--no one else at all. You and Jane, the new
+Duke of Suffolk and I. Oh! I can hardly wait," and she fairly danced
+with joyous anticipation.
+
+The thing had enough irregularity to give it zest, for while Mary
+often had a few young people in her drawing-room, the companies were
+never so small as two couples only, and the king and queen, to make up
+for greater faults, were wonderful sticklers in the matter of little
+proprieties.
+
+The ten-crown wager, too, gave spice to it, but to do her justice she
+cared very little for that. The princess loved gambling purely for
+gambling's sake, and with her, the next best thing to winning was
+losing.
+
+When I went to my room that night, I awakened Brandon and told him of
+the distinguished honor that awaited him.
+
+"Well! I'll be"--but he did not say what he would "be." He always
+halted before an oath, unless angry, which was seldom, but then
+beware!--he had learned to swear in Flanders. "How she did fly at me
+the other morning. I never was more surprised in all my life. For once
+I was almost caught with my guard down, and did not know how to parry
+the thrust. I mumbled over some sort of a lame retaliation and beat a
+retreat. It was so unjust and uncalled-for that it made me angry; but
+she was so gracious in her amends that I was almost glad it happened.
+I like a woman who can be as savage as the very devil when it pleases
+her; she usually has in store an assortment of possibilities for the
+other extreme."
+
+"She told me of your encounter," I returned, "but said she had come
+off second best, and seemed to think her overthrow a huge joke."
+
+"The man who learns to know what a woman thinks and feels will have a
+great deal of valuable information," he replied; and then turned over
+for sleep, greatly pleased that one woman thought as she did.
+
+I was not sure he would be so highly flattered if he knew that he had
+been invited to settle a wager, and to help Mary to a little sport.
+
+As to the former, I had an interest there myself, although I dared not
+settle the question by asking Brandon if he played cards and danced;
+and, as to the matter of Mary's sport, I felt there was but little, if
+any, danger of her having too much of it at his expense, Brandon being
+well able to care for himself in that respect.
+
+The next evening, at the appointed time, we wended our way, by an
+unfrequented route, and presented ourselves, as secretly as possible,
+at the drawing-room of the princess.
+
+The door was opened by Lady Jane, and we met the two girls almost at
+the threshold. I had told Brandon of the bantering conversation about
+the title and estates of the late Duke of Suffolk, and he had laughed
+over it in the best of humor. If quick to retaliate for an intentional
+offense, he was not thin-skinned at a piece of pleasantry, and had
+none of that stiff, sensitive dignity, so troublesome to one's self
+and friends.
+
+Now, Jane and Mary were always bantering me because I was short, and
+inclined to be--in fact--round, but I did not care. It made them
+laugh, and their laughing was so contagious it made me laugh, too, and
+we all enjoyed it. I would give a pound sterling any time for a good
+laugh; and that, I think, is why I have always been--round.
+
+So, upon entering, I said:
+
+"His grace, the Duke of Suffolk, ladies."
+
+They each made a sweeping courtesy, with hand on breast, and gravely
+saluted him:
+
+"Your grace! good even'."
+
+Brandon's bow was as deep and graceful, if that were possible, as
+theirs, and when he moved on into the room it was with a little halt
+in his step, and a big blowing out of the cheeks, in ludicrous
+imitation of his late lamented predecessor, that sent the girls into
+peals of soft laughter and put us all at our ease immediately.
+
+Ah! what a thing it is to look back upon; that time of life when one
+finds his heaven in a ready laugh!
+
+"Be seated all," said the princess. "This is to be without ceremony,
+and only we four. No one knows a word of it. Did you tell any one, Sir
+Edwin?"
+
+"Perish the thought," I exclaimed.
+
+She turned her face toward Brandon, "--but I know you did not. I've
+heard how discreet you were about another matter. Well, no one knows
+it then, and we can have a famous evening. You did not expect this,
+Master Brandon, after my reception of you the other morning? Were you
+not surprised when Sir Edwin told you?"
+
+"I think I can safely say that I was prepared not to be surprised at
+anything your highness might graciously conclude to do--after my first
+experience," he answered, smiling.
+
+"Indeed?" returned Mary with elevated eyebrows, and a rising
+inflection on the last syllable of the word. It was now her turn for a
+little surprise. "Well, we'll try to find some way to surprise you one
+of these days;" and the time came when she was full of surprises for
+him. Mary continued: "But let us not talk about the other day. Of what
+use are 'other days,' anyway? Before the evening is over, Master
+Brandon, we want you to give us another sermon," and she laughed,
+setting off three other laughs as hearty and sincere as if she had
+uttered the rarest witticism on earth.
+
+The princess had told Jane and Jane had told me of the "Sermon in the
+Park," as Mary called it.
+
+"Jane needs it as much as I," said the princess.
+
+"I can't believe that," responded Brandon, looking at Jane with a
+softening glance quite too admiring and commendatory to suit me; for I
+was a jealous little devil.
+
+The eyebrows went up again.
+
+"Oh! you think she doesn't? Well, in truth, Master Brandon, there is
+one failing that can not be laid at your door; you are no flatterer."
+For answer Brandon laughed, and that gave us the cue, and away we went
+in a rippling chorus, all about nothing. Some persons may call our
+laughter foolish, but there are others who consider it the height of
+all wisdom. St. George! I'd give my Garter for just one other laugh
+like that; for just one other hour of youth's dancing blood and
+glowing soul-warmth; of sweet, unconscious, happy heart-beat and
+paradise-creating joy in everything.
+
+After a few minutes of gay conversation, in which we all joined, Mary
+asked: "What shall we do? Will one of you suggest something?"
+
+Jane sat there looking so demure you would have thought mischief could
+not live within a league of her, but those very demure girls are
+nearly always dangerous. She said, oh! so innocently:
+
+"Would you like to dance? If so, I will play." And she reached for her
+lute, which was by her side.
+
+"Yes, that will be delightful. Master Brandon, will you dance with
+me?" asked the princess, with a saucy little laugh, her invitation
+meaning so much more to three of us than to Brandon. Jane and I joined
+in the laugh, and when Mary clapped her hands that set Brandon off,
+too, for he thought it the quaintest, prettiest little gesture in the
+world, and was all unconscious that our laugh was at his expense.
+
+Brandon did not answer Mary's invitation--the fit of laughter had
+probably put it out of his mind--so she, evidently anxious to win or
+lose her wager at once, again asked him if he danced.
+
+"Oh, pardon me. Of course. Thank you." And he was on his feet beside
+her chair in an instant ready for the dance. This time the girl's
+laugh, though equally merry, had another tone, for she knew she had
+lost.
+
+Out they stepped upon the polished floor, he holding her hand in his,
+awaiting the pause in the music to take the step. I shall never forget
+the sight of those two standing there together--Mary, dark-eyed and
+glowing; Brandon, almost rosy, with eyes that held the color of a deep
+spring sky, and a wealth of flowing curls crowning his six feet of
+perfect manhood, strong and vigorous as a young lion. Mary, full of
+beauty-curves and graces, a veritable Venus in her teens, and Brandon,
+an Apollo, with a touch of Hercules, were a complement each to the
+other that would surely make a perfect one.
+
+When the music started, off they went, heel and toe, bow and courtesy,
+a step forward and a step back, in perfect time and rhythm--a poem of
+human motion. Could Brandon dance? The princess had her answer in the
+first ten steps. Nothing could be more graceful than Brandon's
+dancing, unless it were Mary's. Her slightest movement was grace
+itself. When she would throw herself backward in thrusting out her
+toe, and then swing forward with her head a little to one side, her
+uplifted arm undulating like the white neck of a swan,--for her
+sleeve, which was slit to the shoulder, fell back and left it
+bare,--she was a sight worth a long journey to see. And when she
+looked up to Brandon with a laugh in her brown eyes, and a curving
+smile just parting her full, red lips, that a man would give his very
+luck to--but I had better stop.
+
+"Was there ever a goodlier couple?" I asked Jane, by whose side I sat.
+
+"Never," she responded as she played, and, strange to say, I was
+jealous because she agreed with me. I was jealous because I feared it
+was Brandon's beauty to which she referred. That I thought would
+naturally appeal to her. Had he been less handsome, I should perhaps
+have thought nothing of it, but I knew what my feelings were toward
+Mary, and I judged, or rather misjudged, Jane by myself. I supposed
+she would think of Brandon as I could not help thinking of Mary. Was
+anything in heaven or earth ever so beautiful as that royal creature,
+dancing there, daintily holding up her skirts with thumb and first
+finger, just far enough to show a distracting little foot and ankle,
+and make one wish he had been born a sheep rather than a sentient man
+who had to live without Mary Tudor? Yet, strange as it may seem, I was
+really and wholly in love with Jane; in fact, I loved no one but Jane,
+and my feeling of intense admiration for Mary was but a part of man's
+composite inconstancy.
+
+A woman--God bless her--if she really loves a man, has no thought of
+any other; one at a time is all-sufficient; but a man may love one
+woman with the warmth of a simoon, and at the same time feel like a
+good healthy south wind toward a dozen others. That is the difference
+between a man and a woman--the difference between the good and the
+bad. One average woman has enough goodness in her to supply an army of
+men.
+
+Mary and Brandon went on dancing long after Jane was tired of playing.
+It was plain to see that the girl was thoroughly enjoying it. They
+kept up a running fire of small talk, and laughed, and smiled, and
+bowed, and courtesied, all in perfect time and grace.
+
+It is more difficult than you may think, if you have never tried, to
+keep up a conversation and dance La Galliard, at the same time--one is
+apt to balk the other--but Brandon's dancing was as easy to him as
+walking, and, although so small a matter, I could see it raised him
+vastly in the estimation of both girls.
+
+"Do you play triumph?" I heard Mary ask in the midst of the dancing.
+
+"Oh! yes," replied Brandon, much to my delight, as the princess threw
+a mischievous, knowing glance over her shoulder to see if I had heard.
+She at once saw I had, and this, of course, settled the wager.
+
+"And," continued Brandon, "I also play the new game, 'honor and
+ruff,' which is more interesting than triumph."
+
+"Oh! do you?" cried Mary. "That will more than compensate for the loss
+of my ten crowns. Let us sit down at once; I have been wishing to
+learn, but no one here seems to know it. In France, they say, it is
+the only game. I suppose there is where you learned it? Perhaps you
+know their new dances too! I have heard they are delightful!"
+
+"Yes, I know them," replied Brandon.
+
+"Why, you are a perfect treasure; teach me at once. How now, Master of
+the Dance? Here is your friend outdoing you in your own line."
+
+"I am glad to hear it," I returned.
+
+"If Lady Jane will kindly play some lively air, written in the time of
+'The Sailor Lass,' I will teach the Lady Mary the new dance," said
+Brandon.
+
+Jane threw one plump little knee over the other and struck up "The
+Sailor Lass." After she had adjusted the playing to Brandon's
+suggestion, he stepped deliberately in front of Mary, and, taking her
+right hand in his left, encircled her waist with his right arm. The
+girl was startled at first and drew away. This nettled Brandon a
+little, and he showed it plainly.
+
+"I thought you wished me to teach you the new dance?" he said.
+
+"I do, but--but I did not know it was danced that way," she replied
+with a fluttering little laugh, looking up into his face with a half
+shy, half apologetic manner, and then dropping her lashes before
+his gaze.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Oh, well!" said Brandon, with a Frenchman's shrug of the shoulders,
+and then moved off as if about to leave the floor.
+
+"But is that really the way you--they dance it? With your--their arm
+around my--a lady's waist?"
+
+"I should not have dared venture upon such a familiarity otherwise,"
+answered Brandon, with a glimmer of a smile playing around his lips
+and hiding in his eyes.
+
+Mary saw this shadowy smile, and said: "Oh! I fear your modesty will
+cause you hurt; I am beginning to believe you would dare do anything
+you wish. I more than half suspect you are a very bold man,
+notwithstanding your smooth, modest manner."
+
+"You do me foul wrong, I assure you. I am the soul of modesty, and
+grieve that you should think me bold," said Brandon, with a broadening
+smile.
+
+Mary interrupted him. "Now, I do believe you are laughing at me--at my
+prudery, I suppose you think it."
+
+Mary would rather have been called a fool than a prude, and I think
+she was right. Prudery is no more a sign of virtue than a wig is of
+hair. It is usually put on to hide a bald place.
+
+The princess stood irresolute for a moment, in evident hesitation and
+annoyance.
+
+"You are grieving because I think you bold! And yet you stand there
+laughing at me to my face. I think so more than ever now. I know it.
+Oh, you make me angry! Don't! I do not like persons who anger me and
+then laugh at me." This turned Brandon's smile into a laugh which he
+could not hold back.
+
+Mary's eyes shot fire, and she stamped her foot, exclaiming: "Sir,
+this goes beyond all bounds; I will not tolerate your boldness another
+moment." I thought she was going to dismiss him, but she did not. The
+time had come when he or she must be the master.
+
+It was a battle royal between the forces on the floor, and I enjoyed
+it and felt that Brandon would come out all right.
+
+He said good-humoredly: "What, shall you have all the laugh in your
+sleeve at my expense? Do you expect to bring me here to win a wager
+for you, made on the assumption of my stupidity and lack of social
+accomplishments, and then complain when it comes my turn to laugh? I
+think I am the one who should be offended, but you see I am not."
+
+"Caskoden, did you tell him?" demanded Mary, evidently referring to
+the wager.
+
+"He said not a word of it," broke in Brandon, answering for me; "I
+should have been a dullard, indeed, not to have seen it myself after
+what you said about the loss of your ten crowns; so let us cry quits
+and begin again."
+
+Mary reluctantly struck her flag.
+
+"Very well, I am willing," she said laughingly; "but as to your
+boldness, I still insist upon that; I forgive you, however, this
+time." Then, half apologetically, "After all, it is not such a
+grievous charge to make. I believe it never yet injured any man with
+women; they rather like it, I am afraid, however angry it makes them.
+Don't they, Jane?"
+
+Jane, of course, "did not know," so we all laughed, as usual, upon the
+slightest pretext, and Mary, that fair bundle of contradictions and
+quick transitions, stepped boldly up to Brandon, with her colors
+flying in her cheeks, ready for the first lesson in the new dance.
+
+She was a little frightened at his arm around her waist, for the
+embrace was new to her--the first touch of man--and was shy and coy,
+though willing, being determined to learn the dance. She was an apt
+pupil and soon glided softly and gracefully around the room with
+unfeigned delight; yielding to the new situation more easily as she
+became accustomed to it.
+
+This dance was livelier exercise than La Galliard, and Mary could not
+talk much for lack of breath. Brandon kept the conversation going,
+though, and she answered with glances, smiles, nods and
+monosyllables--a very good vocabulary in its way, and a very good way,
+too, for that matter.
+
+Once he said something to her, in a low voice, which brought a flush
+to her cheeks, and caused her to glance quickly up into his face. By
+the time her answer came they were nearer us, and I heard her say: "I
+am afraid I shall have to forgive you again if you are not careful.
+Let me see an exhibition of that modesty you so much boast," But a
+smile and a flash of the eyes went with the words, and took all the
+sting out of them.
+
+After a time the dancers stopped, and Mary, with flushed face and
+sparkling eyes, sank into a chair, exclaiming: "The new dance is
+delightful, Jane. It is like flying; your partner helps you so. But
+what would the king say? And the queen? She would simply swoon with
+horror. It is delightful, though." Then, with more confusion in her
+manner than I had ever before seen: "That is, it is delightful if one
+chooses her partner."
+
+This only made matters worse, and gave Brandon an opportunity.
+
+"Dare I hope?" he asked, with a deferential bow.
+
+"Oh, yes; you may hope. I tell you frankly it was delightful with you.
+Now, are you satisfied, my modest one? Jane, I see we have a forward
+body here; no telling what he will be at next," said Mary, with
+evident impatience, rapidly swaying her fan. She spoke almost sharply,
+for Brandon's attitude was more that of an equal than she was
+accustomed to, and her royal dignity, which was the artificial part of
+her, rebelled against it now and then in spite of her real
+inclinations. The habit of receiving only adulation, and living on a
+pinnacle above everybody else, was so strong from continued practice,
+that it appealed to her as a duty to maintain that elevation. She had
+never before been called upon to exert herself in that direction, and
+the situation was new. The servile ones with whom she usually
+associated maintained it for her; so she now felt, whenever she
+thought of it, that she was in duty bound to clamber back, at least
+part of the way, to her dignity, however pleasant it was, personally,
+down below in the denser atmosphere of informality.
+
+In her heart the princess preferred, upon proper occasions, such as
+this, to abate her dignity, and often requested others to dispense
+with ceremony, as, in fact, she had done with us earlier in the
+evening. But Brandon's easy manner, although perfectly respectful and
+elegantly polite, was very different from anything she had ever known.
+She enjoyed it, but every now and then the sense of her importance and
+dignity--for you must remember she was the first princess of the blood
+royal--would supersede even her love of enjoyment, and the girl went
+down and the princess came up. Besides, she half feared that Brandon
+was amusing himself at her expense, and that, in fact, this was a new
+sort of masculine worm. Really, she sometimes doubted if it were a
+worm at all, and did not know what to expect, nor what she ought to
+do.
+
+She was far more girl than princess, and would have preferred to
+remain merely girl and let events take the course they were going,
+for she liked it. But there was the other part of her which was
+princess, and which kept saying: "Remember who you are," so she was
+plainly at a loss between natural and artificial inclinations
+contending unconsciously within her.
+
+Replying to Mary's remark over Jane's shoulder, Brandon said:
+
+"Your highness asked us to lay aside ceremony for the evening, and if
+I have offended I can but make for my excuse my desire to please you.
+Be sure I shall offend no more." This was said so seriously that his
+meaning could not be misunderstood. He did not care whether he pleased
+so capricious a person or not.
+
+Mary made no reply, and it looked as if Brandon had the worst of it.
+
+We sat a few minutes talking, Mary wearing an air of dignity. Cards
+were proposed, and as the game progressed she gradually unbent again
+and became as affable and familiar as earlier in the evening. Brandon,
+however, was frozen. He was polite, dignified and deferential to the
+ladies, but the spirit of the evening was gone, since he had furnished
+it all with his free, off-hand manner, full of life and brightness.
+
+After a short time, Mary's warming mood failing to thaw our frozen
+fun-maker, and in her heart infinitely preferring pleasure to dignity,
+she said: "Oh, this is wearisome. Your game is far less entertaining
+than your new dance. Do something to make me laugh, Master Brandon."
+
+"I fear you must call in Will Sommers," he replied, "if you wish to
+laugh. I can not please you in both ways, so will hold to the one
+which seems to suit the princess."
+
+Mary's eyes flashed and she said ironically:
+
+"That sounds very much as though you cared to please me in any way."
+Her lips parted and she evidently had something unkind ready to say;
+but she held the breath she had taken to speak it with, and, after one
+or two false starts in as many different lines, continued: "But
+perhaps I deserve it, I ask you to forgive me, and hereafter desire
+you three, upon all proper occasions, when we are by ourselves, to
+treat me as one of you--as a woman--a girl, I mean. Where is the
+virtue of royalty if it only means being put upon a pinnacle above all
+the real pleasures of life, like foolish old Stylites on his column?
+The queen is always preaching to me about the strict maintenance of my
+'dignity royal,' as she calls it, and perhaps she is right; but out
+upon 'dignity royal' say I; it is a terrible nuisance. Oh, you don't
+know how difficult it is to be a princess and not a fool. There!" And
+she sighed in apparent relief.
+
+Then turning to Brandon: "You have taught me another good lesson, sir,
+and from this hour you are my friend, if you will be, so long as you
+are worthy--no, I do not mean that; I know you will always be
+worthy--but forever. Now we are at rights again. Let us try to remain
+so--that is, I will," and she laughingly gave him her hand, which he,
+rising to his feet, bowed low over and kissed, rather fervently and
+lingeringly, I thought.
+
+Hand-kissing was new to us in England, excepting in case of the king
+and queen at public homage. It was a little startling to Mary, though
+she permitted him to hold her hand much longer than there was any sort
+of need--a fact she recognized, as I could easily see from her
+tell-tale cheeks, which were rosy with the thought of it.
+
+So it is when a woman goes on the defensive prematurely and without
+cause; it makes it harder to apply the check when the real need comes.
+
+After a little card-playing, I expressed regret to Jane that I could
+not have a dance with her for lack of music.
+
+"I will play, if the ladies permit," said Brandon; and he took Lady
+Jane's lute and played and sang some very pretty little love songs and
+some comic ones, too, in a style not often heard in England, so far
+away from the home of the troubadour and lute. He was full of
+surprises, this splendid fellow, with his accomplishments and graces.
+
+When we had danced as long as we wished--that is, as Jane wished--as
+for myself, I would have been dancing yet--Mary again asked us to be
+seated. Jane having rested, Brandon offered to teach her the new
+dance, saying he could whistle an air well enough to give her the
+step. I at once grew uneasy with jealous suspense, for I did _not_
+wish Brandon to dance in that fashion with Jane, but to my great
+relief she replied:
+
+"No; thank you; not to-night." Then shyly glancing toward me: "Perhaps
+Sir Edwin will teach me when he learns. It is his business, you know."
+
+Would I? If a month, night and day, would conquer it, the new dance
+was as good as done for already. That was the first real mark of favor
+I ever had from Jane.
+
+We now had some songs from Mary and Jane; then I gave one, and Brandon
+sang again at Mary's request. We had duets and quartets and solos, and
+the songs were all sweet, for they came from the heart of youth, and
+went to the soul of youth, rich in its God-given fresh delight in
+everything. Then we talked, and Mary, and Jane, too, with a sly, shy,
+soft little word now and then, drew Brandon out to tell of his travels
+and adventures. He was a pleasing talker, and had a smooth, easy flow
+of words, speaking always in a low, clear voice, and with perfect
+composure. He had a way of looking first one auditor and then another
+straight in the eyes with a magnetic effect that gave to everything he
+said an added interest. Although at that time less than twenty-five
+years old, he was really a learned man, having studied at Barcelona,
+Salamanca and Paris. While there had been no system in his education,
+his mind was a sort of knowledge junk-shop, wherein he could find
+almost anything he wanted. He spoke German, French and Spanish, and
+seemed to know the literature of all these languages.
+
+He told us he had left home at the early age of sixteen as his uncle's
+esquire, and had fought in France, then down in Holland with the
+Dutch; had been captured by the Spanish and had joined the Spanish
+army, as it mattered not where he fought, so that there was a chance
+for honorable achievement and a fair ransom now and then. He told us
+how he had gone to Barcelona and Salamanca, where he had studied, and
+thence to Granada, among the Moors; of his fighting against the
+pirates of Barbary, his capture by them, his slavery and adventurous
+escape; and his regret that now drowsy peace kept him mewed up in a
+palace.
+
+"It is true," he said, "there is a prospect of trouble with Scotland,
+but I would rather fight a pack of howling, starving wolves than the
+Scotch; they fight like very devils, which, of course, is well; but
+you have nothing after you have beaten them, not even a good whole
+wolf skin."
+
+In an unfortunate moment Mary said: "Oh, Master Brandon, tell us of
+your duel with Judson."
+
+Thoughtful, considerate Jane frowned at the princess in surprise, and
+put her finger on her lips.
+
+"Your ladyship, I fear I can not," he answered, and left his seat,
+going over to the window, where he stood, with his back toward us,
+looking out into the darkness. Mary saw what she had done, and her
+eyes grew moist, for, with all her faults, she had a warm, tender
+heart and a quick, responsive sympathy. After a few seconds of painful
+silence, she went softly over to the window where Brandon stood.
+
+"Sir, forgive me," she said, putting her hand prettily upon his arm.
+"I should have known. Believe me, I would not have hurt you
+intentionally."
+
+"Ah! my lady, the word was thoughtlessly spoken, and needs no
+forgiveness; but your heart shows itself in the asking, and I thank
+you: I wanted but a moment to throw off the thought of that terrible
+day." Then they came back together, and the princess, who had tact
+enough when she cared to use it, soon put matters right again.
+
+I started to tell one of my best stories in order to cheer Brandon,
+but in the midst of it, Mary, who, I had noticed, was restless and
+uneasy, full of blushes and hesitancy, and with a manner as new to her
+as the dawn of the first day was to the awakening world, abruptly
+asked Brandon to dance with her again. She had risen and was standing
+by her chair, ready to be led out.
+
+"Gladly," answered Brandon, as he sprang to her side and took her
+hand. "Which shall it be, La Galliard or the new dance?" And Mary
+standing there, the picture of waiting, willing modesty, lifted her
+free hand to his shoulder, tried to raise her eyes to his, but
+failed, and softly said: "The new dance."
+
+This time the dancing was more soberly done, and when Mary stopped it
+was with serious, thoughtful eyes, for she had felt the tingling of a
+new strange force in Brandon's touch. A man, not a worm, but a real
+man, with all the irresistible infinite attractions that a man may
+have for a woman--the subtle drawing of the lodestone for the passive
+iron--had come into her life. Doubly sweet it was to her intense,
+young virgin soul, in that it first revealed the dawning of that
+two-edged bliss which makes a heaven or a hell of earth--of earth,
+which owes its very existence to love.
+
+I do not mean that Mary was in love, but that she had met, and for the
+first time felt the touch, yes even the subtle, unconscious,
+dominating force so sweet to woman, of the man she could love, and had
+known the rarest throb that pulses in that choicest of all God's
+perfect handiwork--a woman's heart--the throb that goes before--the
+John, the Baptist, as it were, of coming love.
+
+It being after midnight, Mary filled two cups of wine, from each of
+which she took a sip, and handed them to Brandon and me. She then paid
+me the ten crowns, very soberly thanked us and said we were at liberty
+to go.
+
+The only words Brandon ever spoke concerning that evening were just as
+we retired:
+
+"Jesu! she is perfect. But you were wrong, Caskoden. I can still
+thank God I am not in love with her. I would fall upon my sword if I
+were."
+
+I was upon the point of telling him she had never treated any other
+man as she had treated him, but I thought best to leave it unsaid.
+Trouble was apt to come of its own accord soon enough.
+
+In truth, I may as well tell you, that when the princess asked me to
+bring Brandon to her that she might have a little sport at his
+expense, she looked for a laugh, but found a sigh.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER V_
+
+_An Honor and an Enemy_
+
+
+A day or two after this, Brandon was commanded to an audience, and
+presented to the king and queen. He was now eligible to all palace
+entertainments, and would probably have many invitations, being a
+favorite with both their majesties. As to his standing with Mary, who
+was really the most important figure, socially, about the court, I
+could not exactly say. She was such a mixture of contradictory
+impulses and rapid transitions, and was so full of whims and caprice,
+the inevitable outgrowth of her blood, her rank and the adulation amid
+which she had always lived, that I could not predict for a day ahead
+her attitude toward any one. She had never shown so great favor to any
+man as to Brandon, but just how much of her condescension was a mere
+whim, growing out of the impulse of the moment, and subject to
+reaction, I could not tell. I believed, however, that Brandon stood
+upon a firmer foundation with this changing, shifting, quicksand of a
+girl than with either of their majesties.
+
+In fact, I thought he rested upon her heart itself. But to guess
+correctly what a girl of that sort will do, or think, or feel would
+require inspiration.
+
+Of course most of the entertainments given by the king and queen
+included as guests nearly all the court, but Mary often had little
+fetes and dancing parties which were smaller, more select and
+informal. These parties were really with the consent and encouragement
+of the king, to avoid the responsibility of not inviting everybody.
+The larger affairs were very dull and smaller ones might give offense
+to those who were left out. The latter, therefore, were turned over to
+Mary, who cared very little who was offended or who was not, and
+invitations to them were highly valued.
+
+One afternoon, a day or two after Brandon's presentation, a message
+arrived from Mary, notifying me that she would have a little fete that
+evening in one of the smaller halls and directing me to be there as
+Master of the Dance. Accompanying the message was a note from no less
+a person than the princess herself, inviting Brandon.
+
+This was an honor indeed--an autograph invitation from the hand of
+Mary! But the masterful rascal did not seem to consider it anything
+unusual, and when I handed him the note upon his return from the hunt,
+he simply read it carelessly over once, tore it in pieces and tossed
+it away. I believe the Duke of Buckingham would have given ten
+thousand crowns to receive such a note, and would doubtless have shown
+it to half the court in triumphant confidence before the middle of the
+night. To this great Captain of the guard it was but a scrap of paper.
+He was glad to have it nevertheless, and, with all his self-restraint
+and stoicism, could not conceal his pleasure.
+
+Brandon at once accepted the invitation in a personal note to the
+princess. The boldness of this actually took my breath, and it seems
+at first to have startled Mary a little, also. As you must know by
+this time, her "dignity royal" was subject to alarms, and quite her
+most troublesome attribute--very apt to receive damage in her
+relations with Brandon.
+
+Mary did not destroy Brandon's note, despite the fact that her sense
+of dignity had been disturbed by it, but after she had read it slipped
+off into her private room, read it again and put it on her escritoire.
+Soon she picked it up, reread it, and, after a little hesitation, put
+it in her pocket. It remained in the pocket for a moment or two, when
+out it came for another perusal, and then she unfastened her bodice
+and put it in her bosom. Mary had been so intent upon what she was
+doing that she had not seen Jane, who was sitting quietly in the
+window, and, when she turned and saw her, she was so angry she
+snatched the note from her bosom and threw it upon the floor, stamping
+her foot in embarrassment and rage.
+
+"How dare you watch me, hussy?" she cried. "You lurk around as still
+as the grave, and I have to look into every nook and corner, wherever
+I go, or have you spying on me."
+
+"I did not spy upon you, Lady Mary," said Jane quietly.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Don't answer me; I know you did. I want you to be less silent after
+this. Do you hear? Cough, or sing, or stumble; do something, anything,
+that I may hear you."
+
+Jane rose, picked up the note and offered it to her mistress, who
+snatched it with one hand, while she gave her a sharp slap with the
+other. Jane ran out, and Mary, full of anger and shame, slammed the
+door and locked it. The note, being the cause of all the trouble, she
+impatiently threw to the floor again, and went over to the window
+bench, where she threw herself down to pout. In the course of five
+minutes she turned her head for one fleeting instant and looked at the
+note, and then, after a little hesitation, stole over to where she had
+thrown it and picked it up. Going back to the light at the window, she
+held it in her hand a moment and then read it once, twice, thrice. The
+third time brought the smile, and the note nestled in the bosom again.
+
+Jane did not come off so well, for her mistress did not speak to her
+until she called her in that evening to make her toilet. By that time
+Mary had forgotten about the note in her bosom; so when Jane began to
+array her for the dance, it fell to the floor, whereupon both girls
+broke into a laugh, and Jane kissed Mary's bare shoulder, and Mary
+kissed the top of Jane's head, and they were friends again.
+
+So Brandon accepted Mary's invitation and went to Mary's dance, but
+his going made for him an enemy of the most powerful nobleman in the
+realm, and this was the way of it.
+
+These parties of Mary's had been going on once or twice a week during
+the entire winter and spring, and usually included the same persons.
+It was a sort of coterie, whose members were more or less congenial,
+and most of them very jealous of interlopers. Strange as it may seem,
+uninvited persons often attempted to force themselves in, and all
+sorts of schemes and maneuvers were adopted to gain admission. To
+prevent this, two guardsmen with halberds were stationed at the door.
+Modesty, I might say, neither thrives nor is useful at court.
+
+When Brandon presented himself at the door his entrance was barred,
+but he quickly pushed aside the halberds and entered. The Duke of
+Buckingham, a proud, self-important individual, was standing near the
+door and saw it all. Now Buckingham was one of those unfortunate
+persons who never lose an opportunity to make a mistake, and being
+anxious to display his zeal on behalf of the princess stepped up to
+prevent Brandon's entrance.
+
+"Sir, you will have to move out of this," he said pompously. "You are
+not at a jousting bout. You have made a mistake and have come to the
+wrong place."
+
+"My Lord of Buckingham is pleased to make rather more of an ass of
+himself than usual this evening," replied Brandon with a smile, as he
+started across the room to Mary, whose eye he had caught. She had seen
+and heard it all, but instead of coming to his relief stood there
+laughing to herself. At this Buckingham grew furious and ran around
+ahead of Brandon, valiantly drawing his sword.
+
+"Now, by heaven! fellow, make but another step and I will run you
+through," he said.
+
+I saw it all, but could hardly realize what was going on, it came so
+quickly and was over so soon. Like a flash Brandon's sword was out of
+its sheath, and Buckingham's blade was flying toward the ceiling.
+Brandon's sword was sheathed again so quickly that one could hardly
+believe it had been out at all, and, picking up Buckingham's, he said
+with a half-smothered laugh:
+
+"My lord has dropped his sword." He then broke its point with his heel
+against the hard floor, saying: "I will dull the point, lest my lord,
+being unaccustomed to its use, wound himself." This brought peals of
+laughter from everybody, including the king. Mary laughed also, but,
+as Brandon was handing Buckingham his blade, came up and demanded:
+
+"My lord, is this the way you take it upon yourself to receive my
+guests? Who appointed you, let me ask, to guard my door? We shall have
+to omit your name from our next list, unless you take a few lessons in
+good manners." This was striking him hard, and the quality of the man
+will at once appear plain to you when I say that he had often
+received worse treatment, but clung to the girl's skirts all the more
+tenaciously. Turning to Brandon the princess said:
+
+"Master Brandon, I am glad to see you, and regret exceedingly that our
+friend of Buckingham should so thirst for your blood." She then led
+him to the king and queen, to whom he made his bow, and the pair
+continued their walk about the room. Mary again alluded to the
+skirmish at the door, and said laughingly:
+
+"I would have come to your help, but I knew you were amply able to
+take care of yourself. I was sure you would worst the duke in some
+way. It was better than a mummery, and I was glad to see it. I do not
+like him."
+
+The king did not open these private balls, as he was supposed, at
+least, not to be their patron, and the queen, who was considerably
+older than Henry, was averse to such things. So the princess opened
+her own balls, dancing for a few minutes with the floor entirely to
+herself and partner. It was the honor of the evening to open the ball
+with her, and quite curious to see how men put themselves in her way
+and stood so as to be easily observed and perchance chosen. Brandon,
+after leaving Mary, had drifted into a corner of the room back of a
+group of people, and was talking to Wolsey--who was always very
+friendly to him--and to Master Cavendish, a quaint, quiet, easy little
+man, full of learning and kindness, and a warm friend to the Princess
+Mary.
+
+It was time to open the ball, and, from my place in the musicians'
+gallery, I could see Mary moving about among the guests, evidently
+looking for a partner, while the men resorted to some very transparent
+and amusing expedients to attract her attention. The princess,
+however, took none of the bidders, and soon, I noticed, she espied
+Brandon standing in the corner with his back toward her.
+
+Something told me she was going to ask him to open the dance, and I
+regretted it, because I knew it would set every nobleman in the house
+against him, they being very jealous of the "low-born favorites," as
+they called the untitled friends of royalty. Sure enough, I was right.
+Mary at once began to make her way over to the corner, and I heard her
+say: "Master Brandon, will you dance with me?"
+
+It was done prettily. The whole girl changed as soon as she found
+herself in front of him. In place of the old-time confidence, strongly
+tinged with arrogance, she was almost shy, and blushed and stammered
+with quick coming breath, like a burgher maid before her new-found
+gallant. At once the courtiers made way for her, and out she walked,
+leading Brandon by the hand. Upon her lips and in her eyes was a rare
+triumphant smile, as if to say:
+
+"Look at this handsome new trophy of my bow and spear."
+
+I was surprised and alarmed when Mary chose Brandon, but when I turned
+to the musicians to direct their play, imagine, if you can, my
+surprise when the leader said:
+
+"Master, we have our orders for the first dance from the princess."
+
+Imagine, also, if you can, my double surprise and alarm, nay, almost
+my terror, when the band struck up Jane's "Sailor Lass." I saw the
+look of surprise and inquiry which Brandon gave Mary, standing there
+demurely by his side, when he first heard the music, and I heard her
+nervous little laugh as, she nodded her head, "Yes," and stepped
+closer to him to take position for the dance. The next moment she was
+in Brandon's arms, flying like a sylph about the room. A buzz of
+astonishment and delight greeted them before they were half way
+around, and then a great clapping of hands, in which the king himself
+joined. It was a lovely sight, although, I think, a graceful woman is
+more beautiful in La Galliard than any other dance, or, in fact, any
+other situation in which she can place herself.
+
+After a little time the Dowager Duchess of Kent, first lady in waiting
+to the queen, presented herself at the musicians' gallery and said
+that her majesty had ordered the music stopped, and the musicians, of
+course, ceased playing at once. Mary thereupon turned quickly to me:
+
+"Master, are our musicians weary that they stop before we are
+through?"
+
+The queen answered for me in a high-voiced Spanish accent: "I ordered
+the music stopped; I will not permit such an indecent exhibition to go
+on longer."
+
+Fire sprang to Mary's eyes and she exclaimed: "If your majesty does
+not like the way we do and dance at my balls you can retire as soon as
+you see fit. Your face is a kill-mirth anyway." It never took long to
+rouse her ladyship.
+
+The queen turned to Henry, who was laughing, and angrily demanded:
+
+"Will your majesty permit me to be thus insulted in your very
+presence?"
+
+"You got yourself into it; get out of it as best you can. I have often
+told you to let her alone; she has sharp claws." The king was really
+tired of Catherine's sour frown before he married her. It was her
+dower of Spanish gold that brought her a second Tudor husband.
+
+"Shall I not have what music and dances I want at my own balls?" asked
+the princess.
+
+"That you shall, sister mine; that you shall," answered the king. "Go
+on master, and if the girl likes to dance that way, in God's name let
+her have her wish. It will never hurt her; we will learn it ourself,
+and will wear the ladies out a-dancing."
+
+After Mary had finished the opening dance there was a great demand for
+instruction. The king asked Brandon to teach him the steps, which he
+soon learned to perform with a grace perhaps equaled by no living
+creature other than a fat brown bear. The ladies were at first a
+little shy and inclined to stand at arm's length, but Mary had set the
+fashion and the others soon followed. I had taken a fiddler to my room
+and had learned the dance from Brandon; and was able to teach it also,
+though I lacked practice to make my step perfect. The princess had
+needed no practice, but had danced beautifully from the first, her
+strong young limbs and supple body taking as naturally to anything
+requiring grace of movement as a cygnet to water.
+
+This, thought I, is my opportunity to teach Jane the new dance. I
+wanted to go to her first, but was afraid, or for some reason did not,
+and took several other ladies as they came. After I had shown the step
+to them I sought out my sweetheart. Jane was not a prude, but I
+honestly believe she was the most provoking girl that ever lived. I
+never had succeeded in holding her hand even the smallest part of an
+instant, and yet I was sure she liked me very much; almost sure she
+loved me. She feared I might unhinge it and carry it away, or
+something of that sort, I suppose. When I went up and asked her to let
+me teach her the new dance, she said:
+
+"I thank you, Edwin; but there are others who are more anxious to
+learn than I, and you had better teach them first."
+
+"But I want to teach you. When I wish to teach them I will go to
+them."
+
+"You did go to several others before you thought of coming to me,"
+answered Jane, pretending to be piqued. Now that was the unkindest
+thing I ever knew a girl to do--refuse me what she knew I so wanted,
+and then put the refusal on the pretended ground that I did not care
+much about it. I so told her, and she saw she had carried things too
+far, and that I was growing angry in earnest. She then made another
+false, though somewhat flattering, excuse:
+
+"I could not bear to go through that dance before so large a company.
+I should not object so much if no one else could see--that is, with
+you--Edwin." "Edwin!" Oh! so soft and sweet! The little jade! to think
+that she could hoodwink me so easily, and talk me into a good humor
+with her soft, purring "Edwin." I saw through it all quickly enough,
+and left her without another word. In a few minutes she went into an
+adjoining room where I knew she was alone. The door was open and the
+music could be heard there, so I followed.
+
+"My lady, there is no one to see us here; I can teach you now, if you
+wish," said I.
+
+She saw she was cornered, and replied, with a toss of her saucy little
+head: "But what if I do not wish?"
+
+Now this was more than I could endure with patience, so I answered:
+"My young lady, you shall ask me before I teach you."
+
+"There are others who can dance it much better than you," she
+returned, without looking at me.
+
+"If you allow another to teach you that dance," I responded, "you will
+have seen the last of me." She had made me angry, and I did not speak
+to her for more than a week. When I did--but I will tell you of that
+later on. There was one thing about Jane and the new step: so long as
+she did not know it, she would not dance it with any other man, and
+foolish as my feeling may have been, I could not bear the thought of
+her doing it. I resolved that if she permitted another man to teach
+her that dance it should be all over between us. It was a terrible
+thought to me, that of losing Jane, and it came like a very stroke
+upon my heart. I would think of her sweet little form, so compact and
+graceful; of her gray, calm eyes, so full of purity and mischief; of
+her fair oval face, almost pale, and wonder if I could live without
+the hope of her. I determined, however, that if she learned the new
+dance with any other man I would throw that hope to the winds, whether
+I lived or died. St. George! I believe I should have died.
+
+The evening was devoted to learning the new dance, and I saw Mary
+busily engaged imparting information among the ladies. As we were
+about to disperse I heard her say to Brandon:
+
+"You have greatly pleased the king by bringing him a new amusement. He
+asked me where I learned it, and I told him you had taught it to
+Caskoden, and that I had it from him. I told Caskoden so that he can
+tell the same story."
+
+"Oh! but that is not true. Don't you think you should have told him
+the truth, or have evaded it in some way?" asked Brandon, who was
+really a great lover of the truth, "when possible," but who, I fear on
+this occasion, wished to appear more truthful than he really was. If a
+man is to a woman's taste, and she is inclined to him, he lays up
+great stores in her heart by making her think him good; and shameful
+impositions are often practiced to this end.
+
+Mary flushed a little and answered, "I can't help it. You do not know.
+Had I told Henry that we four had enjoyed such a famous time in my
+rooms he would have been very angry, and--and--you might have been the
+sufferer."
+
+"But might you not have compromised matters by going around the truth
+some way, and leaving the impression that others were of the party
+that evening?"
+
+That was a mistake, for it gave Mary an opportunity to retaliate: "The
+best way to go around the truth, as you call it, is by a direct lie.
+My lie was no worse than yours. But I did not stop to argue about such
+matters. There is something else I wished to say. I want to tell you
+that you have greatly pleased the king with the new dance. Now teach
+him 'honor and ruff' and your fortune is made. He has had some Jews
+and Lombards in of late to teach him new games at cards, but yours is
+worth all of them." Then, somewhat hastily and irrelevantly, "I did
+not dance the new dance with any other gentleman--but I suppose you
+did not notice it," and she was gone before he could thank her.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER VI_
+
+_A Rare Ride to Windsor_
+
+
+The princess knew her royal brother. A man would receive quicker
+reward for inventing an amusement or a gaudy costume for the king than
+by winning him a battle. Later in life the high road to his favor was
+in ridding him of his wife and helping him to a new one--a dangerous
+way though, as Wolsey found to his sorrow when he sank his glory in
+poor Anne Boleyn.
+
+Brandon took the hint and managed to let it be known to his
+play-loving king that he knew the latest French games. The French Duc
+de Longueville had for some time been an honored prisoner at the
+English court, held as a hostage from Louis XII, but de Longueville
+was a blockhead, who could not keep his little black eyes off our fair
+ladies, who hated him, long enough to tell the deuce of spades from
+the ace of hearts. So Brandon was taken from his duties, such as they
+were, and placed at the card table. This was fortunate at first; for
+being the best player the king always chose him as his partner, and,
+as in every other game, the king always won. If he lost there would
+soon be no game, and the man who won from him too frequently was in
+danger at any moment of being rated guilty of the very highest sort of
+treason. I think many a man's fall, under Henry VIII, was owing to
+the fact that he did not always allow the king to win in some trivial
+matter of game or joust. Under these conditions everybody was anxious
+to be the king's partner. It is true he frequently forgot to divide
+his winnings, but his partner had this advantage, at least: there was
+no danger of losing. That being the case, Brandon's seat opposite the
+king was very likely to excite envy, and the time soon came, Henry
+having learned the play, when Brandon had to face someone else, and
+the seat was too costly for a man without a treasury. It took but a
+few days to put Brandon _hors de combat_, financially, and he would
+have been in a bad plight had not Wolsey come to his relief. After
+that, he played and paid the king in his own coin.
+
+This great game of "honor and ruff" occupied Henry's mind day and
+night during a fortnight. He feasted upon it to satiety as he did with
+everything else; never having learned not to cloy his appetite by
+over-feeding. So we saw little of Brandon while the king's fever
+lasted, and Mary said she wished she had remained silent about the
+cards. You see, she could enjoy this new plaything as well as her
+brother; but the king, of course, must be satisfied first. They both
+had enough eventually; Henry in one way, Mary in another.
+
+One day the fancy struck the king that he would rebuild a certain
+chapel at Windsor; so he took a number of the court, including Mary,
+Jane, Brandon and myself, and went with us up to London, where we
+lodged over night at Bridewell House. The next morning--as bright and
+beautiful a June day as ever gladdened the heart of a rose--we took
+horse for Windsor; a delightful seven-league ride over a fair road.
+
+Mary and Jane traveled side by side, with an occasional companion or
+two, as the road permitted. I was angry with Jane, as you know, so did
+not go near the girls; and Brandon, without any apparent intention one
+way or the other, allowed events to adjust themselves, and rode with
+Cavendish and me.
+
+We were perhaps forty yards behind the girls, and I noticed after a
+time that the Lady Mary kept looking backward in our direction, as if
+fearing rain from the east. I was in hopes that Jane, too, would fear
+the rain, but you would have sworn her neck was stiff, so straight
+ahead did she keep her face. We had ridden perhaps three leagues, when
+the princess stopped her horse and turned in her saddle. I heard her
+voice, but did not understand what she said.
+
+In a moment some one called out: "Master Brandon is wanted." So that
+gentleman rode forward, and I followed him. When we came up with the
+girls, Mary said: "I fear my girth is loose."
+
+Brandon at once dismounted to tighten it, and the others of our
+immediate party began to cluster around.
+
+Brandon tried the girth.
+
+"My lady, it is as tight as the horse can well bear," he said.
+
+"It is loose, I say," insisted the princess, with a little irritation;
+"the saddle feels like it. Try the other." Then turning impatiently to
+the persons gathered around: "Does it require all of you, standing
+there like gaping bumpkins, to tighten my girth? Ride on; we can
+manage this without so much help." Upon this broad hint everybody rode
+ahead while I held the horse for Brandon, who went on with his search
+for the loose girth. While he was looking for it Mary leaned over her
+horse's neck and asked: "Were you and Cavendish settling all the
+philosophical points now in dispute, that you found him so
+interesting?"
+
+"Not all," answered Brandon, smiling.
+
+"You were so absorbed, I supposed it could be nothing short of that."
+
+"No," replied Brandon again. "But the girth is not loose."
+
+"Perhaps I only imagined it," returned Mary carelessly, having lost
+interest in the girth.
+
+I looked toward Jane, whose eyes were bright with a smile, and turned
+Brandon's horse over to him. Jane's smile gradually broadened into a
+laugh, and she said: "Edwin, I fear my girth is loose also."
+
+"As the Lady Mary's was?" asked I, unable to keep a straight face any
+longer.
+
+"Yes," answered Jane, with a vigorous little nod of her head, and a
+peal of laughter.
+
+"Then drop back with me," I responded.
+
+The princess looked at us with a half smile, half frown, and remarked:
+"Now you doubtless consider yourselves very brilliant and witty."
+
+"Yes," returned Jane maliciously, nodding her head in emphatic assent,
+as the princess and Brandon rode on before us.
+
+"I hope she is satisfied now," said Jane _sotto voce_ to me.
+
+"So you want me to ride with you?" I replied.
+
+"Yes," nodded Jane.
+
+"Why?" I asked.
+
+"Because I want you to," was the enlightening response.
+
+"Then why did you not dance with me the other evening?"
+
+"Because I did _not_ want to."
+
+"Short but comprehensive," thought I, "but a sufficient reason for a
+maiden."
+
+I said nothing, however, and after a time Jane spoke: "The dance was
+one thing and riding with you is another. I did not wish to dance with
+you, but I do wish to ride with you. You are the only gentleman to
+whom I would have said what I did about my girth being loose. As to
+the new dance, I do not care to learn it because I would not dance it
+with any man but you, and not even with you--yet." This made me glad,
+and coming from coy, modest Jane meant a great deal. It meant that
+she cared for me, and would, some day, be mine; but it also meant that
+she would take her own time and her own sweet way in being won. This
+was comforting, if not satisfying, and loosened my tongue: "Jane, you
+know my heart is full of love for you--"
+
+"Will the universe crumble?" she cried with the most provoking little
+laugh. Now that sentence was my rock ahead, whenever I tried to give
+Jane some idea of the state of my affections. It was a part of the
+speech which I had prepared and delivered to Mary in Jane's hearing,
+as you already know. I had said to the princess: "The universe will
+crumble and the heavens roll up as a scroll ere my love shall alter or
+pale." It was a high-sounding sentence, but it was not true, as I was
+forced to admit, almost with the same breath that spoke it. Jane had
+heard it, and had stored it away in that memory of hers, so tenacious
+in holding to everything it should forget. It is wonderful what a fund
+of useless information some persons accumulate and cling to with a
+persistent determination worthy of a better cause. I thought Jane
+never would forget that unfortunate, abominable sentence spoken so
+grandiloquently to Mary. I wonder what she would have thought had she
+known that I had said substantially the same thing to a dozen others.
+I never should have won her in that case. She does not know it yet,
+and never shall if I can prevent. Although dear Jane is old now, and
+the roses on her cheeks have long since paled, her gray eyes are still
+there, with their mischievous little twinkle upon occasion, and--in
+fact, Jane can be as provoking as ever when she takes the fancy, for
+she is as sure of my affection now as upon the morning of that rare
+ride to Windsor. Aye, surer, since she knows that in all these years
+it has changed only to grow greater and stronger and truer in the
+fructifying light of her sweet face, and the nurturing warmth of her
+pure soul. What a blessed thing it is for a man to love his wife and
+be satisfied with her, and to think her the fairest being in all the
+world; and how thrice happy is he who can stretch out the sweetest
+season of his existence, the days of triumphant courtship, through the
+flying years of all his life, and then lie down to die in the quieted
+ecstasy of a first love.
+
+So Jane halted my effort to pour out my heart, as she always did.
+
+"There is something that greatly troubles me," she said.
+
+"What is it?" I asked in some concern.
+
+"My mistress," she answered, nodding in the direction of the two
+riding ahead of us. "I never saw her so much interested in any one as
+she is in your friend, Master Brandon. Not that she is really in love
+with him as yet perhaps, but I fear it is coming and I dread to see
+it. She has never been compelled to forego anything she wanted, and
+her desires are absolutely imperative. They drive her, and she is
+helpless against them. She would not and could not make the smallest
+effort to overcome them. I think it never occurred to her that such a
+thing could be necessary; everything she wants she naturally thinks is
+hers by divine right. There has been no great need of such an effort
+until now, but your friend Brandon presents it. I wish he were at the
+other side of the world. I think she feels that she ought to keep away
+from him before it is too late, both for his sake and her own, but she
+is powerless to deny herself the pleasure of being with him, and I do
+not know what is to come of it all. That incident of the loose girth
+is an illustration. Did you ever know anything so bold and
+transparent? Any one could see through it, and the worst of all is she
+seems not to care if every one does see. Now look at them ahead of us!
+No girl is so happy riding beside a man unless she is interested in
+him. She was dull enough until he joined her. He seemed in no hurry to
+come, so she resorted to the flimsy excuse of the loose girth to bring
+him. I am surprised that she even sought the shadow of an excuse, but
+did not order him forward without any pretense of one. Oh! I don't
+know what to do. It troubles me greatly. Do you know the state of his
+feelings?"
+
+"No," I answered, "but I think he is heart-whole, or nearly so. He
+told me he was not fool enough to fall in love with the king's sister,
+and I really believe he will keep his heart and head, even at that
+dizzy height. He is a cool fellow, if there ever was one."
+
+"He certainly is different from other men," returned Jane. "I think he
+has never spoken a word of love to her. He has said some pretty
+things, which she has repeated to me; has moralized to some extent,
+and has actually told her of some of her faults. I should like to see
+anyone else take that liberty. She seems to like it from him, and says
+he inspires her with higher, better motives and a yearning to be good;
+but I am sure he has made no love to her."
+
+"Perhaps it would be better if he did. It might cure her," I replied.
+
+"Oh! no! no! not now; at first, perhaps, but not now. What I fear is
+that if he remains silent much longer she will take matters in hand
+and speak herself. I don't like to say that--it doesn't sound
+well--but she is a princess, and it would be different with her from
+what it would be with an ordinary girl; she might have to speak first,
+or there might be no speaking from one who thought his position too
+far beneath hers. She whose smallest desires drive her so, will never
+forego so great a thing as the man she loves only for the want of a
+word or two."
+
+Then it was that Jane told me of the scene with the note, of the
+little whispered confidence upon their pillows, and a hundred other
+straws that showed only too plainly which way this worst of ill winds
+was blowing--with no good in it for any one. Now who could have
+foretold this? It was easy enough to prophesy that Brandon would learn
+to love Mary, excite a passing interest, and come off crestfallen, as
+all other men had done. But that Mary should love Brandon, and he
+remain heart-whole, was an unlooked-for event--one that would hardly
+have been predicted by the shrewdest prophet.
+
+What Lady Jane said troubled me greatly, as it was but the
+confirmation of my own fears. Her opportunity to know was far better
+than mine, but I had seen enough to set me thinking.
+
+Brandon, I believe, saw nothing of Mary's growing partiality at all.
+He could not help but find her wonderfully attractive and interesting,
+and perhaps it needed only the thought that she might love him, to
+kindle a flame in his own breast. But at the time of our ride to
+Windsor, Charles Brandon was not in love with Mary Tudor, however near
+it he may unconsciously have been. He would whistle and sing, and was
+as light-hearted as a lark--I mean when away from the princess as well
+as with her--a mood that does not go with a heart full of heavy love,
+of impossible, fatal love, such as his would have been for the first
+princess of the first blood royal of the world.
+
+But another's trouble could not dim the sunlight in my own heart, and
+that ride to Windsor was the happiest day of my life up to that time.
+Even Jane threw off the little cloud our forebodings had gathered,
+and chatted and laughed like the creature of joy and gladness she was.
+Now and then her heart would well up so full of the sunlight and the
+flowers, and the birds in the hedge, aye, and of the contagious love
+in my heart, too, that it poured itself forth in a spontaneous little
+song which thrills me even now.
+
+Ahead of us were the princess and Brandon. Every now and then her
+voice came back to us in a stave of a song, and her laughter, rich and
+low, wafted on the wings of the soft south wind, made the glad birds
+hush to catch its silvery note. It seemed that the wild flowers had
+taken on their brightest hue, the trees their richest Sabbath-day
+green, and the sun his softest radiance, only to gladden the heart of
+Mary that they might hear her laugh. The laugh would have come quite
+as joyously had the flowers been dead and the sun black, for flowers
+and sunlight, south wind, green pastures and verdant hills, all were
+riding by her side. Poor Mary! Her days of laughter were numbered.
+
+We all rode merrily on to Windsor, and when we arrived it was curious
+to see the great nobles, Buckingham, both the Howards, Seymour and a
+dozen others stand back for plain Charles Brandon to dismount the
+fairest maiden and the most renowned princess in Christendom. It was
+done most gracefully. She was but a trifle to his strong arms, and he
+lifted her to the sod as gently as if she were a child. The nobles
+envied Brandon his evident favor with this unattainable Mary and hated
+him accordingly, but they kept their thoughts to themselves for two
+reasons: First, they knew not to what degree the king's favor, already
+marked, with the help of the princess might carry him; and second,
+they did not care to have a misunderstanding with the man who had cut
+out Adam Judson's eyes.
+
+We remained at Windsor four or five days, during which time the king
+made several knights. Brandon would probably have been one of them, as
+everybody expected, had not Buckingham related to Henry the episode of
+the loose girth, and adroitly poisoned his mind as to Mary's
+partiality. At this the king began to cast a jealous eye on Brandon.
+His sister was his chief diplomatic resource, and when she loved or
+married, it should be for Henry's benefit, regardless of all else.
+
+Brandon and the Lady Mary saw a great deal of each other during this
+little stay at Windsor, as she always had some plan to bring about a
+meeting, and although very delightful to him, it cost him much in
+royal favor. He could not trace this effect to its proper cause and it
+troubled him. I could have told him the reason in two words, but I
+feared to put into his mind the thought that the princess might learn
+to love him. As to the king, he would not have cared if Brandon or
+every other man, for that matter, should go stark mad for love of his
+sister, but when she began to show a preference he grew interested,
+and it was apt sooner or later to go hard with the fortunate one. When
+we went back to Greenwich Brandon was sent on a day ahead.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER VII_
+
+_Love's Fierce Sweetness_
+
+
+After we had all returned to Greenwich the princess and Brandon were
+together frequently. Upon several occasions he was invited, with
+others, to her parlor for card playing. But we spent two evenings,
+with only four of us present, prior to the disastrous events which
+changed everything, and of which I am soon to tell you. During these
+two evenings the "Sailor Lass" was in constant demand.
+
+This pair, who should have remained apart, met constantly in and about
+the palace, and every glance added fuel to the flame. Part of the time
+it was the princess with her troublesome dignity, and part of the time
+it was Mary--simply girl. Notwithstanding these haughty moods, anyone
+with half an eye could see that the princess was gradually succumbing
+to the budding woman; that Brandon's stronger nature had dominated her
+with that half fear which every woman feels who loves a strong
+man--stronger than herself.
+
+One day the rumor spread through the court that the old French king,
+Louis XII, whose wife, Anne of Brittany, had just died, had asked
+Mary's hand in marriage. It was this, probably, which opened Brandon's
+eyes to the fact that he had been playing with the very worst sort of
+fire; and first made him see that in spite of himself, and almost
+without his knowledge, the girl had grown wonderfully sweet and dear
+to him. He now saw his danger, and struggled to keep himself beyond
+the spell of her perilous glances and siren song. This modern Ulysses
+made a masterful effort, but alas! had no ships to carry him away, and
+no wax with which to fill his ears. Wax is a good thing, and no one
+should enter the Siren country without it. Ships, too, are good, with
+masts to tie one's self to, and sails and rudder, and a gust of wind
+to waft one quickly past the island. In fact, one cannot take too many
+precautions when in those enchanted waters.
+
+Matters began to look dark to me. Love had dawned in Mary's breast,
+that was sure, and for the first time, with all its fierce sweetness.
+Not that it had reached its noon, or anything like it. In truth, it
+might, I hoped, die in the dawning, for my lady was as capricious as a
+May day; but it was love--love as plain as the sun at rising. She
+sought Brandon upon all occasions, and made opportunities to meet him;
+not openly--at any rate, not with Brandon's knowledge, nor with any
+connivance on his part, but apparently caring little what he or any
+one else might see. Love lying in her heart had made her a little more
+shy than formerly in seeking him, but her straightforward way of
+taking whatever she wanted made her transparent little attempts at
+concealment very pathetic.
+
+As for Brandon, the shaft had entered his heart, too, poor fellow, as
+surely as love had dawned in Mary's, but there was this difference:
+With our princess--at least I so thought at the time--the sun of love
+might dawn and lift itself to mid-heaven and glow with the fervent
+ardor of high noon--for her blood was warm with the spark of her
+grandfather's fire--and then sink into the west and make room for
+another sun to-morrow. But with Brandon's stronger nature the sun
+would go till noon and there would burn for life. The sun, however,
+had not reached its noon with Brandon, either; since he had set his
+brain against his heart, and had done what he could to stay the
+all-consuming orb at its dawning. He knew the hopeless misery such a
+passion would bring him, and helped the good Lord, in so far as he
+could, to answer his prayer, and lead him not into temptation. As soon
+as he saw the truth, he avoided Mary as much as possible.
+
+As I said, we had spent several evenings with Mary after we came home
+from Windsor, at all of which her preference was shown in every
+movement. Some women are so expressive under strong emotion that every
+gesture, a turn of the head, a glance of the eyes, the lifting of a
+hand or the poise of the body, speaks with a tongue of eloquence, and
+such was Mary. Her eyes would glow with a soft fire when they rested
+upon him, and her whole person told all too plainly what, in truth, it
+seemed she did not care to hide. When others were present she would
+restrain herself somewhat, but with only Jane and myself, she could
+hardly maintain a seemly reserve. During all this time Brandon
+remained cool and really seemed unconscious of his wonderful
+attraction for her. It is hard to understand why he did not see it,
+but I really believe he did not. Although he was quite at ease in her
+presence, too much so, Mary sometimes thought, and strangely enough
+sometimes told him in a fit of short-lived, quickly repented anger
+that always set him laughing, yet there was never a word or gesture
+that could hint of undue familiarity. It would probably have met a
+rebuff from the princess part of her; for what a perversity, both
+royal and feminine, she wanted all the freedom for herself. In short,
+like any other woman, she would rather love than be loved, that is,
+until surrender day should come; then of course....
+
+After these last two meetings, although the invitations came
+frequently, none was accepted. Brandon had contrived to have his
+duties, ostensibly at least, occupy his evenings, and did honestly
+what his judgment told him was the one thing to do; that is, remain
+away from a fire that could give no genial warmth, but was sure to
+burn him to the quick. I saw this only too plainly, but never a word
+of it was spoken between us.
+
+The more I saw of this man, the more I respected him, and this curbing
+of his affections added to my already high esteem. The effort was
+doubly wise in Brandon's case. Should love with his intense nature
+reach its height, his recklessness would in turn assert itself, and
+these two would inevitably try to span the impassable gulf between
+them, when Brandon, at least, would go down in the attempt. His
+trouble, however, did not make a mope of him, and he retained a great
+deal of his brightness and sparkle undimmed by what must have been an
+ache in his heart. Though he tried, without making it too marked, to
+see as little of Mary as possible, their meeting once in a while could
+not be avoided, especially when one of them was always seeking to
+bring it about. After a time, Mary began to suspect his attempts to
+avoid her, and she grew cold and distant through pique. Her manner,
+however, had no effect upon Brandon, who did not, or at least appeared
+not to notice it. This the girl could not endure, and lacking strength
+to resist her heart, soon returned to the attack.
+
+Mary had not seen Brandon for nearly two weeks, and was growing
+anxious, when one day she and Jane met him in a forest walk near the
+river. Brandon was sauntering along reading when they overtook him.
+Jane told me afterwards that Mary's conduct upon coming up to him was
+pretty and curious beyond the naming. At first she was inclined to be
+distant, and say cutting things, but when Brandon began to grow
+restive under them and showed signs of turning back, she changed front
+in the twinkling of an eye and was all sweetness. She laughed and
+smiled and dimpled, as only she could, and was full of bright glances
+and gracious words.
+
+She tried a hundred little schemes to get him to herself for a
+moment--the hunting of a wild flower or a four-leaved clover, or the
+exploration of some little nook in the forest toward which she would
+lead him--but Jane did not at first take the hint and kept close at
+her heels. Mary's impulsive nature was not much given to hinting--she
+usually nodded and most emphatically at that--so after a few failures
+to rid herself of her waiting lady she said impatiently: "Jane, in the
+name of heaven don't keep so close to us. You won't move out of reach
+of my hand, and you know how often it inclines to box your ears."
+
+Jane did know, I am sorry for Mary's sake to say, how often the fair
+hand was given to such spasms; so with this emphasized hint she walked
+on ahead, half sulky at the indignity put upon her, and half amused at
+her whimsical mistress.
+
+Mary lost no time, but began the attack at once.
+
+"Now, sir, I want you to tell me the truth; why do you refuse my
+invitations and so persistently keep away from me? I thought at first
+I would simply let you go your way, and then I thought I--would not.
+Don't deny it. I know you won't. With all your faults, you don't tell
+even little lies; not even to a woman--I believe. Now there is a fine
+compliment--is it not?--when I intended to scold you!" She gave a
+fluttering little laugh, and, with hanging head, continued: "Tell me,
+is not the king's sister of quality sufficient to suit you? Perhaps
+you must have the queen or the Blessed Virgin? Tell me now?" And she
+looked up at him, half in banter, half in doubt.
+
+"My duties--," began Brandon.
+
+"Oh! bother your duties. Tell me the truth."
+
+"I will, if you let me," returned Brandon, who had no intention
+whatever of doing anything of the sort. "My duties now occupy my time
+in the evening----"
+
+"That will not do," interrupted Mary, who knew enough of a guardsman's
+duty to be sure it was not onerous. "You might as well come to it and
+tell the truth; that you do not like our society." And she gave him a
+vicious little glance without a shadow of a smile.
+
+"In God's name, Lady Mary, that is not it," answered Brandon, who was
+on the rack. "Please do not think it. I cannot bear to have you say
+such a thing when it is so far from the real truth."
+
+"Then tell me the real truth."
+
+"I cannot; I cannot. I beg of you not to ask. Leave me! or let me
+leave you. I refuse to answer further." The latter half of this
+sentence was uttered doggedly and sounded sullen and ill-humored,
+although, of course, it was not so intended. He had been so perilously
+near speaking words which would probably have lighted, to their
+destruction--to his, certainly--the smoldering flames within their
+breast that it frightened him, and the manner in which he spoke was
+but a tone giving utterance to the pain in his heart.
+
+Mary took it as it sounded, and, in unfeigned surprise, exclaimed
+angrily: "Leave you? Do I hear aright? I never thought that I, the
+daughter and sister of a king, would live to be dismissed by a--by
+a--any one."
+
+"Your highness--" began Brandon; but she was gone before he could
+speak.
+
+He did not follow her to explain, knowing how dangerous such an
+explanation would be, but felt that it was best for them both that she
+should remain offended, painful as the thought was to him.
+
+Of course, Mary's womanly self-esteem, to say nothing of her royal
+pride, was wounded to the quick, and no wonder.
+
+Poor Brandon sat down upon a stone, and, as he longingly watched her
+retiring form, wished in his heart he were dead. This was the first
+time he really knew how much he loved the girl, and he saw that, with
+him at least, it was a matter of bad to worse; and at that rate would
+soon be--worst.
+
+Now that he had unintentionally offended her, and had permitted her to
+go without an explanation, she was dearer to him than ever, and, as he
+sat there with his face in his hands, he knew that if matters went on
+as they were going, the time would soon come when he would throw
+caution to the dogs and would try the impossible--to win her for his
+own. Caution and judgment still sat enthroned, and they told him now
+what he knew full well they would not tell him after a short
+time--that failure was certain to follow the attempt, and disaster
+sure to follow failure. First, the king would, in all probability, cut
+off his head upon an intimation of Mary's possible fondness for him;
+and, second, if he should be so fortunate as to keep his head, Mary
+could not, and certainly would not, marry him, even if she loved him
+with all her heart. The distance between them was too great, and she
+knew too well what she owed to her position. There was but one thing
+left--New Spain; and he determined while sitting there to sail with
+the next ship.
+
+The real cause of Brandon's manner had never occurred to Mary.
+Although she knew her beauty and power, as she could not help but know
+it--not as a matter of vanity, but as a matter of fact--yet love had
+blinded her where Brandon was concerned, and that knowledge failed to
+give her light as to his motives, however brightly it might illumine
+the conduct of other men toward whom she was indifferent.
+
+So Mary was angry this time; angry in earnest, and Jane felt the
+irritable palm more than once. I, too, came in for my share of her ill
+temper, as most certainly would Brandon, had he allowed himself to
+come within reach of her tongue, which he was careful not to do. An
+angry porcupine would have been pleasant company compared with Mary
+during this time. There was no living with her in peace. Even the king
+fought shy of her, and the queen was almost afraid to speak. Probably
+so much general disturbance was never before or since collected within
+one small body as in that young Tartar-Venus, Mary. She did not tell
+Jane the cause of her vexation, but only said she "verily hated
+Brandon," and that, of course, was the key to the whole situation.
+
+After a fortnight, this ill-humor began to soften in the glowing
+warmth of her heart, which was striving to reassert itself, and the
+desire to see Brandon began to get the better of her sense of injury.
+
+Brandon, tired of this everlasting watchfulness to keep himself out of
+temptation, and, dreading at any moment that lapse from strength which
+is apt to come to the strongest of us, had resolved to quit his place
+at court and go to New Spain at once. He had learned, upon inquiry,
+that a ship would sail from Bristol in about twenty days, and another
+six weeks later. So he chose the former and was making his
+arrangements to leave as soon as possible.
+
+He told me of his plans and spoke of his situation: "You know the
+reason for my going," he said, "even if I have never spoken of it. I
+am not much of a Joseph, and am very little given to running away from
+a beautiful woman, but in this case I am fleeing from death itself.
+And to think what a heaven it would be. You are right, Caskoden; no
+man can withstand the light of that girl's smile. I am unable to tell
+how I feel toward her. It sometimes seems that I can not live another
+hour without seeing her; yet, thank God, I have reason enough left to
+know that every sight of her only adds to an already incurable malady.
+What will it be when she is the wife of the king of France? Does it
+not look as if wild life in New Spain is my only chance?"
+
+I assented as we joined hands, and our eyes were moist as I told him
+how I should miss him more than anyone else in all the earth--excepting
+Jane, in mental reservation.
+
+I told Jane what Brandon was about to do, knowing full well she would
+tell Mary; which she did at once.
+
+Poor Mary! The sighs began to come now, and such small vestiges of her
+ill-humor toward Brandon as still remained were frightened off in a
+hurry by the fear that she had seen the last of him.
+
+She had not before fully known that she loved him. She knew he was the
+most delightful companion she had ever met, and that there was an
+exhilaration about his presence which almost intoxicated her and made
+life an ecstasy, yet she did not know it was love. It needed but the
+thought that she was about to lose him to make her know her malady,
+and meet it face to face.
+
+Upon the evening when Mary learned all this, she went into her chamber
+very early and closed the door. No one interrupted her until Jane
+went in to robe her for the night, and to retire. She then found that
+Mary had robed herself and was lying in bed with her head covered,
+apparently asleep. Jane quietly prepared to retire, and lay down in
+her own bed. The girls usually shared one couch, but during Mary's
+ill-temper she had forced Jane to sleep alone.
+
+After a short silence Jane heard a sob from the other bed, then
+another, and another.
+
+"Mary, are you weeping?" she asked.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What is the matter, dear?"
+
+"Nothing," with a sigh.
+
+"Do you wish me to come to your bed?"
+
+"Yes, I do." So Jane went over and lay beside Mary, who gently put her
+arms about her neck.
+
+"When will he leave?" whispered Mary, shyly confessing all by her
+question.
+
+"I do not know," responded Jane, "but he will see you before he goes."
+
+"Do you believe he will?"
+
+"I know it;" and with this consolation Mary softly wept herself to
+sleep.
+
+After this, for a few days, Mary was quiet enough. Her irritable mood
+had vanished, but Jane could see that she was on the lookout for some
+one all the time, although she made the most pathetic little efforts
+to conceal her watchfulness.
+
+At last a meeting came about in this way: Next to the king's
+bed-chamber was a luxuriously furnished little apartment with a
+well-selected library. Here Brandon and I often went, afternoons, to
+read, as we were sure to be undisturbed.
+
+Late one day Brandon had gone over to this quiet retreat, and having
+selected a volume, took his place in a secluded little alcove half
+hidden in arras draperies. There was a cushioned seat along the wall
+and a small diamond-shaped window to furnish light.
+
+He had not been there long when in came Mary. I can not say whether
+she knew Brandon was there or not, but she was there and he was there,
+which is the only thing to the point, and finding him, she stepped
+into the alcove before he was aware of her presence.
+
+Brandon was on his feet in an instant, and with a low bow was backing
+himself out most deferentially, to leave her in sole possession if she
+wished to rest.
+
+"Master Brandon, you need not go. I will not hurt you. Besides, if
+this place is not large enough for us both, I will go. I would not
+disturb you." She spoke with a tremulous voice and a quick, uneasy
+glance, and started to move backward out of the alcove.
+
+"Lady Mary, how can you speak so? You know--you must know--oh! I beg
+you--" But she interrupted him by taking his arm and drawing him to a
+seat beside her on the cushion. She could have drawn down the Colossus
+of Rhodes with the look she gave Brandon, so full was it of command,
+entreaty and promise.
+
+"That's it; I don't know, but I want to know; and I want you to sit
+here beside me and tell me. I am going to be reconciled with you,
+despite the way you treated me when last we met. I am going to be
+friends with you whether you will or not. Now what do you say to that,
+sir?" She spoke with a fluttering little laugh of uneasy
+non-assurance, which showed that her heart was not nearly so confident
+nor so bold as her words would make believe. Poor Brandon, usually so
+ready, had nothing "to say to that," but sat in helpless silence.
+
+Was this the sum total of all his wise determinations made at the cost
+of so much pain and effort? Was this the answer to all his prayers,
+"Lead me not into temptation"? He had done his part, for he had done
+all he could. Heaven had not helped him, since here was temptation
+thrust upon him when least expected, and when the way was so narrow he
+could not escape, but must meet it face to face.
+
+Mary soon recovered her self-possession--women are better skilled in
+this art than men--and continued:
+
+"I am not intending to say one word about your treatment of me that
+day over in the forest, although it was very bad, and you have acted
+abominably ever since. Now is not that kind in me?" And she softly
+laughed as she peeped up at the poor fellow from beneath those
+sweeping lashes, with the premeditated purpose of tantalizing him, I
+suppose. She was beginning to know her power over him, and it was
+never greater than at this moment. Her beauty had its sweetest
+quality, for the princess was sunk and the woman was dominant, with
+flushed face and flashing eyes that caught a double luster from the
+glowing love that made her heart beat so fast. Her gown, too, was the
+best she could have worn to show her charms. She must have known
+Brandon was there, and must have dressed especially to go to him. She
+wore her favorite long flowing outer sleeve, without the close fitting
+inner one. It was slit to the shoulder, and gave entrancing glimpses
+of her arms with every movement, leaving them almost bare when she
+lifted her hands, which was often, for she was as full of gestures as
+a Frenchwoman. Her bodice was cut low, both back and front, showing
+her large perfectly molded throat and neck, like an alabaster pillar
+of beauty and strength, and disclosing her bosom just to its shadowy
+incurving, white and billowy as drifted snow. Her hair was thrown back
+in an attempt at a coil, though, like her own rebellious nature, it
+could not brook restraint, and persistently escaped in a hundred
+little curls that fringed her face and lay upon the soft white nape of
+her neck like fluffy shreds of sun-lit floss on new cut ivory.
+
+With the mood that was upon her, I wonder Brandon maintained his
+self-restraint even for a moment. He felt that his only hope lay in
+silence, so he sat beside her and said nothing. He told me long
+afterwards that while sitting there in the intervals between her
+speech, the oddest, wildest thoughts ran through his brain. He
+wondered how he could escape. He thought of the window, and that
+possibly he might break away through it, and then he thought of
+feigning illness, and a hundred other absurd schemes, but they all
+came to nothing, and he sat there to let events take their own course
+as they seemed determined to do in spite of him.
+
+After a short silence, Mary continued, half banteringly: "Answer me,
+sir! I will have no more of this. You shall treat me at least with the
+courtesy you would show a bourgeoise girl."
+
+"Oh, that you were only a burgher's daughter."
+
+"Yes, I know all that; but I am not. It can't be helped, and you shall
+answer me."
+
+"There is no answer, dear lady--I beg you--oh, do you not see--"
+
+"Yes, yes; but answer my question; am I not kind--more than you
+deserve?"
+
+"Indeed, yes; a thousand times. You have always been so kind, so
+gracious and so condescending to me that I can only thank you, thank
+you, thank you," answered Brandon, almost shyly; not daring to lift
+his eyes to hers.
+
+Mary saw the manner quickly enough--what woman ever missed it, much
+less so keen-eyed a girl as she--and it gave her confidence, and
+brought back the easy banter of her old time manner.
+
+"How modest we have become! Where is the boldness of which we used to
+have so much? Kind? Have I always been so? How about the first time I
+met you? Was I kind then? And as to condescension, don't--don't use
+that word between us."
+
+"No," returned Brandon, who, in his turn, was recovering himself, "no,
+I can't say that you were very kind at first. How you did fly out at
+me and surprise me. It was so unexpected it almost took me off my
+feet," and they both laughed in remembering the scene of their first
+meeting. "No, I can't say your kindness showed itself very strongly in
+that first interview, but it was there nevertheless, and when Lady
+Jane led me back, your real nature asserted itself, as it always does,
+and you were kind to me; kind as only you can be."
+
+That was getting very near to the sentimental; dangerously near, he
+thought; and he said to himself: "If this does not end quickly I shall
+have to escape."
+
+"You are easily satisfied if you call that good," laughingly returned
+Mary. "I can be ever so much better than that if I try."
+
+"Let me see you try," said Brandon.
+
+"Why, I'm trying now," answered Mary with a distracting little pout.
+"Don't you know genuine out-and-out goodness when you see it? I'm
+doing my very best now. Can't you tell?"
+
+"Yes, I think I recognize it; but--but--be bad again."
+
+"No, I won't! I will not be bad even to please you; I have determined
+not to be bad and I will not--not even to be good. This," placing her
+hand over her heart, "is just full of 'good' to-day," and her lips
+parted as she laughed at her own pleasantry.
+
+"I am afraid you had better be bad--I give you fair warning," said
+Brandon huskily. He felt her eyes upon him all the time, and his
+strength and good resolves were oozing out like wine from an
+ill-coppered cask. After a short silence Mary continued, regardless of
+the warning:
+
+"But the position is reversed with us; at first I was unkind to you,
+and you were kind to me, but now I am kind to you and you are unkind
+to me."
+
+"I can come back at you with your own words," responded Brandon. "You
+don't know when I am kind to you. I should be kinder to myself, at
+least, were I to leave you and take myself to the other side of the
+world."
+
+"Oh! that is one thing I wanted to ask you about. Jane tells me you
+are going to New Spain?"
+
+She was anxious to know, but asked the question partly to turn the
+conversation which was fast becoming perilous. As a girl, she loved
+Brandon, and knew it only too well, but she knew also that she was a
+princess, standing next to the throne of the greatest kingdom on
+earth; in fact, at that time, the heir apparent--Henry having no
+children--for the people would not have the Scotch king's imp--and the
+possibility of such a thing as a union with Brandon had never entered
+her head, however passionate her feelings toward him. She also knew
+that speaking a thought vitalizes it and gives it force; so, although
+she could not deny herself the pleasure of being near him, of seeing
+him, and hearing the tones of his voice, and now and then feeling the
+thrill of an accidental touch, she had enough good sense to know that
+a mutual confession, that is, taking it for granted Brandon loved her,
+as she felt almost sure he did, must be avoided at all hazards. It was
+not to be thought of between people so far apart as they. The brink
+was a delightful place, full of all the sweet ecstasies and thrilling
+joys of a seventh heaven, but over the brink--well! there should be no
+"over," for who was she? And who was he? Those two dreadfully stubborn
+facts could not be forgotten, and the gulf between them could not be
+spanned; she knew that only too well. No one better.
+
+Brandon answered her question: "I do not know about going; I think I
+shall. I have volunteered with a ship that sails in two or three weeks
+from Bristol, and I suppose I shall go."
+
+"Oh, no! do you really mean it?" It gave her a pang to hear that he
+was actually going, and her love pulsed higher; but she also felt a
+sense of relief, somewhat as a conscientious house-breaker might feel
+upon finding the door securely locked against him. It would take away
+a temptation which she could not resist, and yet dared not yield to
+much longer.
+
+"I think there is no doubt that I mean it," replied Brandon. "I should
+like to remain in England until I can save enough money out of the
+king's allowance to pay the debt against my father's estate, so that I
+may be able to go away and feel that my brother and sisters are secure
+in their home--my brother is not strong--but I know it is better for
+me to go now, and I hope to find the money out there. I could have
+paid it with what I lost to Judson before I discovered him cheating."
+This was the first time he had ever alluded to the duel, and the
+thought of it, in Mary's mind, added a faint touch of fear to her
+feeling toward him.
+
+She looked up with a light in her eyes and asked: "What is the debt?
+How much? Let me give you the money. I have so much more than I need.
+Let me pay it. Please tell me how much it is and I will hand it to
+you. You can come to my rooms and get it or I will send it to you. Now
+tell me that I may. Quickly." And she was alive with enthusiastic
+interest.
+
+"There now! you are kind again; as kind as even you can be. Be sure, I
+thank you, though I say it only once," and he looked into her eyes
+with a gaze she could not stand even for an instant. This was growing
+dangerous again, so, catching himself, he turned the conversation
+back into the bantering vein.
+
+"Ah! you want to pay the debt that I may have no excuse to remain? Is
+that it? Perhaps you are not so kind after all."
+
+"No! no! you know better. But let me pay the debt. How much is it and
+to whom is it owing? Tell me at once, I command you."
+
+"No! no! Lady Mary, I cannot."
+
+"Please do. I beg--if I cannot command. Now I know you will; you would
+not make me _beg_ twice for anything?" She drew closer to him as she
+spoke and put her hand coaxingly upon his arm. With an irresistible
+impulse he took the hand in his and lifted it to his lips in a
+lingering caress that could not be mistaken. It was all so quick and
+so full of fire and meaning that Mary took fright, and the princess,
+for the moment, came uppermost.
+
+"Master Brandon!" she exclaimed sharply, and drew away her hand.
+Brandon dropped the hand and moved over on the seat. He did not speak,
+but turned his face from her and looked out of the window toward the
+river. Thus they sat in silence, Brandon's hand resting listlessly
+upon the cushion between them. Mary saw the eloquent movement away
+from her and his speaking attitude, with averted face; then the
+princess went into eclipse, and the imperial woman was ascendant once
+more. She looked at him for a brief space with softening eyes, and,
+lifting her hand, put it back in his, saying:
+
+"There it is again--if you want it."
+
+Want it? Ah! this was too much! The hand would not satisfy now; it
+must be all, all! And he caught her to his arms with a violence that
+frightened her.
+
+"Please don't, please! Not this time. Ah! have mercy, Charl--Well!
+There!... There!... Mary mother, forgive me." Then her woman spirit
+fell before the whirlwind of his passion, and she was on his breast
+with her white arms around his neck, paying the same tribute to the
+little blind god that he would have exacted from the lowliest maiden
+of the land. Just as though it were not the blood of fifty kings and
+queens that made so red and sweet, aye, sweet as nectar thrice
+distilled, those lips which now so freely paid their dues in coined
+bliss.
+
+Brandon held the girl for a moment or two, then fell upon his knees
+and buried his face in her lap.
+
+"Heaven help me!" he cried.
+
+She pushed the hair back from his forehead with her hand and as she
+fondled the curls, leaned over him and softly whispered:
+
+"Heaven help us both; for I love you!"
+
+He sprang to his feet. "Don't! don't! I pray you," he said wildly, and
+almost ran from her.
+
+Mary followed him nearly to the door of the room, but when he turned
+he saw that she had stopped, and was standing with her hands over her
+face, as if in tears.
+
+He went back to her and said: "I tried to avoid this, and if you had
+helped me, it would never--" But he remembered how he had always
+despised Adam for throwing the blame upon Eve, no matter how much she
+may have deserved it, and continued: "No; I do not mean that. It is
+all my fault. I should have gone away long ago. I could not help it; I
+tried. Oh! I tried."
+
+Mary's eyes were bent upon the floor, and tears were falling over her
+flushed cheeks, unheeded and unchecked.
+
+"There is no fault in any one; neither could I help it," she murmured.
+
+"No, no; it is not that there is any fault in the ordinary sense; it
+is like suicide or any other great, self-inflicted injury with me. I
+am different from other men. I shall never recover."
+
+"I know only too well that you are different from other men, and--and
+I, too, am different from other women--am I not?"
+
+"Ah, different! There is no other woman in all this wide, long world,"
+and they were in each other's arms again. She turned her shoulder to
+him and rested with the support of his arms about her. Her eyes were
+cast down in silence, and she was evidently thinking as she toyed with
+the lace of his doublet. Brandon knew her varying expressions so well
+that he saw there was something wanting, so he asked:
+
+"Is there something you wish to say?"
+
+"Not I," she responded with emphasis on the pronoun.
+
+"Then is it something you wish me to say?"
+
+She nodded her head slowly: "Yes."
+
+"What is it? Tell me and I will say it."
+
+She shook her head slowly: "No."
+
+"What is it? I cannot guess."
+
+"Did you not like to hear me say that--that I--loved you?"
+
+"Ah, yes; you know it. But--oh!--do you wish to hear me say it?"
+
+The head nodded rapidly two or three times: "Yes." And the black
+curving lashes were lifted for a fleeting, luminous instant.
+
+"It is surely not necessary; you have known it so long already, but I
+am only too glad to say it. I love you."
+
+She nestled closer to him and hid her face on his breast.
+
+"Now that I have said it, what is my reward?" he asked--and the fair
+face came up, red and rosy, with "rewards," any one of which was worth
+a king's ransom.
+
+"But this is worse than insanity," cried Brandon, as he almost pushed
+her from him. "We can never belong to each other; never."
+
+"No," said Mary, with a despairing shake of the head, as the tears
+began to flow again; "no! never." And falling upon his knees, he
+caught both her hands in his, sprang to his feet and ran from the
+room.
+
+Her words showed him the chasm anew. She saw the distance between them
+even better than he. Evidently it seemed farther looking down than
+looking up. There was nothing left now but flight.
+
+He sought refuge in his own apartments and wildly walked the floor,
+exclaiming, "Fool! fool that I am to lay up this store of agony to
+last me all my days. Why did I ever come to this court? God pity
+me--pity me!" And he fell upon his knees at the bed, burying his face
+in his arms, his mighty man's frame shaking as with a palsy.
+
+That same night Brandon told me how he had committed suicide, as he
+put it, and of his intention to go to Bristol and there await the
+sailing of the ship, and perhaps find a partial resurrection in New
+Spain.
+
+Unfortunately, he could not start for Bristol at once, as he had given
+some challenges for a tournament at Richmond, and could furnish no
+good excuse to withdraw them; but he would not leave his room, nor
+again see "that girl who was driving him mad."
+
+It was better, he thought, and wisely too, that there be no
+leave-taking, but that he should go without meeting her.
+
+"If I see her again," he said, "I shall have to kill some one, even if
+it is only myself."
+
+I heard him tossing in his bed all night, and when morning came he
+arose looking haggard enough, but with his determination to run away
+and see Mary no more, stronger than ever upon him.
+
+But providence, or fate, or some one, ordered it differently, and
+there was plenty of trouble ahead.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER VIII_
+
+_The Trouble in Billingsgate Ward_
+
+
+About a week after Brandon's memorable interview with Mary an incident
+occurred which changed everything and came very near terminating his
+career in the flower of youth. It also brought about a situation of
+affairs that showed the difference in the quality of these two persons
+thrown so marvelously together from their far distant stations at each
+end of the ladder of fortune, in a way that reflected very little
+credit upon the one from the upper end. But before I tell you of that
+I will relate briefly one or two other matters that had a bearing upon
+what was done, and the motives prompting it.
+
+To begin with, Brandon had kept himself entirely away from the
+princess ever since the afternoon at the king's ante-chamber. The
+first day or so she sighed, but thought little of his absence; then
+she wept, and as usual began to grow piqued and irritable.
+
+What was left of her judgment told her it was better for them to
+remain apart, but her longing to see Brandon grew stronger as the
+prospect of it grew less, and she became angry that it could not be
+gratified. Jane was right; an unsatisfied desire with Mary was
+torture. Even her sense of the great distance between them had begun
+to fade, and when she so wished for him and he did not come, their
+positions seemed to be reversed. At the end of the third day she sent
+for him to come to her rooms, but he, by a mighty effort, sent back a
+brief note saying that he could not and ought not to go. This, of
+course, threw Mary into a great passion, for she judged him by
+herself--a very common but dangerous method of judgment--and thought
+that if he felt at all as she did, he would throw prudence to the
+winds and come to her, as she knew she would go to him if she could.
+It did not occur to her that Brandon knew himself well enough to be
+sure he would never go to New Spain if he allowed another grain of
+temptation to fall into the balance against him, but would remain in
+London to love hopelessly, to try to win a hopeless cause, and end it
+all by placing his head upon the block.
+
+It required all his strength, even now, to hold fast his determination
+to go to New Spain. He had reached his limit. He had a fund of that
+most useful of all wisdom, knowledge of self, and knew his
+limitations; a little matter concerning which nine men out of ten go
+all their lives in blissless ignorance.
+
+Mary, who was no more given to self-analysis than her pet linnet, did
+not appreciate Brandon's potent reasons, and was in a flaming passion
+when she received his answer. Rage and humiliation completely
+smothered, for the time, her affection, and she said to herself, over
+and over again: "I hate the low-born wretch. Oh! to think what I have
+permitted!" And tears of shame and repentance came in a flood, as they
+have come from yielding woman's eyes since the world was born. Then
+she began to doubt his motives. As long as she thought she had given
+her gift to one who offered a responsive passion, she was glad and
+proud of what she had done, but she had heard of man's pretense in
+order to cozen woman out of her favors, and she began to think she had
+been deceived. To her the logic seemed irresistible; that if the same
+motive lived in his heart, and prompted him, that burned in her
+breast, and induced her, who was virgin to her very heart-core, and
+whose hand had hardly before been touched by the hand of man, to give
+so much, no power of prudence could keep him away from her. So she
+concluded she had given her gold for his dross. This conclusion was
+more easily arrived at owing to the fact that she had never been
+entirely sure of the state of his heart. There had always been a
+love-exciting grain of doubt; and when the thought came to her that
+she had been obliged to ask him to tell her of his affection, and that
+the advances had really all been made by her, that confirmed her
+suspicions. It seemed only too clear that she had been too quick to
+give--no very comforting thought to a proud girl, even though a
+mistaken one.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+As the days went by and Brandon did not come, her anger cooled, as
+usual, and again her heart began to ache; but her sense of injury grew
+stronger day by day, and she thought she was, beyond a doubt, the most
+ill-used of women.
+
+The other matter I wish to tell you is, that the negotiations for
+Mary's marriage with old Louis XII of France were beginning to be an
+open secret about the court. The Duc de Longueville, who had been held
+by Henry for some time as a sort of hostage from the French king, had
+opened negotiations by inflaming the flickering passions of old Louis
+with descriptions of Mary's beauty. As there was a prospect of a new
+emperor soon, and as the imperial bee had of late been making a most
+vehement buzzing in Henry's bonnet, he encouraged de Longueville, and
+thought it would be a good time to purchase the help of France at the
+cost of his beautiful sister and a handsome dower. Mary, of course,
+had not been consulted, and although she had coaxed her brother out of
+other marriage projects, Henry had gone about this as if he were in
+earnest, and it was thought throughout the court that Mary's coaxings
+would be all in vain--a fear which she herself had begun to share,
+notwithstanding her usual self-confidence.
+
+She hated the thought of the marriage, and dreaded it as she would
+death itself, though she said nothing to any one but Jane, and was
+holding her forces in reserve for the grand attack. She was preparing
+the way by being very sweet and kind to Henry.
+
+Now, all of this, coming upon the heels of her trouble with Brandon,
+made her most wretched indeed. For the first time in her life she
+began to feel suffering; that great broadener, in fact, maker, of
+human character.
+
+Above all, there was an alarming sense of uncertainty in everything.
+She could hardly bring herself to believe that Brandon would really go
+to New Spain, and that she would actually lose him, although she did
+not want him, as yet; that is, as a prospective husband. Flashes of
+all sorts of wild schemes had begun to shoot through her anger and
+grief when she stared in the face the prospect of her double
+separation from him--her marriage to another, and the countless miles
+of fathomless sea that would be between them. She could endure
+anything better than uncertainty. A menacing future is the keenest of
+all tortures for any of us to bear, but especially for a girl like
+Mary. Death itself is not so terrible as the fear of it.
+
+Now about this time there lived over in Billingsgate Ward--the worst
+part of London--a Jewish soothsayer named Grouche. He was also an
+astrologer, and had of late grown into great fame as prophet of the
+future--a fortune-teller.
+
+His fame rested on several remarkable predictions which had been
+fulfilled to the letter, and I really think the man had some wonderful
+powers. They said he was half Jew, half gypsy, and, if there is
+alchemy in the mixing of blood, that combination should surely produce
+something peculiar. The city folk were said to have visited him in
+great numbers, and, notwithstanding the priests and bishops all
+condemned him as an imp of Satan and a follower of witchcraft, many
+fine people, including some court ladies, continued to go there by
+stealth in order to take a dangerous, inquisitive peep into the
+future. I say by stealth; because his ostensible occupation of
+soothsaying and fortune-telling was not his only business. His house
+was really a place of illicit meeting, and the soothsaying was often
+but an excuse for going there. Lacking this ostensible occupation, he
+would not have been allowed to keep his house within the wall, but
+would have been relegated to his proper place--Bridge Ward Without.
+
+Mary had long wanted to see this Grouche, at first out of mere
+curiosity; but Henry, who was very moral--with other people's
+consciences--would not think of permitting it. Two ladies, Lady
+Chesterfield and Lady Ormond, both good and virtuous women, had been
+detected in such a visit, and had been disgraced and expelled from
+court in the most cruel manner by order of the king himself.
+
+Now, added to Mary's old-time desire to see Grouche, came a longing to
+know the outcome of the present momentous complication of affairs that
+touched her so closely.
+
+She could not wait for Time to unfold himself, and drop his budget of
+events as he traveled, but she must plunge ahead of him, and know,
+beforehand, the stores of the fates--an intrusion they usually resent.
+I need not tell you that was Mary's only object in going, nor that her
+heart was as pure as a babe's--quite as chaste and almost as innocent.
+It is equally true that the large proportion of persons who visited
+Grouche made his soothsaying an excuse. The thought of how wretched
+life would be with Louis had put into Mary's mind the thought of how
+sweet it would be with Brandon. Then came the wish that Brandon had
+been a prince, or even a great English nobleman; and then leaped up,
+all rainbow-hued, the hope that he might yet, by reason of his own
+great virtues, rise to all of these, and she become his wife. But at
+the threshold of this fair castle came knocking the thought that
+perhaps he did not care for her, and had deceived her to gain her
+favors. Then she flushed with anger and swore to herself she hated
+him, and hoped never to see his face again. And the castle faded and
+was wafted away to the realms of airy nothingness.
+
+Ah! how people will sometimes lie to themselves; and sensible people
+at that.
+
+So Mary wanted to see Grouche; first, through curiosity, in itself a
+stronger motive than we give it credit for; second, to learn if she
+would be able to dissuade Henry from the French marriage and perhaps
+catch a hint how to do it; and last, but by no means least, to
+discover the state of Brandon's heart toward her.
+
+By this time the last-named motive was strong enough to draw her any
+whither, although she would not acknowledge it, even to herself, and
+in truth hardly knew it; so full are we of things we know not of.
+
+So she determined to go to see Grouche secretly, and was confident she
+could arrange the visit in such a way that it would never be
+discovered.
+
+One morning I met Jane, who told me, with troubled face, that she and
+Mary were going to London to make some purchases, would lodge at
+Bridewell House, and go over to Billingsgate that evening to consult
+Grouche. Mary had taken the whim into her wilful head, and Jane could
+not dissuade her.
+
+The court was all at Greenwich, and nobody at Bridewell, so Mary
+thought they could disguise themselves as orange girls and easily make
+the trip without any one being the wiser.
+
+It was then, as now, no safe matter for even a man to go unattended
+through the best parts of London after dark, to say nothing of
+Billingsgate, that nest of water-rats and cut-throats. But Mary did
+not realize the full danger of the trip, and would, as usual, allow
+nobody to tell her.
+
+She had threatened Jane with all sorts of vengeance if she divulged
+her secret, and Jane was miserable enough between her fears on either
+hand; for Mary, though the younger, held her in complete subjection.
+Despite her fear of Mary, Jane asked me to go to London and follow
+them at a distance, unknown to the princess. I was to be on duty that
+night at a dance given in honor of the French envoys who had just
+arrived, bringing with them commission of special ambassador to de
+Longueville to negotiate the treaty of marriage, and it was impossible
+for me to go. Mary was going partly to avoid this ball, and her wilful
+persistency made Henry very angry. I regretted that I could not go,
+but I promised Jane I would send Brandon in my place, and he would
+answer the purpose of protection far better than I. I suggested that
+Brandon take with him a man, but Jane, who was in mortal fear of Mary,
+would not listen to it. So it was agreed that Brandon should meet Jane
+at a given place and learn the particulars, and this plan was carried
+out.
+
+Brandon went up to London and saw Jane, and before the appointed time
+hid himself behind a hedge near the private gate through which the
+girls intended to take their departure from Bridewell.
+
+They would leave about dusk and return, so Mary said, before it grew
+dark.
+
+The citizens of London at that time paid very little attention to the
+law requiring them to hang out their lights, and when it was dark it
+_was_ dark.
+
+Scarcely was Brandon safely ensconced behind a clump of arbor vitae
+when whom should he see coming down the path toward the gate but his
+grace, the Duke of Buckingham. He was met by one of the Bridewell
+servants who was in attendance upon the princess.
+
+"Yes, your grace, this is the gate," said the girl. "You can hide
+yourself and watch them as they go. They will pass out on this path.
+As I said, I do not know where they are going; I only overheard them
+say they would go out at this gate just before dark. I am sure they go
+on some errand of gallantry, which your grace will soon learn, I make
+no doubt."
+
+He replied that he "would take care of that."
+
+Brandon did not see where Buckingham hid himself, but soon the two
+innocent adventurers came down the path, attired in the short skirts
+and bonnets of orange girls, and let themselves out at the gate.
+Buckingham followed them and Brandon quickly followed him. The girls
+passed through a little postern in the wall opposite Bridewell House,
+and walked rapidly up Fleet Ditch; climbed Ludgate Hill; passed Paul's
+church; turned toward the river down Bennett Hill; to the left on
+Thames street; then on past the Bridge, following Lower Thames street
+to the neighborhood of Fish-street Hill, where they took an alley
+leading up toward East Cheap to Grouche's house.
+
+It was a brave thing for the girl to do, and showed the determined
+spirit that dwelt in her soft white breast. Aside from the real
+dangers, there was enough to deter any woman, I should think.
+
+Jane wept all the way over, but Mary never flinched.
+
+There were great mud-holes where one sank ankle-deep, for no one paved
+the street at that time, strangely enough preferring to pay the
+sixpence fine per square yard for leaving it undone. At one place,
+Brandon told me, a load of hay blocked the streets, compelling them to
+squeeze between the houses and the hay. He could hardly believe the
+girls had passed that way, as he had not always been able to keep them
+in view, but had sometimes to follow them by watching Buckingham. He,
+however, kept as close as possible, and presently saw them turn down
+Grouche's alley and enter his house.
+
+Upon learning where they had stopped, Buckingham hurriedly took
+himself off, and Brandon waited for the girls to come out. It seemed a
+very long time that they were in the wretched place, and darkness had
+well descended upon London when they emerged.
+
+Mary soon noticed that a man was following them, and as she did not
+know who he was, became greatly alarmed. The object of her journey had
+been accomplished now, so the spur of a strong motive to keep her
+courage up was lacking.
+
+"Jane, some one is following us," she whispered.
+
+"Yes," answered Jane, with an unconcern that surprised Mary, for she
+knew Jane was a coward from the top of her brown head to the tip of
+her little pink heels.
+
+"Oh, if I had only taken your advice, Jane, and had never come to this
+wretched place; and to think, too, that I came here only to learn the
+worst. Shall we ever get home alive, do you think?"
+
+They hurried on, the man behind them taking less care to remain unseen
+than he did when coming. Mary's fears grew upon her as she heard his
+step and saw his form persistently following them, and she clutched
+Jane by the arm.
+
+"It is all over with us, I know. I would give everything I have or
+ever expect to have on earth for--for Master Brandon at this moment."
+She thought of him as the one person best able to defend her.
+
+This was only too welcome an opportunity, and Jane said: "That is
+Master Brandon following us. If we wait a few seconds he will be
+here," and she called to him before Mary could interpose.
+
+Now this disclosure operated in two ways. Brandon's presence was, it
+is true, just what Mary had so ardently wished, but the danger, and,
+therefore, the need, was gone when she found that the man who was
+following them had no evil intent. Two thoughts quickly flashed
+through the girl's mind. She was angry with Brandon for having cheated
+her out of so many favors and for having slighted her love, as she had
+succeeded in convincing herself was the case, all of which Grouche had
+confirmed by telling her he was false. Then she had been discovered in
+doing what she knew she should have left undone, and what she was
+anxious to conceal from every one; and, worst of all, had been
+discovered by the very person from whom she was most anxious to hide
+it.
+
+So she turned upon Jane angrily: "Jane Bolingbroke, you shall leave me
+as soon as we get back to Greenwich for this betrayal of my
+confidence."
+
+She was not afraid now that the danger was over, and feared no new
+danger with Brandon at hand to protect her, for in her heart she felt
+that to overcome a few fiery dragons and a company or so of giants
+would be a mere pastime to him; yet see how she treated him. The girls
+had stopped when Jane called Brandon, and he was at once by their side
+with uncovered head, hoping for, and, of course, expecting, a warm
+welcome. But even Brandon, with his fund of worldly philosophy, had
+not learned not to put his trust in princesses, and his surprise was
+benumbing when Mary turned angrily upon him.
+
+"Master Brandon, your impudence in following us shall cost you dearly.
+We do not desire your company, and will thank you to leave us to our
+own affairs, as we wish you to attend exclusively to yours."
+
+This from the girl who had given him so much within less than a week!
+Poor Brandon!
+
+Jane, who had called him up, and was the cause of his following them,
+began to weep.
+
+"Sir," said she, "forgive me; it was not my fault; she had just
+said--" Slap! came Mary's hand on Jane's mouth; and Jane was marched
+off, weeping bitterly.
+
+The girls had started up toward East Cheap when they left Grouche's,
+intending to go home by an upper route, and now they walked rapidly in
+that direction. Brandon continued to follow them, notwithstanding what
+Mary had said, and she thanked him and her God ever after that he did.
+
+They had been walking not more than five minutes, when, just as the
+girls turned a corner into a secluded little street, winding its way
+among the fish warehouses, four horsemen passed Brandon in evident
+pursuit of them. Brandon hurried forward, but before he reached the
+corner heard screams of fright, and as he turned into the street
+distinctly saw that two of the men had dismounted and were trying to
+overtake the fleeing girls. Fright lent wings to their feet, and their
+short skirts affording freedom to their limbs, they were giving the
+pursuers a warm little race, screaming at every step to the full limit
+of their voices. How they did run and scream! It was but a moment till
+Brandon came up with the pursuers, who, all unconscious that they in
+turn were pursued, did not expect an attack from the rear. The men
+remaining on horseback shouted an alarm to their comrades, but so
+intent were the latter in their pursuit that they did not hear. One of
+the men on foot fell dead, pierced through the back of the neck by
+Brandon's sword, before either was aware of his presence. The other
+turned, but was a corpse before he could cry out. The girls had
+stopped a short distance ahead, exhausted by their flight. Mary had
+stumbled and fallen, but had risen again, and both were now leaning
+against a wall, clinging to each other, a picture of abject terror.
+Brandon ran to the girls, but by the time he reached them the two men
+on horseback were there also, hacking away at him from their saddles.
+Brandon did his best to save himself from being cut to pieces and the
+girls from being trampled under foot by the prancing horses. A narrow
+jutting of the wall, a foot or two in width, a sort of flying
+buttress, gave him a little advantage, and up into the slight shelter
+of the corner thus formed he thrust the girls, and with his back to
+them, faced his unequal foe with drawn sword. Fortunately the position
+allowed only one horse to attack them. Two men on foot would have been
+less in each other's way and much more effective. The men, however,
+stuck to their horses, and one of them pressed the attack, striking at
+Brandon most viciously. It being dark, and the distance deceptive, the
+horseman's sword at last struck the wall, a flash of sparks flying in
+its trail, and lucky it was, or this story would have ended here.
+Thereupon Brandon thrust his sword into the horse's throat, causing it
+to rear backward, plunging and lunging into the street, where it fell,
+holding its rider by the leg against the cobble-stones of a little
+gutter.
+
+A cry from the fallen horseman brought his companion to his side, and
+gave Brandon an opportunity to escape with the girls. Of this he took
+advantage, you may be sure, for one of his mottoes was, that the
+greatest fool in the world is he who does not early in life learn how
+and when to run.
+
+In the light of the sparks from the sword-stroke upon the wall, brief
+as it was, Brandon recognized the face of Buckingham, from which the
+mask had fallen. Of this he did not speak to any one till long
+afterward, and his silence was almost his undoing.
+
+How often a word spoken or unspoken may have the very deuce in it
+either way!
+
+The girls were nearly dead from fright, and in order to make any sort
+of progress Brandon had to carry the princess and help Jane until he
+thought they were out of danger. Jane soon recovered, but Mary did not
+seem anxious to walk, and lay with her head upon Brandon's shoulder,
+apparently contented enough.
+
+In a few minutes Jane said, "If you can walk now, my lady, I think you
+had better. We shall soon be near Fishmonger's Hall, where some one is
+sure to be standing at this hour."
+
+Mary said nothing in reply to Jane, but, as Brandon fell a step or two
+behind at a narrow crossing, whispered:
+
+"Forgive me, forgive me; I will do any penance you ask; I am unworthy
+to speak your name. I owe you my life and more--and more a thousand
+times." At this she lifted her arm and placed her hand upon his cheek
+and neck. She then learned for the first time that he was wounded, and
+the tears came softly as she slipped from his arms to the ground. She
+walked beside him quietly for a little time, then, taking his hand in
+both of hers, gently lifted it to her lips and laid it upon her
+breast. Half an hour afterward Brandon left the girls at Bridewell
+House, went over to the Bridge where he had left his horse at a
+hostelry, and rode down to Greenwich.
+
+So Mary had made her trip to Grouche's, but it was labor worse than
+lost. Grouche had told her nothing she wanted to know, though much
+that he supposed she would like to learn. He had told her she had many
+lovers, a fact which her face and form would make easy enough to
+discover. He informed her also that she had a low-born lover, and in
+order to put a little evil in with the good fortune, and give what he
+said an air of truth, he added to Mary's state of unrest more than he
+thought by telling her that her low-born lover was false. He thought
+to flatter her by predicting that she would soon marry a very great
+prince or nobleman, the indications being in favor of the former, and,
+in place of this making her happy, she wished the wretched soothsayer
+in the bottomless pit--he and all his prophecies; herself, too, for
+going to him. His guesses were pretty shrewd; that is, admitting he
+did not know who Mary was, which she at least supposed was the case.
+So Mary wept that night and moaned and moaned because she had gone to
+Grouche's. It had added infinitely to the pain of which her heart was
+already too full, and made her thoroughly wretched and unhappy. As
+usual though, with the blunders of stubborn, self-willed people, some
+one else had to pay the cost of her folly. Brandon was paymaster in
+this case, and when you see how dearly he paid, and how poorly she
+requited the debt, I fear you will despise her. Wait, though! Be not
+hasty. The right of judgment belongs to--you know whom. No man knows
+another man's heart, much less a woman's, so how can he judge? We
+shall all have more than enough of judging by and by. So let us put
+off for as many to-morrows as possible the thing that should be left
+undone to-day.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER IX_
+
+_Put not your Trust in Princesses_
+
+
+I thought the king's dance that night would never end, so fond were
+the Frenchmen of our fair ladies, and I was more than anxious to see
+Brandon and learn the issue of the girls' escapade, as I well knew the
+danger attending it.
+
+All things, however, must end, so early in the morning I hastened to
+our rooms, where I found Brandon lying in his clothes, everything
+saturated with blood from a dozen sword cuts. He was very weak, and I
+at once had in a barber, who took off his shirt of mail and dressed
+his wounds. He then dropped into a deep sleep, while I watched the
+night out. Upon awakening Brandon told me all that had happened, but
+asked me to say nothing of his illness, as he wished to keep the fact
+of his wounds secret in order that he might better conceal the cause
+of them. But, as I told you, he did not speak of Buckingham's part in
+the affray.
+
+I saw the princess that afternoon, and expected, of course, she would
+inquire for her defender. One who had given such timely help and who
+was suffering so much on her account was surely worth a little
+solicitude; but not a word did she ask. She did not come near me, but
+made a point of avoidance, as I could plainly see. The next morning
+she, with Jane, went over to Scotland Palace without so much as a
+breath of inquiry from either of them. This heartless conduct enraged
+me; but I was glad to learn afterward that Jane's silence was at
+Mary's command--that bundle of selfishness fearing that any
+solicitude, however carefully shown upon her part, might reveal her
+secret.
+
+It seems that Mary had recent intelligence of the forward state of
+affairs in the marriage negotiations, and felt that a discovery by her
+brother of what she had done, especially in view of the disastrous
+results, would send her to France despite all the coaxing she could do
+from then till doomsday.
+
+It was a terrible fate hanging over her, doubly so in view of the fact
+that she loved another man; and looking back at it all from the
+vantage point of time, I cannot wonder that it drove other things out
+of her head and made her seem selfish in her frightened desire to save
+herself.
+
+About twelve o'clock of the following night I was awakened by a knock
+at my door, and, upon opening, in walked a sergeant of the sheriff of
+London, with four yeomen at his heels.
+
+The sergeant asked if one Charles Brandon was present, and upon my
+affirmative answer demanded that he be forthcoming. I told the
+sergeant that Brandon was confined to his bed with illness, whereupon
+he asked to be shown to his room.
+
+It was useless to resist or to evade, so I awakened Brandon and took
+the sergeant in. Here he read his warrant to arrest Charles Brandon,
+Esquire, for the murder of two citizens of London, perpetrated, done
+and committed upon the night of such and such a day, of this year of
+our Lord, 1514. Brandon's hat had been found by the side of the dead
+men, and the authorities had received information from a high source
+that Brandon was the guilty person. That high source was evidently
+Buckingham.
+
+When the sergeant found Brandon covered with wounds there was no
+longer any doubt, and although hardly able to lift his hand he was
+forced to dress and go with them. A horse litter was procured and we
+all started to London.
+
+While Brandon was dressing, I said I would at once go and awaken the
+king, who I knew would pardon the offense when he heard my story, but
+Brandon asked the sergeant to leave us to ourselves for a short time,
+and closed the door.
+
+"Please do nothing of the sort, Caskoden," said he; "if you tell the
+king I will declare there is not one word of truth in your story.
+There is only one person in the world who may tell of that night's
+happenings, and if she does not they shall remain untold. She will
+make it all right at once, I know. I would not do her the foul wrong
+to think for one instant that she will fail. You do not know her; she
+sometimes seems selfish, but it is thoughtlessness fostered by
+flattery, and her heart is right. I would trust her with my life. If
+you breathe a word of what I have told you, you may do more harm than
+you can ever remedy, and I ask you to say nothing to any one. If the
+princess would not liberate me ... but that is not to be thought of.
+Never doubt that she can and will do it better than you think. She is
+all gold."
+
+This, of course, silenced me, as I did not know what new danger I
+might create, nor how I might mar the matter I so much wished to mend.
+I did not tell Brandon that the girls had left Greenwich, nor of my
+undefined, and, perhaps, unfounded fear that Mary might not act as he
+thought she would in a great emergency, but silently helped him to
+dress and went to London along with him and the sheriff's sergeant.
+
+Brandon was taken to Newgate, the most loathsome prison in London at
+that time, it being used for felons, while Ludgate was for debtors.
+Here he was thrown into an underground dungeon foul with water that
+seeped through the old masonry from the moat, and alive with every
+noisome thing that creeps. There was no bed, no stool, no floor, not
+even a wisp of a straw; simply the reeking stone walls, covered with
+fungus, and the windowless arch overhead. One could hardly conceive a
+more horrible place in which to spend even a moment. I had a glimpse
+of it by the light of the keeper's lantern as they put him in, and it
+seemed to me a single night in that awful place would have killed me
+or driven me mad. I protested and begged and tried to bribe, but it
+was all of no avail; the keeper had been bribed before I arrived.
+Although it could do no possible good, I was glad to stand outside the
+prison walls in the drenching rain, all the rest of that wretched
+night, that I might be as near as possible to my friend and suffer a
+little with him.
+
+Was not I, too, greatly indebted to him? Had he not imperiled his life
+and given his blood to save the honor of Jane as well as of
+Mary--Jane, dearer to me a thousand-fold than the breath of my
+nostrils? And was he not suffering at that moment because of this
+great service, performed at my request and in my place? If my whole
+soul had not gone out to him I should have been the most ungrateful
+wretch on earth; worse even than a pair of selfish, careless girls.
+But it did go out to him, and I believe I would have bartered my life
+to have freed him from another hour in that dungeon.
+
+As soon as the prison gates were opened next morning, I again
+importuned the keeper to give Brandon a more comfortable cell, but his
+reply was that such crimes had of late become so frequent in London
+that no favor could be shown those who committed them, and that men
+like Brandon, who ought to know and act better, deserved the maximum
+punishment.
+
+I told him he was wrong in this case; that I knew the facts, and
+everything would be clearly explained that very day and Brandon
+released.
+
+"That's all very well," responded the stubborn creature; "nobody is
+guilty who comes here; they can every one prove innocence clearly and
+at once. Notwithstanding, they nearly all hang, and frequently, for
+variety's sake, are drawn and quartered."
+
+I waited about Newgate until nine o'clock, and as I passed out met
+Buckingham and his man Johnson, a sort of lawyer-knight, going in. I
+went down to the palace at Greenwich, and finding that the girls were
+still at Scotland Palace, rode over at once to see them.
+
+Upon getting Mary and Jane to myself, I told them of Brandon's arrest
+on the charge of murder, and of his condition, lying half dead from
+wounds and loss of blood, in that frightful dungeon. The tale moved
+them greatly, and they both gave way to tears. I think Mary had heard
+of the arrest before, as she did not seem surprised.
+
+"Do you think he will tell the cause of the killing?" she asked.
+
+"I know he will not," I answered; "but I also know that he knows you
+will," and I looked straight into her face.
+
+"Certainly we will," said Jane; "we will go to the king at once," and
+she was on the _qui vive_ to start immediately.
+
+Mary did not at once consent to Jane's proposition, but sat in a
+reverie, looking with tearful eyes into vacancy, apparently absorbed
+in thought. After a little pressing from us she said: "I suppose it
+will have to be done; I can see no other way; but blessed Mother
+Mary!... help me!"
+
+The girls made hasty preparations, and we all started back to
+Greenwich that Mary might tell the king. On the road over, I stopped
+at Newgate to tell Brandon that the princess would soon have him out,
+knowing how welcome liberty would be at her hands; but I was not
+permitted to see him.
+
+I swallowed my disappointment, and thought it would be only a matter
+of a few hours' delay--the time spent in riding down to Greenwich and
+sending back a messenger. So, light-hearted enough at the prospect, I
+soon joined the girls, and we cantered briskly home.
+
+After waiting a reasonable time for Mary to see the king, I sought her
+again to learn where and from whom I should receive the order for
+Brandon's release, and when I should go to London to bring him.
+
+What was my surprise and disgust when Mary told me she had not yet
+seen the king--that she had waited to "eat, and bathe, and dress," and
+that "a few moments more or less could make no difference."
+
+"My God! your highness, did I not tell you that the man who saved your
+life and honor--who is covered with wounds received in your defense,
+and almost dead from loss of blood, spilled that you might be saved
+from worse than death--is now lying in a rayless dungeon, a place of
+frightful filth, such as you would not walk across for all the wealth
+of London Bridge; is surrounded by loathsome, creeping things that
+would sicken you but to think of; is resting under a charge whose
+penalty is that he be hanged, drawn and quartered? And yet you stop to
+eat and bathe and dress. In God's name, Mary Tudor, of what stuff are
+you made? If he had waited but one little minute; had stopped for the
+drawing of a breath; had held back for but one faltering thought from
+the terrible odds of four swords to one, what would you now be? Think,
+princess, think!"
+
+I was a little frightened at the length to which my feeling had driven
+me, but Mary took it all very well, and said slowly and
+absent-mindedly:
+
+"You are right; I will go at once; I despise my selfish neglect. There
+is no other way; I have racked my brain--there _is_ no other way. It
+must be done, and I will go at once and do it."
+
+"And I will go with you," said I.
+
+"I do not blame you," she said, "for doubting me, since I have failed
+once; but you need not doubt me now. It shall be done, and without
+delay, regardless of the cost to me. I have thought and thought to
+find some other way to liberate him, but there is none; I will go this
+instant."
+
+"And I will go with you, Lady Mary," said I, doggedly.
+
+She smiled at my persistency, and took me by the hand, saying,
+"Come!"
+
+We at once went off to find the king, but the smile had faded from
+Mary's face, and she looked as if she were going to execution. Every
+shade of color had fled, and her lips were the hue of ashes.
+
+We found the king in the midst of his council, with the French
+ambassadors, discussing the all-absorbing topic of the marriage
+treaty; and Henry, fearing an outbreak, refused to see the princess.
+As usual, opposition but spurred her determination, so she sat down in
+the ante-room and said she would not stir until she had seen the king.
+
+After we had waited a few minutes, one of the king's pages came up and
+said he had been looking all over the palace for me, and that the king
+desired my presence immediately. I went in with the page to the king,
+leaving Mary alone and very melancholy in the ante-chamber.
+
+Upon entering the king's presence he asked, "Where have you been, Sir
+Edwin? I have almost killed a good half-dozen pages hunting you. I
+want you to prepare immediately to go to Paris with an embassy to his
+majesty, King Louis. You will be the interpreter. The ambassador you
+need not know. Make ready at once. The embassy will leave London from
+the Tabard Inn one hour hence."
+
+Could a command to duty have come at a more inopportune time? I was
+distracted; and upon leaving the king went at once to seek the Lady
+Mary where I had left her in the ante-room. She had gone, so I went
+to her apartments, but could not find her. I went to the queen's
+salon, but she was not there, and I traversed that old rambling palace
+from one end to the other without finding her or Lady Jane.
+
+The king had told me the embassy would be a secret one, and that I was
+to speak of it to nobody, least of all to the Lady Mary. No one was to
+know that I was leaving England, and I was to communicate with no one
+at home while in France.
+
+The king's command was not to be disobeyed; to do so would be as much
+as my life was worth, but besides that, the command of the king I
+served was my highest duty, and no Caskoden ever failed in that. I may
+not be as tall as some men, but my fidelity and honor--but you will
+say I boast.
+
+I was to make ready my bundle and ride six miles to London in one
+hour; and almost half that time was spent already. I was sure to be
+late, so I could not waste another minute.
+
+I went to my room and got together a few things necessary for my
+journey, but did not take much in the way of clothing, preferring to
+buy that new in Paris, where I could find the latest styles in pattern
+and fabric.
+
+I tried to assure myself that Mary would see the king at once and tell
+him all, and not allow my dear friend Brandon to lie in that terrible
+place another night; yet a persistent fear gnawed at my heart, and a
+sort of intuition, that seemed to have the very breath of certainty
+in its foreboding, made me doubt her.
+
+As I could find neither Mary nor Jane, I did the next best thing: I
+wrote a letter to each of them, urging immediate action, and left them
+to be delivered by my man Thomas, who was one of those trusty souls
+that never fail. I did not tell the girls I was about to start for
+France, but intimated that I was compelled to leave London for a time,
+and said: "I leave the fate of this man, to whom we all owe so much,
+in your hands, knowing full well how tender you will be of him."
+
+I was away from home nearly a month, and as I dared not write, and
+even Jane did not know where I was, I did not receive, nor expect, any
+letters. The king had ordered secrecy, and if I have mingled with all
+my faults a single virtue it is that of faithfulness to my trust. So I
+had no news from England and sent none home.
+
+During all that time the same old fear lived in my heart that Mary
+might fail to liberate Brandon. She knew of the negotiations
+concerning the French marriage, as we all did, although only by an
+indefinite sort of hearsay, and I was sure the half-founded rumors
+that had reached her ears had long since become certainties, and that
+her heart was full of trouble and fear of her violent brother. She
+would certainly be at her coaxing and wheedling again and on her best
+behavior, and I feared she might refrain from telling Henry of her
+trip to Grouche's, knowing how severe he was in such matters and how
+furious he was sure to become at the discovery. I was certain it was
+this fear which had prevented Mary from going directly to the king on
+our return to Greenwich from Scotland Palace, and I knew that her
+eating, bathing and dressing were but an excuse for a breathing spell
+before the dreaded interview.
+
+This fear remained with me all the time I was away, but when I
+reasoned with myself I would smother it as well as I could with
+argumentative attempts at self-assurance. I would say over and over to
+myself that Mary could not fail, and that even if she did, there was
+Jane, dear, sweet, thoughtful, unselfish Jane, who would not allow her
+to do so. But as far as they go, our intuitions--our "feelings," as we
+call them--are worth all the logic in the world, and you may say what
+you will, but my presentiments--I speak for no one else--are well to
+be minded. There is another sense hidden about us that will develop as
+the race grows older. I speak to posterity.
+
+In proof of this statement, I now tell you that when I returned to
+London I found Brandon still in the terrible dungeon; and, worse
+still, he had been tried for murder, and had been condemned to be
+hanged, drawn and quartered on the second Friday following. Hanged!
+Drawn! Quartered! It is time we were doing away with such barbarity.
+
+We will now go back a month for the purpose of looking up the doings
+of a friend of ours, his grace, the Duke of Buckingham.
+
+On the morning after the fatal battle of Billingsgate, the barber who
+had treated Brandon's wounds had been called to London to dress a
+bruised knee for his grace, the duke. In the course of the operation,
+an immense deal of information oozed out of the barber, one item of
+which was that he had the night before dressed nine wounds, great and
+small, for Master Brandon, the king's friend. This established the
+identity of the man who had rescued the girls, a fact of which
+Buckingham had had his suspicions all along. So Brandon's arrest
+followed, as I have already related to you.
+
+I afterward learned from various sources how this nobleman began to
+avenge his mishap with Brandon at Mary's ball when the latter broke
+his sword point. First, he went to Newgate and gave orders to the
+keeper, who was his tool, to allow no communication with the prisoner,
+and it was by his instructions that Brandon had been confined in the
+worst dungeon in London. Then he went down to Greenwich to take care
+of matters there, knowing that the king would learn of Brandon's
+arrest and probably take steps for his liberation at once.
+
+The king had just heard of the arrest when Buckingham arrived, and the
+latter found he was right in his surmise that his majesty would at
+once demand Brandon's release.
+
+When the duke entered the king's room Henry called to him: "My Lord,
+you are opportunely arrived. So good a friend of the people of London
+can help us greatly this morning. Our friend Brandon has been arrested
+for the killing of two men night before last in Billingsgate ward. I
+am sure there is some mistake, and that the good sheriff has the wrong
+man; but right or wrong, we want him out, and ask your good offices."
+
+"I shall be most happy to serve your majesty, and will go to London at
+once to see the lord mayor."
+
+In the afternoon the duke returned and had a private audience with the
+king.
+
+"I did as your majesty requested in regard to Brandon's release," he
+said, "but on investigation, I thought it best to consult you again
+before proceeding further. I fear there is no doubt that Brandon is
+the right man. It seems he was out with a couple of wenches concerning
+whom he got into trouble and stabbed two men in the back. It is a very
+aggravated case and the citizens are much incensed about it, owing
+partly to the fact that such occurrences have been so frequent of
+late. I thought, under the circumstances, and in view of the fact that
+your majesty will soon call upon the city for a loan to make up the
+Lady Mary's dower, it would be wise not to antagonize them in this
+matter, but to allow Master Brandon to remain quietly in confinement
+until the loan is completed and then we can snap our fingers at
+them."
+
+"We will snap our fingers at the scurvy burghers now and have the
+loan, too," returned Henry, angrily. "I want Brandon liberated at
+once, and I shall expect another report from you immediately, my
+lord."
+
+Buckingham felt that his revenge had slipped through his fingers this
+time, but he was patient where evil was to be accomplished, and could
+wait. Then it was that the council was called during the progress of
+which Mary and I had tried to obtain an audience of the king.
+
+Buckingham had gone to pay his respects to the queen, and on his way
+back espied Mary waiting for the king in the ante-room, and went to
+her.
+
+At first she was irritated at the sight of this man, whom she so
+despised, but a thought came to her that she might make use of him.
+She knew his power with the citizens and city authorities of London,
+and also knew, or thought she knew, that a smile from her could
+accomplish everything with him. She had ample evidence of his
+infatuation, and she hoped that she could procure Brandon's liberty
+through Buckingham without revealing her dangerous secret.
+
+Much to the duke's surprise, she smiled upon him and gave a cordial
+welcome, saying: "My lord, you have been unkind to us of late and have
+not shown us the light of your countenance. I am glad to see you once
+more; tell me the news."
+
+"I cannot say there is much of interest. I have learned the new dance
+from Caskoden, if that is news, and hope for a favor at our next ball
+from the fairest lady in the world."
+
+"And quite welcome," returned Mary, complacently appropriating the
+title, "and welcome to more than one, I hope, my lord."
+
+This graciousness would have looked suspicious to one with less vanity
+than Buckingham, but he saw no craft in it. He did see, however, that
+Mary did not know who had attacked her in Billingsgate, and he felt
+greatly relieved.
+
+The duke smiled and smirked, and was enchanted at her kindness. They
+walked down the corridor, talking and laughing, Mary awaiting an
+opportunity to put the important question without exciting suspicion.
+At last it came, when Buckingham, half inquiringly, expressed his
+surprise that Mary should be found sitting at the king's door.
+
+"I am waiting to see the king," said she. "Little Caskoden's friend,
+Brandon, has been arrested for a brawl of some sort over in London,
+and Sir Edwin and Lady Jane have importuned me to obtain his release,
+which I have promised to do. Perhaps your grace will allow me to
+petition you in place of carrying my request to the king. You are
+quite as powerful as his majesty in London, and I should like to ask
+you to obtain for Master Brandon his liberty at once. I shall hold
+myself infinitely obliged, if your lordship will do this for me." She
+smiled upon him her sweetest smile, and assumed an indifference that
+would have deceived any one but Buckingham. Upon him, under the
+circumstances, it was worse than wasted. Buckingham at once consented,
+and said, that notwithstanding the fact that he did not like Brandon,
+to oblige her highness, he would undertake to befriend a much more
+disagreeable person.
+
+"I fear," he said, "it will have to be done secretly--by conniving at
+his escape rather than by an order for his release. The citizens are
+greatly aroused over the alarming frequency of such occurrences, and
+as many of the offenders have lately escaped punishment by reason of
+court interference, I fear this man Brandon will have to bear the
+brunt, in the London mind, of all these unpunished crimes. It will be
+next to impossible to liberate him, except by arranging privately with
+the keeper for his escape. He could go down into the country and wait
+in seclusion until it is all blown over, or until London has a new
+victim, and then an order can be made pardoning him, and he can
+return."
+
+"Pardoning him! What are you talking of, my lord? He has done nothing
+to be pardoned for. He should be, and shall be, rewarded." Mary spoke
+impetuously, but caught herself and tried to remedy her blunder. "That
+is, if I have heard the straight of it. I have been told that the
+killing was done in the defense of two--women." Think of this poor
+unconscious girl, so full of grief and trouble, talking thus to
+Buckingham, who knew so much more about the affair than even she, who
+had taken so active a part in it.
+
+"Who told you of it?" asked the duke.
+
+Mary saw she had made a mistake, and, after hesitating for a moment,
+answered: "Sir Edwin Caskoden. He had it from Master Brandon, I
+suppose." Rather adroit this was, but equidistant from both truth and
+effectiveness.
+
+"I will go at once to London and arrange for Brandon's escape," said
+Buckingham, preparing to leave. "But you must not divulge the fact
+that I do it. It would cost me all the favor I enjoy with the people
+of London, though I would willingly lose that favor, a thousand times
+over, for a smile from you."
+
+She gave the smile, and as he left, followed his retiring figure with
+her eyes, and thought: "After all, he has a kind heart."
+
+She breathed a sigh of relief, too, for she felt she had accomplished
+Brandon's release, and still retained her dangerous secret, the
+divulging of which, she feared, would harden Henry's heart against her
+blandishments and strand her upon the throne of France.
+
+But she was not entirely satisfied with the arrangement. She knew that
+her obligation to Brandon was such as to demand of her that she should
+not leave the matter of his release to any other person, much less to
+an enemy such as Buckingham. Yet the cost of his freedom by a direct
+act of her own would be so great that she was tempted to take
+whatever risk there might be in the way that had opened itself to her.
+Not that she would not have made the sacrifice willingly, or would not
+have told Henry all if that were the only chance to save Brandon's
+life, but the other way, the one she had taken by Buckingham's help,
+seemed safe, and, though not entirely satisfying, she could not see
+how it could miscarry. Buckingham was notably jealous of his knightly
+word, and she had unbounded faith in her influence over him. In short,
+like many another person, she was as wrong as possible just at the
+time when she thought she was entirely right, and when the cost of a
+mistake was at its maximum.
+
+She recoiled also from the thought of Brandon's "escape," and it hurt
+her that he should be a fugitive from the justice that should reward
+him, yet she quieted these disturbing suggestions with the thought
+that it would be only for a short time, and Brandon, she knew, would
+be only too glad to make the sacrifice if it purchased for her freedom
+from the worse than damnation that lurked in the French marriage.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+All this ran quickly through Mary's mind, and brought relief; but it
+did not cure the uneasy sense, weighing like lead upon her heart, that
+she should take up chance with this man's life, and should put no
+further weight of sacrifice upon him, but should go to the king and
+tell him a straightforward story, let it hurt where it would. With
+a little meditation, however, came a thought which decided the
+question and absolutely made everything bright again for her, so great
+was her capability for distilling light. She would go at once to
+Windsor with Jane, and would dispatch a note to Brandon, at Newgate,
+telling him upon his escape to come to her. He might remain in hiding
+in the neighborhood of Windsor, and she could see him every day. The
+time had come to Mary when to "see him every day" would turn Plutonian
+shades into noonday brightness and weave sunbeams out of utter
+darkness. With Mary, to resolve was to act; so the note was soon
+dispatched by a page, and one hour later the girls were on their road
+to Windsor.
+
+Buckingham went to Newgate, expecting to make a virtue, with Mary, out
+of the necessity imposed by the king's command, in freeing Brandon. He
+had hoped to induce Brandon to leave London stealthily and
+immediately, by representing to him the evil consequences of a break
+between the citizens and the king, liable to grow out of his release,
+and relied on Brandon's generosity to help him out; but when he found
+the note which Mary's page had delivered to the keeper of Newgate, he
+read it and all his plans were changed.
+
+He caused the keeper to send the note to the king, suppressing the
+fact that he, Buckingham, had any knowledge of it. The duke then at
+once started to Greenwich, where he arrived and sought the king a few
+minutes before the time he knew the messenger with Mary's note would
+come. The king was soon found, and Buckingham, in apparent anger, told
+him that the city authorities refused to deliver Brandon except upon
+an order under the king's seal.
+
+Henry and Buckingham were intensely indignant at the conduct of the
+scurvy burghers, and an immense amount of self-importance was
+displayed and shamefully wasted. This manifestation was at its highest
+when the messenger from Newgate arrived with Mary's poor little note
+as intended by the duke.
+
+The note was handed to Henry, who read aloud as follows:
+
+
+ "_To Master Charles Brandon_":
+
+ "Greeting--Soon you will be at liberty; perhaps ere this is to
+ your hand. Surely would I not leave you long in prison. I go to
+ Windsor at once, there to live in the hope that I may see you
+ speedily.
+
+ "MARY."
+
+"What is this?" cried Henry. "My sister writing to Brandon? God's
+death! My Lord of Buckingham, the suspicions you whispered in my ear
+may have some truth. We will let this fellow remain in Newgate, and
+allow our good people of London to take their own course with him."
+
+Buckingham went to Windsor next day and told Mary that arrangements
+had been made the night before for Brandon's escape, and that he had
+heard that Brandon had left for New Spain.
+
+Mary thanked the duke, but had no smiles for any one. Her supply was
+exhausted.
+
+She remained at Windsor nursing her love for the sake of the very pain
+it brought her, and dreading the battle for more than life itself
+which she knew she should soon be called upon to fight.
+
+At times she would fall into one of her old fits of anger because
+Brandon had not come to see her before he left, but soon the anger
+melted into tears, and the tears brought a sort of joy when she
+thought that he had run away from her because he loved her. After
+Brandon's defense of her in Billingsgate, Mary had begun to see the
+whole situation differently, and everything was changed. She still saw
+the same great distance between them as before, but with this
+difference, she was looking up now. Before that event he had been
+plain Charles Brandon, and she the Princess Mary. She was the princess
+still, but he was a demi-god. No mere mortal, thought she, could be so
+brave and strong and generous and wise; and above all, no mere mortal
+could vanquish odds of four to one. In the night she would lie on
+Jane's arm, and amid smothered sobs, would softly talk of her lover,
+and praise his beauty and perfections, and pour her pathetic little
+tale over and over again into Jane's receptive ear and warm responsive
+heart; and Jane answered with soft little kisses that would have
+consoled Niobe herself. Then Mary would tell how the doors of her
+life, at the ripe age of eighteen, were closed forever and forever,
+and that her few remaining years would be but years of waiting for the
+end. At other times she would brighten, and repeat what Brandon had
+told her about New Spain; how fortune's door was open there to those
+who chose to come, and how he, the best and bravest of them all, would
+surely win glory and fortune, and then return to buy her from her
+brother Henry with millions of pounds of yellow gold. Ah, she would
+wait! She would wait! Like Bayard she placed her ransom at a high
+figure, and honestly thought herself worth it. And so she was--to
+Brandon, or rather had been. But at this particular time the market
+was down, as you will shortly hear.
+
+So Mary remained at Windsor and grieved and wept and dreamed, and
+longed that she might see across the miles of billowy ocean to her
+love! her love! her love! Meanwhile Brandon had his trial in secret
+down in London, and had been condemned to be hanged, drawn and
+quartered for having saved to her more than life itself.
+
+Put not your trust in princesses!
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER X_
+
+_Justice, O King!_
+
+
+Such was the state of affairs when I returned from France.
+
+How I hated myself because I had not faced the king's displeasure and
+had not refused to go until Brandon was safely out of his trouble. It
+was hard for me to believe that I had left such a matter to two
+foolish girls, one of them as changeable as the wind, and the other
+completely under her control. I could but think of the difference
+between myself and Brandon, and well knew, had I been in his place, he
+would have liberated me or stormed the very walls of London
+single-handed and alone.
+
+When I learned that Brandon had been in that dungeon all that long
+month, I felt that it would surely kill him, and my self-accusation
+was so strong and bitter, and my mental pain so great, that I resolved
+if my friend died, either by disease contracted in the dungeon or by
+execution of his sentence, that I would kill myself. But that is a
+matter much easier sincerely to resolve upon than to execute when the
+time comes.
+
+Next to myself, I condemned those wretched girls for leaving Brandon
+to perish--Brandon, to whom they both owed so much. Their selfishness
+turned me against all womankind.
+
+I did not dally this time. I trusted to no Lady Jane nor Lady Mary. I
+determined to go to the king at once and tell him all. I did not care
+if the wretched Mary and Jane both had to marry the French king, or
+the devil himself. I did not care if they and all the host of their
+perfidious sisterhood went to the nether side of the universe, there
+to remain forever. I would retrieve my fault, in so far as it was
+retrievable, and save Brandon, who was worth them all put together. I
+would tell Mary and Jane what I thought of them, and that should end
+matters between us. I felt as I did toward them not only because of
+their treatment of Brandon, but because they had made me guilty of a
+grievous fault, for which I should never, so long as I lived, forgive
+myself. I determined to go to the king, and go I did within five
+minutes of the time I heard that Brandon was yet in prison.
+
+I found the king sitting alone at public dinner, and, of course, was
+denied speech with him. I was in no humor to be balked, so I thrust
+aside the guards, and, much to everybody's fright, for I was wild with
+grief, rage and despair, and showed it in every feature, rushed to the
+king and fell upon my knees at his feet.
+
+"Justice, O king!" I cried, and all the courtiers heard. "Justice, O
+king! for the worst used man and the bravest, truest soul that ever
+lived and suffered." Here the tears began to stream down my face and
+my voice choked in my throat. "Charles Brandon, your majesty's
+one-time friend, lies in a loathsome, rayless dungeon, condemned to
+death, as your majesty may know, for the killing of two men in
+Billingsgate Ward. I will tell you all: I should be thrust out from
+the society of decent men for not having told you before I left for
+France, but I trusted it to another who has proved false. I will tell
+you all. Your sister, the Lady Mary, and Lady Jane Bolingbroke were
+returning alone, after dark, from a visit to the soothsayer Grouche,
+of whom your majesty has heard. I had been notified of the Lady Mary's
+intended visit to him, although she had enjoined absolute secrecy upon
+my informant. I could not go, being detained upon your majesty's
+service--it was the night of the ball to the ambassadors--and I asked
+Brandon to follow them, which he did, without the knowledge of the
+princess. Upon returning, the ladies were attacked by four ruffians,
+and would have met with worse than death had not the bravest heart and
+the best sword in England defended them victoriously against such
+fearful odds. He left them at Bridewell without hurt or injury, though
+covered with wounds himself. This man is condemned to be hanged, drawn
+and quartered, but I know not your majesty's heart if he be not at
+once reprieved and richly rewarded. Think, my king! He saved the royal
+honor of your sister, who is so dear to you, and has suffered so
+terribly for his loyalty and bravery. The day I left so hurriedly for
+France the Lady Mary promised she would tell you all and liberate
+this man who had so nobly served her; but she is a woman, and was born
+to betray."
+
+The king laughed a little at my vehemence.
+
+"What is this you are telling me, Sir Edwin? I know of Brandon's death
+sentence, but much as I regret it, I cannot interfere with the justice
+of our good people of London for the murder of two knights in their
+streets. If Brandon committed such a crime, and, I understand he does
+not deny it, I cannot help him, however much I should like to do so.
+But this nonsense about my sister! It cannot be true. It must be
+trumped up out of your love in order to save your friend. Have a care,
+good master, how you say such a thing. If it were true, would not
+Brandon have told it at his trial?"
+
+"It is as true as that God lives, my king! If the Lady Mary and Lady
+Jane do not bear me out in every word I have said, let my life pay the
+forfeit. He would not tell of the great reason for killing the men,
+fearing to compromise the honor of those whom he had saved, for, as
+your majesty is aware, persons sometimes go to Grouche's for purposes
+other than to listen to his soothsaying. Not in this case, God knows,
+but there are slanderous tongues, and Brandon was willing to die with
+closed lips, rather than set them wagging against one so dear to you.
+It seems that these ladies, who owe so much to him, are also willing
+that he should die rather than themselves bear the consequences of
+their own folly. Do not delay, I beseech your majesty. Eat not
+another morsel, I pray you, until this brave man, who has so truly
+served you, be taken from his prison and freed from his sentence of
+death. Come, come, my king! this moment, and all that I have, my
+wealth, my life, my honor, are yours for all time."
+
+The king remained a moment in thought with knife in hand.
+
+"Caskoden, I have never detected you in a lie in all the years I have
+known you; you are not very large in body, but your honor is great
+enough to stock a Goliath. I believe you are telling the truth. I will
+go at once to liberate Brandon; and that little hussy, my sister,
+shall go to France and enjoy life as best she can with her old beauty,
+King Louis. I know of no greater punishment to inflict upon her. This
+determines me; she shall coax me out of it no longer. Sir Thomas
+Brandon, have my horses ready, and I will go to the lord mayor, then
+to my lord bishop of Lincoln and arrange to close this French treaty
+at once. Let everybody know that the Princess Mary will, within the
+month, be queen of France." This was said to the courtiers, and was
+all over London before night.
+
+I followed closely in the wake of the king, though uninvited, for I
+had determined to trust to no one, not even his majesty, until Brandon
+should be free. Henry had said he would go first to the lord mayor and
+then to Wolsey, but after we crossed the Bridge he passed down Lower
+Thames street and turned up Fish-street Hill into Grace Church street
+on toward Bishopsgate. He said he would stop at Mistress Cornwallis's
+and have a pudding; and then on to Wolsey, who at that time lodged in
+a house near the wall beyond Bishopsgate.
+
+I well knew if the king once reached Wolsey's, it would be wine and
+quoits and other games, interspersed now and then with a little
+blustering talk on statecraft, for the rest of the day. Then the good
+bishop would have in a few pretty London women and a dance would
+follow with wine and cards and dice, and Henry would spend the night
+at Wolsey's, and Brandon lie another night in the mire of his Newgate
+dungeon.
+
+I resolved to raise heaven and earth, and the other place, too, if
+necessary, before this should happen. So I rode boldly up to the king,
+and with uncovered head addressed him: "Your majesty gave me your
+royal word that you would go to the lord mayor first, and this is the
+road to my lord bishop of Lincoln. In all the years I have known your
+majesty, both as gallant prince and puissant king, this is the first
+request I ever proffered, and now I only ask of you to save your own
+noble honor, and do your duty as man and king."
+
+These were bold words, but I did not care one little farthing whether
+they pleased him or not. The king stared at me and said:
+
+"Caskoden, you are a perfect hound at my heels. But you are right; I
+had forgotten my errand. You disturbed my dinner, and my stomach
+called loudly for one of Mistress Cornwallis's puddings; but you are
+right to stick to me. What a friend you are in case of need. Would I
+had one like you."
+
+"Your majesty has two of whom I know; one riding humbly by your royal
+side, and the other lying in the worst dungeon in Christendom."
+
+With this the king wheeled about and started west toward Guildhall.
+
+Oh, how I hated Henry for that cold-blooded, selfish forgetfulness
+worse than crime; and how I hoped the Blessed Virgin would forget him
+in time to come, and leave his soul an extra thousand years in purging
+flames, just to show him how it goes to be forgotten--in hell.
+
+To the lord mayor we accordingly went without further delay. He was
+only too glad to liberate Brandon when he heard my story, which the
+king had ordered me to repeat. The only hesitancy was from a doubt of
+its truth.
+
+The lord mayor was kind enough to say that he felt little doubt of my
+word, but that friendship would often drive a man to any extremity,
+even falsehood, to save a friend.
+
+Then I offered to go into custody myself and pay the penalty, death,
+for helping a convicted felon to escape, if I told not the truth, to
+be confirmed or denied by the princess and her first lady in waiting.
+I knew Jane and was willing to risk her truthfulness without a
+doubt--it was so pronounced as to be troublesome at times--and as to
+Mary--well, I had no doubt of her, either. If she would but stop to
+think out the right she was sure to do it.
+
+I have often wondered how much of the general fund of evil in this
+world comes from thoughtlessness. Cultivate thought and you make
+virtue--I believe. But this is no time to philosophize.
+
+My offer was satisfactory, for what more can a man do than pledge his
+life for his friend? We have scripture for that, or something like it.
+
+The lord mayor did not require my proffered pledge, but readily
+consented that the king should write an order for Brandon's pardon and
+release. This was done at once, and we, that is, I, together with a
+sheriff's sergeant and his four yeomen, hastened to Newgate, while
+Henry went over to Wolsey's to settle Mary's fate.
+
+Brandon was brought up with chains and manacles at his ankles and
+wrists. When he entered the room and saw me, he exclaimed: "Ah!
+Caskoden, is that you? I thought they had brought me up to hang me,
+and was glad for the change; but I suppose you would not come to help
+at that, even if you have left me here to rot; God only knows how
+long; I have forgotten."
+
+I could not restrain the tears at sight of him.
+
+"Your words are more than just," I said; and, being anxious that he
+should know at once that my fault had not been so great as it looked,
+continued hurriedly: "The king sent me to France upon an hour's
+notice, the day after your arrest. I know only too well I should not
+have gone without seeing you out of this, but you had enjoined silence
+upon me, and--and I trusted to the promises of another."
+
+"I thought as much. You are in no way to blame, my friend; all I ask
+is that you never mention the subject again."
+
+"My friend!" Ah! the words were dear to me as words of love from a
+sweetheart's lips.
+
+I hardly recognized him, he was so frightfully covered with filth and
+dirt and creeping things. His hair and beard were unkempt and matted,
+and his eyes and cheeks were lusterless and sunken; but I will
+describe him no further. Suffering had well-nigh done its work, and
+nothing but the hardihood gathered in his years of camp life and war
+could have saved him from death. I bathed and reclothed him as well as
+I could at Newgate, and then took him home to Greenwich in a horse
+litter, where my man and I thoroughly washed, dressed and sheared the
+poor fellow and put him to bed.
+
+"Ah! this bed is a foretaste of paradise," he said, as he lay upon the
+mattress.
+
+It was a pitiful sight, and I could hardly refrain from tears. I sent
+my man to fetch a certain Moor, a learned scholar, though a hated
+foreigner, who lived just off Cheap and sold small arms, and very soon
+he was with us. Brandon and I both knew him well, and admired his
+learning and gentleness, and loved him for his sweet philosophy of
+life, the leaven of which was charity--a modest little plant too
+often overshadowed by the rank growth of pompous dogmatism.
+
+The Moor was learned in the healing potions of the east, and insisted,
+privately, of course, that all the shrines and relics in Christendom
+put together could not cure an ache in a baby's little finger. This,
+perhaps, was going too far, for there are some relics that have
+undoubted potency, but in cases where human agency can cure, the
+people of the east are unquestionably far in advance of us in
+knowledge of remedies. The Moor at once gave Brandon a soothing drink,
+which soon put him into a sweet sleep. He then bathed him as he slept,
+with some strengthening lotion, made certain learned signs, and spoke
+a few cabalistic words, and, sure enough, so strong were the healing
+remedies and incantations that the next morning Brandon was another
+man, though very far from well and strong. The Moor recommended
+nutritious food, such as roast beef and generous wine, and, although
+this advice was contrary to the general belief, which is, with
+apparent reason, that the evil spirit of disease should be starved and
+driven out, yet so great was our faith in him that we followed his
+directions, and in a few days Brandon had almost regained his old-time
+strength.
+
+I will ask you to go back with me for a moment.
+
+During the week, between Brandon's interview with Mary in the
+ante-room of the king's bed-chamber and the tragedy at Billingsgate,
+he and I had many conversations about the extraordinary situation in
+which he found himself.
+
+At one time, I remember, he said: "I was safe enough before that
+afternoon. I believe I could have gone away and forgotten her
+eventually, but our mutual avowal seems to have dazed me and paralyzed
+every power for effort. I sometimes feel helpless, and, although I
+have succeeded in keeping away from her since then, I often find
+myself wavering in my determination to leave England. That was what I
+feared if I allowed the matter to go to the point of being sure of her
+love. I only wanted it before, and very easily made myself believe it
+was impossible, and not for me. But now that I know she loves me it is
+like holding my breath to live without her. I feel every instant that
+I can hold it no longer. I know only too well that if I but see her
+face once more I shall breathe. She is the very breath of life for me.
+She is mine by the gift of God. Curses upon those who keep us apart."
+Then musingly and half interrogatively: "She certainly does love me.
+She could not have treated me as she did unless her love was so strong
+that she could not resist it."
+
+"Let no doubt of that trouble you," I answered.
+
+"A woman like Mary cannot treat two men as she treated you. Many a
+woman may love, or think she loves many times, but there is only one
+man who receives the full measure of her best. Other women, again,
+have nothing to give but their best, and when they have once given
+that, they have given all. Unless I have known her in vain, Mary, with
+all her faults, is such a woman. Again I say, let no doubt of that
+trouble you."
+
+Brandon answered with a sad little smile from the midst of his
+reverie. "It is really not so much the doubt as the certainty of it
+that troubles me." Then, starting to his feet: "If I thought she had
+lied to me; if I thought she could wantonly lead me on to suffer so
+for her, I would kill her, so help me God."
+
+"Do not think that. Whatever her faults, and she has enough, there is
+no man on earth for her but you. Her love has come to her through a
+struggle against it because it was her master. That is the strongest
+and best, in fact the only, love; worth all the self-made passions in
+the world."
+
+"Yes, I believe it. I know she has faults; even my partiality cannot
+blind me to them, but she is as pure and chaste as a child, and as
+gentle, strong and true as--as--a woman. I can put it no stronger. She
+has these, her redeeming virtues, along with her beauty, from her
+plebeian grandmother, Elizabeth Woodville, who, with them, won a royal
+husband and elevated herself to the throne beside the chivalrous
+Edward. This sweet plebeian heritage bubbles up in the heart of Mary,
+and will not down, but neutralizes the royal poison in her veins and
+makes a goddess of her." Then with a sigh: "But if her faults were a
+thousand times as many, and if each fault were a thousand times as
+great, her beauty would atone for all. Such beauty as hers can afford
+to have faults. Look at Helen and Cleopatra, and Agnes Sorel. Did
+their faults make them less attractive? Beauty covereth more sins than
+charity--and maketh more grief than pestilence."
+
+The last clause was evidently an afterthought.
+
+After his month in Newgate with the hangman's noose about his neck all
+because of Mary's cruel neglect, I wondered if her beauty would so
+easily atone for her faults. I may as well tell you that he changed
+his mind concerning this particular doctrine of atonement.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XI_
+
+_Louis XII a Suitor_
+
+
+As soon as I could leave Brandon, I had intended to go down to Windsor
+and give vent to my indignation toward the girls, but the more I
+thought about it, the surer I felt there had, somehow, been a mistake.
+I could not bring myself to believe that Mary had deliberately
+permitted matters to go to such an extreme when it was in her power to
+prevent it. She might have neglected her duty for a day or two, but,
+sooner or later, her good impulses always came to her rescue, and,
+with Jane by her side to urge her on, I was almost sure she would have
+liberated Brandon long ago--barring a blunder of some sort.
+
+So I did not go to Windsor until a week after Brandon's release, when
+the king asked me to go down with him, Wolsey and de Longueville, the
+French ambassador-special, for the purpose of officially offering to
+Mary the hand of Louis XII, and the honor of becoming queen of France.
+
+The princess had known of the projected arrangement for many weeks,
+but had no thought of the present forward condition of affairs, or she
+would have brought her energies to bear upon Henry long before. She
+could not bring herself to believe that her brother would really force
+her into such wretchedness, and possibly he would never have done so,
+much as he desired it from the standpoint of personal ambition, had it
+not been for the petty excuse of that fatal trip to Grouche's.
+
+All the circumstances of the case were such as to make Mary's marriage
+a veritable virgin sacrifice. Louis was an old man, and an old
+Frenchman at that; full of French notions of morality and immorality;
+and besides, there were objections that cannot be written, but of
+which Henry and Mary had been fully informed. She might as well marry
+a leper. Do you wonder she was full of dread and fear, and resisted
+with the desperation of death?
+
+So Mary, the person most interested, was about the last to learn that
+the treaty had been signed.
+
+Windsor was nearly eight leagues from London, and at that time was
+occupied only by the girls and a few old ladies and servants, so that
+news did not travel fast in that direction from the city. It is also
+probable that, even if the report of the treaty and Brandon's release
+had reached Windsor, the persons hearing it would have hesitated to
+repeat it to Mary. However that may be, she had no knowledge of either
+until she was informed of the fact that the king and the French
+ambassador would be at Windsor on a certain day to make the formal
+request for her hand and to offer the gifts of King Louis.
+
+I had no doubt Mary was in trouble, and felt sure she had been making
+affairs lively about her. I knew her suffering was keen, but was glad
+of it in view of her treatment of Brandon.
+
+A day or two after Brandon's liberation I had begun to speak to him of
+the girls, but he interrupted me with a frightful oath: "Caskoden, you
+are my friend, but if you ever mention their names again in my hearing
+you are my friend no longer. I will curse you."
+
+I was frightened, so much stronger did his nature show than mine, and
+I took good care to remain silent on that subject until--but I am
+going too fast again; I will tell you of that hereafter.
+
+Upon the morning appointed, the king, Wolsey, de Longueville and
+myself, with a small retinue, rode over to Windsor, where we found
+that Mary, anticipating us, had barricaded herself in her bedroom and
+refused to receive the announcement. The king went up stairs to coax
+the fair young besieged through two inches of oak door, and to induce
+her, if possible, to come down. We below could plainly hear the king
+pleading in the voice of a Bashan bull, and it afforded us some
+amusement behind our hands. Then his majesty grew angry and threatened
+to break down the door, but the fair besieged maintained a most
+persistent and provoking silence throughout it all, and allowed him to
+carry out his threat without so much as a whimper. He was thoroughly
+angry, and called to us to come up to see him "compel obedience from
+the self-willed hussy,"--a task the magnitude of which he underrated.
+
+The door was soon broken down, and the king walked in first, with de
+Longueville and Wolsey next, and the rest of us following in close
+procession. But we marched over broken walls to the most laughable
+defeat ever suffered by besieging army. Our foe, though small, was
+altogether too fertile in expedients for us. There seemed no way to
+conquer this girl; her resources were so inexhaustible that in the
+moment of your expected victory success was turned into defeat; nay,
+more, ridiculous disaster.
+
+We found Jane crouching on the floor in a corner half dead with fright
+from the noise and tumult--and where do you think we found her
+mistress? Frightened? Not at all; she was lying in bed with her face
+to the wall as cool as a January morning; her clothing in a little
+heap in the middle of the room.
+
+Without turning her head, she exclaimed: "Come in, brother; you are
+quite welcome. Bring in your friends; I am ready to receive them,
+though not in court attire, as you see." And she thrust her bare arm
+straight up from the bed to prove her words. You should have seen the
+Frenchman's little black eyes gloat on its beauty.
+
+Mary went on, still looking toward the wall: "I will arise and receive
+you all informally, if you will but wait."
+
+This disconcerted the imperturbable Henry, who was about at his wit's
+end.
+
+"Cover that arm, you hussy," he cried in a flaming rage.
+
+"Be not impatient, brother mine! I will jump out in just a moment."
+
+A little scream from Jane startled everybody, and she quickly ran up
+to the king, saying: "I beg your majesty to go. She will do as she
+says so sure as you remain; you don't know her; she is very angry.
+Please go; I will bring her down stairs somehow."
+
+"Ah, indeed! Jane Bolingbroke," came from the bed. "I will receive my
+guests myself when they are kind enough to come to my room." The
+cover-lid began to move, and, whether or not she was really going to
+carry out her threat, I cannot say, but Henry, knowing her too well to
+risk it, hurried us all out of the room and marched down stairs at the
+head of his defeated cohorts. He was swearing in a way to make a
+priest's flesh creep, and protesting by everything holy that Mary
+should be the wife of Louis or die. He went back to Mary's room at
+intervals, but there was enough persistence in that one girl to stop
+the wheels of time, if she but set herself to do it, and the king came
+away from each visit the victim of another rout.
+
+Finally his anger cooled and he became amused. From the last visit he
+came down laughing:
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"I shall have to give up the fight or else put my armor on with visor
+down," said he; "it is not safe to go near her without it; she is a
+very vixen, and but now tried to scratch my eyes out."
+
+Wolsey, who had a wonderful knack for finding the easiest means to a
+difficult end, took Henry off to a window where they held a whispered
+conversation.
+
+It was pathetic to see a mighty king and his great minister of state
+consulting and planning against one poor girl; and, as angry as I felt
+toward Mary, I could not help pitying her, and admired, beyond the
+power of pen to write, the valiant and so far impregnable defense she
+had put up against an array of strength that would have made a king
+tremble on his throne.
+
+Presently Henry gave one of his loud laughs, and slapped his thigh as
+if highly satisfied with some proposition of Wolsey's.
+
+"Make ready at once," he said. "We will go back to London."
+
+In a short time we were all at the main stairway ready to mount for
+the return trip.
+
+The Lady Mary's window was just above, and I saw Jane watching us as
+we rode away.
+
+After we were well out of Mary's sight the king called me to him, and
+he, together with de Longueville, Wolsey and myself, turned our
+horses' heads, rode rapidly by a circuitous path back to another door
+of the castle and re-entered without the knowledge of any of the
+inmates.
+
+We four remained in silence, enjoined by the king, and in the course
+of an hour, the princess, supposing every one had gone, came down
+stairs and walked into the room where we were waiting.
+
+It was a scurvy trick, and I felt a contempt for the men who had
+planned it. I could see that Mary's first impulse was to beat a hasty
+retreat back into her citadel, the bed, but in truth she had in her
+make-up very little disposition to retreat. She was clear grit. What a
+man she would have made! But what a crime it would have been in nature
+to have spoiled so perfect a woman. How beautiful she was! She threw
+one quick, surprised glance at her brother and his companions, and
+lifting up her exquisite head carelessly hummed a little tune under
+her breath as she marched to the other end of the room with a gait
+that Juno herself could not have improved upon.
+
+I saw the king smile, half in pride of her, and half in amusement, and
+the Frenchman's little eyes feasted upon her beauty with a relish that
+could not be mistaken.
+
+Henry and the ambassador spoke a word in whispers, when the latter
+took a box from a huge side pocket and started across the room toward
+Mary with the king at his heels.
+
+Her side was toward them when they came up, but she kept her attitude
+as if she had been of bronze. She had taken up a book that was lying
+on the table and was examining it as they approached.
+
+De Longueville held the box in his hand, and bowing and scraping said
+in broken English: "Permit to me, most gracious princess, that I may
+have the honor to offer on behalf of my august master, this little
+testament of his high admiration and love." With this he bowed again,
+smiled like a crack in a piece of old parchment, and held his box
+toward Mary. It was open, probably in the hope of enticing her with a
+sight of its contents--a beautiful diamond necklace.
+
+She turned her face ever so little and took it all in with one
+contemptuous, sneering glance out of the corners of her eyes. Then
+quietly reaching out her hand she grasped the necklace and
+deliberately dashed it in poor old de Longueville's face.
+
+"There is my answer, sir! Go home and tell your imbecile old master I
+scorn his suit and hate him--hate him--hate him!" Then with the tears
+falling unheeded down her cheeks, "Master Wolsey, you butcher's cur!
+This trick was of your conception; the others had not brains enough to
+think of it. Are you not proud to have outwitted one poor heart-broken
+girl? But beware, sir; I tell you now I will be quits with you yet, or
+my name is not Mary."
+
+There is a limit to the best of feminine nerve, and at that limit
+should always be found a flood of healthful tears. Mary had reached it
+when she threw the necklace and shot her bolt at Wolsey, so she broke
+down and hastily left the room.
+
+The king, of course, was beside himself with rage.
+
+"By God's soul," he swore, "she shall marry Louis of France, or I will
+have her whipped to death on the Smithfield pillory." And in his
+wicked heart--so impervious to a single lasting good impulse--he
+really meant it.
+
+Immediately after this, the king, de Longueville and Wolsey set out
+for London.
+
+I remained behind hoping to see the girls, and after a short time a
+page plucked me by the sleeve, saying the princess wished to see me.
+
+The page conducted me to the same room in which had been fought the
+battle with Mary in bed. The door had been placed on its hinges again,
+but the bed was tumbled as Mary had left it, and the room was in great
+disorder.
+
+"Oh, Sir Edwin," began Mary, who was weeping, "was ever woman in such
+frightful trouble? My brother is killing me. Can he not see that I
+could not live through a week of this marriage? And I have been
+deserted by all my friends, too, excepting Jane. She, poor thing,
+cannot leave."
+
+"You know I would not go," said Jane, parenthetically. Mary continued:
+"You, too, have been home an entire week and have not been near me."
+
+I began to soften at the sight of her grief, and concluded, with
+Brandon, that, after all, her beauty could well cover a multitude of
+sins; perhaps even this, her great transgression against him.
+
+The princess was trying to check her weeping, and in a moment took up
+the thread of her unfinished sentence: "And Master Brandon, too, left
+without so much as sending me one little word--not a line nor a
+syllable. He did not come near me, but went off as if I did not
+care--or he did not. Of course _he_ did not care, or he would not have
+behaved so, knowing I was in so much trouble. I did not see him at all
+after--one afternoon in the king's--about a week before that awful
+night in London, except that night, when I was so frightened I could
+not speak one word of all the things I wished to say."
+
+This sounded strange enough, and I began more than ever to suspect
+something wrong. I, however, kept as firm a grasp as possible upon the
+stock of indignation I had brought with me.
+
+"How did you expect to see or hear from him," asked I, "when he was
+lying in a loathsome dungeon without one ray of light, condemned to be
+hanged, drawn and quartered, because of your selfish neglect to save
+him who, at the cost of half his blood, and almost his life, had saved
+so much for you?"
+
+Her eyes grew big, and the tears were checked by genuine surprise.
+
+I continued: "Lady Mary, no one could have made me believe that you
+would stand back and let the man, to whom you owed so great a debt,
+lie so long in such misery, and be condemned to such a death for the
+act that saved you. I could never have believed it!"
+
+"Imp of hell!" screamed Mary; "what tale is this you bring to torture
+me? Have I not enough already? Tell me it is a lie, or I will have
+your miserable little tongue torn out by the root."
+
+"It is no lie, princess, but an awful truth, and a frightful shame to
+you."
+
+I was determined to tell her all and let her see herself as she was.
+
+She gave a hysterical laugh, and throwing up her hands, with her
+accustomed little gesture, fell upon the bed in utter abandonment,
+shaking as with a spasm. She did not weep; she could not; she was past
+that now. Jane went over to the bed and tried to soothe her.
+
+In a moment Mary sprang to her feet, exclaiming: "Master Brandon
+condemned to death and you and I here talking and moaning and weeping?
+Come, come, we will go to the king at once. We will start to walk,
+Edwin--I must be doing something--and Jane can follow with the horses
+and overtake us. No; I will not dress; just as I am; this will do.
+Bring me a hat, Jane; any one, any one." While putting on hat and
+gloves she continued: "I will see the king at once and tell him all!
+all! I will do anything; I will marry that old king of France, or
+forty kings, or forty devils; it's all one to me; anything! anything!
+to save him. Oh! to think that he has been in that dungeon all this
+time." And the tears came unheeded in a deluge.
+
+She was under such headway, and spoke and moved so rapidly, that I
+could not stop her until she was nearly ready to go. Then I held her
+by the arm while I said:
+
+"It is not necessary now; you are too late."
+
+A look of horror came into her face, and I continued slowly: "I
+procured Brandon's release nearly a week ago; I did what you should
+have done, and he is now at our rooms in Greenwich."
+
+Mary looked at me a moment, and, turning pale, pressed her hands to
+her heart and leaned against the door frame.
+
+After a short silence she said: "Edwin Caskoden--fool! Why could you
+not have told me that at first? I thought my brain would burn and my
+heart burst."
+
+"I should have told you had you given me time. As to the pain it gave
+you"--this was the last charge of my large magazine of indignation--"I
+care very little about that. You deserve it. I do not know what
+explanation you have to offer, but nothing can excuse you. An
+explanation, however good, would have been little comfort to you had
+Brandon failed you in Billingsgate that night."
+
+She had fallen into a chair by this time and sat in reverie, staring
+at nothing. Then the tears came again, but more softly.
+
+"You are right; nothing can excuse me. I am the most selfish,
+ungrateful, guilty creature ever born. A whole month in that dungeon!"
+And she covered her drooping face with her hands.
+
+"Go away for awhile, Edwin, and then return; we shall want to see you
+again," said Jane.
+
+Upon my return Mary was more composed. Jane had dressed her hair, and
+she was sitting on the bed in her riding habit, hat in hand. Her
+fingers were nervously toying at the ribbons and her eyes cast down.
+
+"You are surely right, Sir Edwin. I have no excuse. I can have none;
+but I will tell you how it was. You remember the day you left me in
+the waiting-room of the king's council?--when they were discussing my
+marriage without one thought of me, as if I were but a slave or a dumb
+brute that could not feel." She began to weep a little, but soon
+recovered herself. "While waiting for you to return, the Duke of
+Buckingham came in. I knew Henry was trying to sell me to the French
+king, and my heart was full of trouble--from more causes than you can
+know. All the council, especially that butcher's son, were urging him
+on, and Henry himself was anxious that the marriage should be brought
+about. He thought it would strengthen him for the imperial crown. He
+wants everything, and is ambitious to be emperor. Emperor! He would
+cut a pretty figure! I hoped, though, I should be able to induce him
+not to sacrifice me to his selfish interests, as I have done before,
+but I knew only too well it would tax my powers to the utmost this
+time. I knew that if I did anything to anger or to antagonize him, it
+would be all at an end with me. You know he is so exacting with other
+people's conduct, for one who is so careless of his own--so virtuous
+by proxy. You remember how cruelly he disgraced and crushed poor Lady
+Chesterfield, who was in such trouble about her husband, and who went
+to Grouche's only to learn if he were true to her. Henry seems to be
+particularly sensitive in that direction. One would think it was in
+the commandments: 'Thou shalt not go to Grouche's.' It may be that
+some have gone there for other purposes than to have their fortunes
+told--to meet, to--but I need not say that I--" and she stopped short,
+blushing to her hair.
+
+"Well, I knew I could do nothing with Henry if he once learned of that
+visit, especially as it resulted so fatally. Oh! why did I go? Why
+_did_ I go? That was why I hesitated to tell Henry at once. I was
+hoping some other way would open whereby I might save Charles--Master
+Brandon. While I was waiting, along came the Duke of Buckingham, and
+as I knew he was popular in London, and had almost as much influence
+there as the king, a thought came to me that he might help us.
+
+"I knew that he and Master Brandon had passed a few angry words at one
+time in my ball-room--you remember--but I also knew that the duke was
+in--in love with me, you know, or pretended to be--he always said he
+was--and I felt sure I could, by a little flattery, induce him to do
+anything. He was always protesting that he would give half his blood
+to serve me. As if anybody wanted a drop of his wretched blood. Poor
+Master Brandon! his blood ..." and the tears came, choking her words
+for the moment. "So I told the duke I had promised you and Jane to
+procure Master Brandon's liberty, and asked him to do it for me. He
+gladly consented, and gave me his knightly word that it should be
+attended to without an hour's delay. He said it might have to be done
+secretly in the way of an escape--not officially--as the Londoners
+were very jealous of their rights and much aroused on account of the
+killing. Especially, he said that at that time great caution must be
+used, as the king was anxious to conciliate the city in order to
+procure a loan for some purpose--my dower, I suppose.
+
+"The duke said it should be as I wished; that Master Brandon should
+escape, and remain away from London for a few weeks until the king
+procured his loan, and then be freed by royal proclamation.
+
+"I saw Buckingham the next day, for I was very anxious, you may be
+sure, and he said the keeper of Newgate had told him it had been
+arranged the night before as desired. I had come to Windsor because it
+was more quiet, and my heart was full. It is quite a distance from
+London, and I thought it might afford a better opportunity to--to
+see--I thought, perhaps Master Brandon might come--might want
+to--to--see Jane and me; in fact I wrote him before I left Greenwich
+that I should be here. Then I heard he had gone to New Spain. Now you
+see how all my troubles have come upon me at once; and this the
+greatest of them, because it is my fault. I can ask no forgiveness
+from any one, for I cannot forgive myself."
+
+She then inquired about Brandon's health and spirits, and I left out
+no distressing detail you may be sure.
+
+During my recital she sat with downcast eyes and tear-stained face,
+playing with the ribbons of her hat.
+
+When I was ready to go she said: "Please say to Master Brandon I
+should like--to--see--him, if he cares to come, if only that I may
+tell him how it happened."
+
+"I greatly fear, in fact, I know he will not come," said I. "The
+cruelest blow of all, worse even than the dungeon, or the sentence of
+death, was your failure to save him. He trusted you so implicitly. At
+the time of his arrest he refused to allow me to tell the king, saying
+he knew you would see to it--that you were pure gold."
+
+"Ah, did he say that?" she asked, as a sad little smile lighted her
+face.
+
+"His faith was so entirely without doubt, that his recoil from you is
+correspondingly great. He goes to New Spain as soon as his health is
+recovered sufficiently for him to travel."
+
+This sent the last fleck of color from her face, and with the words
+almost choking her throat: "Then tell him what I have said to you and
+perhaps he will not feel so--"
+
+"I cannot do that either, Lady Mary. When I mentioned your name the
+other day he said he would curse me if I ever spoke it again in his
+hearing."
+
+"Is it so bad as that?" Then, meditatively: "And at his trial he did
+not tell the reason for the killing? Would not compromise me, who had
+served him so ill, even to save his own life? Noble, noble!" And her
+lips went together as she rose to her feet. No tears now; nothing but
+glowing, determined womanhood.
+
+"Then I will go to him wherever he may be. He shall forgive me, no
+matter what my fault."
+
+Soon after this we were on our way to London at a brisk gallop.
+
+We were all very silent, but at one time Mary spoke up from the midst
+of a reverie: "During the moment when I thought Master Brandon had
+been executed--when you said it was too late--it seemed that I was
+born again and all made over; that I was changed in the very texture
+of my nature by the shock, as they say the grain of the iron cannon is
+sometimes changed by too violent an explosion." And this proved to be
+true in some respects.
+
+We rode on rapidly and did not stop in London except to give the
+horses drink.
+
+After crossing the bridge, Mary said, half to Jane and half to
+herself: "I will never marry the French king--never." Mary was but a
+girl pitted against a body of brutal men, two of them rulers of the
+two greatest nations on earth--rather heavy odds, for one woman.
+
+We rode down to Greenwich and entered the palace without exciting
+comment, as the princess was in the habit of coming and going at will.
+
+The king and queen and most of the courtiers were in London--at
+Bridewell House and Baynard's Castle--where Henry was vigorously
+pushing the loan of five hundred thousand crowns for Mary's dower, the
+only business of state in which, at that time, he took any active
+interest. Subsequently, as you know, he became interested in the
+divorce laws, and the various methods whereby a man, especially a
+king, might rid himself of a distasteful wife; and after he saw the
+truth in Anne Boleyn's eyes, he adopted a combined policy of church
+and state craft that has brought us a deal of senseless trouble ever
+since--and is like to keep it up.
+
+As to Mary's dower, Henry was to pay Louis only four hundred thousand
+crowns, but he made the marriage an excuse for an extra hundred
+thousand, to be devoted to his own private use.
+
+When we arrived at the palace, the girls went to their apartments and
+I to mine, where I found Brandon reading. There was only one window
+to our common room--a dormer-window, set into the roof, and reached by
+a little passage as broad as the window itself, and perhaps a yard and
+a half long. In the alcove thus formed was a bench along the wall,
+cushioned by Brandon's great campaign cloak. In this window we often
+sat and read, and here was Brandon with his book. I had intended to
+tell him the girls were coming, for when Mary asked me if I thought he
+would come to her at the palace, and when I had again said no, she
+reiterated her intention of going to him at once; but my courage
+failed me and I did not speak of it.
+
+I knew that Mary ought not to come to our room, and that if news of it
+should reach the king's ears there would be more and worse trouble
+than ever, and, as usual, Brandon would pay the penalty for all. Then
+again, if it were discovered it might seriously compromise both Mary
+and Jane, as the world is full of people who would rather say and
+believe an evil thing of another than to say their prayers or to
+believe the holy creed.
+
+I had said as much to the Lady Mary when she expressed her
+determination to go to Brandon. She had been in the wrong so much of
+late that she was humbled; and I was brave enough to say whatever I
+felt; but she said she had thought it all over, and as every one was
+away from Greenwich it would not be found out if done secretly.
+
+She told Jane she need not go; that she, Mary, did not want to take
+any risk of compromising her.
+
+You see, trouble was doing a good work in the princess, and had made
+it possible for a generous thought for another to find spontaneous
+lodgment in her heart. What a great thing it is, this human suffering,
+which so sensitizes our sympathy, and makes us tender to another's
+pain. Nothing else so fits us for earth or prepares us for heaven.
+
+Jane would have gone, though, had she known that all her fair name
+would go with her. She was right, you see, when she told me, while
+riding over to Windsor, that should Mary's love blossom into a
+full-blown passion she would wreck everything and everybody, including
+herself perhaps, to attain the object of so great a desire.
+
+It looked now as if she were on the high road to that end. Nothing
+short of chains and fetters could have kept her from going to Brandon
+that evening. There was an inherent force about her that was
+irresistible and swept everything before it.
+
+In our garret she was to meet another will, stronger and infinitely
+better controlled than her own, and I did not know how it would all
+turn out.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XII_
+
+_Atonement_
+
+
+I had not been long in the room when a knock at the door announced the
+girls. I admitted them, and Mary walked to the middle of the floor. It
+was just growing dark and the room was quite dim, save at the window
+where Brandon sat reading. Gods! those were exciting moments; my heart
+beat like a woman's. Brandon saw the girls when they entered, but
+never so much as looked up from his book. You must remember he had a
+great grievance. Even looking at it from Mary's side of the case,
+certainly its best point of view, he had been terribly misused, and it
+was all the worse that the misuse had come from one who, from his
+standpoint, had _pretended_ to love him, and had wantonly led him on,
+as he had the best of right to think, to love her, and to suffer the
+keenest pangs a heart can know. Then you must remember he did not know
+even the best side of the matter, bad as it was, but saw only the
+naked fact, that in recompense for his great help in time of need,
+Mary had deliberately allowed him to lie in that dungeon a long,
+miserable month, and would have suffered him to die. So it was no
+wonder his heart was filled with bitterness toward her. Jane and I had
+remained near the door, and poor Mary was a pitiable princess,
+standing there so full of doubt in the middle of the room. After a
+moment she stepped toward the window, and, with quick-coming breath,
+stopped at the threshold of the little passage.
+
+"Master Brandon, I have come, not to make excuses, for nothing can
+excuse me, but to tell you how it all happened--by trusting to
+another."
+
+Brandon arose, and marking the place in his book with his finger,
+followed Mary, who had stepped backward into the room.
+
+"Your highness is very gracious and kind thus to honor me, but as our
+ways will hereafter lie as far apart as the world is broad, I think it
+would have been far better had you refrained from so imprudent a
+visit; especially as anything one so exalted as yourself may have to
+say can be no affair of such as I--one just free of the hangman's
+noose."
+
+"Oh! don't! I pray you. Let me tell you, and it may make a difference.
+It must pain you, I know, to think of me as you do, after--after--you
+know; after what has passed between us."
+
+"Yes, that only makes it all the harder. If you could give your
+kisses"--and she blushed red as blood--"to one for whom you care so
+little that you could leave him to die like a dog, when a word from
+you would have saved him, what reason have I to suppose they are not
+for every man?"
+
+This gave Mary an opening of which she was quick enough to take
+advantage, for Brandon was in the wrong.
+
+"You know that is not true. You are not honest with me nor with
+yourself, and that is not like you. You know that no other man ever
+had, or could have, any favor from me, even the slightest. Wantonness
+is not among my thousand faults. It is not that which angers you. You
+are sure enough of me in that respect. In truth, I had almost come to
+believe you were too sure, that I had grown cheap in your eyes, and
+you did not care so much as I thought and hoped for what I had to
+give, for after that day you came not near me at all. I know it was
+the part of wisdom and prudence that you should remain away; but had
+you cared as much as I, your prudence would not have held you."
+
+She hung her head a moment in silence; then, looking at him, almost
+ready for tears, continued: "A man has no right to speak in that way
+of a woman whose little favors he has taken, and make her regret that
+she has given a gift only that it may recoil upon her. 'Little,' did I
+say? Sir, do you know what that--first--kiss was to me? Had I
+possessed all the crowns of all the earth I would have given them to
+you as willingly. Now you know the value I placed on it, however
+worthless it was to you. Yet I was a cheerful giver of that great
+gift, was I not? And can you find it in your heart to make of it a
+shame to me--that of which I was so proud?"
+
+She stood there with head inclined a little to one side, looking at
+him inquiringly as if awaiting an answer. He did not speak, but looked
+steadily at his book. I felt, however, that he was changing, and I was
+sure her beauty, never more exquisite than in its present humility,
+would yet atone for even so great a fault as hers. Err, look
+beautiful, and receive remission! Such a woman as Mary carries her
+indulgence in her face.
+
+I now began to realize for the first time the wondrous power of this
+girl, and ceased to marvel that she had always been able to turn even
+the king, the most violent, stubborn man on earth, to her own wishes.
+Her manner made her words eloquent, and already, with true feminine
+tactics, she had put Brandon in the wrong in everything because he was
+wrong in part.
+
+Then she quickly went over what she had said to me. She told of her
+great dread lest the king should learn of the visit to Grouche's and
+its fatal consequences, knowing full well it would render Henry
+impervious to her influence and precipitate the French marriage. She
+told him of how she was going to the king the day after the arrest to
+ask his release, and of the meeting with Buckingham, and his promise.
+
+Still Brandon said nothing, and stood as if politely waiting for her
+to withdraw.
+
+She remained silent a little time, waiting for him to speak, when
+tears, partly of vexation, I think, moistened her eyes.
+
+"Tell me at least," she said, "that you know I speak the truth. I have
+always believed in you, and now I ask for your faith. I would not lie
+to you in the faintest shading of a thought--not for heaven
+itself--not even for your love and forgiveness, much as they are to
+me, and I want to know that you are sure of my truthfulness, if you
+doubt all else. You see I speak plainly of what your love is to me,
+for although, by remaining away, you made me fear I had been too
+lavish with my favors--that is every woman's fear--I knew in my heart
+you loved me; that you could not have done and said what you did
+otherwise. Now you see what faith I have in you, and you a man, whom a
+woman's instinct prompts to doubt. How does it compare with your faith
+in me, a woman, whom all the instincts of a manly nature should
+dispose to trust? It seems to be an unwritten law that a man may lie
+to a woman concerning the most important thing in life to her, and be
+proud of it, but you see even now I have all faith in your love for
+me, else I surely should not be here. You see I trust even your
+unspoken word, when it might, without much blame to you, be a spoken
+lie; yet you do not trust me, who have no world-given right to speak
+falsely about such things, and when that which I now do is full of
+shame for me, and what I have done full of guilt, if inspired by aught
+but the purest truth from my heart of hearts. Your words mean so
+much--so much more, I think, than you realize--and are so cruel in
+turning to evil the highest, purest impulse a woman can feel--the
+glowing pride in self-surrender, and the sweet, delightful privilege
+of giving where she loves. How can you? How can you?"
+
+How eloquent she was! It seemed to me this would have melted the
+frozen sea, but I think Brandon felt that now his only hope lay in the
+safeguard of his constantly upheld indignation.
+
+When he spoke he ignored all she had said.
+
+"You did well to employ my Lord of Buckingham. It will make matters
+more interesting when I tell you it was he who attacked you and was
+caught by the leg under his wounded horse; he was lame, I am told, for
+some time afterward. I had watched him following you from the gate at
+Bridewell, and at once recognized him when his mask fell off during
+the fight by the wall. You have done well at every step, I see."
+
+"Oh, God; to think of it! Had I but known! Buckingham shall pay for
+this with his head; but how could I know? I was but a poor, distracted
+girl, sure to make some fatal error. I was in such agony--your
+wounds--believe me, I suffered more from them than you could. Every
+pain you felt was a pang for me--and then that awful marriage! I was
+being sold like a wretched slave to that old satyr, to be gloated over
+and feasted upon. No man can know the horror of that thought to a
+woman--to any woman, good or bad. To have one's beauty turn to curse
+her and make her desirable only--only as well-fed cattle are prized. No
+matter how great the manifestation of such so-called love, it all the
+more repels a woman and adds to her loathing day by day. Then there was
+something worse than all,"--she was almost weeping now--"I might have
+been able to bear the thought even of that hideous marriage--others
+have lived through the like--but--but after--that--that day--when
+you--it seemed that your touch was a spark dropped into a heart full of
+tinder, which had been lying there awaiting it all these years. In that
+one moment the flame grew so intense I could not withstand it. My
+throat ached; I could scarcely breathe, and it seemed that my heart
+would burst." Here the tears gushed forth as she took a step toward him
+with outstretched arms, and said between her sobs: "I wanted you, you!
+for my husband--for my husband, and I could not bear the torturing
+thought of losing you or enduring any other man. I could not give you
+up after that--it was all too late, too late; it had gone too far. I
+was lost! lost!"
+
+He sprang to where she stood leaning toward him, and caught her to his
+breast.
+
+She held him from her while she said: "Now you know--now you know that
+I would not have left you in that terrible place, had I known it. No,
+not if it had taken my life to buy your freedom."
+
+"I do know; I do know. Be sure of that; I know it and shall know it
+always, whatever happens; nothing can change me. I will never doubt
+you again. It is my turn to ask forgiveness now."
+
+"No, no; just forgive me; that is all I ask," and her head was on his
+breast.
+
+"Let us step out into the passage-way, Edwin," said Jane, and we did.
+There were times when Jane seemed to be inspired.
+
+When we went back into the room Mary and Brandon were sitting in the
+window-way on his great cloak. They rose and came to us, holding each
+other's hands, and Mary asked, looking up to him:
+
+"Shall we tell them?"
+
+"As you like, my lady."
+
+Mary was willing, and looked for Brandon to speak, so he said: "This
+lady whom I hold by the hand and myself have promised each other
+before the good God to be husband and wife, if fortune ever so favor
+us that it be possible."
+
+"No, that is not it," interrupted Mary. "There is no 'if' in it; it
+shall be, whether it is possible or not. Nothing shall prevent." At
+this she kissed Jane and told her how she loved her, and gave me her
+hand, for her love was so great within her that it overflowed upon
+every one. She, however, always had a plenitude of love for Jane, and
+though she might scold her and apparently misuse her, Jane was as dear
+as a sister, and was always sure of her steadfast, tried and lasting
+affection.
+
+After Mary had said there should be no "if," Brandon replied:
+
+"Very well, Madame Destiny." Then turning to us: "What ought I to do
+for one who is willing to stoop from so high an estate to honor me and
+be my wife?"
+
+"Love her, and her alone, with your whole heart, as long as you live.
+That is all she wants, I am sure," volunteered Jane, sentimentally.
+
+"Jane, you are a Madam Solomon," said Mary, with a tone of her
+old-time laugh. "Is the course you advise as you would wish to be done
+by?" And she glanced mischievously from Jane to me, as the laugh
+bubbled up from her heart, merry and soft as if it had not come from
+what was but now the home of grief and pain.
+
+"I know nothing about how I should like to be done by," said Jane,
+with a pout, "but if you have such respect for my wisdom I will offer
+a little more; I think it is time we should be going."
+
+"Now, Jane, you are growing foolish again; I will not go yet," and
+Mary made manifest her intention by sitting down. She could not bring
+herself to forego the pleasure of staying, dangerous as she knew it to
+be, and could not bear the pain of parting, even for a short time, now
+that she had Brandon once more. The time was soon coming--but I am too
+fast again.
+
+After a time Brandon said: "I think Jane's wisdom remains with her,
+Mary. It is better that you do not stay, much as I wish to have you."
+
+She was ready to obey him at once.
+
+When she arose to go she took both his hands in hers and whispered:
+"'Mary.' I like the name on your lips," and then glancing hurriedly
+over her shoulder to see if Jane and I were looking, lifted her face
+to him and ran after us.
+
+We were a little in advance of the princess, and, as we walked along,
+Jane said under her breath: "Now look out for trouble; it will come
+quickly, and I fear for Master Brandon more than any one. He has made
+a noble fight against her and against himself, and it is no wonder she
+loves him."
+
+This made me feel a little jealous.
+
+"Jane, you could not love him, could you?" I asked.
+
+"No matter what I could do, Edwin; I do not, and that should satisfy
+you." Her voice and manner said more than her words. The hall was
+almost dark, and--I have always considered that occasion one of my
+lost opportunities; but they are not many.
+
+The next evening Brandon and I, upon Lady Mary's invitation, went up
+to her apartments, but did not stay long, fearing some one might find
+us there and cause trouble. We would not have gone at all had not the
+whole court been absent in London, for discovery would have been a
+serious matter to one of us at least.
+
+As I told you once before, Henry did not care how much Brandon might
+love his sister, but Buckingham had whispered suspicions of the state
+of Mary's heart, and his own observations, together with the
+intercepted note, had given these suspicions a stronger coloring, so
+that a very small matter might turn them into certainties.
+
+The king had pardoned Brandon for the killing of the two men in
+Billingsgate, as he was forced to do under the circumstances, but
+there his kindness stopped. After a short time he deprived him of his
+place at court, and all that was left for him of royal favor was
+permission to remain with me and live at the palace until such time as
+he should sail for New Spain.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XIII_
+
+_A Girl's Consent_
+
+
+The treaty had been agreed upon, and as to the international
+arrangement, at least, the marriage of Louis de Valois and Mary Tudor
+was a settled fact. All it needed was the consent of an
+eighteen-year-old girl--a small matter, of course, as marriageable
+women are but commodities in statecraft, and theoretically, at least,
+acquiesce in everything their liege lords ordain. Lady Mary's consent
+had been but theoretical, but it was looked upon by every one as
+amounting to an actual, vociferated, sonorous "yes;" that is to say,
+by every one but the princess, who had no more notion of saying "yes"
+than she had of reciting the Sanscrit vocabulary from the pillory of
+Smithfield.
+
+Wolsey, whose manner was smooth as an otter's coat, had been sent to
+fetch the needed "yes"; but he failed.
+
+Jane told me about it.
+
+Wolsey had gone privately to see the princess, and had thrown out a
+sort of skirmish line by flattering her beauty, but had found her not
+in the best humor.
+
+"Yes, yes, my lord of Lincoln, I know how beautiful I am; no one knows
+better; I know all about my hair, eyes, teeth, eyebrows and skin. I
+tell you I am sick of them. Don't talk to me about them; it won't
+help you to get my consent to marry that vile old creature. That is
+what you have come for, of course. I have been expecting you; why did
+not my brother come?"
+
+"I think he was afraid; and, to tell you the truth, I was afraid
+myself," answered Wolsey, with a smile. This made Mary smile, too, in
+spite of herself, and went a long way toward putting her in a good
+humor. Wolsey continued: "His majesty could not have given me a more
+disagreeable task. You doubtless think I am in favor of this marriage,
+but I am not."
+
+This was as great a lie as ever fell whole out of a bishop's mouth. "I
+have been obliged to fall in with the king's views on the matter, for
+he has had his mind set on it from the first mention by de
+Longueville."
+
+"Was it that bead-eyed little mummy who suggested it?"
+
+"Yes, and if you marry the king of France you can repay him with
+usury."
+
+"'Tis an inducement, by my troth."
+
+"I do not mind saying to you in confidence that I think it an outrage
+to force a girl like you to marry a man like Louis of France, but how
+are we to avoid it?"
+
+By the "we" Wolsey put himself in alliance with Mary, and the move was
+certainly adroit.
+
+"How are we to avoid it? Have no fear of that, my lord; I will show
+you."
+
+"Oh! but my dear princess; permit me; you do not seem to know your
+brother; you cannot in any way avoid this marriage. I believe he will
+imprison you and put you on bread and water to force your consent. I
+am sure you had better do willingly that which you will eventually be
+compelled to do anyway; and besides, there is another thought that has
+come to me; shall I speak plainly before Lady Jane Bolingbroke?"
+
+"I have no secrets from her."
+
+"Very well; it is this: Louis is old and very feeble; he cannot live
+long, and it may be that you can, by a ready consent now, exact a
+promise from your brother to allow you your own choice in the event of
+a second marriage. You might in that way purchase what you could not
+bring about in any other way."
+
+"How do you know that I want to purchase aught in any way, Master
+Wolsey? I most certainly do not intend to do so by marrying France."
+
+"I do not know that you wish to purchase anything, but a woman's heart
+is not always under her full control, and it sometimes goes out to one
+very far beneath her in station, but the equal of any man on earth in
+grandeur of soul and nobleness of nature. It might be that there is
+such a man whom any woman would be amply justified in purchasing at
+any sacrifice--doubly so if it were buying happiness for two."
+
+His meaning was too plain even to pretend to misunderstand, and Mary's
+eyes flashed at him, as her face broke into a dimpling smile in spite
+of her.
+
+Wolsey thought he had won, and to clinch the victory said, in his
+forceful manner: "Louis XII will not live a year; let me carry to the
+king your consent, and I guarantee you his promise as to a second
+marriage."
+
+In an instant Mary's eyes shot fire, and her face was like the
+blackest storm cloud.
+
+"Carry this to the king: that I will see him and the whole kingdom
+sunk in hell before I will marry Louis of France. That is my answer
+once and for all. Good even', Master Wolsey." And she swept out of the
+room with head up and dilating nostrils, the very picture of defiance.
+
+St. George! She must have looked superb. She was one of the few
+persons whom anger and disdain and the other passions which we call
+ungentle seemed to illumine--they were so strong in her, and yet not
+violent. It seemed that every deep emotion but added to her beauty and
+brought it out, as the light within a church brings out the exquisite
+figuring on the windows.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+After Wolsey had gone, Jane said to Mary: "Don't you think it would
+have been better had you sent a softer answer to your brother? I
+believe you could reach his heart even now if you were to make the
+effort. You have not tried in this matter as you did in the others."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Jane. I will go to Henry."
+
+Mary waited until she knew the king was alone, and then went to him.
+
+On entering the room, she said: "Brother, I sent a hasty message to
+you by the Bishop of Lincoln this morning, and have come to ask your
+forgiveness."
+
+"Ah! little sister; I thought you would change your mind. Now you are
+a good girl."
+
+"Oh! do not misunderstand me; I asked your forgiveness for the
+message; as to the marriage, I came to tell you that it would kill me
+and that I could not bear it. Oh! brother, you are not a woman--you
+cannot know." Henry flew into a passion, and with oaths and curses
+ordered her to leave him unless she was ready to give her consent. She
+had but two courses to take, so she left with her heart full of hatred
+for the most brutal wretch who ever sat upon a throne--and that is
+making an extreme case. As she was going, she turned upon him like a
+fury, and exclaimed:
+
+"Never, never! Do you hear? Never!"
+
+Preparations went on for the marriage just as if Mary had given her
+solemn consent. The important work of providing the trousseau began at
+once, and the more important matter of securing the loan from the
+London merchants was pushed along rapidly. The good citizens might
+cling affectionately to their angels, double angels, crowns and pounds
+sterling, but the fear in which they held the king, and a little
+patting of the royal hand upon the plebeian head, worked the charm,
+and out came the yellow gold, never to be seen again, God wot. Under
+the stimulus of the royal smile they were ready to shout themselves
+hoarse, and to eat and drink themselves red in the face in celebration
+of the wedding day. In short, they were ready to be tickled nearly to
+death for the honor of paying to a wretched old lecher a wagon-load of
+gold to accept, as a gracious gift, the most beautiful heart-broken
+girl in the world. That is, she would have been heart-broken had she
+not been inspired with courage. As it was, she wasted none of her
+energy in lamentations, but saved it all to fight with. Heavens! how
+she did fight! If a valiant defense ever deserved victory, it was in
+her case. When the queen went to her with silks and taffetas and fine
+cloths, to consult about the trousseau, although the theme was one
+which would interest almost any woman, she would have none of it, and
+when Catherine insisted upon her trying on a certain gown, she called
+her a blackamoor, tore the garment to pieces, and ordered her to leave
+the room.
+
+Henry sent Wolsey to tell her that the 13th day of August had been
+fixed upon as the day of the marriage, de Longueville to act as the
+French king's proxy, and Wolsey was glad to come off with his life.
+
+Matters were getting into a pretty tangle at the palace. Mary would
+not speak to the king, and poor Catherine was afraid to come within
+arm's length of her; Wolsey was glad to keep out of her way, and she
+flew at Buckingham with talons and beak upon first sight. As to the
+battle with Buckingham, it was short but decisive, and this was the
+way it came about: There had been a passage between the duke and
+Brandon, in which the latter had tried to coax the former into a duel,
+the only way, of course, to settle the weighty matters between them.
+Buckingham, however, had had a taste of Brandon's nimble sword play,
+and, bearing in mind Judson's fate, did not care for any more. They
+had met by accident, and Brandon, full of smiles and as polite as a
+Frenchman, greeted him.
+
+"Doubtless my lord, having crossed swords twice with me, will do me
+the great honor to grant that privilege the third time, and will
+kindly tell me where my friend can wait upon a friend of his grace."
+
+"There is no need for us to meet over that little affair. You had the
+best of it, and if I am satisfied you should be. I was really in the
+wrong, but I did not know the princess had invited you to her ball."
+
+"Your lordship is pleased to evade," returned Brandon. "It is not the
+ball-room matter that I have to complain of; as you have rightly said,
+if you are satisfied, I certainly should be; but it is that your
+lordship, in the name of the king, instructed the keeper of Newgate
+prison to confine me in an underground cell, and prohibited
+communication with any of my friends. You so arranged it that my trial
+should be secret, both as to the day thereof and the event, in order
+that it should not be known to those who might be interested in my
+release. You promised the Lady Mary that you would procure my liberty,
+and thereby prevented her going to the king for that purpose, and
+afterwards told her that it had all been done, as promised, and that I
+had escaped to New Spain. It is because of this, my Lord Buckingham,
+that I now denounce you as a liar, a coward and a perjured knight, and
+demand of you such satisfaction as one man can give to another for
+mortal injury. If you refuse, I will kill you as I would a cut-throat
+the next time I meet you."
+
+"I care nothing for your rant, fellow, but out of consideration for
+the feelings which your fancied injuries have put into your heart, I
+tell you that I did what I could to liberate you, and received from
+the keeper a promise that you should be allowed to escape. After that
+a certain letter addressed to you was discovered and fell into the
+hands of the king--a matter in which I had no part. As to your
+confinement and non-communication with your friends, that was at his
+majesty's command after he had seen the letter, as he will most
+certainly confirm to you. I say this for my own sake, not that I care
+what you may say or think."
+
+This offer of confirmation by the king made it all sound like the
+truth, so much will even a little truth leaven a great lie; and part
+of Brandon's sails came down against the mast. The whole statement
+surprised him, and, most of all, the intercepted letter. What letter
+could it have been? It was puzzling, and yet he dared not ask.
+
+As the duke was about to walk away, Brandon stopped him: "One moment,
+your grace; I am willing to admit what you have said, for I am not now
+prepared to contradict it; but there is yet another matter we have to
+settle. You attacked me on horseback, and tried to murder me in order
+to abduct two ladies that night over in Billingsgate. That you cannot
+deny. I watched you follow the ladies from Bridewell to Grouche's, and
+saw your face when your mask fell off during the melee as plainly as I
+see it now. If other proof is wanting, there is that sprained knee
+upon which your horse fell, causing you to limp even yet. I am sure
+now that my lord will meet me like a man; or would he prefer that I
+should go to the king and tell him and the world the whole shameful
+story? I have concealed it heretofore, thinking it my personal right
+and privilege to settle with you."
+
+Buckingham turned a shade paler as he replied: "I do not meet such as
+you on the field of honor, and have no fear of your slander injuring
+me."
+
+He felt secure in the thought that the girls did not know who had
+attacked them, and could not corroborate Brandon in his accusation, or
+Mary, surely, never would have appealed to him for help.
+
+I was with Brandon--at a little distance, that is--when this occurred,
+and after Buckingham had left, we went to find the girls in the
+forest. We knew they would be looking for us, although they would
+pretend surprise when they saw us. We soon met them, and the very
+leaves of the trees gave a soft, contented rustle in response to
+Mary's low, mellow laugh of joy.
+
+After perhaps half an hour, we encountered Buckingham with his
+lawyer-knight, Johnson. They had evidently walked out to this quiet
+path to consult about the situation. As they approached, Mary spoke to
+the duke with a vicious sparkle in her eyes.
+
+"My Lord Buckingham, this shall cost you your head; remember my words
+when you are on the scaffold, just when your neck fits into the hollow
+of the block."
+
+He stopped, with an evident desire to explain, but Mary pointed down
+the path and said: "Go, or I will have Master Brandon spit you on his
+sword. Two to one would be easy odds compared with the four to one you
+put against him in Billingsgate. Go!" And the battle was over, the foe
+never having struck a blow. It hurt me that Mary should speak of the
+odds being two to one against Brandon when I was at hand. It is true I
+was not very large, but I could have taken care of a lawyer.
+
+Now it was that the lawyer-knight earned his bread by his wits, for it
+was he, I know, who instigated the next move--a master stroke in its
+way, and one which proved a checkmate to us. It was this: the duke
+went at once to the king, and, in a tone of injured innocence, told
+him of the charge made by Brandon with Mary's evident approval, and
+demanded redress for the slander. Thus it seemed that the strength of
+our position was about to be turned against us. Brandon was at once
+summoned and promptly appeared before the king, only too anxious to
+confront the duke. As to the confinement of Brandon and his secret
+trial, the king did not care to hear; that was a matter of no
+consequence to him; the important question was, did Buckingham attack
+the princess?
+
+Brandon told the whole straight story, exactly as it was, which
+Buckingham as promptly denied, and offered to prove by his almoner
+that he was at his devotions on the night and at the hour of the
+attack. So here was a conflict of evidence which called for new
+witnesses, and Henry asked Brandon if the girls had seen and
+recognized the duke. To this question, of course, he was compelled to
+answer no, and the whole accusation, after all, rested upon Brandon's
+word, against which, on the other hand, was the evidence of the Duke
+of Buckingham and his convenient almoner.
+
+All this disclosed to the full poor Mary's anxiety to help Brandon,
+and the duke having adroitly let out the fact that he had just met the
+princess with Brandon at a certain secluded spot in the forest,
+Henry's suspicion of her partiality received new force, and he began
+to look upon the unfortunate Brandon as a partial cause, at least, of
+Mary's aversion to the French marriage.
+
+Henry grew angry and ordered Brandon to leave the court, with the
+sullen remark that it was only his services to the Princess Mary that
+saved him from a day with papers on the pillory.
+
+This was not by any means what Brandon had expected. There seemed to
+be a fatality for him about everything connected with that unfortunate
+trip to Grouche's. He had done his duty, and this was his recompense.
+Virtue is sometimes a pitiful reward for itself, notwithstanding much
+wisdom to the contrary.
+
+Henry was by no means sure that his suspicions concerning Mary's heart
+were correct, and in all he had heard he had not one substantial fact
+upon which to base conviction. He had not seen her with Brandon since
+their avowal, or he would have had a fact in every look, the truth in
+every motion, a demonstration in every glance. She seemed powerless
+even to attempt concealment. In Brandon's handsome manliness and
+evident superiority, the king thought he saw a very clear possibility
+for Mary to love, and where there is such a possibility for a girl,
+she usually fails to fulfill expectations. I suppose there are more
+wrong guesses as to the sort of man a given woman will fall in love
+with than on any other subject of equal importance in the whole range
+of human surmising. It did not, however, strike the king that way, and
+he, in common with most other sons of Adam, supposing that he knew all
+about it, marked Brandon as a very possible and troublesome personage.
+For once in the history of the world a man had hit upon the truth in
+this obscure matter, although he had no idea how correct he was.
+
+Now, all this brought Brandon into the deep shadow of the royal frown,
+and, like many another man, he sank his fortune in the fathomless
+depths of a woman's heart, and thought himself rich in doing it.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XIV_
+
+_In the Siren Country_
+
+
+With the king, admiration stood for affection, a mistake frequently
+made by people not given to self-analysis, and in a day or two a
+reaction set in toward Brandon which inspired a desire to make some
+amends for his harsh treatment. This he could not do to any great
+extent, on Buckingham's account; at least, not until the London loan
+was in his coffers, but the fact that Brandon was going to New Spain
+so soon and would be out of the way, both of Mary's eyes and Mary's
+marriage, stimulated that rare flower in Henry's heart, a good
+resolve, and Brandon was offered his old quarters with me until such
+time as he should sail for New Spain.
+
+He had never abandoned this plan, and now that matters had taken this
+turn with Mary and the king, his resolution was stronger than ever, in
+that the scheme held two recommendations and a possibility.
+
+The recommendations were, first, it would take him away from Mary,
+with whom--when out of the inspiring influence of her buoyant
+hopefulness--he knew marriage to be utterly impossible; and second,
+admitting and facing that impossibility, he might find at least
+partial relief from his heartache in the stirring events and
+adventures of that faraway land of monsters, dragons, savages and
+gold. The possibility lay in the gold, and a very faintly burning
+flame of hope held out the still more faintly glimmering chance that
+fortune, finding him there almost alone, might, for lack of another
+lover, smile upon him by way of squaring accounts. She might lead him
+to a cavern of gold, and gold would do anything; even, perhaps,
+purchase so priceless a treasure as a certain princess of the blood
+royal. He did not, however, dwell much on this possibility, but kept
+the delightful hope well neutralized with a constantly present sense
+of its improbability, in order to save the pain of a long fall when
+disappointment should come.
+
+Brandon at once accepted the king's offer of lodging in the palace,
+for now that he felt sure of himself in the matter of New Spain, and
+his separation from Mary, he longed to see as much as possible of her
+before the light went out forever, even though it were playing with
+death itself to do so.
+
+Poor fellow, his suffering was so acute during this period that it
+affected me like a contagion.
+
+It did not make a mope of him, but came in spasms that almost drove
+him wild. He would at times pace the room and cry out: "Jesu!
+Caskoden, what shall I do? She will be the wife of the French king,
+and I shall sit in the wilderness and try every moment to imagine what
+she is doing and thinking. I shall find the bearing of Paris, and
+look in her direction until my brain melts in my effort to see her,
+and then I shall wander in the woods, a suffering imbecile, feeding on
+roots and nuts. Would to God one of us might die. If it were not
+selfish, I should wish I might be the one."
+
+I said nothing in answer to these outbursts, as I had no consolation
+to offer.
+
+We had two or three of our little meetings of four, dangerous as they
+were, at which Mary, feeling that each time she saw Brandon might be
+the last, would sit and look at him with glowing eyes that in turn
+softened and burned as he spoke. She did not talk much, but devoted
+all her time and energies to looking with her whole soul. Never before
+or since was there a girl so much in love. A young girl thoroughly in
+love is the most beautiful object on earth--beautiful even in
+ugliness. Imagine, then, what it made of Mary!
+
+Growing partly, perhaps, out of his unattainability--for he was as far
+out of her reach as she out of his--she had long since begun to
+worship him. She had learned to know him so well, and his valiant
+defense of her in Billingsgate, together with his noble self-sacrifice
+in refusing to compromise her in order to save himself, had presented
+him to her in so noble a light that she had come to look up to him as
+her superior. Her surrender had been complete, and she found in it a
+joy far exceeding that of any victory or triumph she could imagine.
+
+I could not for the life of me tell what would be the outcome of it
+all. Mary was one woman in ten thousand, so full was she of feminine
+force and will--a force which we men pretend to despise, but to which
+in the end we always succumb.
+
+Like most women, the princess was not much given to analysis; and, I
+think, secretly felt that this matter of so great moment to her would,
+as everything else always had, eventually turn itself to her desire.
+She could not see the way, but, to her mind, there could be no doubt
+about it; fate was her friend; always had been, and surely always
+would be.
+
+With Brandon it was different; experience as to how the ardently hoped
+for usually turns out to be the sadly regretted, together with a
+thorough face-to-face analysis of the situation, showed him the truth,
+all too clearly, and he longed for the day when he should go, as a
+sufferer longs for the surgeon's knife that is to relieve him of an
+aching limb. The hopelessness of the outlook had for the time
+destroyed nearly all of his combativeness, and had softened his nature
+almost to apathetic weakness. It would do no good to struggle in a
+boundless, fathomless sea; so he was ready to sink and was going to
+New Spain to hope no more.
+
+Mary did not see what was to prevent the separation, but this did not
+trouble her as much as one would suppose, and she was content to let
+events take their own way, hoping and believing that in the end it
+would be hers. Events, however, continued in this wrong course so
+long and persistently that at last the truth dawned upon her and she
+began to doubt; and as time flew on and matters evinced a disposition
+to grow worse instead of better, she gradually, like the sundial in
+the moonlight, awakened to the fact that there was something wrong; a
+cog loose somewhere in the complicated machinery of fate--the fate
+which had always been her tried, trusted and obedient servant.
+
+The trouble began in earnest with the discovery of our meetings in
+Lady Mary's parlor. There was nothing at all unusual in the fact that
+small companies of young folk frequently spent their evenings with
+her, but we knew well enough that the unusual element in our parties
+was their exceeding smallness. A company of eight or ten young persons
+was well enough, although it, of course, created jealousy on the part
+of those who were left out; but four--two of each sex--made a
+difference in kind, however much we might insist it was only in
+degree; and this we soon learned was the king's opinion.
+
+You may be sure there was many a jealous person about the court ready
+to carry tales, and that it was impossible long to keep our meetings
+secret among such a host as then lived in Greenwich palace.
+
+One day the queen summoned Jane and put her to the question. Now, Jane
+thought the truth was made only to be told, a fallacy into which many
+good people have fallen, to their utter destruction; since the truth,
+like every other good thing, may be abused.
+
+Well! Jane told it all in a moment, and Catherine was so horrified
+that she was like to faint. She went with her hair-lifting horror to
+the king, and poured into his ears a tale of imprudence and debauchery
+well calculated to start his righteous, virtue-prompted indignation
+into a threatening flame.
+
+Mary, Jane, Brandon and myself were at once summoned to the presence
+of both their majesties and soundly reprimanded. Three of us were
+ordered to leave the court before we could speak a word in
+self-defense, and Jane had enough of her favorite truth for once.
+Mary, however, came to our rescue with her coaxing eloquence and
+potent, feminine logic, and soon convinced Henry that the queen, who
+really counted for little with him, had made a mountain out of a very
+small mole-hill. Thus the royal wrath was appeased to such an extent
+that the order for expulsion was modified to a command that there be
+no more quartette gatherings in Princess Mary's parlor. This leniency
+was more easy for the princess to bring about, by reason of the fact
+that she had not spoken to her brother since the day she went to see
+him after Wolsey's visit, and had been so roughly driven off. At
+first, upon her refusal to speak to him--after the Wolsey visit--Henry
+was angry on account of what he called her insolence; but as she did
+not seem to care for that, and as his anger did nothing toward
+unsealing her lips, he pretended indifference. Still the same stubborn
+silence was maintained. This soon began to amuse the king, and of late
+he had been trying to be on friendly terms again with his sister
+through a series of elephantine antics and bear-like pleasantries,
+which were the most dismal failures--that is, in the way of bringing
+about a reconciliation. They were more successful from a comical point
+of view. So Henry was really glad for something that would loosen the
+tongue usually so lively, and for an opportunity to gratify his sister
+from whom he was demanding such a sacrifice, and for whom he expected
+to receive no less a price than the help of Louis of France, the most
+powerful king of Europe, to the imperial crown.
+
+Thus our meetings were broken up, and Brandon knew his dream was over,
+and that any effort to see the princess would probably result in
+disaster for them both; for him certainly.
+
+The king upon that same day told Mary of the intercepted letter sent
+by her to Brandon at Newgate, and accused her of what he was pleased
+to term an improper feeling for a low-born fellow.
+
+Mary at once sent a full account of the communication in a letter to
+Brandon, who read it with no small degree of ill comfort as the
+harbinger of trouble.
+
+"I had better leave here soon, or I may go without my head," he
+remarked. "When that thought gets to working in the king's brain, he
+will strike, and I--shall fall."
+
+Letters began to come to our rooms from Mary, at first begging Brandon
+to come to her, and then upbraiding him because of his coldness and
+cowardice, and telling him that if he cared for her as she did for
+him, he would see her, though he had to wade through fire and blood.
+That was exactly where the trouble lay; it was not fire and blood
+through which he would have to pass; they were small matters, mere
+nothings that would really have added zest and interest to the
+achievement. But the frowning laugh of the tyrant, who could bind him
+hand and foot, and a vivid remembrance of the Newgate dungeon, with a
+dangling noose or a hollowed-out block in the near background, were
+matters that would have taken the adventurous tendency out of even the
+cracked brain of chivalry itself. Brandon cared only to fight where
+there was a possible victory or ransom, or a prospect of some sort, at
+least, of achieving success. Bayard preferred a stone wall, and
+thought to show his brains by beating them out against it, and in a
+sense he could do it. * * * What a pity this senseless, stiff-kneed,
+light-headed chivalry did not beat its brains out several centuries
+before Bayard put such an absurd price upon himself.
+
+So every phase of the question which his good sense presented told
+Brandon, whose passion was as ardent though not so impatient as
+Mary's, that it would be worse than foolhardy to try to see her. He,
+however, had determined to see her once more before he left, but as it
+could, in all probability, be only once, he was reserving the meeting
+until the last, and had written Mary that it was their best and only
+chance.
+
+This brought to Mary a stinging realization of the fact that Brandon
+was about to leave her and that she would lose him if something were
+not done quickly. Now for Mary, after a life of gratified whims, to
+lose the very thing she wanted most of all--that for which she would
+willingly have given up every other desire her heart had ever
+coined--was a thought hardly to be endured. She felt that the world
+would surely collapse. It could not, would not, should not be.
+
+Her vigorous young nerves were too strong to be benumbed by an
+overwhelming agony, as is sometimes the case with those who are
+fortunate enough to be weaker, so she had to suffer and endure. Life
+itself, yes, life a thousand times, was slipping away from her. She
+must be doing something or she would perish. Poor Mary! How a grand
+soul like hers, full of faults and weakness, can suffer! What an
+infinite disproportion between her susceptibility to pain and her
+power to combat it! She had the maximum capacity for one and the
+minimum strength for the other. No wonder it drove her almost
+mad--that excruciating pang of love.
+
+She could not endure inaction, so she did the worst thing possible.
+She went alone, one afternoon, just before dusk, to see Brandon at our
+rooms. I was not there when she first went in, but, having seen her on
+the way, suspected something and followed, arriving two or three
+minutes after her. I knew it was best that I should be present, and
+was sure Brandon would wish it. When I entered they were holding each
+other's hands, in silence. They had not yet found their tongues, so
+full and crowded were their hearts. It was pathetic to see them,
+especially the girl, who had not Brandon's hopelessness to deaden the
+pain by partial resignation.
+
+Upon my entrance, she dropped his hands and turned quickly toward me
+with a frightened look, but was reassured upon seeing who it was.
+Brandon mechanically walked away from her and seated himself on a
+stool. Mary, as mechanically, moved to his side and placed her hand on
+his shoulder. Turning her face toward me, she said: "Sir Edwin, I know
+you will forgive me when I tell you that we have a great deal to say
+and wish to be alone."
+
+I was about to go when Brandon stopped me.
+
+"No, no; Caskoden, please stay; it would not do. It would be bad
+enough, God knows, if the princess should be found here with both of
+us; but, with me alone, I should be dead before morning. There is
+danger enough as it is, for they will watch us."
+
+Mary knew he was right, but she could not resist a vicious little
+glance toward me, who was in no way to blame.
+
+Presently we all moved into the window-way, where Brandon and Mary sat
+upon the great cloak and I on a camp-stool in front of them,
+completely filling up the little passage.
+
+"I can bear this no longer," exclaimed Mary. "I will go to my brother
+to-night and tell him all; I will tell him how I suffer, and that I
+shall die if you are allowed to go away and leave me forever. He loves
+me, and I can do anything with him when I try. I know I can obtain his
+consent to our--our--marriage. He cannot know how I suffer, else he
+would not treat me so. I will let him see--I will convince him. I have
+in my mind everything I want to say and do. I will sit on his knee and
+stroke his hair and kiss him." And she laughed softly as her spirit
+revived in the breath of a growing hope. "Then I will tell him how
+handsome he is, and how I hear the ladies sighing for him, and he will
+come around all right by the third visit. Oh, I know how to do it; I
+have done it so often. Never fear! I wish I had gone at it long ago."
+
+Her enthusiastic fever of hope was really contagious, but Brandon,
+whose life was at stake, had his wits quickened by the danger.
+
+"Mary, would you like to see me a corpse before to-morrow noon?" he
+asked.
+
+"Why! of course not; why do you ask such a dreadful question?"
+
+"Because, if you wish to make sure of it, do what you have just
+said--go to the king and tell him all. I doubt if he could wait till
+morning. I believe he would awaken me at midnight to put me to sleep
+forever--at the end of a rope or on a block pillow."
+
+"Oh! no! you are all wrong; I know what I can do with Henry."
+
+"If that is the case, I say good-bye now, for I shall be out of
+England, if possible, by midnight. You must promise me that you will
+not only not go to the king at all about this matter, but that you
+will guard your tongue, jealous of its slightest word, and remember
+with every breath that on your prudence hangs my life, which, I know,
+is dear to you. Do you promise? If you do not, I must fly; so you will
+lose me one way or the other, if you tell the king; either by my
+flight or by my death."
+
+"I promise," said Mary, with drooping head; the embodiment of despair;
+all life and hope having left her again.
+
+After a few minutes her face brightened, and she asked Brandon what
+ship he would sail in for New Spain, and whence.
+
+"We sail in the Royal Hind, from Bristol," he replied.
+
+"How many go out in her; and are there any women?"
+
+"No! no!" he returned; "no woman could make the trip, and, besides, on
+ships of that sort, half pirate, half merchant, they do not take
+women. The sailors are superstitious about it and will not sail with
+them. They say they bring bad luck--adverse winds, calms, storms,
+blackness, monsters from the deep and victorious foes."
+
+"The ignorant creatures!" cried Mary.
+
+Brandon continued: "There will be a hundred men, if the captain can
+induce so many to enlist."
+
+"How does one procure passage?" inquired Mary.
+
+"By enlisting with the captain, a man named Bradhurst, at Bristol,
+where the ship is now lying. There is where I enlisted by letter. But
+why do you ask?"
+
+"Oh! I only wanted to know."
+
+We talked awhile on various topics, but Mary always brought the
+conversation back to the same subject, the Royal Hind and New Spain.
+After asking many questions, she sat in silence for a time, and then
+abruptly broke into one of my sentences--she was always interrupting
+me as if I were a parrot.
+
+"I have been thinking and have made up my mind what I will do, and you
+shall not dissuade me. I will go to New Spain with you. That will be
+glorious--far better than the humdrum life of sitting at home--and
+will solve the whole question."
+
+"But that would be impossible, Mary," said Brandon, into whose face
+this new evidence of her regard had brought a brightening look;
+"utterly impossible. To begin with, no woman could stand the voyage;
+not even you, strong and vigorous as you are."
+
+"Oh, yes I can, and I will not allow you to stop me for that reason. I
+could bear any hardship better than the torture of the last few weeks.
+In truth, I cannot bear this at all; it is killing me, so what would
+it be when you are gone and I am the wife of Louis? Think of that,
+Charles Brandon; think of that, when I am the wife of Louis. Even if
+the voyage kills me, I might as well die one way as another; and then
+I should be with you, where it were sweet to die." And I had to sit
+there and listen to all this foolish talk!
+
+Brandon insisted: "But no women are going; as I told you, they would
+not take one; besides, how could you escape? I will answer the first
+question you ever asked me. You are of 'sufficient consideration about
+the court' for all your movements to attract notice. It is impossible;
+we must not think of it; it cannot be done. Why build up hopes only to
+be cast down?"
+
+"Oh! but it can be done; never doubt it. I will go, not as a woman,
+but as a man. I have planned all the details while sitting here.
+To-morrow I will send to Bristol a sum of money asking a separate room
+in the ship for a young nobleman who wishes to go to New Spain
+_incognito_, and will go aboard just before they sail. I will buy a
+man's complete outfit, and will practice being a man before you and
+Sir Edwin." Here she blushed so that I could see the scarlet even in
+the gathering gloom. She continued: "As to my escape, I can go to
+Windsor, and then perhaps on to Berkeley Castle, over by Reading,
+where there will be no one to watch me. You can leave at once, and
+there will be no cause for them to spy upon me when you are gone, so
+it can be done easily enough. That is it; I will go to my sister, who
+is now at Berkeley Castle, the other side of Reading, you know, and
+that will make a shorter ride to Bristol when we start."
+
+The thought, of course, could not but please Brandon, to whom, in the
+warmth of Mary's ardor, it had almost begun to offer hope; and he said
+musingly: "I wonder if it could be done? If it could--if we could
+reach New Spain, we might build ourselves a home in the beautiful
+green mountains and hide ourselves safely away from all the world, in
+the lap of some cosy valley, rich with nature's bounteous gift of
+fruit and flowers, shaded from the hot sun and sheltered from the
+blasts, and live in a little paradise all our own. What a glorious
+dream! but it is only a dream, and we had better awake from it."
+
+Brandon must have been insane!
+
+"No! no! It is not a dream," interrupted downright, determined Mary;
+"it is not a dream; it shall be a reality. How glorious it will be! I
+can see our little house now nestling among the hills, shaded by great
+spreading trees with flowers and vines and golden fruit all about it,
+rich plumaged birds and gorgeous butterflies. Oh! I can hardly wait.
+Who would live in a musty palace when one has within reach such a
+home, and that, too, with you?"
+
+Here it was again. I thought that interview would be the death of me.
+
+Brandon held his face in his hands, and then looking up said: "It is
+only a question of your happiness, and hard as the voyage and your
+life over there would be, yet I believe it would be better than life
+with Louis of France; nothing could be so terrible as that to both of
+us. If you wish to go, I will try to take you, though I die in the
+attempt. There will be ample time to reconsider, so that you can turn
+back if you wish."
+
+Her reply was inarticulate, though satisfactory; and she took his hand
+in hers as the tears ran gently down her cheeks; this time tears of
+joy--the first she had shed for many a day.
+
+In the Siren country again without wax! Overboard and lost!
+
+Yes, Brandon's resolution not to see Mary was well taken, if it could
+only have been as well kept. Observe, as we progress, into what the
+breaking of it led him.
+
+He had known that if he should but see her once more, his already
+toppling will would lose its equipoise, and he would be led to attempt
+the impossible and invite destruction. At first this scheme appeared
+to me in its true light, but Mary's subtle feminine logic made it
+seem such plain and easy sailing that I soon began to draw enthusiasm
+from her exhaustless store, and our combined attack upon Brandon
+eventually routed every vestige of caution and common sense that even
+he had left.
+
+Siren logic has always been irresistible and will continue so, no
+doubt, despite experience.
+
+I cannot define what it was about Mary that made her little speeches,
+half argumentative, all-pleading, so wonderfully persuasive. Her facts
+were mere fancies, and her logic was not even good sophistry. As to
+real argument and reasoning, there was nothing of either in them. It
+must have been her native strength of character and intensely vigorous
+personality; some unknown force of nature, operating through her
+occultly, that turned the channels of other persons' thoughts and
+filled them with her own will. There was magic in her power, I am
+certain, but unconscious magic to Mary, I am equally sure. She never
+would have used it knowingly.
+
+There was still another obstacle to which Mary administered her
+favorite remedy, the Gordian knot treatment. Brandon said: "It cannot
+be; you are not my wife, and we dare not trust a priest here to unite
+us."
+
+"No," replied Mary, with hanging head, "but we can--can find one over
+there."
+
+"I do not know how that will be; we shall probably not find one; at
+least, I fear; I do not know."
+
+After a little hesitation she answered: "I will go with you
+anyway--and--and risk it. I hope we may find a priest," and she
+flushed scarlet from her throat to her hair.
+
+Brandon kissed her and said: "You shall go, my brave girl. You make me
+blush for my faint-heartedness and prudence. I will make you my wife
+in some way as sure as there is a God."
+
+Soon after this Brandon forced himself to insist on her departure, and
+I went with her, full of hope and completely blinded to the dangers of
+our cherished scheme. I think Brandon never really lost sight of the
+danger, and almost infinite proportion of chance against this wild,
+reckless venture, but was daring enough to attempt it even in the face
+of such clearly seen and deadly consequences.
+
+What seems to be bravery, as in Mary's case, for example, is often but
+a lack of perception of the real danger. True bravery is that which
+dares a danger fully seeing it. A coward may face an unseen danger,
+and his act may shine with the luster of genuine heroism. Mary was
+brave, but it was the feminine bravery that did not see. Show her a
+danger and she was womanly enough--that is, if you could make her see
+it. Her wilfulness sometimes extended to her mental vision and she
+would not see. In common with many others, she needed mental
+spectacles at times.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XV_
+
+_To Make a Man of Her_
+
+
+So it was all arranged, and I converted part of Mary's jewels into
+money. She said she was sorry now she had not taken de Longueville's
+diamonds, as they would have added to her treasure; I, however,
+procured quite a large sum, to which I secretly added a goodly portion
+out of my own store. At Mary's request I sent part to Bradhurst at
+Bristol, and retained the rest for Brandon to take with him.
+
+A favorable answer soon came from Bristol, giving the young nobleman a
+separate room in consideration of the large purse he had sent.
+
+The next step was to procure the gentleman's wardrobe for Mary. This
+was a little troublesome at first, for, of course, she could not be
+measured in the regular way. We managed to overcome this difficulty by
+having Jane take the measurements under instructions received from the
+tailor, which measurements, together with the cloth, I took to the
+fractional little man who did my work.
+
+He looked at the measurements with twinkling eyes, and remarked: "Sir
+Edwin, that be the curiousest shaped man ever I see the measures of.
+Sure it would make a mighty handsome woman, or I know nothing of human
+dimensions."
+
+"Never you mind about dimensions; make the garments as they are
+ordered and keep your mouth shut, if you know what is to your
+interest. Do you hear?"
+
+He delivered himself of a labored wink. "I do hear and understand,
+too, and my tongue is like the tongue of an obelisk."
+
+In due time I brought the suits to Mary, and they were soon adjusted
+to her liking.
+
+The days passed rapidly, till it was a matter of less than a fortnight
+until the Royal Hind would sail, and it really looked as if the
+adventure might turn out to our desire.
+
+Jane was in tribulation, and thought she ought to be taken along.
+This, you may be sure, was touching me very closely, and I began to
+wish the whole infernal mess at the bottom of the sea. If Jane went,
+his august majesty, King Henry VIII, would be without a Master of the
+Dance, just as sure as the stars twinkled in the firmament. It was,
+however, soon decided that Brandon would have his hands more than full
+to get off with one woman, and that two would surely spoil the plan.
+So Jane was to be left behind, full of tribulation and indignation,
+firmly convinced that she was being treated very badly.
+
+Although at first Jane was violently opposed to the scheme, she soon
+caught the contagious ardor of Mary's enthusiasm, and knowing that her
+dear lady's every chance of happiness was staked upon the throw, grew
+more reconciled. To a person of Jane's age, this venture for love
+offers itself as the last and only cast--the cast for all--and in this
+particular case there was enough of romance to catch the fancy of any
+girl. Nothing was lacking to make it truly romantic. The exalted
+station of at least one of the lovers; the rough road of their true
+love; the elopement, and, above all, the elopement to a new world,
+with a cosy hut nestling in fragrant shades and glad with the notes of
+love from the throats of countless song-birds--what more could a
+romantic girl desire? So, to my surprise, Jane became more than
+reconciled, and her fever of anticipation and excitement grew apace
+with Mary's as the time drew on.
+
+Mary's vanity was delighted with her elopement _trousseau_, for of
+course it was of the finest. Not that the quality was better than her
+usual wear, but doublet and hose were so different on her. She paraded
+for an hour or so before Jane, and as she became accustomed to the new
+garb, and as the steel reflected a most beautiful image, she
+determined to show herself to Brandon and me. She said she wanted to
+become accustomed to being seen in her doublet and hose, and would
+begin with us. She thought if she could not bear our gaze she would
+surely make a dismal failure on shipboard among so many strange men.
+There was some good reasoning in this, and it, together with her
+vanity, overruled her modesty, and prompted her to come to see us in
+her character of young nobleman. Jane made one of her mighty
+protests, so infinitely disproportionate in size to her little
+ladyship, but the self-willed princess would not listen to her, and
+was for coming alone if Jane would not come with her. Once having
+determined, as usual with her, she wasted no time about it, but
+throwing a long cloak over her shoulders, started for our rooms, with
+angry, weeping, protesting Jane at her heels.
+
+When I heard the knock I was sure it was the girls, for though Mary
+had promised Brandon she would not, under any circumstances, attempt
+another visit, I knew so well her utter inability to combat her
+desire, and her reckless disregard of danger where there was a motive
+sufficient to furnish the nerve tension, that I was sure she would
+come, or try to come, again.
+
+I have spoken before about the quality of bravery. What is it, after
+all, and how can we analyze it? Women, we say, are cowardly, but I
+have seen a woman take a risk that the bravest man's nerve would turn
+on edge against. How is it? Can it be possible that they are braver
+than we? That our bravery is of the vaunting kind that telleth of
+itself? My answer, made up from a long life of observation, is: "Yes!
+Given the motive, and women are the bravest creatures on earth." Yet
+how foolishly timid they are at times!
+
+I admitted the girls, and when the door was shut Mary unclasped the
+brooch at her throat and the great cloak fell to her heels. Out she
+stepped, with a little laugh of delight, clothed in doublet, hose and
+confusion, the prettiest picture mortal eyes ever rested on. Her hat,
+something on the broad, flat style with a single white plume
+encircling the crown, was of purple velvet trimmed in gold braid and
+touched here and there with precious stones. Her doublet was of the
+same purple velvet as her hat, trimmed in lace and gold braid. Her
+short trunks were of heavy black silk slashed by yellow satin, with
+hose of lavender silk; and her little shoes were of russet French
+leather. Quite a rainbow, you will say--but such a rainbow!
+
+Brandon and I were struck dumb with admiration and could not keep from
+showing it. This disconcerted the girl, and increased her
+embarrassment until we could not tell which was the prettiest--the
+garments, the girl or the confusion; but this I know, the whole
+picture was as sweet and beautiful as the eyes of man could behold.
+
+Fine feathers will not make fine birds, and Mary's masculine attire
+could no more make her look like a man than harness can disguise the
+graces of a gazelle. Nothing could conceal her intense, exquisite
+womanhood. With our looks of astonishment and admiration Mary's
+blushes deepened.
+
+"What is the matter? Is anything wrong?" she asked.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"Nothing is wrong," answered Brandon, smiling in spite of himself;
+"nothing on earth is wrong with you, you may be sure. You are
+perfect--that is, for a woman; and one who thinks there is anything
+wrong about a perfect woman is hard to please. But if you flatter
+yourself that you, in any way, resemble a man, or that your dress in
+the faintest degree conceals your sex, you are mistaken. It makes it
+only more apparent."
+
+"How can that be?" asked Mary, in comical tribulation; "is not this a
+man's doublet and hose, and this hat--is it not a man's hat? They are
+all for a man; then why do I not look like one, I ask? Tell me what is
+wrong. Oh! I thought I looked just like a man; I thought the disguise
+was perfect."
+
+"Well," returned Brandon, "if you will permit me to say so, you are
+entirely too symmetrical and shapely ever to pass for a man."
+
+The flaming color was in her cheeks, as Brandon went on: "Your feet
+are too small, even for a boy's feet. I don't think you could be made
+to look like a man if you worked from now till doomsday."
+
+Brandon spoke in a troubled tone, for he was beginning to see in
+Mary's perfect and irrepressible womanhood an insurmountable
+difficulty right across his path.
+
+"As to your feet, you might find larger shoes, or, better still,
+jack-boots; and, as to your hose, you might wear longer trunks, but
+what to do about the doublet I am sure I do not know."
+
+Mary looked up helpless and forlorn, and the hot face went into her
+bended elbow as a realization of the situation seemed to dawn upon
+her.
+
+"Oh! I wish I had not come. But I wanted to grow accustomed so that I
+could wear them before others. I believe I could bear it more easily
+with any one else. I did not think of it in that way," and she
+snatched her cloak from where it had fallen on the floor and threw it
+around her.
+
+"What way, Mary?" asked Brandon gently, and receiving no answer. "But
+you will have to bear my looking at you all the time if you go with
+me."
+
+"I don't believe I can do it."
+
+"No, no," answered he, bravely attempting cheerfulness; "we may as
+well give it up. I have had no hope from the first. I knew it could
+not be done, and it should not. I was both insane and criminal to
+think of permitting you to try it."
+
+Brandon's forced cheerfulness died out with his words, and he sank
+into a chair with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.
+Mary ran to him at once. There had been a little moment of faltering,
+but there was no real surrender in her.
+
+Dropping on her knee beside him, she said coaxingly: "Don't give up;
+you are a man; you must not surrender, and let me, a girl, prove the
+stronger. Shame upon you when I look up to you so much and expect you
+to help me be brave. I will go. I will arrange myself in some way. Oh!
+why am I not different; I wish I were as straight as the queen," and
+for that first time in her life she bewailed her beauty, because it
+stood between her and Brandon.
+
+She soon coaxed him out of his despondency, and we began again to plan
+the matter in detail.
+
+The girls sat on Brandon's cloak and he and I on the camp-stool and a
+box.
+
+Mary's time was well occupied in vain attempts to keep herself covered
+with the cloak, which seemed to have a right good will toward Brandon
+and me, but she kept track of our plans, which, in brief, were as
+follows: As to her costume, we would substitute long trunks and
+jack-boots for shoes and hose, and as to doublet, Mary laughed and
+blushingly said she had a plan which she would secretly impart to
+Jane, but would not tell us. She whispered it to Jane, who, as serious
+as the Lord Chancellor, gave judgment, and "thought it would do." We
+hoped so, but were full of doubts.
+
+This is all tame enough to write and read about, but I can tell you it
+was sufficiently exciting at the time. Three of us at least were
+playing with that comical old fellow, Death, and he gave the game
+interest and point to our hearts' content.
+
+Through the thick time-layers of all these years, I can still see the
+group as we sat there, haloed by a hazy cloud of tear-mist. The
+figures rise before my eyes, so young and fair and rich in life and
+yet so pathetic in their troubled earnestness that a great flood of
+pity wells up in my heart for the poor young souls, so danger-bound
+and suffering, and withal so daring and so recklessly confident in the
+might and right of love, and the omnipotence of youth. Ah! If God had
+seen fit in his infinite wisdom to save just one treasure from the
+wreck of Eden, what a race of thankful hearts this earth would bear,
+had he saved us youth alone therewith to compensate us for every other
+ill.
+
+As to the elopement, it was determined that Brandon should leave
+London the following day for Bristol, and make all arrangements along
+the line. He would carry with him two bundles, his own and Mary's
+clothing, and leave them to be taken up when they should go
+a-shipboard. Eight horses would be procured; four to be left as a
+relay at an inn between Berkeley Castle and Bristol, and four to be
+kept at the rendezvous some two leagues the other side of Berkeley for
+the use of Brandon, Mary and the two men from Bristol who were to act
+as an escort on the eventful night. There was one disagreeable little
+feature that we could not provide against nor entirely eliminate. It
+was the fact that Jane and I should be suspected as accomplices before
+the fact of Mary's elopement; and, as you know, to assist in the
+abduction of a princess is treason--for which there is but one remedy.
+I thought I had a plan to keep ourselves safe if I could only stifle
+for the once Jane's troublesome and vigorous tendency to preach the
+truth to all people, upon all subjects and at all times and places.
+She promised to tell the story I would drill into her, but I knew the
+truth would seep out in a thousand ways. She could no more hold it
+than a sieve can hold water. We were playing for great stakes, which,
+if I do say it, none but the bravest hearts, bold and daring as the
+truest knights of chivalry, would think of trying for. Nothing less
+than the running away with the first princess of the first blood royal
+of the world. Think of it! It appalls me even now. Discovery meant
+death to one of us surely--Brandon; possibly to two others--Jane and
+me; certainly, if Jane's truthfulness should become unmanageable, as
+it was so apt to do.
+
+After we had settled everything we could think of, the girls took
+their leave; Mary slyly kissing Brandon at the door. I tried to induce
+Jane to follow her lady's example, but she was as cool and distant as
+the new moon.
+
+I saw Jane again that night and told her in plain terms what I thought
+of her treatment of me. I told her it was selfish and unkind to take
+advantage of my love for her and treat me so cruelly. I told her that
+if she had one drop of generous blood she would tell me of her love,
+if she had any, or let me know it in some way; and if she cared
+nothing for me she was equally bound to be honest and tell me plainly,
+so that I should not waste my time and energy in a hopeless cause. I
+thought it rather clever in me to force her into a position where her
+refusal to tell me that she did not care for me would drive her to a
+half avowal. Of course, I had little fear of the former, or perhaps I
+should not have been so anxious to precipitate the issue.
+
+She did not answer me directly, but said: "From the way you looked at
+Mary to-day, I was led to think you cared little for any other girl's
+opinion."
+
+"Ah! Mistress Jane!" cried I joyfully; "I have you at last; you are
+jealous."
+
+"I give you to understand, sir, that your vanity has led you into a
+great mistake."
+
+"As to your caring for me, or your jealousy? Which?" I asked
+seriously. Adroit, wasn't that?
+
+"As to the jealousy, Edwin. There, now; I think that is saying a good
+deal. Too much," she said pleadingly; but I got something more before
+she left, even if it was against her will; something that made it
+almost impossible for me to hold my feet to the ground.
+
+Jane pouted, gave me a sharp little slap and then ran away, but at the
+door she turned and threw back a rare smile that was priceless to me;
+for it told me she was not angry; and furthermore shed an illuminating
+ray upon a fact which I was blind not to have seen long before; that
+is, that Jane was one of those girls who must be captured _vi et
+armis_.
+
+Some women cannot be captured at all; they must give themselves; of
+this class pre-eminently was Mary. Others again will meet you half way
+and kindly lend a helping hand; while some, like Jane, are always on
+the run, and are captured only by pursuit. They are usually well worth
+the trouble though, and make docile captives. After that smile from
+the door I felt that Jane was mine; all I had to do was to keep off
+outside enemies, charge upon her defenses when the times were ripe and
+accept nothing short of her own sweet self as ransom.
+
+The next day Brandon paid his respects to the king and queen, made his
+adieus to his friends and rode off alone to Bristol. You may be sure
+the king showed no signs of undue grief at his departure.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XVI_
+
+_A Hawking Party_
+
+
+A few days after Brandon's departure, Mary, with the king's consent,
+organized a small party to go over to Windsor for a few weeks during
+the warm weather.
+
+There were ten or twelve of us, including two chaperons, the old Earl
+of Hertford and the dowager Duchess of Kent. Henry might as well have
+sent along a pair of spaniels to act as chaperons--it would have taken
+an army to guard Mary alone--and to tell you the truth our old
+chaperons needed watching more than any of us. It was scandalous. Each
+of them had a touch of gout, and when they made wry faces it was a
+standing inquiry among us whether they were leering at each other or
+felt a twinge--whether it was their feet or their hearts, that
+troubled them.
+
+Mary led them a pretty life at all times, even at home in the palace,
+and I know they would rather have gone off with a pack of imps than
+with us. The inducement was that it gave them better opportunities to
+be together--an arrangement connived at by the queen, I think--and
+they were satisfied. The earl had a wife, but he fancied the old
+dowager and she fancied him, and probably the wife fancied somebody
+else, so they were all happy. It greatly amused the young people, you
+may be sure, and Mary said, probably without telling the exact truth,
+that every night she prayed God to pity and forgive their ugliness.
+One day the princess said she was becoming alarmed; their ugliness was
+so intense she feared it might be contagious and spread. Then, with a
+most comical seriousness, she added:
+
+"Mon Dieu! Sir Edwin, what if I should catch it? Master Charles would
+not take me."
+
+"No danger of that, my lady; he is too devoted to see anything but
+beauty in you, no matter how much you might change."
+
+"Do you really think so? He says so little about it that sometimes I
+almost doubt."
+
+Therein she spoke the secret of Brandon's success with her, at least
+in the beginning; for there is wonderful potency in the stimulus of a
+healthy little doubt.
+
+We had a delightful canter over to Windsor, I riding with Mary most of
+the way. I was not averse to this arrangement, as I not only relished
+Mary's mirth and joyousness, which was at its height, but hoped I
+might give my little Lady Jane a twinge or two of jealousy perchance
+to fertilize her sentiments toward me.
+
+Mary talked, and laughed, and sang, for her soul was a fountain of
+gladness that bubbled up the instant pressure was removed. She spoke
+of little but our last trip over this same road, and, as we passed
+objects on the way, told me of what Brandon had said at this place
+and that. She laughed and dimpled exquisitely in relating how she had
+deliberately made opportunities for him to flatter her, until, at
+last, he smiled in her face and told her she was the most beautiful
+creature living, but that "after all, 'beauty was as beauty did!'"
+
+"That made me angry," said she. "I pouted for a while, and, two or
+three times, was on the point of dismissing him, but thought better of
+it and asked him plainly wherein I did so much amiss. Then what do you
+think the impudent fellow said?"
+
+"I cannot guess."
+
+"He said: 'Oh, there is so much it would take a lifetime to tell it.'
+
+"This made me furious, but I could not answer, and a moment later he
+said: 'Nevertheless I should be only too glad to undertake the task.'
+
+"The thought never occurred to either of us then that he would be
+taken at his word. Bold? I should think he was; I never saw anything
+like it! I have not told you a tenth part of what he said to me that
+day; he said anything he wished, and it seemed that I could neither
+stop him nor retaliate. Half the time I was angry and half the time
+amused, but by the time we reached Windsor there never was a girl more
+hopelessly and desperately in love than Mary Tudor." And she laughed
+as if it were a huge joke on Mary.
+
+She continued: "That day settled matters with me for all time. I don't
+know how he did it. Yes I do...." and she launched forth into an
+account of Brandon's perfections, which I found somewhat dull, and so
+would you.
+
+We remained a day or two at Windsor, and then, over the objections of
+our chaperons, moved on to Berkeley Castle, where Margaret of Scotland
+was spending the summer.
+
+We had another beautiful ride up the dear old Thames to Berkeley, but
+Mary had grown serious and saw none of it.
+
+On the afternoon of the appointed day, the princess suggested a
+hawking party, and we set out in the direction of the rendezvous. Our
+party consisted of myself, three other gentlemen and three ladies
+besides Mary. Jane did not go; I was afraid to trust her. She wept,
+and, with difficulty, forced herself to say something about a
+headache, but the rest of the inmates of the castle of course had no
+thought that possibly they were taking their last look upon Mary
+Tudor.
+
+Think who this girl was we were running away with! What reckless fools
+we were not to have seen the utter hopelessness, certain failure, and
+deadly peril of our act; treason black as Plutonian midnight. But
+Providence seems to have an especial care for fools, while wise men
+are left to care for themselves, and it does look as if safety lies in
+folly.
+
+We rode on and on, and although I took two occasions, in the presence
+of others, to urge Mary to return, owing to the approach of night and
+threatened rain, she took her own head, as everybody knew she always
+would, and continued the hunt.
+
+Just before dark, as we neared the rendezvous, Mary and I managed to
+ride ahead of the party quite a distance. At last we saw a heron rise,
+and the princess uncapped her hawk.
+
+"This is my chance," she said; "I will run away from you now and lose
+myself; keep them off my track for five minutes and I shall be safe.
+Good-bye, Edwin; you and Jane are the only persons I regret to leave.
+I love you as my brother and sister. When we are settled in New Spain
+we will have you both come to us. Now, Edwin, I shall tell you
+something: don't let Jane put you off any longer. She loves you; she
+told me so. There! Good-bye, my friend; kiss her a thousand times for
+me." And she flew her bird and galloped after it at headlong speed.
+
+As I saw the beautiful young form receding from me, perhaps forever,
+the tears stood in my eyes, while I thought of the strong heart that
+so unfalteringly braved such dangers and was so loyal to itself and
+daring for its love. She had shown a little feverish excitement for a
+day or two, but it was the fever of anticipation, not of fear or
+hesitancy.
+
+Soon the princess was out of sight, and I waited for the others to
+overtake me. When they came up I was greeted in chorus: "Where is the
+princess?" I said she had gone off with her hawk, and had left me to
+bring them after her. I held them talking while I could, and when we
+started to follow took up the wrong scent. A short ride made this
+apparent, when I came in for my full share of abuse and ridicule, for
+I had led them against their judgment. I was credited with being a
+blockhead, when in fact they were the dupes.
+
+We rode hurriedly back to the point of Mary's departure and wound our
+horns lustily, but my object had been accomplished, and I knew that
+within twenty minutes from the time I last saw her, she would be with
+Brandon, on the road to Bristol, gaining on any pursuit we could make
+at the rate of three miles for two. We scoured the forest far and
+near, but of course found no trace. After a time rain set in and one
+of the gentlemen escorted the ladies home, while three of us remained
+to prowl about the woods and roads all night in a soaking drizzle. The
+task was tiresome enough for me, as it lacked motive; and when we rode
+into Berkeley Castle next day, a sorrier set of bedraggled,
+rain-stained, mud-covered knights you never saw. You may know the
+castle was wild with excitement. There were all sorts of conjectures,
+but soon we unanimously concluded it had been the work of highwaymen,
+of whom the country was full, and by whom the princess had certainly
+been abducted.
+
+The chaperons forgot their gout and each other, and Jane, who was the
+most affected of all, had a genuine excuse for giving vent to her
+grief and went to bed--by far the safest place for her.
+
+What was to be done? First we sent a message to the king, who would
+probably have us all flayed alive--a fear which the chaperons shared
+to the fullest extent. Next, an armed party rode back to look again
+for Mary, and, if possible, rescue her.
+
+The fact that I had been out the entire night before, together with
+the small repute in which I was held for deeds of arms, excused me
+from taking part in this bootless errand, so again I profited by the
+small esteem in which I was held. I say I profited, for I stayed at
+the castle with Jane, hoping to find my opportunity in the absence of
+everybody else. All the ladies but Jane had ridden out, and the
+knights who had been with me scouring the forest were sleeping, since
+they had not my incentive to remain awake. They had no message to
+deliver; no duty to perform for an absent friend. A thousand! Only
+think of it! I wished it had been a million, and so faithful was I to
+my trust that I swore in my soul I would deliver them, every one.
+
+And Jane loved me! No more walking on the hard, prosaic earth now;
+from this time forth I would fly; that was the only sensible method of
+locomotion. Mary had said: "She told me so." Could it really be true?
+You will at once see what an advantage this bit of information was to
+me.
+
+I hoped that Jane would wish to see me to talk over Mary's escape--so
+I sent word to her that I was waiting, and she quickly enough
+recovered her health and came down. I suggested that we walk out to a
+secluded little summer-house by the river, and Jane was willing. Ah!
+my opportunity was here at last.
+
+She found her bonnet, and out we went. What an enchanting walk was
+that, and how rich is a man who has laid up such treasures of memory
+to grow the sweeter as he feeds upon them. A rich memory is better
+than hope, for it lasts after fruition, and serves us at a time when
+hope has failed and fruition is but--a memory. Ah! how we cherish it
+in our hearts, and how it comes at our beck and call to thrill us
+through and through and make us thank God that we have lived, and
+wonder in our hearts why he has given poor undeserving us so much.
+
+After we arrived at the summer-house, Jane listened, half the time in
+tears, while I told her all about Mary's flight.
+
+Shall I ever forget that summer day? A sweet briar entwined our
+enchanted bower, and, when I catch its scent even now, time-vaulting
+memory carries me back, making years seem as days, and I see it all as
+I saw the light of noon that moment--and all was Jane. The softly
+lapping river, as it gently sought the sea, sang in soothing cadence
+of naught but Jane; the south wind from his flowery home breathed
+zephyr-voiced her name again, and, as it stirred the rustling leaves
+on bush and tree, they whispered back the same sweet strain; and
+every fairy voice found its echo in my soul; for there it was as 'twas
+with me, "Jane! Jane! Jane!" I have heard men say they would not live
+their lives over and take its meager grains of happiness, in such
+infinite disproportion to its grief and pain, but, as for me, thanks
+to one woman, I almost have the minutes numbered all along the way,
+and know them one from the other; and when I sit alone to dream, and
+live again some portion of the happy past, I hardly know what time to
+choose or incident to dwell upon, my life is so much crowded with them
+all. Would I live again my life? Aye, every moment except perhaps when
+Jane was ill--and therein even was happiness, for what a joy there was
+at her recovery. I do not even regret that it is closing; it would be
+ungrateful; I have had so much more than my share that I simply fall
+upon my knees and thank God for what He has given.
+
+Jane's whole attitude toward me was changed, and she seemed to cling
+to me in a shy, unconscious manner, that was sweet beyond the naming,
+as the one solace for all her grief.
+
+After I had answered all her questions, and had told her over and over
+again every detail of Mary's flight, and had assured her that the
+princess was, at that hour, breasting the waves with Brandon, on their
+high road to paradise, I thought it time to start myself in the same
+direction and to say a word in my own behalf. So I spoke very freely
+and told Jane what I felt and what I wanted.
+
+"Oh! Sir Edwin," she responded, "let us not think of anything but my
+mistress. Think of the trouble she is in."
+
+"No! no! Jane; Lady Mary is out of her trouble by now, and is as happy
+as a lark, you may be sure. Has she not won everything her heart
+longed for? Then let us make our own paradise, since we have helped
+them make theirs. You have it, Jane, just within your lips; speak the
+word and it will change everything--if you love me, and I know you
+do."
+
+Jane's head was bowed and she remained silent.
+
+Then I told her of Lady Mary's message, and begged, if she would not
+speak in words what I so longed to hear, she would at least tell it by
+allowing me to deliver only one little thousandth part of the message
+Mary had sent; but she drew away and said she would return to the
+castle if I continued to behave in that manner. I begged hard, and
+tried to argue the point, but logic seems to lose its force in such a
+situation, and all I said availed nothing. Jane was obdurate, and was
+for going back at once. Her persistence was beginning to look like
+obstinacy, and I soon grew so angry that I asked no permission, but
+delivered Mary's message, or a good part of it, at least, whether she
+would or no, and then sat back and asked her what she was going to do
+about it.
+
+Poor little Jane thought she was undone for life. She sat there half
+pouting, half weeping, and said she could do nothing about it; that
+she was alone now, and if I, her only friend, would treat her that
+way, she did not know where to look.
+
+"Where to look?" I demanded. "Look _here_, Jane, here; you might as
+well understand, first as last, that I will not be trifled with
+longer, and that I intend to continue treating you that way as long as
+we both live. I have determined not to permit you to behave as you
+have for so long; for I know you love me. You have half told me so a
+dozen times, and even your half words are whole truths; there is not a
+fraction of a lie in you. Besides, Mary told me that you told her so."
+
+"She did not tell you that?"
+
+"Yes; upon my knightly honor." Of course there was but one answer to
+this--tears. I then brought the battle to close quarters at once, and,
+with my arm uninterrupted at my lady's waist, asked:
+
+"Did you not tell her so? I know you will speak nothing but the truth.
+Did you not tell her? Answer me, Jane." The fair head nodded as she
+whispered between the hands that covered her face:
+
+"Yes; I--I--d-did;" and I--well, I delivered the rest of Mary's
+message, and that, too, without a protest from Jane.
+
+Truthfulness is a pretty good thing after all.
+
+So Jane was conquered at last, and I heaved a sigh as the battle
+ended, for it had been a long, hard struggle.
+
+I asked Jane when we should be married, but she said she could not
+think of that now--not until she knew that Mary was safe; but she
+would promise to be my wife sometime. I told her that her word was as
+good as gold to me; and so it was and always has been; as good as fine
+gold thrice refined. I then told her I would bother her no more about
+it, now that I was sure of her, but when she was ready she should tell
+me of her own accord and make my happiness complete. She said she
+would, and I told her I believed her and was satisfied. I did,
+however, suggest that the intervening time would be worse than
+wasted--happiness thrown right in the face of Providence, as it
+were--and begged her not to waste any more than necessary; to which
+she seriously and honestly answered that she would not.
+
+We went back to the castle, and as we parted Jane said timidly: "I am
+glad I told you, Edwin; glad it is over."
+
+She had evidently dreaded it; but--I was glad, too; very glad. Then I
+went to bed.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XVII_
+
+_The Elopement_
+
+
+Whatever the king might think, I knew Lord Wolsey would quickly enough
+guess the truth when he heard that the princess was missing, and would
+have a party in pursuit. The runaways, however, would have at least
+twenty-four hours the start, and a ship leaves no tracks. When Mary
+left me she was perhaps two-thirds of a league from the rendezvous,
+and night was rapidly falling. As her road lay through a dense forest
+all the way, she would have a dark, lonely ride of a few minutes, and
+I was somewhat uneasy for that part of the journey. It had been agreed
+that if everything was all right at the rendezvous, Mary should turn
+loose her horse, which had always been stabled at Berkeley Castle and
+would quickly trot home. To further emphasize her safety a thread
+would be tied in his forelock. The horse took his time in returning,
+and did not arrive until the second morning after the flight, but when
+he came I found the thread, and, unobserved, removed it. I quickly
+took it to Jane, who has it yet, and cherishes it for the mute message
+of comfort it brought her. In case the horse should not return, I was
+to find a token in a hollow tree near the place of meeting; but the
+thread in the forelock told us our friends had found each other.
+
+When we left the castle, Mary wore under her riding habit a suit of
+man's attire, and, as we rode along, she would shrug her shoulders and
+laugh as if it were a huge joke; and by the most comical little
+pantomime, call my attention to her unusual bulk. So when she found
+Brandon, the only change necessary to make a man of her was to throw
+off the riding habit and pull on the jack-boots and slouch hat, both
+of which Brandon had with him.
+
+They wasted no time you may be sure, and were soon under way. In a few
+minutes they picked up the two Bristol men who were to accompany them,
+and, when night had fairly fallen, left the by-paths and took to the
+main road leading from London to Bath and Bristol. The road was a fair
+one; that is, it was well defined and there was no danger of losing
+it; in fact, there was more danger of losing one's self in its
+fathomless mud-holes and quagmires. Brandon had recently passed over
+it twice, and had made mental note of the worst places, so he hoped to
+avoid them.
+
+Soon the rain began to fall in a soaking drizzle; then the lamps of
+twilight went out, and even the shadows of the night were lost among
+themselves in blinding darkness. It was one of those black nights fit
+for witch traveling; and, no doubt, every witch in England was out
+brewing mischief. The horses' hoofs sucked and splashed in the mud
+with a sound that Mary thought might be heard at Land's End; and the
+hoot of an owl, now and then disturbed by a witch, would strike upon
+her ear with a volume of sound infinitely disproportionate to the size
+of any owl she had ever seen or dreamed of before.
+
+Brandon wore our cushion, the great cloak, and had provided a like one
+of suitable proportions for the princess. This came in good play, as
+her fine gentleman's attire would be but poor stuff to turn the water.
+The wind, which had arisen with just enough force to set up a dismal
+wail, gave the rain a horizontal slant and drove it in at every
+opening. The flaps of the comfortable great cloak blew back from
+Mary's knees, and she felt many a chilling drop through her fine new
+silk trunks that made her wish for buckram in their place. Soon the
+water began to trickle down her legs and find lodgment in the
+jack-boots, and as the rain and wind came in tremulous little whirs,
+she felt wretched enough--she who had always been so well sheltered
+from every blast. Now and then mud and water would fly up into her
+face--striking usually in the eyes or mouth--and then again her horse
+would stumble and almost throw her over his head, as he sank, knee
+deep, into some unexpected hole. All of this, with the thousand and
+one noises that broke the still worse silence of the inky night soon
+began to work upon her nerves and make her fearful. The road was full
+of dangers aside from stumbling horses and broken necks, for many
+were the stories of murder and robbery committed along the route they
+were traveling. It is true they had two stout men, and all were armed,
+yet they might easily come upon a party too strong for them; and no
+one could tell what might happen, thought the princess. There was that
+pitchy darkness through which she could hardly see her horse's head--a
+thing of itself that seemed to have infinite powers for mischief, and
+which no amount of argument ever induced any normally constituted
+woman to believe was the mere negative absence of light, and not a
+terrible entity potent for all sorts of mischief. Then that wailing
+howl that rose and fell betimes; no wind ever made such a noise she
+felt sure. There were those shining white gleams which came from the
+little pools of water on the road, looking like dead men's faces
+upturned and pale; perhaps they were water and perhaps they were not.
+Mary had all confidence in Brandon, but that very fact operated
+against her. Having that confidence and trust in him, she felt no need
+to waste her own energy in being brave; so she relaxed completely, and
+had the feminine satisfaction of allowing herself to be thoroughly
+frightened.
+
+Is it any wonder Mary's gallant but womanly spirit sank low in the
+face of all those terrors? She held out bravely, however, and an
+occasional clasp from Brandon's hand under cover of the darkness
+comforted her. When all those terrors would not suggest even a
+thought of turning back, you may judge of the character of this girl
+and her motive.
+
+They traveled on, galloping when they could, trotting when they could
+not gallop, and walking when they must.
+
+At one time they thought they heard the sound of following horses, and
+hastened on as fast as they dared go, until, stopping to listen and
+hearing nothing, they concluded they were wrong. About eleven o'clock,
+however, right out of the black bank of night in front of them they
+heard, in earnest, the sucking splash of horses' hoofs. In an instant
+the sound ceased and the silence was worse than the noise. The cry
+"Hollo!" brought them all to a stand, and Mary thought her time had
+come.
+
+Both sides shouted, "Who comes there?" to which there was a
+simultaneous and eager answer, "A friend," and each party passed its
+own way, only too glad to be rid of the other. Mary's sigh of relief
+could be heard above even the wind and the owls, and her heart beat as
+if it had a task to finish within a certain time.
+
+After this they rode on as rapidly as they dared, and about midnight
+arrived at the inn where the relay of horses was awaiting them.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The inn was a rambling old thatched-roofed structure, half mud, half
+wood, and all filth. There are many inns in England that are tidy
+enough, but this one was a little off the main road--selected for that
+reason--and the uncleanness was not the least of Mary's trials that
+hard night. She had not tasted food since noon, and felt the keen
+hunger natural to youth and health such as hers, after twelve hours of
+fasting and eight hours of riding. Her appetite soon overcame her
+repugnance, and she ate, with a zest that was new to her, the humblest
+fare that had ever passed her lips. One often misses the zest of
+life's joys by having too much of them. One must want a thing before
+it can be appreciated.
+
+A hard ride of five hours brought our travelers to Bath, which place
+they rode around just as the sun began to gild the tile roofs and
+steeples, and another hour brought them to Bristol.
+
+The ship was to sail at sunrise, but as the wind had died out with the
+night, there was no danger of its sailing without them. Soon the gates
+opened, and the party rode to the Bow and String, where Brandon had
+left their chests. The men were then paid off; quick sale was made of
+the horses; breakfast was served, and they started for the wharf, with
+their chests following in the hands of four porters.
+
+A boat soon took them aboard the Royal Hind, and now it looked as if
+their daring scheme, so full of improbability as to seem impossible,
+had really come to a successful issue.
+
+From the beginning, I think, it had never occurred to Mary to doubt
+the result. There had never been with her even a suggestion of
+possible failure, unless it was that evening in our room, when,
+prompted by her startled modesty, she had said she could not bear for
+us to see her in the trunk hose. Now that fruition seemed about to
+crown her hopes she was happy to her heart's core; and when once to
+herself wept for sheer joy. It is little wonder she was happy. She was
+leaving behind no one whom she loved excepting Jane, and perhaps, me.
+No father nor mother; only a sister whom she barely knew, and a
+brother whose treatment of her had turned her heart against him. She
+was also fleeing with the one man in all the world for her, and from a
+marriage that was literally worse than death.
+
+Brandon, on the other hand, had always had more desire than hope. The
+many chances against success had forced upon him a haunting sense of
+certain failure, which, one would think, should have left him now. It
+did not, however, and even when on shipboard, with a score of men at
+the windlass ready to heave anchor at the first breath of wind, it was
+as strong as when Mary first proposed their flight, sitting in the
+window on his great cloak. Such were their opposite positions. Both
+were without doubt, but with this difference; Mary had never doubted
+success; Brandon never doubted failure. He had a keen analytical
+faculty that gave him truthfully the chances for and against, and, in
+this case, they were overwhelmingly unfavorable. Such hope as he had
+been able to distil out of his desire was sadly dampened by an
+ever-present premonition of failure, which he could not entirely
+throw off. Too keen an insight for the truth often stands in a man's
+way, and too clear a view of an overwhelming obstacle is apt to
+paralyze effort. Hope must always be behind a hearty endeavor.
+
+Our travelers were, of course, greatly in need of rest; so Mary went
+to her room, and Brandon took a berth in the cabin set apart for the
+gentlemen.
+
+They had both paid for their passage, although they had enlisted and
+were part of the ship's company. They were not expected to do sailor's
+work, but would be called upon in case of fighting to do their part at
+that. Mary was probably as good a fighter, in her own way, as one
+could find in a long journey, but how she was to do her part with
+sword and buckler Brandon did not know. That, however, was a bridge to
+be crossed when they should come to it.
+
+They had gone aboard about seven o'clock, and Brandon hoped the ship
+would be well down Bristol channel before he should leave his berth.
+But the wind that had filled Mary's jack-boots with rain and had
+howled so dismally all night long would not stir, now that it was
+wanted. Noon came, yet no wind, and the sun shone as placidly as if
+Captain Charles Brandon were not fuming with impatience on the poop of
+the Royal Hind. Three o'clock and no wind. The captain said it would
+come with night, but sundown was almost at hand and no wind yet.
+Brandon knew this meant failure if it held a little longer, for he
+was certain the king, with Wolsey's help, would long since have
+guessed the truth.
+
+Brandon had not seen the princess since morning, and the delicacy he
+felt about going to her cabin made the situation somewhat difficult.
+After putting it off from hour to hour in hope that she would appear
+of her own accord, he at last knocked at her door, and, of course,
+found the lady in trouble.
+
+The thought of the princess going on deck caused a sinking at his
+heart every time it came, as he felt that it was almost impossible to
+conceal her identity. He had not seen her in her new male attire, for
+when she threw off her riding habit on meeting him the night before,
+he had intentionally busied himself about the horses, and saw her only
+after the great cloak covered her as a gown. He felt that however well
+her garments might conceal her form, no man on earth ever had such
+beauty in his face as her transcendent eyes, rose-tinted cheeks, and
+coral lips, with their cluster of dimples; and his heart sank at the
+prospect. She might hold out for a while with a straight face, but
+when the smiles should come--it were just as well to hang a placard
+about her neck: "This is a woman." The tell-tale dimples would be
+worse than Jane for outspoken, untimely truthfulness and
+trouble-provoking candor.
+
+Upon entering, Brandon found Mary wrestling with the problem of her
+complicated male attire; the most beautiful picture of puzzled
+distress imaginable. The port was open and showed her rosy as the morn
+when she looked up at him. The jack-boots were in a corner, and her
+little feet seemed to put up a protest all their own, against going
+into them, that ought to have softened every peg. She looked up at
+Brandon with a half-hearted smile, and then threw her arms about his
+neck and sobbed like the child that she was.
+
+"Do you regret coming, Lady Mary?" asked Brandon, who, now that she
+was alone with him, felt that he must take no advantage of the fact to
+be familiar.
+
+"No! no! not for one moment; I am glad--only too glad. But why do you
+call me 'Lady'? You used to call me 'Mary.'"
+
+"I don't know; perhaps because you are alone."
+
+"Ah! that is good of you; but you need not be quite so respectful."
+
+The matter was settled by mute but satisfactory arbitration, and
+Brandon continued: "You must make yourself ready to go on deck. It
+will be hard, but it must be done."
+
+He helped her with the heavy jack-boots and handed her the
+rain-stained slouch hat which she put on, and stood a complete man
+ready for the deck--that is, as complete as could be evolved from her
+utter femininity.
+
+When Brandon looked her over, all hope went out of him. It seemed that
+every change of dress only added to her bewitching beauty by showing
+it in a new phase.
+
+"It will never do; there is no disguising you. What is it that despite
+everything shows so unmistakably feminine? What shall we do? I have
+it; you shall remain here under the pretense of illness until we are
+well at sea, and then I will tell the captain all. It is too bad; and
+yet I would not have you one whit less a woman for all the world. A
+man loves a woman who is so thoroughly womanly that nothing can hide
+it."
+
+Mary was pleased at his flattery, but disappointed at the failure in
+herself. She had thought that surely these garments would make a man
+of her in which the keenest eye could not detect a flaw.
+
+They were discussing the matter when a knock came at the door with the
+cry, "All hands on deck for inspection." Inspection! Jesu! Mary would
+not safely endure it a minute. Brandon left her at once and went to
+the captain.
+
+"My lord is ill, and begs to be excused from deck inspection," he
+said.
+
+Bradhurst, a surly old half pirate of the saltiest pattern, answered:
+"Ill? Then he had better go ashore as soon as possible. I will refund
+his money. We cannot make a hospital out of the ship. If his lordship
+is too ill to stand inspection, see that he goes ashore at once."
+
+This last was addressed to one of the ship's officers, who answered
+with the usual "Aye, aye, sir," and started for Mary's cabin.
+
+That was worse than ever; and Brandon quickly said he would have his
+lordship up at once. He then returned to Mary, and after buckling on
+her sword and belt they went on deck and climbed up the poop ladder to
+take their places with those entitled to stand aft.
+
+Brandon has often told me since that it was as much as he could do to
+keep back the tears when he saw Mary's wonderful effort to appear
+manly. It was both comical and pathetic. She was a princess to whom
+all the world bowed down, yet that did not help her here. After all
+she was only a girl, timid and fearful, following at Brandon's heels;
+frightened lest she should get out of arm's reach of him among those
+rough men, and longing with all her heart to take his hand for moral
+as well as physical support. It must have been both laughable and
+pathetic in the extreme. That miserable sword persisted in tripping
+her, and the jack-boots, so much too large, evinced an alarming
+tendency to slip off with every step. How insane we all were not to
+have foreseen this from the very beginning. It must have been a unique
+figure she presented climbing up the steps at Brandon's heels,
+jack-boots and all. So unique was it that the sailors working in the
+ship's waist stopped their tasks to stare in wonderment, and the
+gentlemen on the poop made no effort to hide their amusement. Old
+Bradhurst stepped up to her.
+
+"I hope your lordship is feeling better;" and then, surveying her from
+head to foot, with a broad grin on his features, "I declare, you look
+the picture of health, if I ever saw it. How old are you?"
+
+Mary quickly responded, "Fourteen years."
+
+"Fourteen," returned Bradhurst: "well, I don't think you will shed
+much blood. You look more like a deuced handsome girl than any man I
+ever saw." At this the men all laughed, and were very impertinent in
+the free and easy manner of such gentry, most of whom were
+professional adventurers, with every finer sense dulled and debased by
+years of vice.
+
+These fellows, half of them tipsy, now gathered about Mary to inspect
+her personally, each on his own account. Their looks and conduct were
+very disconcerting, but they did nothing insulting until one fellow
+gave her a slap on the back, accompanying it by an indecent remark.
+Brandon tried to pay no attention to them, but this was too much, so
+he lifted his arm and knocked the fellow off the poop into the waist.
+The man was back in a moment, and swords were soon drawn and clicking
+away at a great rate. The contest was brief, however, as the fellow
+was no sort of match for Brandon, who, with his old trick, quickly
+twisted his adversary's sword out of his grasp, and with a flash of
+his own blade flung it into the sea. The other men were now talking
+together at a little distance in whispers, and in a moment one drunken
+brute shouted: "It is no man; it is a woman; let us see more of her."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Before Brandon could interfere, the fellow had unbuckled Mary's
+doublet at the throat, and with a jerk, had torn it half off, carrying
+away the sleeve and exposing Mary's shoulder, almost throwing her to
+the deck.
+
+He waved his trophy on high, but his triumph was short-lived, for
+almost instantly it fell to the deck, and with it the offending hand
+severed at the wrist by Brandon's sword. Three or four friends of the
+wounded man rushed upon Brandon; whereupon Mary screamed and began to
+weep, which of course told the whole story.
+
+A great laugh went up, and instantly a general fight began. Several of
+the gentlemen, seeing Brandon attacked by such odds, took up his
+defense, and within twenty seconds all were on one side or the other,
+every mother's son of them fighting away like mad.
+
+You see how quickly and completely one woman without the slightest act
+on her part, except a modest effort to be let alone, had set the whole
+company by the ears, cutting and slashing away at each other like very
+devils. The sex must generate mischief in some unknown manner, and
+throw it off, as the sun throws off its heat. However, Jane is an
+exception to that rule--if it is a rule.
+
+The officers soon put a stop to this lively little fight, and took
+Brandon and Mary, who was weeping as any right-minded woman would,
+down into the cabin for consultation.
+
+With a great oath Bradhurst exclaimed: "It is plain enough that you
+have brought a girl on board under false colors, and you may as well
+make ready to put her ashore. You see what she has already done--a
+hand lost to one man and wounds for twenty others--and she was on deck
+less than five minutes. Heart of God! At that rate she would have the
+ship at the bottom of Davy Jones's locker before we could sail half
+down the channel."
+
+"It was not my fault," sobbed Mary, her eyes flashing fire; "I did
+nothing; all I wanted was to be left alone; but those brutes of
+men--you shall pay for this; remember what I say. Did you expect
+Captain Brandon to stand back and not defend me, when that wretch was
+tearing my garments off?"
+
+"Captain Brandon, did you say?" asked Bradhurst, with his hat off
+instantly.
+
+"Yes," answered that individual. "I shipped under an assumed name, for
+various reasons, and desire not to be known. You will do well to keep
+my secret."
+
+"Do I understand that you are Master Charles Brandon, the king's
+friend?" asked Bradhurst.
+
+"I am," was the answer.
+
+"Then, sir, I must ask your pardon for the way you have been treated.
+We, of course, could not know it, but a man must expect trouble when
+he attaches himself to a woman." It is a wonder the flashes from
+Mary's eyes did not strike the old sea-dog dead. He, however, did not
+see them, and went on: "We are more than anxious that so valiant a
+knight as Sir Charles Brandon should go with us, and hope your
+reception will not drive you back, but as to the lady--you see already
+the result of her presence, and much as we want you, we cannot take
+her. Aside from the general trouble which a woman takes with her
+everywhere"--Mary would not even look at the creature--"on shipboard
+there is another and greater objection. It is said, you know, among
+sailors, that a woman on board draws bad luck to certain sorts of
+ships, and every sailor would desert, before we could weigh anchor, if
+it were known this lady was to go with us. Should they find it out in
+mid-ocean, a mutiny would be sure to follow, and God only knows what
+would happen. For her sake, if for no other reason, take her ashore at
+once."
+
+Brandon saw only too plainly the truth that he had really seen all the
+time, but to which he had shut his eyes, and throwing Mary's cloak
+over her shoulders, prepared to go ashore. As they went over the side
+and pulled off, a great shout went up from the ship far more derisive
+than cheering, and the men at the oars looked at each other askance
+and smiled. What a predicament for a princess! Brandon cursed himself
+for having been such a knave and fool as to allow this to happen. He
+had known the danger all the time, and his act could not be
+chargeable to ignorance or a failure to see the probable consequences.
+Temptation, and selfish desire, had given him temerity in place of
+judgment. He had attempted what none but an insane man would have
+tried, without even the pitiable excuse of insanity. He had seen it
+all only too clearly from the very beginning, and he had deliberately
+and with open eyes brought disgrace, ruin, and death--unless he could
+escape--upon himself, and utter humiliation to her whom his love
+should have prompted him to save at all cost. If Mary could only have
+disguised herself to look like a man they might have succeeded, but
+that little "if" was larger than Paul's church, and blocked the road
+as completely as if it had been a word of twenty syllables.
+
+When the princess stepped ashore it seemed to her as if the heart in
+her breast was a different and separate organ from the one she had
+carried aboard.
+
+As the boat put off again for the ship, its crew gave a cheer coupled
+with some vile advice, for which Brandon would gladly have run them
+through, each and every one. He had to swallow his chagrin and anger,
+and really blamed no one but himself, though it was torture to him
+that this girl should be subjected to such insults, and he powerless
+to avenge them. The news had spread from the wharf like wildfire, and
+on their way back to the Bow and String, there came from small boys
+and hidden voices such exclamations as: "Look at the woman in man's
+clothing;" "Isn't he a beautiful man?" "Look at him blush;" and others
+too coarse to be repeated. Imagine the humiliating situation, from
+which there was no escape.
+
+At last they reached the inn, whither their chests soon followed them,
+sent by Bradhurst, together with their passage money, which he very
+honestly refunded.
+
+Mary soon donned her woman's attire, of which she had a supply in her
+chest, and at least felt more comfortable without the jack-boots. She
+had made her toilet alone for the first time in her life, having no
+maid to help her, and wept as she dressed, for this disappointment was
+like plucking the very heart out of her. Her hope had been so high
+that the fall was all the harder. Nay, even more; hope had become
+fruition to her when they were once a-shipboard, and failure right at
+the door of success made it doubly hard to bear. It crushed her, and,
+where before had been hope and confidence, was nothing now but
+despair. Like all people with a great capacity for elation, when she
+sank she touched the bottom. Alas! Mary, the unconquerable, was down
+at last.
+
+This failure meant so much to her; it meant that she would never be
+Brandon's wife, but would go to France to endure the dreaded old
+Frenchman. At that thought a recoil came. Her spirit asserted itself,
+and she stamped her foot and swore upon her soul it should never be;
+never! never! so long as she had strength to fight or voice to cry,
+"No." The thought of this marriage and of the loss of Brandon was
+painful enough, but there came another, entirely new to her and
+infinitely worse.
+
+Hastily arranging her dress, she went in search of Brandon, whom she
+quickly found and took to her room.
+
+After closing the door she said: "I thought I had reached the pinnacle
+of disappointment and pain when compelled to leave the ship, for it
+meant that I should lose you and have to marry Louis of France. But I
+have found that there is still a possible pain more poignant than
+either, and I cannot bear it; so I come to you--you who are the great
+cure for all my troubles. Oh! that I could lay them here all my life
+long," and she put her head upon his breast, forgetting what she had
+intended to say.
+
+"What is the trouble, Mary?"
+
+"Oh! yes! I thought of that marriage and of losing you, and then, oh!
+Mary Mother! I thought of some other woman having you to herself. I
+could see her with you, and I was jealous--I think they call it. I
+have heard of the pangs of jealousy, and if the fear of a rival is so
+great what would the reality be? It would kill me; I could not endure
+it. I cannot endure even this, and I want you to swear that----"
+
+Brandon took her in his arms as she began to weep.
+
+"I will gladly swear by everything I hold sacred that no other woman
+than you shall ever be my wife. If I cannot have you, be sure you have
+spoiled every other woman for me. There is but one in all the
+world--but one. I can at least save you that pain."
+
+She then stood on tip-toes to lift her lips to him, and said: "I give
+you the same promise. How you must have suffered when you thought I
+was to wed another."
+
+After a pause she went on: "But it might have been worse--that is, it
+would be worse if you should marry some other woman; but that is all
+settled now and I feel easier. Then I might have married the old
+French king, but that, too, is settled; and we can endure the lesser
+pain. It always helps us when we are able to think it might have been
+worse."
+
+Her unquestioning faith in Brandon was beautiful, and she never
+doubted that he spoke the unalterable truth when he said he would
+never marry any other woman. She had faith in herself, too, and was
+confident that her promise to marry no man but Brandon ended that
+important matter likewise, and put the French marriage totally out of
+the question for all time to come.
+
+As for Brandon, he was safe enough in his part of the contract. He
+knew only too well that no woman could approach Mary in her inimitable
+perfections, and he had tested his love closely enough, in his
+struggle against it, to feel that it had taken up its abode in his
+heart to stay, whether he wanted it or not. He knew that he was safe
+in making her a promise which he was powerless to break. All this he
+fully explained to Mary, as they sat looking out of the window at the
+dreary rain which had come on again with the gathering gloom of night.
+
+Brandon did not tell her that his faith in her ultimate ability to
+keep her promise was as small as it was great in his own. Neither did
+he dampen her spirits by telling her that there was a reason, outside
+of himself, which in all probability would help him in keeping his
+word, and save her from the pangs of that jealousy she so much feared;
+namely, that he would most certainly wed the block and ax should the
+king get possession of him. He might have escaped from England in the
+Royal Hind, for the wind had come up shortly after they left the ship,
+and they could see the sails indistinctly through the gloom as she got
+under way. But he could not leave Mary alone, and had made up his mind
+to take her back to London and march straight into the jaws of death
+with her, if the king's men did not soon come.
+
+He knew that a debt to folly bears no grace, and was ready with his
+principal and usance.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XVIII_
+
+_To the Tower_
+
+
+Whether or not Brandon would have found some way to deliver the
+princess safely home, and still make his escape, I cannot say, as he
+soon had no choice in the matter. At midnight a body of yeomen from
+the tower took possession of the Bow and String, and carried Brandon
+off to London without communication with Mary. She did, not know of
+his arrest until next morning, when she was informed that she was to
+follow immediately, and her heart was nearly broken.
+
+Here again was trouble for Mary. She felt, however, that the two great
+questions, the marriage of herself to Louis, and Brandon to any other
+person, were, as she called it, "settled"; and was almost content to
+endure this as a mere putting off of her desires--a meddlesome and
+impertinent interference of the Fates, who would soon learn with whom
+they were dealing, and amend their conduct.
+
+She did not understand the consequences for Brandon, nor that the
+Fates would have to change their purpose very quickly or something
+would happen worse, even, than his marriage to another woman.
+
+On the second morning after leaving Bristol, Brandon reached London,
+and, as he expected, was sent to the Tower. The next evening Lady
+Mary arrived and was taken down to Greenwich.
+
+The girl's fair name was, of course, lost--but, fortunately, that goes
+for little with a princess--since no one would believe that Brandon
+had protected her against himself as valiantly and honorably as he
+would against another. The princess being much more unsophisticated
+than the courtiers were ready to believe, never thought of saying
+anything to establish her innocence or virtue, and her silence was put
+down to shame and taken as evidence against her.
+
+Jane met Mary at Windsor, and, of course, there was a great flood of
+tears.
+
+Upon arriving at the palace, the girls were left to themselves, upon
+Mary's promise not to leave her room; but, by the next afternoon, she,
+having been unable to learn anything concerning Brandon, broke her
+parole and went out to see the king.
+
+It never occurred to Mary that Brandon might suffer death for
+attempting to run away with her. She knew only too well that she alone
+was to blame, not only for that, but for all that had taken place
+between them, and never for one moment thought that he might be
+punished for her fault, even admitting there was fault in any one,
+which she was by no means ready to do.
+
+The trouble in her mind, growing out of a lack of news from Brandon,
+was of a general nature, and the possibility of his death had no place
+in her thoughts. Nevertheless, for the second time, Brandon had been
+condemned to die for her sake. The king's seal had stamped the warrant
+for the execution, and the headsman had sharpened his ax and could
+almost count the golden fee for his butchery.
+
+Mary found the king playing cards with de Longueville. There was a
+roomful of courtiers, and as she entered she was the target for every
+eye; but she was on familiar ground now, and did not care for the
+glances nor the observers, most of whom she despised. She was the
+princess again and full of self-confidence; so she went straight to
+the object of her visit, the king. She had not made up her mind just
+what to say first, there was so much; but Henry saved her the trouble.
+He, of course, was in a great rage, and denounced Mary's conduct as
+unnatural and treasonable; the latter, in Henry's mind, being a crime
+many times greater than the breaking of all the commandments put
+together, in one fell, composite act. All this the king had
+communicated to Mary by the lips of Wolsey the evening before, and
+Mary had received it with a silent scorn that would have withered any
+one but the worthy bishop of York. As I said, when Mary approached her
+brother, he saved her the trouble of deciding where to begin by
+speaking first himself, and his words were of a part with his
+nature--violent, cruel and vulgar. He abused her and called her all
+the vile names in his ample vocabulary of billingsgate. The queen was
+present and aided and abetted with a word now and then, until Henry,
+with her help, at last succeeded in working himself into a towering
+passion, and wound up by calling Mary a vile wanton in plainer terms
+than I like to write. This aroused all the antagonism in the girl, and
+there was plenty of it. She feared Henry no more than she feared me.
+Her eyes flashed a fire that made even the king draw back as she
+exclaimed: "You give me that name and expect me to remember you are my
+brother? There are words that make a mother hate her first-born, and
+that is one. Tell me what I have done to deserve it? I expected to
+hear of ingratitude and disobedience and all that, but supposed you
+had at least some traces of brotherly feeling--for ties of blood are
+hard to break--even if you have of late lost all semblance to man or
+king."
+
+This was hitting Henry hard, for it was beginning to be the talk in
+every mouth that he was leaving all the affairs of state to Wolsey and
+spending his time in puerile amusement. "The toward hope which at all
+poyntes appeared in the younge Kynge" was beginning to look, after
+all, like nothing more than the old-time royal cold fire, made to
+consume but not to warm the nation.
+
+Henry looked at Mary with the stare of a baited bull.
+
+"If running off in male attire, and stopping at inns and boarding
+ships with a common Captain of the guard doesn't justify my
+accusation and stamp you what you are, I do not know what would."
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Even Henry saw her innocence in her genuine surprise. She was silent
+for a little time, and I, standing close to her, could plainly see
+that this phase of the question had never before presented itself.
+
+She hung her head for a moment and then spoke: "It may be true, as you
+say, that what I have done will lose me my fair name--I had never
+thought of it in that light--but it is also true that I am innocent
+and have done no wrong. You may not believe me, but you can ask Master
+Brandon"--here the king gave a great laugh, and of course the
+courtiers joined in.
+
+"It is all very well for you to laugh, but Master Brandon would not
+tell you a lie for your crown--" Gods! I could have fallen on my knees
+to a faith like that--"What I tell you is true. I trusted him so
+completely that the fear of dishonor at his hands never suggested
+itself to me. I knew he would care for and respect me. I trusted him,
+and my trust was not misplaced. Of how many of these creatures who
+laugh when the king laughs could I say as much?" And Henry knew she
+spoke the truth, both concerning herself and the courtiers.
+
+With downcast eyes she continued: "I suppose, after all, you are
+partly right in regard to me; for it was his honor that saved me, not
+my own; and if I am not what you called me I have Master Brandon to
+thank--not myself."
+
+"We will thank him publicly on Tower Hill, day after to-morrow, at
+noon," said the king, with his accustomed delicacy, breaking the news
+of Brandon's sentence as abruptly as possible.
+
+With a look of terror in her eyes, Mary screamed: "What! Charles
+Brandon.... Tower Hill?... You are going to kill him?"
+
+"I think we will," responded Henry; "it usually has that effect, to
+separate the head from the body and quarter the remains to decorate
+the four gates. We will take you up to London in a day or two and let
+you see his beautiful head on the bridge."
+
+"Behead--quarter--bridge! Lord Jesu!" She could not grasp the thought;
+she tried to speak, but the words would not come. In a moment she
+became more coherent, and the words rolled from her lips as a mighty
+flood tide pours back through the arches of London Bridge.
+
+"You shall not kill him; he is blameless; you do not know. Drive these
+gawking fools out of the room, and I will tell you all." The king
+ordered the room cleared of everybody but Wolsey, Jane and myself, who
+remained at Mary's request. When all were gone, the princess
+continued: "Brother, this man is in no way to blame; it is all my
+fault--my fault that he loves me; my fault that he tried to run away
+to New Spain with me. It may be that I have done wrong and that my
+conduct has been unmaidenly, but I could not help it. From the first
+time I ever saw him in the lists with you at Windsor there was a
+gnawing hunger in my heart beyond my control. I supposed, of course,
+that day he would contrive some way to be presented to me...."
+
+"You did?"
+
+"Yes, but he made no effort at all, and when we met he treated me as
+if I were an ordinary girl."
+
+"He did?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Horrible."
+
+Mary was too intent on her story to heed the sarcasm, and continued:
+"That made me all the more interested in him since it showed that he
+was different from the wretches who beset you and me with their
+flattery, and I soon began to seek him on every occasion. This is an
+unmaidenly history I am giving, I know, but it is the truth, and must
+be told. I was satisfied at first if I could only be in the same room
+with him, and see his face, and hear his voice. The very air he
+breathed was like an elixir for me. I made every excuse to have him
+near me; I asked him to my parlor--you know about that--and--and did
+all I could to be with him. At first he was gentle and kind, but soon,
+I think, he saw the dawning danger in both our hearts, as I too saw
+it, and he avoided me in every way he could, knowing the trouble it
+held for us both. Oh! he was the wiser--and to think to what I have
+brought him. Brother, let me die for him--I who alone am to blame;
+take my life and spare him--spare him! He was the wiser, but I doubt
+if all the wisdom in the world could have saved us. He almost insulted
+me once in the park--told me to leave him--when it hurt him more than
+me, I am now sure; but he did it to keep matters from growing worse
+between us. I tried to remember the affront, but could not, and had he
+struck me I believe I should have gone back to him sooner or later.
+Oh! it was all my fault; I would not let him save himself. So strong
+was my feeling that I could bear his silence no longer, and one day I
+went to him in your bed-chamber ante-room and fairly thrust myself and
+my love upon him. Then, after he was liberated from Newgate, I could
+not induce him to come to me, so I went to him and begged for his
+love. Then I coaxed him into taking me to New Spain, and would listen
+to no excuse and hear no reason. Now lives there another man who would
+have taken so much coaxing?"
+
+"No! by heaven! your majesty," said Wolsey, who really had a kindly
+feeling for Brandon and would gladly save his life, if, by so doing,
+he would not interfere with any of his own plans and interests.
+Wolsey's heart was naturally kind when it cost him nothing, and much
+has been related of him, which, to say the least, tells a great deal
+more than the truth. Ingratitude always recoils upon the ingrate, and
+Henry's loss was greater than Wolsey's when Wolsey fell.
+
+Henry really liked, or, rather, admired, Brandon, as had often been
+shown, but his nature was incapable of real affection. The highest
+point he ever reached was admiration, often quite extravagant for a
+time, but usually short-lived, as naked admiration is apt to be. If he
+had affection for any one it was for Mary. He could not but see the
+justice of his sister's position, but he had no intention of allowing
+justice, in the sense of right, to interfere with justice in the sense
+of the king's will.
+
+"You have been playing the devil at a great rate," he said, "You have
+disobeyed your brother and your king; have disgraced yourself; have
+probably made trouble between us and France, for if Louis refuses to
+take you now I will cram you down his throat; and by your own story
+have led a good man to the block. Quite a budget of evils for one
+woman to open. But I have noticed that the trouble a woman can make is
+in proportion to her beauty, and no wonder my little sister has made
+so much disturbance. It is strange, though, that he should so affect
+you. Master Wolsey, surely there has been witchery here. He must have
+used it abundantly to cast such a spell over my sister." Then turning
+to the princess: "Was it at any time possible for him to have given
+you a love powder; or did he ever make any signs or passes over you?"
+
+"Oh, no! nothing of that sort. I never ate or drank anything which he
+could possibly have touched. And as to signs and passes, I know he
+never made any. Sir Edwin, you were always present when I was with him
+until after we left for Bristol; did you ever see anything of the
+sort?"
+
+I answered "No," and she went on. "Besides, I do not believe much in
+signs and passes. No one can affect others unless he can induce them
+to eat or drink something in which he has placed a love powder or
+potion. Then again, Master Brandon did not want me to love him, and
+surely would not have used such a method to gain what he could have
+had freely without it."
+
+I noticed that Henry's mind had wandered from what Mary was saying,
+and that his eyes were fixed upon me with a thoughtful, half vicious,
+inquiring stare that I did not like. I wondered what was coming next,
+but my curiosity was more than satisfied when the king asked: "So
+Caskoden was present at all your interviews?"
+
+Ah! Holy Mother! I knew what was coming now, and actually began to
+shrivel with fright. The king continued: "I suppose he helped you to
+escape?"
+
+I thought my day had come, but Mary's wit was equal to the occasion.
+With an expression on her face of the most dove-like innocence, she
+quickly said:
+
+"Oh! no! neither he nor Jane knew anything of it. We were afraid they
+might divulge it."
+
+Shade of Sapphira!
+
+A lie is a pretty good thing, too, now and then, and the man who says
+that word of Mary's was not a blessed lie, must fight me with lance,
+battle-ax, sword and dagger till one or the other of us bites the dust
+in death, be he great or small.
+
+"I am glad to learn that you knew nothing of it," said Henry,
+addressing me; and I was glad, too, for him to learn it, you may be
+sure.
+
+Then spoke Wolsey: "If your majesty will permit, I would say that I
+quite agree with you; there has been witchery here--witchery of the
+most potent kind; the witchery of lustrous eyes, of fair skin and rosy
+lips; the witchery of all that is sweet and intoxicating in womanhood,
+but Master Brandon has been the victim of this potent spell, not the
+user of it. One look upon your sister standing there, and I know your
+majesty will agree that Brandon had no choice against her."
+
+"Perhaps you are right," returned Henry.
+
+Then spoke Mary, all unconscious of her girlish egotism: "Of course he
+had not. Master Brandon could not help it." Which was true beyond all
+doubt.
+
+Henry laughed at her naivete, and Wolsey's lips wore a smile, as he
+plucked the king by the sleeve and took him over to the window, out of
+our hearing.
+
+Mary began to weep and show signs of increasing agitation.
+
+After a short whispered conversation, the king and Wolsey came back
+and the former said: "Sister, if I promise to give Brandon his life,
+will you consent decently and like a good girl to marry Louis of
+France?"
+
+Mary almost screamed, "Yes, yes; gladly; I will do anything you ask,"
+and fell at his feet hysterically embracing his knees.
+
+As the king stooped and lifted her to her feet, he kissed her, saying:
+"His life shall be spared, my sweet sister." After this, Henry felt
+that he had done a wonderfully gracious act and was the
+kindest-hearted prince in all Christendom.
+
+Poor Mary! Two mighty kings and their great ministers of state had at
+last conquered you, but they had to strike you through your love--the
+vulnerable spot in every woman.
+
+Jane and I led Mary away through a side door and the king called for
+de Longueville to finish the interrupted game of cards.
+
+Before the play was resumed Wolsey stepped softly around to the king
+and asked: "Shall I affix your majesty's seal to Brandon's pardon?"
+
+"Yes, but keep him in the Tower until Mary is off for France."
+
+Wolsey had certainly been a friend to Brandon in time of need, but, as
+usual, he had value received for his friendliness. He was an ardent
+advocate of the French marriage, notwithstanding the fact he had told
+Mary he was not; having no doubt been bribed thereto by the French
+king.
+
+The good bishop had, with the help of de Longueville, secretly sent
+Mary's miniature to the French court in order that it might, as if by
+accident, fall into the hands of Louis, and that worthy's little, old,
+shriveled heart began to flutter, just as if there could be kindled in
+it a genuine flame.
+
+Louis had sent to de Longueville, who was then in England, for
+confirmation of Mary's beauty, and de Longueville grew so eloquent on
+the theme that his French majesty at once authorized negotiations.
+
+As reports came in Louis grew more and more impatient. This did not,
+however, stand in the way of his driving a hard bargain in the matter
+of dower, for "The Father of the People" had the characteristics of
+his race, and was intensely practical as well as inflammable. They
+never lose sight of the _dot_--but I do not find fault.
+
+Louis little knew what thorns this lovely rose had underneath her
+velvet leaves, and what a veritable Tartar she would be, linked to the
+man she did not love; or he would have given Henry four hundred
+thousand crowns to keep her at home.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XIX_
+
+_Proserpina_
+
+
+So the value received for Wolsey's friendship to Brandon was Mary's
+promise to marry Louis.
+
+Mary wanted to send a message at once to Brandon, telling him his life
+would be spared, and that she had made no delay this time--a fact of
+which she was very proud--but the Tower gates would not open until
+morning, so she had to wait. She compensated herself as well as she
+could by writing a letter, which I should like to give you here, but
+it is too long. She told him of his pardon, but not one word upon the
+theme he so wished yet feared to hear of--her promise never to wed any
+other man. Mary had not told him of her final surrender in the matter
+of the French marriage, for the reason that she dreaded to pain him,
+and feared he might refuse the sacrifice.
+
+"It will almost kill him, I know," she said to Jane that night, "and I
+fear it is a false kindness I do him. He would, probably, rather die
+than that I should marry another; I know that I should rather die, or
+have anything else terrible to happen, than for another woman to
+possess him. He promised me he never would; but suppose he should fail
+in his word, as I have to-day failed in mine? The thought of it
+absolutely burns me." And she threw herself into Jane's arms, and that
+little comforter tried to soothe her by making light of her fears.
+
+"Oh! but suppose he should?"
+
+"Well! there is no need to borrow trouble. You said he promised you,
+and you know he is one who keeps his word."
+
+"But I promised, too, and think of what I am about to do. Mary in
+heaven, help me! But he is made of different stuff from me. I can and
+do trust his word, and when I think of all my troubles, and when it
+seems that I cannot bear them, the one comforting thought comes that
+no other woman will ever possess him; no other woman; no other woman.
+I am glad that my only comfort comes from him."
+
+"I hoped that I might have been some comfort to you; I have tried hard
+enough," said Jane, who was jealous.
+
+"Oh! yes! my sweet Jane; you do comfort me; you are like a soothing
+balm to an aching pain," and she kissed the hands that held hers. This
+was all that modest little Jane required. She was content to be an
+humble balm and did not aspire to the dignity of an elixir.
+
+The girls then said their prayers in concert and Mary gently wept
+herself to sleep. She lay dreaming and tossing nervously until
+sunrise, when she got up and added more pages to her letter, until I
+called to take it.
+
+I was on hand soon after the Tower gates had opened and was permitted
+to see Brandon at once. He read Mary's letter and acted like every
+other lover, since love-letters first began. He was quick to note the
+absence of the longed for, but not expected assurance, and when he did
+not see it went straight to the point.
+
+"She has promised to marry the French king to purchase my life. Is
+that not true?"
+
+"I hope not," I answered, evasively; "I have seen very little of her,
+and she has said nothing about it."
+
+"You are evading my question, I see. Do you know nothing of it?"
+
+"Nothing," I replied, telling an unnecessary lie.
+
+"Caskoden, you are either a liar or a blockhead."
+
+"Make it a liar, Brandon," said I, laughingly, for I was sure of my
+place in his heart and knew that he meant no offense.
+
+I never doubt a friend; one would better be trustful of ninety-nine
+friends who are false than doubtful of one who is true. Suspicion and
+super-sensitiveness are at once the badge and the bane of a little
+soul.
+
+I did not leave the Tower until noon, and Brandon's pardon had been
+delivered to him before I left. He was glad that the first news of it
+had come from Mary.
+
+He naturally expected his liberty at once, and when told that he was
+to be honorably detained for a short time, turned to me and said: "I
+suppose they are afraid to let me out until she is off for France.
+King Henry flatters me."
+
+I looked out of the window up Tower street and said nothing.
+
+When I left I took a letter to Mary, which plainly told her he had
+divined it all, and she wrote a tear-stained answer, begging him to
+forgive her for having saved his life at a cost greater than her own.
+
+For several days I was kept busy carrying letters from Greenwich to
+the Tower and back again, but soon letters ceased to satisfy Mary, and
+she made up her mind that she must see him. Nothing else would do. She
+must not, could not, and, in short, would not go another day without
+seeing him; no, not another hour. Jane and I opposed her all we could,
+but the best we could accomplish was to induce her for Brandon's
+sake--for she was beginning to see that he was the one who had to
+suffer for her indiscretions--to ask Henry's permission, and if he
+refused, then try some other way. To determine was to act with Mary,
+so off she went without delay to hunt the king, taking Jane and me
+along as escort. How full we were of important business, as we
+scurried along the corridors, one on each side of Mary, all talking
+excitedly at once. When anything was to be done, it always required
+three of us to do it.
+
+We found the king, and without any prelude, Mary proffered her
+request. Of course it was refused. Mary pouted, and was getting ready
+for an outburst, when Wolsey spoke up: "With your majesty's gracious
+permission, I would subscribe to the petition of the princess. She has
+been good enough to give her promise in the matter of so much
+importance to us, and in so small a thing as this I hope you may see
+your way clear toward favoring her. The interview will be the last and
+may help to make her duty easier." Mary gave the cardinal a fleeting
+glance from her lustrous eyes full of surprise and gratitude, and as
+speaking as a book.
+
+Henry looked from one to the other of us for a moment, and broke into
+a boisterous laugh.
+
+"Oh, I don't care, so that you keep it a secret. The old king will
+never know. We can hurry up the marriage. He is getting too much
+already; four hundred thousand crowns and a girl like you; he cannot
+complain if he have an heir. It would be a good joke on the miserly
+old dotard, but better on '_Ce Gros Garcon_.'"
+
+Mary sprang from her chair with a cry of rage. "You brute! Do you
+think I am as vile as you because I have the misfortune to be your
+sister, or that Charles Brandon is like you simply because he is a
+man?" Henry laughed, his health at that time being too good for him to
+be ill-natured. He had all he wanted out of his sister, so her
+outbursts amused him.
+
+Mary hurriedly left the king and walked back to her room, filled with
+shame and rage; feelings actively stimulated by Jane, who was equally
+indignant.
+
+Henry had noticed Jane's frown, but had laughed at her, and had tried
+to catch and kiss her as she left; but she struggled away from him and
+fled with a speed worthy of the cause.
+
+This insulting suggestion put a stop to Mary's visit to the Tower more
+effectually than any refusal could have done, and she sat down to pour
+forth her soul's indignation in a letter.
+
+She remained at home then, but saw Brandon later, and to good purpose,
+as I believe, although I am not sure about it, even to this day.
+
+I took this letter to Brandon, along with Mary's miniature--the one
+that had been painted for Charles of Germany, but had never been
+given--and a curl of her hair, and it looked as if this was all he
+would ever possess of her.
+
+De Longueville heard of Henry's brutal consent that Mary might see
+Brandon, and, with a Frenchman's belief in woman's depravity, was
+exceedingly anxious to keep them apart. To this end he requested that
+a member of his own retinue be placed near Brandon. To this Henry
+readily consented, and there was an end to even the letter-writing.
+Opportunities increase in value doubly fast as they drift behind us,
+and now that the princess could not see Brandon, or even write to him,
+she regretted with her whole soul that she had not gone to the Tower
+when she had permission, regardless of what any one would say or
+think.
+
+Mary was imperious and impatient, by nature, but upon rare and urgent
+occasions could employ the very smoothest sort of finesse.
+
+Her promise to marry Louis of France had been given under the stress
+of a frantic fear for Brandon, and without the slightest mental
+reservation, for it was given to save his life, as she would have
+given her hands or her eyes, her life or her very soul itself; but now
+that the imminent danger was passed she began to revolve schemes to
+evade her promise and save Brandon notwithstanding. She knew that
+under the present arrangement his life depended upon her marriage, but
+she had never lost faith in her ability to handle the king if she had
+but a little time in which to operate, and had secretly regretted that
+she had not, in place of flight, opened up her campaign along the line
+of feminine diplomacy at the very beginning.
+
+Henry was a dullard mentally, while Mary's mind was keen and
+alert--two facts of which the girl was perfectly aware--so it was no
+wonder she had such confidence in herself. When she first heard of
+Brandon's sentence her fear for him was so great, and the need for
+action so urgent, that she could not resort to her usual methods for
+turning matters her way, but eagerly applied the first and quickest
+remedy offered. Now, however, that she had a breathing spell, and time
+in which to operate her more slowly moving, but, as she thought,
+equally sure forces of cajolery and persuasion, she determined to
+marshal the legions of her wit and carry war into the enemy's country
+at once.
+
+Henry's brutal selfishness in forcing upon her the French marriage,
+together with his cruel condemnation of Brandon, and his vile
+insinuations against herself, had driven nearly every spark of
+affection for her brother from her heart. But she felt that she might
+feign an affection she did not feel, and that what she so wanted would
+be cheap at the price. Cheap? It would be cheap at the cost of her
+immortal soul. Cheap? What she wanted was life's condensed sweets--the
+man she loved; and what she wanted to escape was life's distilled
+bitterness--marriage with a man she loathed. None but a pure woman can
+know the torture of that. I saw this whole disastrous campaign from
+start to finish. Mary began with a wide flank movement conducted under
+masked batteries and skilfully executed. She sighed over her troubles
+and cried a great deal, but told the king he had been such a dear,
+kind brother to her that she would gladly do anything to please him
+and advance his interests. She said it would be torture to live with
+that old creature, King Louis, but she would do it willingly to help
+her handsome brother, no matter how much she might suffer.
+
+The king laughed and said: "Poor old Louis! What about him? What about
+his suffering? He thinks he is making such a fine bargain, but the
+Lord pity him, when he has my little sister in his side for a thorn.
+He had better employ some energetic soul to prick him with needles and
+bodkins, for I think there is more power for disturbance in this
+little body than in any other equal amount of space in all the
+universe. You will furnish him all the trouble he wants, won't you,
+sister?"
+
+"I shall try," said the princess demurely, perfectly willing to obey
+in everything.
+
+"Devil a doubt of that, and you will succeed, too, or my crown's a
+stew-pan," and he laughed at the huge joke he was about to perpetrate
+on his poor, old royal brother.
+
+It would seem that the tremendous dose of flattery administered by
+Mary would have been so plainly self-interested as to alarm the
+dullest perception, but Henry's vanity was so dense, and his appetite
+for flattery so great, that he accepted it all without suspicion, and
+it made him quite affable and gracious.
+
+Mary kept up her show of affection and docile obedience for a week or
+two until she thought Henry's suspicions were allayed; and then, after
+having done enough petting and fondling, as she thought, to start the
+earth itself a-moving--as some men are foolish enough to say it really
+does--she began the attack direct by putting her arms about the king's
+neck, and piteously begging him not to sacrifice her whole life by
+sending her to France.
+
+Her pathetic, soul-charged appeal might have softened the heart of
+Caligula himself; but Henry was not even cruel. He was simply an
+animal so absorbed in himself that he could not feel for others.
+
+"Oh! it is out at last," he said, with a laugh. "I thought all this
+sweetness must have been for something. So the lady wants her Brandon,
+and doesn't want her Louis, yet is willing to obey her dear, kind
+brother? Well, we'll take her at her word and let her obey. You may as
+well understand, once and for all, that you are to go to France. You
+promised to go decently if I would not cut off that fellow's head, and
+now I tell you that if I hear another whimper from you off it comes,
+and you will go to France, too."
+
+This brought Mary to terms quickly enough. It touched her one
+vulnerable spot--her love.
+
+"I will go; I promise it again. You shall never hear another word of
+complaint from me if you give me your royal word that no harm shall
+come to him--to him," and she put her hands over her face to conceal
+her tears as she softly wept.
+
+"The day you sail for France, Brandon shall go free and shall again
+have his old post at court. I like the fellow as a good companion, and
+really believe you are more to blame than he."
+
+"I am all to blame, and am ready this day to pay the penalty. I am at
+your disposal to go when and where you choose," answered Mary, most
+pathetically.
+
+Poor, fair Proserpina, with no kind mother Demeter to help her. The
+ground will soon open, and Pluto will have his bride.
+
+That evening Cavendish took me aside and said his master, Wolsey,
+wished to speak to me privately at a convenient opportunity. So, when
+the bishop left his card-table, an hour later, I threw myself in his
+way. He spoke gayly to me, and we walked down the corridor arm in arm.
+I could not imagine what was wanted, but presently it came out: "My
+dear Caskoden"--had I been one for whom he could have had any use, I
+should have grown suspicious--"My dear Caskoden, I know I can trust
+you; especially when that which I have to say is for the happiness of
+your friends. I am sure you will never name me in connection with the
+suggestion I am about to make, and will use the thought only as your
+own."
+
+I did not know what was coming, but gave him the strongest assurance
+of my trustworthiness.
+
+"It is this: Louis of France is little better than a dead man. King
+Henry, perhaps, is not fully aware of this, and, if he is, he has
+never considered the probability of his speedy death. The thought
+occurred to me that although the princess cannot dissuade her brother
+from this marriage, she may be able, in view of her ready and cheerful
+compliance, to extract some virtue out of her sore necessity and
+induce him to promise that, in case of the death of Louis, she herself
+shall choose her second husband."
+
+"My lord," I replied, quickly grasping the point, "it is small wonder
+you rule this land. You have both brain and heart."
+
+"I thank you, Sir Edwin, and hope that both may always be at the
+service of you and your friends."
+
+I gave the suggestion to Mary as my own, recommending that she proffer
+her request to the king in the presence of Wolsey, and, although she
+had little faith or hope, she determined to try.
+
+Within a day or two an opportunity offered, and she said to Henry: "I
+am ready to go to France any time you wish, and shall do it decently
+and willingly; but if I do so much for you, brother, you might at
+least promise me that when King Louis is dead I may marry whomsoever I
+wish. He will probably live forever, but let me have at least that
+hope to give me what cheer it may while I suffer."
+
+The ever-present Wolsey, who was standing near and heard Mary's
+petition, interposed: "Let me add my prayer to that of her highness.
+We must give her her own way in something."
+
+Mary was such a complete picture of wretchedness that I thought at the
+time she had really found a tender spot in Henry's heart, for he gave
+the promise. Since then I have learned, as you will shortly, that it
+was given simply to pacify the girl, and without any intention
+whatever of its being kept; but that, in case of the death of King
+Louis, Henry intended again to use his sister to his own advantage.
+
+To be a beautiful princess is not to enjoy the bliss some people
+imagine. The earth is apt to open at any time, and Pluto to snatch her
+away to--the Lord knows where.
+
+Mary again poured out her soul on paper--a libation intended for
+Brandon. I made a dozen attempts, in as many different ways, to
+deliver her letters, but every effort was a failure, and this missive
+met the fate of the others. De Longueville kept close watch on his
+master's rival, and complained to Henry about these attempts at
+communication. Henry laughed and said he would see that they were
+stopped, but paid no more attention to the matter.
+
+If Mary, before her interview with Henry, had been averse to the
+French marriage, she was now equally anxious to hurry it on, and
+longed to go upon the rack in order that Brandon might be free. He, of
+course, objected as strenuously as possible to the purchase of his
+life by her marriage to Louis, but his better judgment told him--in
+fact, had told him from the first--that she would be compelled
+eventually to marry the French king, and common sense told him if it
+must be, she might as well save his life at the same time.
+Furthermore, he felt a certain sense of delight in owing his life to
+her, and knew that the fact that she had saved him--that her
+sacrifice had not all been in vain--would make it easier for her to
+bear.
+
+The most beautiful feature of the relations between these two lovers
+was their entire faith in each other. The way of their true love was
+at least not roughened by cobble-stones of doubt, however impassable
+it was from mountains of opposition.
+
+My inability to deliver Mary's letters did not deter her from writing
+them; and as she was to be married in a few days--de Longueville to
+act as proxy--she devoted her entire time to her letters, and wrote
+pages upon pages, which she left with me to be delivered "after
+death," as she called her marriage.
+
+At this time I was called away from court for a day or two, and when I
+returned and called upon Brandon at the Tower, I found him whistling
+and singing, apparently as happy as a lark. "You heartless dog,"
+thought I, at first; but I soon found that he felt more than
+happiness--exaltation.
+
+"Have you seen her?" I asked.
+
+"Who?" As if there were more than one woman in all the world for him.
+
+"The princess."
+
+"Not since I left her at Bristol."
+
+I believed then, and believe now, that this was a point blank
+falsehood--a very unusual thing for Brandon--but for some reason
+probably necessary in this case.
+
+There was an expression in his face which I could not interpret, but
+he wrote, as if carelessly scribbling on a scrap of paper that lay
+upon the table, the words, "Be careful," and I took the hint--we were
+watched. There is an unpleasant sensation when one feels that he is
+watched by unseen eyes, and after talking for awhile on common topics
+I left and took a boat for Greenwich.
+
+When I arrived at the palace and saw Mary, what was my surprise to
+find her as bright and jubilant as I had left Brandon. She, too,
+laughed and sang, and was so happy that she lighted the whole room.
+What did it all mean? There was but one explanation; they had met, and
+there was some new plan on foot--with a fatal ending. The next failure
+would mean death to Brandon, as certainly as the sun rises in the
+east. What the plan was I could not guess. With Brandon in the Tower
+under guard both day and night, and Mary as closely guarded in the
+palace, I could not see any way of escape for either of them, nor how
+they could possibly have come together.
+
+Brandon had not told me, I supposed, for fear of being overheard, and
+Mary, although she had the opportunity, was equally non-communicative,
+so I had recourse to Jane upon the first occasion. She, by the way,
+was as blue and sad-faced as Mary was joyous. I asked her if the
+princess and Brandon had met, and she sadly said: "I do not know. We
+went down to London yesterday, and as we returned stopped at Bridewell
+House, where we found the king and Wolsey. The princess left the
+room, saying she would return in a few minutes, and then Wolsey went
+out, leaving me alone with the king. Mary did not return for half an
+hour, and she may have seen Master Brandon during that time. I do not
+understand how the meeting could have occurred, but that is the only
+time she has been away from me." Here Jane deliberately put her head
+on my shoulder and began to weep piteously.
+
+"What is the trouble?" I asked.
+
+She shook her head: "I cannot, dare not tell you."
+
+"Oh! but you must, you must," and I insisted so emphatically that she
+at length said:
+
+"The king!"
+
+"The king! God in heaven, Jane, tell me quickly." I had noticed Henry
+of late casting glances at my beautiful little Jane, and had seen him
+try to kiss her a few days before, as I have told you. This annoyed me
+very much, but I thought little of it, as it was his habit to ogle
+every pretty face. When urged, Jane said between her sobs: "He tried
+to kiss me and to--mistreat me when Wolsey left the room at Bridewell
+House. I may have been used to detain him, while Mary met Master
+Brandon, but if so, I am sure she knew nothing of it."
+
+"And what did you do?"
+
+"I struggled away from him and snatched this dagger from my breast,
+telling him that if he took but one step toward me I would plunge it
+in my heart; and he said I was a fool."
+
+"God keep you always a fool," said I, prayerfully. "How long has this
+been going on?"
+
+"A month or two; but I have always been able to run away from him. He
+has been growing more importunate of late, so I bought a dagger that
+very day, and had it not one hour too soon." With this she drew out a
+gleaming little weapon that flashed in the rays of the candle.
+
+This was trouble in earnest for me, and I showed it very plainly. Then
+Jane timidly put her hand in mine, for the first time in her life, and
+murmured:
+
+"We will be married, Edwin, if you wish, before we return from
+France." She was glad to fly to me to save herself from Henry, and I
+was glad even to be the lesser of two evils.
+
+As to whether my two friends met or not that day at Bridewell I cannot
+say; but I think they did. They had in some way come to an
+understanding that lightened both their hearts before Mary left for
+France, and this had been their only possible opportunity. Jane and I
+were always taken into their confidence on other occasions, but as to
+this meeting, if any there was, we have never been told a word. My
+belief is that the meeting was contrived by Wolsey upon a solemn
+promise from Brandon and Mary never to reveal it, and if so, they have
+sacredly kept their word.
+
+On the 13th of August, 1514, Mary Tudor, with her golden hair falling
+over her shoulders, was married at Greenwich to Louis de Valois; de
+Longueville acting as his French majesty's proxy. Poor, fair
+Proserpina!...
+
+ Note.--Maidens only were married with their hair down. It was "the
+ sacred token of maidenhood."--Editor.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XX_
+
+_Down into France_
+
+
+So it came to pass that Mary was married unto Louis and went down into
+France.
+
+[Again the editor takes the liberty of substituting Hall's quaint
+account of Mary's journey to France.]
+
+ Then when all things were redy for the conueyaunce of this noble
+ Ladye, the kyng her brother in the moneth of Auguste, and the xV
+ daye, with the quene his wife and his sayde sister and al the
+ court came to Douer and there taryed, for the wynde was troblous
+ and the wether fowle, in so muche that shippe of the kynges called
+ the Libeck of IXC. tonne was dryuen a shore before Sangate and
+ there brase & of VI C. men scantely escaped iiiC and yet the most
+ part of them were hurt with the wrecke. When the wether was fayre,
+ then al her wardrobe, stable, and riches was shipped, and such as
+ were appoyncted to geue their attendaunce on her as the duke of
+ Norfolke, the Marques of Dorset, the Bysshop of Durham, the Earle
+ of Surrey, the lorde Delawar, sir Thomas Bulleyn and many other
+ knights, Squyers, getlemen & ladies, al these went to shippe and
+ the sayde ladye toke her leaue of the quene in the castell of
+ Douer, and the king brought her to the sea syde, and kissed her,
+ and betoke her to GOD and the fortune of the see and to the
+ gouernaunce of the French king her husband. Thus at the hower of
+ foure of the clock in the morenynge thys fayre ladye toke her
+ shippe with al her noble compaignie: and when they had sayled a
+ quarter of the see, the wynde rose and seuered some of the shippes
+ to Cayles, and some in Flaunders and her shippe with greate
+ difficultie to Bulleyn, and with greate ieopardy at the entrying
+ of the hauen, for the master ran the shippe hard on shore, but the
+ botes were redy and receyued this noble ladye, and at the landyng
+ Sir Christopher Garnysha stode in the water and toke her in his
+ armes, and so caryed her to land, where the Duke of Vandosme and a
+ Cardynall with many estates receyued her, and her ladies, and
+ welcommed all the noble men into the countrey, and so the quene
+ and all her trayne came to Bulleyn and ther rested, and from
+ thence she remoued by dyuerse lodgynges tyll she came all most
+ within iii miles of Abuyle besyde the forrest of Arders, and ther
+ kynge Loyes vppon a greate courser met her, (which he so longe
+ desired) but she toke her way righte on, not stopping to conurse.
+ Then he returned to Abuyle by a secret waye, & she was with greate
+ triumphe, procession & pagiantes receyued into the toune of Abuyle
+ the VIII day of October by the Dolphin, which receyued her with
+ greate honor. She was appeareilled in cloth of siluer, her horse
+ was trapped in goldsmythes work very rychly. After her followed
+ xxxvi ladies al ther palfreys trapped with crymsyn veluet,
+ embraudered: after the folowed one charyott of cloth of tyssue,
+ the seconde clothe of golde and the third Crymsyn veluet
+ embraudered with the kynges armes & hers, full of roses. After
+ them folowed a greate nomber of archers and then wagons laden with
+ their stuf. Greate was the riches in plate, iuels, money, and
+ hangynges that this ladye brought into France. The Moday beyng the
+ daye of Sayncte Denyce, the same kynge Leyes maried the lady Mary
+ in the greate church of Abuyle, bothe appareled in goldesmythes
+ woorke. After the masse was done ther was a greate banket and fest
+ and the ladyes of England highly entreteyned.
+
+ The Tewesdaye beyng the x daye of October all the Englishmen
+ except a fewe that wer officers with the sayde quene were
+ discharged whiche was a greate sorowe for theim, for some had
+ serued her longe in the hope of preferment and some that had
+ honest romes left them to serue her and now they wer out of
+ seruice, which caused the to take thought in so much, some dyed by
+ way returning, and some fell mad, but ther was no remedy. After
+ the English lordes had done ther commission the French kynge
+ wylled the to take no lenger payne & so gaue to theim good
+ rewardes and they toke ther leaue of the quene and returned.
+
+ Then the Dolphyn of Fraunce called Frauncys duke of Valoys, or
+ Fraunceys d'Angouleme, caused a solempne iustes to be proclaymed,
+ which shoulde be kept in Parys in the moneth of Noueber next
+ ensuyng, and while al these thinges were prepearyng, the Ladye
+ Mary, the V. daye of Noueber, then beying Sondaye was with greate
+ solempnitee crowned Queen of Fraunce in the monasterye of Saynct
+ Denyce, and the Lorde Dolphyn, who was young, but very toward, al
+ the season held the crowune ouer her hed, because it was of greate
+ waight, to her greuaunce.
+
+Madame Mary took her time, since a more deliberate journey bride never
+made to waiting bride-groom. She was a study during this whole
+period--weeping and angry by turns. She, who had never known a
+moment's illness in all her days, took to her bed upon two occasions
+from sheer antipathetic nervousness, and would rest her head upon
+Jane's breast and cry out little, half-articulate prayers to God that
+she might not kill the man who was her husband, when they should meet.
+
+When we met the king about a league this side of Abbeville, and when
+Mary beheld him with the shadow of death upon his brow, she took hope,
+for she knew he would be but putty in her hands, so manifestly weak
+was he, mentally and physically. As he came up she whipped her horse
+and rode by him at a gallop, sending me back with word that he must
+not be so ardent; that he frightened her, poor, timid little thing, so
+afraid of--nothing in the world. This shocked the French courtiers,
+and one would think would have offended Louis, but he simply grinned
+from ear to ear, showing his yellow fangs, and said whimperingly: "Oh,
+the game is worth the trouble. Tell her majesty I wait at Abbeville."
+
+The old king had ridden a horse to meet his bride in order that he
+might appear more gallant before her, but a litter was waiting to take
+him back to Abbeville by a shorter route, and they were married again
+in person.
+
+[Again a quotation from Hall is substituted]:
+
+ Mondaye the .vi daye of Noueber, ther the sayde quene was receyued
+ into the cytee of Parys after the order thar foloweth. First the
+ garde of the cytee met her with oute Sayncte Denyce al in coates
+ of goldsmythes woorke with shippes gylt, and after them mett her
+ al the prestes and religious whiche were estemed to be. iiiM. The
+ quene was in a chyre coured about (but not her ouer person) in
+ white clothe of golde, the horses that drewe it couered in clothe
+ of golde, on her bed a coronall, al of greate perles, her necke
+ and brest full of Iuels, before her wente a garde of Almaynes
+ after ther fascion, and after them al noblemen, as the Dolphyn,
+ the Duke of Burbon, Cardynalles, and a greate nomber of estates.
+ Aboute her person rode the kynge's garde the whiche wer Scottes.
+ On the morowe bega the iustes, and the quene stode so that al men
+ might see her, and wonder at her beautie, and the kynge was feble
+ and lay on a couche for weakenes.
+
+So Mary was twice married to Louis, and, although she was his queen
+fast and sure enough, she was not his wife.
+
+You may say what you will, but I like a fighting woman; one with a
+touch of the savage in her when the occasion arises; one who can fight
+for what she loves as well as against what she hates. She usually
+loves as she fights--with all her heart.
+
+So Mary was crowned, and was now a queen, hedged about by the tinseled
+divinity that hedgeth royalty.
+
+It seemed that she was climbing higher and higher all the time from
+Brandon, but in her heart every day she was brought nearer to him.
+
+There was one thing that troubled her greatly, and all the time. Henry
+had given his word that Brandon should be liberated as soon as Mary
+had left the shores of England, but we had heard nothing of this
+matter, although we had received several letters from home. A doubt of
+her brother, in whom she had little faith at best, made an ache at her
+heart, which seemed at times likely to break it--so she said. One
+night she dreamed that she had witnessed Brandon's execution, her
+brother standing by in excellent humor at the prank he was playing
+her, and it so worked upon her waking hours that by evening she was
+ill. At last I received a letter from Brandon--which had been delayed
+along the road--containing one for Mary. It told of his full pardon
+and restoration to favor, greater even than before; and her joy was so
+sweet and quiet, and yet so softly delirious, that I tell you plainly
+it brought tears to my eyes and I could not hold them back.
+
+The marriage, when once determined upon, had not cast her down nearly
+so deep as I had expected, and soon she grew to be quite cheerful and
+happy. This filled me with regret, for I thought of how Brandon must
+suffer, and felt that her heart was a poor, flimsy thing to take this
+trouble so lightly.
+
+I spoke to Jane about it, but she only laughed. "Mary is all right,"
+said she; "do not fear. Matters will turn out better than you think,
+perhaps. You know she generally manages to have her own way in the
+end."
+
+"If you have any comfort to give, please give it, Jane. I feel most
+keenly for Brandon, heart-tied to such a wilful, changeable creature
+as Mary."
+
+"Sir Edwin Caskoden, you need not take the trouble to speak to me at
+all unless you can use language more respectful concerning my
+mistress. The queen knows what she is about, but it appears that you
+cannot see it. I see it plainly enough, although no word has ever been
+spoken to me on the subject. As to Brandon being tied to her, it seems
+to me she is tied to him, and that he holds the reins. He could drive
+her into the mouth of purgatory."
+
+"Do you think so?"
+
+"I know it."
+
+I remained in thought a moment or two, and concluded that she was
+right. In truth, the time had come to me when I believed that Jane,
+with her good sense and acute discernment, could not be wrong in
+anything, and I think so yet. So I took comfort on faith from her, and
+asked: "Do you remember what you said should happen before we return
+to England?"
+
+Jane hung her head. "I remember."
+
+"Well?"
+
+She then put her hand in mine and murmured, "I am ready any time you
+wish."
+
+Great heaven! I thought I should go out of my senses. She should have
+told me gradually. I had to do something to express my exultation, so
+I walked over to a bronze statue of Bacchus, about my size--that is,
+height--put my hat--which I had been carrying under my arm--on his
+head, cut a few capers in an entirely new and equally antic step, and
+then drew back and knocked that Bacchus down. Jane thought I had gone
+stark mad, and her eyes grew big with wonder, but I walked proudly
+back to her after my victory over Bacchus, and reassured her--with a
+few of Mary's messages that I had still left over, if the truth must
+be told. Then we made arrangements that resulted in our marriage next
+morning.
+
+Accordingly, Queen Mary and one or two others went with us down to a
+little church, where, as fortune would have it, there was a little
+priest ready to join together in the holy bonds of wedlock little
+Jane and little me. Everything so appropriate, you see; I suppose in
+the whole world we couldn't have found another set of conditions so
+harmonious. Mary laughed and cried, and laughed again, and clapped her
+hands over and over, and said it was "like a play wedding"; and, as
+she kissed Jane, quietly slipped over her head a beautiful diamond
+necklace that was worth full ten thousand pounds--aside, that is, from
+the millions of actual value, because it came from Mary. "A play
+wedding" it was; and a play life it has been ever since.
+
+We were barely settled at court in Paris when Mary began to put her
+plans in motion and unsettle things generally. I could not but recall
+Henry's sympathy toward Louis, for the young queen soon took it upon
+herself to make life a burden to the Father of his People; and, in
+that particular line, I suppose she had no equal in all the length and
+breadth of Christendom.
+
+I heartily detested King Louis, largely, I think, because of prejudice
+absorbed from Mary, but he was, in fact, a fairly good old man, and at
+times I could but pity him. He was always soft in heart and softer in
+head, especially where women were concerned. Take his crazy attempt to
+seize the Countess of Croy while he was yet Duke of Orleans; and his
+infatuation for the Italian woman, for whom he built the elaborate
+burial vault--much it must have comforted her. Then his marriage to
+dictatorial little Anne of Brittany, for whom he had induced Pope
+Alexander to divorce him from the poor little crippled owlet, Joan. In
+consideration of this divorce he had put Caesar Borgia, Pope
+Alexander's son, on his feet, financially and politically. I think he
+must have wanted the owlet back again before he was done with Anne,
+because Anne was a termagant--and ruled him with the heaviest rod of
+iron she could lift. But this last passion--the flickering, sputtering
+flame of his dotage--was the worst of all, both subjectively and
+objectively; both as to his senile fondness for the English princess
+and her impish tormenting of him. From the first he evinced the most
+violent delight in Mary, who repaid it by holding him off and evading
+him in a manner so cool, audacious and adroit that it stamped her
+queen of all the arts feminine and demoniac. Pardon me, ladies, if I
+couple these two arts, but you must admit they are at times somewhat
+akin. Soon she eluded him so completely that for days he would not
+have a glimpse of her, while she was perhaps riding, walking or
+coquetting with some of the court gallants, who aided and abetted her
+in every way they could. He became almost frantic in pursuit of his
+elusive bride, and would expostulate with her, when he could catch
+her, and smile uneasily, like a man who is the victim of a practical
+joke of which he does not see, or enjoy, the point. On such occasions
+she would laugh in his face, then grow angry--which was so easy for
+her to do--and, I grieve to say, would sometimes almost swear at him
+in a manner to make the pious, though ofttimes lax-virtued, court
+ladies shudder with horror. She would at other times make sport of his
+youthful ardor, and tell him in all seriousness that it was indecorous
+for him to behave so and frighten her, a poor, timid little child,
+with his impetuosities. Then she would manage to give him the slip;
+and he would go off and play a game of cards with himself, firmly
+convinced in his own feeble way that woman's nature had a tincture of
+the devil in it. He was the soul of conciliatory kindness to the young
+vixen, but at times she would break violently into tears, accuse him
+of cruelly mistreating her, a helpless woman and a stranger in his
+court, and threaten to go home to dear old England and tell her
+brother, King Henry, all about it, and have him put things to right
+and redress her wrongs generally. In fact, she acted the part of
+injured innocence so perfectly that the poor old man would apologize
+for the wrongs she invented, and try to coax her into a good humor.
+Thereupon she would weep more bitterly than ever, grow hysterical, and
+require to be carried off by her women, when recovery and composure
+were usually instantaneous. Of course the court gossips soon carried
+stories of the quick recoveries to the king, and, when he spoke to
+Mary of them, she put on her injured air again and turned the tables
+by upbraiding him for believing such calumnies about her, who was so
+good to him and loved him so dearly.
+
+I tell you it is a waste of time to fight against that assumption of
+injured innocence--that impregnable feminine redoubt--and when the
+enemy once gets fairly behind it one might as well raise the siege. I
+think it the most amusing, exasperating and successful defense and
+counter attack in the whole science of war, and every woman has it at
+her finger-tips, ready for immediate use upon occasion.
+
+Mary would often pout for days together and pretend illness. Upon one
+occasion she kept the king waiting at her door all the morning, while
+she, having slipped through the window, was riding with some of the
+young people in the forest. When she returned--through the window--she
+went to the door and scolded the poor old king for keeping her waiting
+penned up in her room all the morning. And he apologized.
+
+She changed the dinner hour to noon in accordance with the English
+custom, and had a heavy supper at night, when she would make the king
+gorge himself with unhealthful food and coax him "to drink as much as
+brother Henry," which invariably resulted in Louis de Valois finding
+lodgment under the table. This amused the whole court, except a few
+old cronies and physicians, who, of course, were scandalized beyond
+measure. She took the king on long rides with her on cold days, and
+would jolt him almost to death, and freeze him until the cold tears
+streamed down his poor pinched nose, making him feel like a half
+animated icicle, and wish that he were one in fact.
+
+At night she would have her balls, and keep him up till morning
+drinking and dancing, or trying to dance, with her, until his poor old
+heels, and his head, too, for that matter, were like to fall off; then
+she would slip away from him and lock herself in her room. December,
+say I, let May alone; she certainly will kill you. Despite which sound
+advice, I doubt not December will go on coveting May up to the end of
+the chapter; each old fellow--being such a fine man for his age, you
+understand--fondly believing himself an exception. Age in a fool is
+damnable.
+
+Mary was killing Louis as certainly and deliberately as if she were
+feeding him slow poison. He was very weak and decrepit at best, being
+compelled frequently, upon public occasions, such, for example, as the
+coronation tournament of which I have spoken, to lie upon a couch.
+
+Mary's conduct was really cruel! but then, remember her provocation
+and that she was acting in self-defense. All this was easier for her
+than you might suppose, for the king's grasp of power, never very
+strong, was beginning to relax even what little grip it had. All faces
+were turned toward the rising sun, young Francis, duke of Angouleme,
+the king's distant cousin, who would soon be king in Louis's place.
+As this young rising sun, himself vastly smitten with Mary, openly
+encouraged her in what she did, the courtiers of course followed suit,
+and the old king found himself surrounded by a court only too ready to
+be amused by his lively young queen at his expense.
+
+This condition of affairs Mary welcomed with her whole soul, and to
+accent it and nail assurance, I fear, played ever so lightly and coyly
+upon the heart-strings of the young duke, which responded all too
+loudly to her velvet touch, and almost frightened her to death with
+their volume of sound later on. This Francis d'Angouleme, the dauphin,
+had fallen desperately in love with Mary at first sight, something
+against which the fact that he was married to Claude, daughter of
+Louis, in no way militated. He was a very distant relative of Louis,
+going away back to St. Louis for his heirship to the French crown. The
+king had daughters in plenty, but as you know, the gallant Frenchmen
+say, according to their Law Salic: "The realm of France is so great
+and glorious a heritage that it may not be taken by a woman." Too
+great and glorious to be taken by woman, forsooth! France would have
+been vastly better off had she been governed by a woman now and then,
+for a country always prospers under a queen.
+
+Francis had for many years lived at court as the recognized heir, and
+as the custom was, called his distant cousin Louis, "Uncle." "Uncle"
+Louis in turn called Francis "_Ce Gros Garcon_," and Queen Mary
+called him "_Monsieur, mon beau fils_," in a mock-motherly manner that
+was very laughable. A mother of eighteen to a "good boy" of
+twenty-two! Dangerous relationship! And dangerous, indeed, it would
+have been for Mary, had she not been as pure and true as she was
+wilful and impetuous. "Mon beau fils" allowed neither his wife nor the
+respect he owed the king to stand in the way of his very marked
+attention to the queen. His position as heir, and his long residence
+at court, almost as son to Louis, gave him ample opportunities for
+pressing his unseemly suit. He was the first to see Mary at the
+meeting place this side of Abbeville, and was the king's
+representative on all occasions.
+
+"Beau fils" was rather a handsome fellow, but thought himself vastly
+handsomer than he was; and had some talents, which he was likewise
+careful to estimate at their full value, to say the least. He was very
+well liked by women, and in turn considered himself irresistible. He
+was very impressionable to feminine charms, was at heart a libertine,
+and, as he grew older, became a debauchee whose memory will taint
+France for centuries to come.
+
+Mary saw his weakness more clearly than his wickedness, being blinded
+to the latter by the veil of her own innocence. She laughed at, and
+with him, and permitted herself a great deal of his company; so much,
+in fact, that I grew a little jealous for Brandon's sake, and, if the
+truth must be told, for the first time began to have doubts of her. I
+seriously feared that when Louis should die, Brandon might find a much
+more dangerous rival in the new king, who, although married, would
+probably try to keep Mary at his court, even should he be driven to
+the extreme of divorcing Claude, as Claude's father had divorced Joan.
+
+I believed, in case Mary should voluntarily prove false and remain in
+France, either as the wife or the mistress of Francis, that Brandon
+would quietly but surely contrive some means to take her life, and I
+hoped he would. I spoke to my wife, Jane, about the queen's conduct,
+and she finally admitted that she did not like it; so I, unable to
+remain silent any longer, determined to put Mary on her guard, and for
+that purpose spoke very freely to her on the subject.
+
+"Oh! you goose!" she said, laughingly. "He is almost as great a fool
+as Henry." Then the tears came to her eyes, and half angrily, half
+hysterically, shaking me by the arm, she continued: "Do you not know?
+Can you not see that I would give this hand, or my eyes, almost my
+life, just to fall upon my face in front of Charles Brandon at this
+moment? Do you not know that a woman with a love in her heart such as
+I have for him is safe from every one and everything? That it is her
+sheet anchor, sure and fast? Have you not wit enough to know that?"
+
+"Yes, I have," I responded, for the time completely silenced. With
+her favorite tactics, she had, as usual, put me in the wrong, though I
+soon came again to the attack.
+
+"But he is so base that I grieve to see you with him."
+
+"I suppose he is not very good," she responded, "but it seems to be
+the way of these people among whom I have fallen, and he cannot harm
+me."
+
+"Oh! but he can. One does not go near smallpox, and there is a moral
+contagion quite as dangerous, if not so perceptible, and equally to be
+avoided. It must be a wonderfully healthy moral nature, pure and
+chaste to the core, that will be entirely contagion-proof and safe
+from it."
+
+She hung her head in thought, and then lifted her eyes appealingly to
+me. "Am I not that, Edwin? Tell me! Tell me frankly; am I not? It is
+the one thing of good I have always striven for. I am so full of other
+faults that if I have not that there is no good in me." Her eyes and
+voice were full of tears, and I knew in my heart that I stood before
+as pure a soul as ever came from the hand of God.
+
+"You are, your majesty; never doubt," I answered. "It is pre-eminently
+the one thing in womanhood to which all mankind kneels." And I fell
+upon my knee and kissed her hand with a sense of reverence, faith and
+trust that has never left me from that day to this. As to my estimate
+of how Francis would act when Louis should die, you will see that I
+was right.
+
+Not long after this Lady Caskoden and I were given permission to
+return to England, and immediately prepared for our homeward journey.
+
+Ah! it was pretty to see Jane bustling about, making ready for our
+departure--superintending the packing of our boxes and also
+superintending me. That was her great task. I never was so thankful
+for riches as when they enabled me to allow Jane full sway among the
+Paris shops. But at last, all the fine things being packed, and Mary
+having kissed us both--mind you, both--we got our little retinue
+together and out we went, through St. Denis, then ho! for dear old
+England.
+
+As we left, Mary placed in my hands a letter for Brandon, whose bulk
+was so reassuring that I knew he had never been out of her thoughts. I
+looked at the letter a moment and said, in all seriousness: "Your
+majesty, had I not better provide an extra box for it?"
+
+She gave a nervous little laugh, and the tears filled her eyes, as she
+whispered huskily: "I fancy there is one who will not think it too
+large. Good-bye! good-bye!" So we left Mary, fair, sweet girl-queen,
+all alone among those terrible strangers; alone with one little
+English maiden, seven years of age--Anne Boleyn.
+
+
+
+
+_CHAPTER XXI_
+
+_Letters from a Queen_
+
+
+Upon our return to England I left Jane down in Suffolk with her uncle,
+Lord Bolingbroke, having determined never to permit her to come within
+sight of King Henry again, if I could prevent it. I then went up to
+London with the twofold purpose of seeing Brandon and resigning my
+place as Master of the Dance.
+
+When I presented myself to the king and told him of my marriage, he
+flew into a great passion because we had not asked his consent. One of
+his whims was that everyone must ask his permission to do anything; to
+eat, or sleep, or say one's prayers; especially to marry, if the lady
+was of a degree entitled to be a king's ward. Jane, fortunately, had
+no estate, the king's father having stolen it from her when she was an
+infant; so all the king could do about our marriage was to grumble,
+which I let him do to his heart's content.
+
+"I wish also to thank your majesty for the thousand kindnesses you
+have shown me," I said, "and, although it grieves me to the heart to
+separate from you, circumstances compel me to tender my resignation as
+your Master of Dance." Upon this he was kind enough to express regret,
+and ask me to reconsider; but I stood my ground firmly, and then and
+there ended my official relations with Henry Tudor forever.
+
+Upon taking my leave of the king I sought Brandon, whom I found
+comfortably ensconced in our old quarters, he preferring them to much
+more pretentious apartments offered him in another part of the palace.
+The king had given him some new furnishings for them, and as I was to
+remain a few days to attend to some matters of business, he invited me
+to share his comfort with him, and I gladly did so.
+
+Those few days with Brandon were my farewell to individuality.
+Thereafter I was to be so mysteriously intermingled with Jane that I
+was only a part--and a small part at that I fear--of two. I did not,
+of course, regret the change, since it was the one thing in life I
+most longed for, yet the period was tinged with a faint sentiment of
+pathos at parting from the old life that had been so kind to me, and
+which I was leaving forever. I say I did not regret it, and though I
+was leaving my old haunts and companions and friends so dear to me, I
+was finding them all again in Jane, who was friend as well as wife.
+
+Mary's letter was in one of my boxes which had been delayed, and Jane
+was to forward it to me when it should come. When I told Brandon of
+it, I dwelt with emphasis upon its bulk, and he, of course, was
+delighted, and impatient to have it. I had put the letter in the box,
+but there was something else which Mary had sent to him that I had
+carried with me. It was a sum of money sufficient to pay the debt
+against his father's estate, and in addition, to buy some large tracts
+of land adjoining. Brandon did not hesitate to accept the money, and
+seemed glad that it had come from Mary, she, doubtless, being the only
+person from whom he would have taken it.
+
+One of Brandon's sisters had married a rich merchant at Ipswich, and
+another was soon to marry a Scotch gentleman. The brother would
+probably never marry, so Brandon would eventually have to take charge
+of the estates. In fact, he afterwards lived there many years, and as
+Jane and I had purchased a little estate near by, which had been
+generously added to by Jane's uncle, we saw a great deal of him. But I
+am getting ahead of my story again.
+
+The d'Angouleme complication troubled me greatly, notwithstanding my
+faith in Mary, and although I had resolved to say nothing to Brandon
+about it, I soon told him plainly what I thought and feared.
+
+He replied with a low, contented little laugh.
+
+"Do not fear for Mary, I do not. That young fellow is of different
+stuff, I know, from the old king, but I have all faith in her purity
+and ability to take care of herself. Before she left she promised to
+be true to me, whatever befell, and I trust her entirely. I am not so
+unhappy by any means as one would expect. Am I?" And I was compelled
+to admit that he certainly was not.
+
+So it seems they had met, as Jane and I suspected, but how Mary
+managed it I am sure I cannot tell; she beat the very deuce for having
+her own way, by hook or by crook. Then came the bulky letter, which
+Brandon pounced upon and eagerly devoured. I leave out most of the
+sentimental passages, which, like effervescent wine, lose flavor
+quickly. She said--in part:
+
+ "_To Master Brandon:_
+
+ "Sir and Dear Friend, Greeting--After leaving thee, long time had
+ I that mighty grief and dole within my heart that it was like to
+ break; for my separation from thee was so much harder to bear even
+ than I had taken thought of, and I also doubted me that I could
+ live in Paris, as I did wish. Sleep rested not upon my weary eyes,
+ and of a very deed could I neither eat nor drink, since food
+ distasted me like a nausea, and wine did strangle in my throat.
+ This lasted through my journey hither, which I did prolong upon
+ many pretexts, nearly two months, but when I did at last rest mine
+ eyes for the first time upon this King Louis's face, I well knew
+ that I could rule him, and when I did arrive, and had adjusted
+ myself in this Paris, I found it so easy that my heart leaped for
+ very joy. Beauty goeth so far with this inflammable people that
+ easily do I rule them all, and truly doth a servile subject make
+ a sharp, capricious tyrant. Thereby the misfortune which hath come
+ upon us is of so much less evil, and is so like to be of such
+ short duration, that I am almost happy--but for lack of thee--and
+ sometimes think that after all it may verily be a blessing unseen.
+
+ "This new, unexpected face upon our trouble hath so driven the old
+ gnawing ache out of my heart that I love to be alone, and dream,
+ open-eyed, of the time, of a surety not far off, when I shall be
+ with thee.... It is ofttimes sore hard for me, who have never
+ waited, to have to wait, like a patient Griselda, which of a truth
+ I am not, for this which I do so want; but I try to make myself
+ content with the thought that full sure it will not be for long,
+ and that when this tedious time hath spent itself, we shall look
+ back upon it as a very soul-school, and shall rather joy that we
+ did not purchase our heaven too cheaply.
+
+ "I said I find it easy to live here as I wish, and did begin to
+ tell thee how it was, when I ran off into telling of how I long
+ for thee; so I will try again. This Louis, to begin with, is but
+ the veriest shadow of a man, of whom thou needst have not one
+ jealous thought. He is on a bed of sickness most of the time, of
+ his own accord, and if, perchance, he be but fairly well a day or
+ so, I do straightway make him ill again in one way or another,
+ and, please God, hope to wear him out entirely ere long time. Of a
+ deed, brother Henry was right; better had it been for Louis to
+ have married a human devil than me, for it maketh a very one out
+ of me if mine eyes but rest upon him, and thou knowest full well
+ what kind of a devil I make--brother Henry knoweth, at any rate.
+ For all this do I grieve, but have no remedy, nor want one. I
+ sometimes do almost compassionate the old king, but I cannot
+ forbear, for he turneth my very blood to biting gall, and must
+ e'en take the consequences of his own folly. Truly is he wild for
+ love of me, this poor old man, and the more I hold him at a
+ distance the more he fondly dotes. I do verily believe he would
+ try to stand upon his foolish old head, did I but insist. I
+ sometimes have a thought to make him try it. He doeth enough that
+ is senseless and absurd, in all conscience, as it is. At all of
+ this do the courtiers smile, and laugh, and put me forward to
+ other pranks; that is, all but a few of the elders, who shake
+ their heads, but dare do nothing else for fear of the dauphin, who
+ will soon be king, and who stands first in urging and abetting me.
+ So it is easy for me to do what I wish, and above all to leave
+ undone that which I wish not, for I do easily rule them all, as
+ good Sir Edwin and dear Jane will testify. I have a ball every
+ night, wherein I do make a deal of amusement for every one by
+ dancing La Volta with his majesty until his heels, and his poor
+ old head, too, are like to fall off. Others importune me for those
+ dances, especially the dauphin, but I laugh and shake my head and
+ say that I will dance with no one but the king, because he dances
+ so well. This pleases his majesty mightily, and maketh an opening
+ for me to avoid the touch of other men, for I am jealous of myself
+ for thy sake, and save and garner every little touch for thee....
+ Sir Edwin will tell you I dance with no one else and surely never
+ will. You remember well, I doubt not, when thou first didst teach
+ me this new dance. Ah! how delightful it was! and yet how at first
+ it did frighten and anger me. Thou canst not know how my heart
+ beat during all the time of that first dance. I thought, of a
+ surety, it would burst; and then the wild thrill of frightened
+ ecstasy that made my blood run like fire! I knew it must be wrong,
+ for it was, in truth, too sweet a thing to be right. And then I
+ grew angry at thee as the cause of my wrong-doing and scolded
+ thee, and repented it, as usual. Truly didst thou conquer, not win
+ me. Then afterwards, withal it so frightened me, how I longed to
+ dance again, and could in no way stay myself from asking. At times
+ could I hardly wait till evening fell, and when upon occasion thou
+ didst not come, I was so angry I said I hated thee. What must thou
+ have thought of me, so forward and bold! And that afternoon! Ah! I
+ think of it every hour, and see and hear it all, and live it o'er
+ and o'er, as it sweeter grows with memory's ripening touch. Some
+ moments there are, that send their glad ripple down through life's
+ stream to the verge of the grave, and truly blest is one who can
+ smile upon and kiss these memory waves, and draw from thence a
+ bliss that never fails. But thou knowest full well my heart, and I
+ need not tease thee with its outpourings.
+
+ "There is yet another matter of which I wish to write in very
+ earnestness. Sir Edwin spoke to me thereof, and what he said hath
+ given me serious thought. I thank him for his words, of which he
+ will tell thee in full if thou but importune him thereto. It is
+ this: the Dauphin, Francis d'Angouleme, hath fallen desperately
+ fond of me, and is quite as importunate, and almost as foolish as
+ the elder lover. This people, in this strange land of France,
+ have, in sooth, some curious notions. For an example thereto: no
+ one thinks to find anything unseeming in the dauphin's conduct, by
+ reason of his having already a wife, and more, that wife the
+ Princess Claude, daughter to the king. I laugh at him and let him
+ say what he will, for in truth I am powerless to prevent it. Words
+ cannot scar even a rose leaf, and will not harm me. Then, by his
+ help and example I am justified in the eyes of the court in that I
+ so treat the king, which otherwise it were impossible for me to do
+ and live here. So, however much I may loathe them, yet I am driven
+ to tolerate his words, which I turn off with a laugh, making sure,
+ thou mayest know, that it come to nothing more than words. And
+ thus it is, however much I wish it not, that I do use him to help
+ me treat the king as I like, and do then use the poor old king as
+ my buckler against this duke's too great familiarity. But my
+ friend, when the king comes to die then shall I have my fears of
+ this young Francis d'Angouleme. He is desperate for me, and I know
+ not to what length he might go. The king cannot live long, as the
+ thread of his life is like rotten flax, and when he dies thou must
+ come without delay, since I shall be in deadly peril. I have a
+ messenger waiting at all hours ready to send to thee upon a
+ moment's notice, and when he comes waste not a precious instant;
+ it may mean all to thee and me. I could write on and on forever,
+ but it would be only to tell thee o'er and o'er that my heart is
+ full of thee to overflowing. I thank thee that thou hast never
+ doubted me, and will see that thou hast hereafter only good cause
+ for better faith.
+
+ "MARY, Regina."
+
+
+"Regina!" That was all. Only a queen! Surely no one could charge
+Brandon with possessing too modest tastes.
+
+It was, I think, during the second week in December that I gave this
+letter to Brandon, and about a fortnight later there came to him a
+messenger from Paris, bringing another from Mary, as follows:
+
+ "_Master Charles Brandon_:
+
+ "Sir and Dear Friend, Greeting--I have but time to write that the
+ king is so ill he cannot but die ere morning. Thou knowest that
+ which I last wrote to thee, and in addition thereto I would say
+ that although I have, as thou likewise knowest, my brother's
+ permission to marry whom I wish, yet as I have his one consent it
+ is safer that we act upon that rather than be so scrupulous as to
+ ask for another. So it were better that thou take me to wife upon
+ the old one, rather than risk the necessity of having to do it
+ without any. I say no more, but come with all the speed thou
+ knowest.
+
+ "MARY."
+
+
+It is needless to say that Brandon started in haste for Paris. He left
+court for the ostensible purpose of paying me a visit and came to
+Ipswich, whence we sailed.
+
+The French king was dead before Mary's message reached London, and
+when we arrived at Paris, Francis I reigned on the throne of his
+father-in-law. I had guessed only too accurately. As soon as the
+restraint of the old king's presence, light as it had been, was
+removed, the young king opened his attack upon Mary in dreadful
+earnest. He begged and pleaded and swore his love, which was surely
+manifest enough, and within three days after the old king's death
+offered to divorce Claude and make Mary his queen. When she refused
+this flattering offer his surprise was genuine.
+
+"Do you know what you refuse?" he asked in a temper. "I offer to make
+you my wife--queen of fifteen millions of the greatest subjects on
+earth--and are you such a fool as to refuse a gift like that, and a
+man like me for a husband?"
+
+"That I am, your majesty, and with a good grace. I am Queen of France
+without your help, and care not so much as one penny for the honor. It
+is greater to be a princess of England. As for this love you avow, I
+would make so bold as to suggest that you have a good, true wife to
+whom you would do well to give it all. To me it is nothing, even were
+you a thousand times the king you are. My heart is another's, and I
+have my brother's permission to marry him."
+
+"Another's? God's soul! Tell me who this fellow is that I may spit him
+on my sword."
+
+"No! no! you would not; even were you as valiant and grand as you
+think yourself, you would be but a child in his hands."
+
+Francis was furious, and had Mary's apartments guarded to prevent her
+escape, swearing he would have his way.
+
+As soon as Brandon and I arrived in Paris we took private lodgings,
+and well it was that we did. I at once went out to reconnoiter, and
+found the widowed queen a prisoner in the old palace des Tournelles.
+With the help of Queen Claude I secretly obtained an interview, and
+learned the true state of affairs.
+
+Had Brandon been recognized and his mission known in Paris, he would
+certainly have been assassinated by order of Francis.
+
+When I saw the whole situation, with Mary nothing less than a prisoner
+in the palace, I was ready to give up without a struggle, but not so
+Mary. Her brain was worth having, so fertile was it in expedients, and
+while I was ready to despair, she was only getting herself in good
+fighting order.
+
+After Mary's refusal of Francis, and after he had learned that the
+sacrifice of Claude would not help him, he grew desperate, and
+determined to keep the English girl in his court at any price and by
+any means. So he hit upon the scheme of marrying her to his
+weak-minded cousin, the Count of Savoy. To that end he sent a hurried
+embassy to Henry VIII, offering, in case of the Savoy marriage, to pay
+back Mary's dower of four hundred thousand crowns. He offered to help
+Henry in the matter of the imperial crown in case of Maximilian's
+death--a help much greater than any King Louis could have given. He
+also offered to confirm Henry in all his French possessions, and to
+relinquish all claims of his own thereto--all as the price of one
+eighteen-year-old girl. Do you wonder she had an exalted estimate of
+her own value?
+
+[Illustration]
+
+As to Henry, it, of course, need not be said, that half the price
+offered would have bought him to break an oath made upon the true
+cross itself. The promise he had made to Mary, broken in intent before
+it was given, stood not for an instant in the way of the French king's
+wishes; and Henry, with a promptitude begotten of greed, was as hasty
+in sending an embassy to accept the offer as Francis had been to
+make it. It mattered not to him what new torture he put upon his
+sister; the price, I believe, was sufficient to have induced him to
+cut off her head with his own hands.
+
+If Francis and Henry were quick in their movements, Mary was quicker.
+Her plan was made in the twinkling of an eye. Immediately upon seeing
+me at the palace she sent for Queen Claude, with whom she had become
+fast friends, and told her all she knew. She did not know of the
+scheme for the Savoy marriage, though Queen Claude did, and fully
+explained it to Mary. Naturally enough, Claude would be glad to get
+Mary as far away from France and her husband as possible, and was only
+too willing to lend a helping hand to our purpose, or Mary's, rather,
+for she was the leader.
+
+We quickly agreed among ourselves that Mary and Queen Claude should
+within an hour go out in Claude's new coach for the ostensible purpose
+of hearing mass. Brandon and I were to go to the same little chapel in
+which Jane and I had been married, where Mary said the little priest
+could administer the sacrament of marriage and perform the ceremony as
+well as if he were thrice as large.
+
+I hurriedly found Brandon and repaired to the little chapel, where we
+waited for a very long time, we thought. At last the two queens
+entered as if to make their devotions. As soon as Brandon and Mary
+caught sight of each other, Queen Claude and I began to examine the
+shrines and decipher the Latin inscriptions. If these two had not
+married soon they would have been the death of me. I was compelled at
+length to remind them that time was very precious just at that
+juncture, whereupon Mary, who was half laughing, half crying, lifted
+her hands to her hair and let it fall in all its lustrous wealth down
+over her shoulders. When Brandon saw this, he fell upon his knee and
+kissed the hem of her gown, and she, stooping over him, raised him to
+his feet and placed her hand in his.
+
+Thus Mary was married to the man to save whose life she had four
+months before married the French king.
+
+She and Queen Claude had forgotten nothing, and all arrangements were
+completed for the flight. A messenger had been dispatched two hours
+before with an order from Queen Claude that a ship should be waiting
+at Dieppe, ready to sail immediately upon our arrival.
+
+After the ceremony Claude quickly bound up Mary's hair, and the queens
+departed from the chapel in their coach. We soon followed, meeting
+them again at St. Denis gate, where we found the best of horses and
+four sturdy men awaiting us. The messenger to Dieppe who had preceded
+us would arrange for relays, and as Mary, according to her wont when
+she had another to rely upon, had taken the opportunity to become
+thoroughly frightened, no time was lost. We made these forty leagues
+in less than twenty-four hours from the time of starting; having
+paused only for a short rest at a little town near Rouen, which city
+we carefully passed around.
+
+We had little fear of being overtaken at the rate we were riding, but
+Mary said she supposed the wind would die down for a month immediately
+upon our arrival at Dieppe. Fortunately no one pursued us, thanks to
+Queen Claude, who had spread the report that Mary was ill, and
+fortunately, also, much to Mary's surprise and delight, when we
+arrived at Dieppe, as fair a wind as a sailor's heart could wish was
+blowing right up the channel. It was a part of the system of
+relays--horses, ship, and wind.
+
+"When the very wind blows for our special use, we may surely dismiss
+fear," said Mary, laughing and clapping her hands, but nearly ready
+for tears, notwithstanding.
+
+The ship was a fine new one, well fitted to breast any sea, and
+learning this, we at once agreed that upon landing in England, Mary
+and I should go to London and win over the king if possible. We felt
+some confidence in being able to do this, as we counted upon Wolsey's
+help, but in case of failure we still had our plans. Brandon was to
+take the ship to a certain island off the Suffolk coast and there
+await us the period of a year if need be, as Mary might, in case of
+Henry's obstinacy, be detained; then re-victual and re-man the ship
+and out through the North Sea for their former haven, New Spain.
+
+In case of Henry's consent, how they were to live in a style fit for a
+princess, Brandon did not know, unless Henry should open his heart and
+provide for them--a doubtful contingency upon which they did not base
+much hope. At a pinch, they might go down into Suffolk and live next
+to Jane and me on Brandon's estates. To this Mary readily agreed, and
+said it was what she wanted above all else.
+
+There was one thing now in favor of the king's acquiescence: during
+the last three months Brandon had become very necessary to his
+amusement, and amusement was his greatest need and aim in life.
+
+Mary and I went to London to see the king, having landed at
+Southampton for the purpose of throwing off the scent any one who
+might seek the ship. The king was delighted to see his sister, and
+kissed her over and over again.
+
+Mary had as hard a game to play as ever fell to the lot of woman, but
+she was equal to the emergency if any woman ever was. She did not give
+Henry the slightest hint that she knew anything of the Count of Savoy
+episode, but calmly assumed that of course her brother had meant
+literally what he said when he made the promise as to the second
+marriage.
+
+The king soon asked: "But what are you doing here? They have hardly
+buried Louis as yet, have they?"
+
+"I am sure I do not know," answered Mary, "and I certainly care less.
+I married him only during his life, and not for one moment afterwards,
+so I came away and left them to bury him or keep him, as they choose;
+I care not which."
+
+"But--" began Henry, when Mary interrupted him, saying: "I will tell
+you--"
+
+I had taken good care that Wolsey should be present at this interview;
+so we four, the king, Wolsey, Mary and myself, quietly stepped into a
+little alcove away from the others, and prepared to listen to Mary's
+tale, which was told with all her dramatic eloquence and feminine
+persuasiveness. She told of the ignoble insults of Francis, of his
+vile proposals--insisted upon, almost to the point of force--carefully
+concealing, however, the offer to divorce Claude and make her queen,
+which proposition might have had its attractions for Henry. She told
+of her imprisonment in the palace des Tournelles, and of her deadly
+peril and many indignities, and the tale lost nothing in the telling.
+Then she finished by throwing her arms around Henry's neck in a
+passionate flood of tears and begging him to protect her--to save her!
+save her! save her! his little sister.
+
+It was all such perfect acting that for the time I forgot it was
+acting, and a great lump swelled up in my throat. It was, however,
+only for the instant, and when Mary, whose face was hidden from all
+the others, on Henry's breast, smiled slyly at me from the midst of
+her tears and sobs, I burst into a laugh that was like to have spoiled
+everything. Henry turned quickly upon me, and I tried to cover it by
+pretending that I was sobbing. Wolsey helped me out by putting a
+corner of his gown to his eyes, when Henry, seeing us all so affected,
+began to catch the fever and swell with indignation. He put Mary away
+from him, and striding up and down the room exclaimed, in a voice that
+all could hear, "The dog! the dog! to treat my sister so. My sister!
+My father's daughter! My sister! The first princess of England and
+queen of France for his mistress! By every god that ever breathed,
+I'll chastise this scurvy cur until he howls again. I swear it by my
+crown, if it cost me my kingdom," and so on until words failed him.
+But see how he kept his oath, and see how he and Francis hobnobbed not
+long afterward at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
+
+Henry came back to Mary and began to question her, when she repeated
+the story for him. Then it was she told of my timely arrival, and how,
+in order to escape and protect herself from Francis, she had been
+compelled to marry Brandon and flee with us.
+
+She said: "I so wanted to come home to England and be married where my
+dear brother could give me away, but I was in such mortal dread of
+Francis, and there was no other means of escape, so--"
+
+"God's death! If I had but one other sister like you, I swear before
+heaven I'd have myself hanged. Married to Brandon? Fool! idiot! what
+do you mean? Married to Brandon! Jesu! You'll drive me mad! Just one
+other like you in England, and the whole damned kingdom might sink;
+I'd have none of it. Married to Brandon without my consent!"
+
+"No! no! brother," answered Mary softly, leaning affectionately
+against his bulky form; "do you suppose I would do that? Now don't be
+unkind to me when I have been away from you so long! You gave your
+consent four months ago. Do you not remember? You know I would never
+have done it otherwise."
+
+"Yes, I know! You would not do anything--you did not want; and it
+seems equally certain that in the end you always manage to do
+everything you do want. Hell and furies!"
+
+"Why! brother, I will leave it to my Lord Bishop of York if you did
+not promise me that day, in this very room, and almost on this very
+spot, that if I would marry Louis of France I might marry whomsoever I
+wished when he should die. Of course you knew, after what I had said,
+whom I should choose, so I went to a little church in company with
+Queen Claude, and took my hair down and married him, and I am his
+wife, and no power on earth can make it otherwise," and she looked up
+into his face with a defiant little pout, as much as to say, "Now,
+what are you going to do about it?"
+
+Henry looked at her in surprise and then burst out laughing. "Married
+to Brandon with your hair down?" And he roared again, holding his
+sides. "Well, you do beat the devil; there's no denying that. Poor old
+Louis! That was a good joke on him. I'll stake my crown he was glad to
+die! You kept it warm enough for him, I make no doubt."
+
+"Well," said Mary, with a little shrug of her shoulders, "he would
+marry me."
+
+"Yes, and now poor Brandon doesn't know the trouble ahead of him,
+either. He has my pity, by Jove!"
+
+"Oh, that is different," returned Mary, and her eyes burned softly,
+and her whole person fairly radiated, so expressive was she of the
+fact that "it was different."
+
+Different? Yes, as light from darkness; as love from loathing; as
+heaven from the other place; as Brandon from Louis; and that tells it
+all.
+
+Henry turned to Wolsey: "Have you ever heard anything equal to it, my
+Lord Bishop?"
+
+My Lord Bishop, of course, never had; nothing that even approached it.
+
+"What are we to do about it?" continued Henry, still addressing
+Wolsey.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The bishop assumed a thoughtful expression, as if to appear deliberate
+in so great a matter, and said: "I see but one thing that can be
+done," and then he threw in a few soft, oily words upon the
+troubled waters that made Mary wish she had never called him "thou
+butcher's cur," and Henry, after a pause, asked: "Where is Brandon? He
+is a good fellow, after all, and what we can't help we must endure.
+He'll find punishment enough in you. Tell him to come home--I suppose
+you have him hid around some place--and we'll try to do something for
+him."
+
+"What will you do for him, brother?" said Mary, not wanting to give
+the king's friendly impulse time to weaken.
+
+"Oh! don't bother about that now," but she held him fast by the hand
+and would not let go.
+
+"Well, what do you want? Out with it. I suppose I might as well give
+it up easily, you will have it sooner or later. Out with it and be
+done."
+
+"Could you make him Duke of Suffolk?"
+
+"Eh? I suppose so. What say you, my Lord of York?"
+
+York was willing--thought it would be just the thing.
+
+"So be it then," said Henry. "Now I am going out to hunt and will not
+listen to another word. You will coax me out of my kingdom for that
+fellow yet." He was about to leave the room when he turned to Mary,
+saying: "By the way, sister, can you have Brandon here by Sunday next?
+I am to have a joust."
+
+Mary thought she could, ... and the great event was accomplished.
+
+One false word, one false syllable, one false tone would have spoiled
+it all, had not Mary--but I fear you are weary with hearing so much of
+Mary.
+
+So after all, Mary, though a queen, came portionless to Brandon. He
+got the title, but never received the estates of Suffolk; all he
+received with her was the money I carried to him from France.
+Nevertheless, Brandon thought himself the richest man in all the
+earth, and surely he was one of the happiest. Such a woman as Mary is
+dangerous, except in a state of complete subjection--but she was bound
+hand and foot in the silken meshes of her own weaving, and her power
+for bliss-making was almost infinite.
+
+And now it was, as all who read may know, that this fair, sweet,
+wilful Mary dropped out of history; a sure token that her heart was
+her husband's throne; her soul his empire; her every wish his subject,
+and her will, so masterful with others, the meek and lowly servant of
+her strong but gentle lord and master, Charles Brandon, Duke of
+Suffolk.
+
+
+
+
+_Note by the Editor_
+
+
+Sir Edwin Caskoden's history differs in some minor details from other
+authorities of the time. Hall's chronicle says Sir William Brandon,
+father of Charles, had the honor of being killed by the hand of
+Richard III himself, at Bosworth Field, and the points wherein his
+account of Charles Brandon's life differs from that of Sir Edwin may
+be gathered from the index to the 1548 edition of that work, which is
+as follows:
+
+CHARLES BRANDON, ESQUIRE,
+ Is made knight,
+ Created Viscount Lysle,
+ Made duke of Suffolke,
+ Goeth to Paris to the Iustes,
+ Doeth valiantly there,
+ Returneth into England,
+ He is sent into Fraunce to fetch home the French quene into England,
+ He maryeth her,
+and so on until
+ "He dyeth and is buryed at Wyndesore."
+
+No mention is made in any of the chronicles of the office of Master of
+Dance. In all other essential respects Sir Edwin is corroborated by
+his contemporaries.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+
+
+
+_The Author and The Book_
+
+BY MAURICE THOMPSON
+
+
+When a man does something by which the world is attracted, we
+immediately feel a curiosity to know all about him personally. Mr.
+Charles Major, of Shelbyville, Indiana, wrote the wonderfully popular
+historical romance, When Knighthood was in Flower, which has already
+sold over a quarter million copies.
+
+It is not mere luck that makes a piece of fiction acceptable to the
+public. The old saying, "Where there is so much smoke there must be
+fire," holds good in the case of smoke about a novel. When a book
+moves many people of varying temperaments and in all circles of
+intelligence there is power in it. Behind such a book we have the
+right to imagine an author endowed with admirable gifts of
+imagination. The ancient saying, "The cup is glad of the wine it
+holds," was but another way of expressing the rule which judges a tree
+by its fruit and a man by his works; for out of character comes style,
+and out of a man's nature is his taste distilled. Every soul, like the
+cup, is glad of what it holds.
+
+Mr. Major himself has said, in his straightforward way, "It is what a
+man does that counts." By this rule of measurement Mr. Major has a
+liberal girth. The writing of When Knighthood was in Flower was a deed
+of no ordinary dimensions, especially when we take into account the
+fact that the writer had not been trained to authorship or to the
+literary artist's craft; but was a country lawyer, with an office to
+sweep every morning, and a few clients with whom to worry over
+dilatory cases and doubtful fees.
+
+The law, as a profession, is said to be a jealous mistress, ever ready
+and maliciously anxious to drop a good-sized stumbling block in the
+path of her devotee whenever he appears to be straying in the
+direction of another love. Indeed, many are the young men who, on
+turning from Blackstone and Kent in a comfortable law office to Scott
+and Byron, have lost a lawyer's living, only to grasp the empty air of
+failure in the fascinating garret of the scribbler. But "nothing
+succeeds like success," and genius has a way of changing rules and
+forcing the gates of fortune. And when we see the proof that a fresh
+genius has once more wrought the miracle of reversing all the fine
+logic of facts, so as to bring success and fame out of the very
+circumstances and conditions which are said to render the feat
+impossible, we all wish to know how he did it.
+
+Balzac, when he felt the inspiration of a new novel in his brain,
+retired to an obscure room, and there, with a pot of villainous black
+coffee at his elbow, wrote night and day, almost without food and
+sleep, until the book was finished. General Lew Wallace put Ben Hur on
+paper in the open air of a beech grove, with a bit of yellowish canvas
+stretched above him to soften the light. Some authors use only the
+morning hours for their literary work; others prefer the silence of
+night. A few cannot write save when surrounded by books, pictures and
+luxurious furniture, while some must have a bare room with nothing in
+it to distract attention. Mr. Charles Major wrote When Knighthood was
+in Flower on Sunday afternoons, the only time he had free from the
+exactions of the law. He was full of his subject, however, and
+doubtless his clients paid the charges in the way of losses through
+demurrers neglected and motions and exceptions not properly presented!
+
+One thing about Mr. Major's work deserves special mention; its shows
+conscientious mastery of details, a sure evidence of patient study.
+What it may lack as literature is compensated for in lawful coin of
+human interest and in general truthfulness to the facts and the
+atmosphere of the life he depicts. When asked how he arrived at his
+accurate knowledge of old London--London in the time of Henry VIII--he
+fetched an old book--Stow's Survey of London--from his library and
+said:
+
+"You remember in my novel that Mary goes one night from Bridewell
+Castle to Billingsgate Ward through strange streets and alleys. Well,
+that journey I made with Mary, aided by Stow's Survey, with his map
+of old London before me."
+
+It is no contradiction of terms to speak of fiction as authentic. Mere
+vraisemblance is all very well in works of pure imagination; but a
+historical romance does not satisfy the reader's sense of justice
+unless its setting and background and atmosphere are true to time,
+place and historical facts. Mr. Major felt the demand of his
+undertaking and respected it. He collected old books treating of
+English life and manners in the reign of Henry VIII, preferring to
+saturate his mind with what writers nearest the time had to say,
+rather than depend upon recent historians. In this he chose well, for
+the romancer's art, different from the historian's, needs the literary
+shades and colors of the period it would portray.
+
+Another clever choice on the part of our author was to put the telling
+of the story in the mouth of his heroine's contemporary. This, of
+course, had often been done by romancers before Mr. Major, but he
+chose well, nevertheless. Fine literary finish was not to be expected
+of a Master of the Dance early in the sixteenth century; so that Sir
+Edwin Caskoden, and not Mr. Major, is accepted by the reader as
+responsible for the book's narrative, descriptive and dramatic style.
+This ruse, so to call it, serves a double purpose; it hangs the
+glamour of distance over the pages, and it puts the reader in direct
+communication, as it were, with the characters in the book. The
+narrator is garrulous, and often far from artistic with his scenes and
+incidents; but it is Caskoden doing all this, not Mr. Charles Major,
+and we never think of bringing him to task! Undoubtedly it is good art
+to do just what Mr. Major has done--that is, it is good art to present
+a picture of life in the terms of the period in which it flourished.
+It might have been better art to clothe the story in the highest terms
+of literature; but that would have required a Shakespeare.
+
+The greatest beauty of Mr. Major's story as a piece of craftsmanship
+is its frank show of self-knowledge on the author's part. He knew his
+equipment, and he did not attempt to go beyond what it enabled him to
+do and do well.
+
+His romance will not go down the ages as a companion of Scott's,
+Thackeray's, Hugo's and Dumas'; but read at any time by any
+fresh-minded person, it will afford that shock of pleasure which
+always comes of a good story enthusiastically told, and of a pretty
+love-drama frankly and joyously presented. Mr. Major has the true
+dramatic vision and notable cleverness in the art of making effective
+conversation.
+
+The little Indiana town in which Mr. Major lives and practices the law
+is about twenty miles from Indianapolis, and hitherto has been best
+known as the former residence of Thomas A. Hendricks, late
+Vice-President of the United States. Already the tide of kodak artists
+and autograph hunters has found our popular author out, and his
+clients are being pushed aside by vigorous interviewers and reporters
+in search of something about the next book. But the author of When
+Knighthood was in Flower is an extremely difficult person to handle.
+It is told of him that he offers a very emphatic objection to having
+his home life and private affairs flaunted before the public under
+liberal headlines and with "copious illustrations."
+
+Mr. Major is forty-three and happily married; well-built and dark;
+looking younger than his years, genial, quiet and domestic to a
+degree; he lives what would seem to be an ideal life in a charming
+home, across the threshold of which the curiosity of the public need
+not try to pass. As might be taken for granted, Mr. Major has been all
+his life a loving student of history.
+
+Perhaps to the fact that he has never studied romance as it is in art
+is largely due his singular power over the materials and atmosphere of
+history. At all events, there is something remarkable in his vivid
+pictures not in the least traceable to literary form nor dependent
+upon a brilliant command of diction. The characters in his book are
+warm, passionate human beings, and the air they breathe is real air.
+The critic may wince and make faces over lapses from taste, and
+protest against a literary style which cannot be defended from any
+point of view; yet there is Mary in flesh and blood, and there is
+Caskoden, a veritable prig of a good fellow--there, indeed, are all
+the _dramatis personae_, not merely true to life, but living beings.
+
+And speaking of _dramatis personae_, Mr. Major tells how, soon after
+his book was published, his morning mail brought him an interesting
+letter from a prominent New York manager, pointing out the dramatic
+possibilities of When Knighthood was in Flower and asking for the
+right to produce it. While this letter was still under consideration,
+a telegram was received at the Shelbyville office which read: "I want
+the dramatic rights to When Knighthood was in Flower." It was signed
+"Julia Marlowe." Mr. Major felt that this was enough for one morning,
+so he escaped to Indianapolis, and after a talk with his publishers,
+left for St. Louis and answered Miss Marlowe's telegram in person. At
+the first interview she was enthusiastic and he was confident. She
+gave him a box for the next night's performance, which Miss Marlowe
+arranged should be "As You Like It." After the play the author was
+enthusiastic and the actress confident.
+
+At Cincinnati, the following week, the contract was signed and the
+search for the dramatist was begun. That the story would lend itself
+happily to stage production must have occurred even to the thoughtless
+reader. But it is one thing to see the scenes of a play fairly
+sticking out, as the saying is, from the pages of a book, and quite
+another to gather together and make of them a dramatic entity. Miss
+Marlowe was determined that the book should be given to a playwright
+whose dramatic experience and artistic sense could be relied on to
+lead him out of the rough places, up to the high plane of convincing
+and finished workmanship. Mr. Paul Kester, after some persuasion,
+undertook the work. The result is wholly satisfactory to author,
+actress and manager--a remarkable achievement indeed!
+
+Mr. Major's biography shows a fine, strong American life. He was born
+in Indianapolis, July 25, 1856. Thirteen years later he went with his
+father's family to Shelbyville, where he was graduated from the public
+school in 1872, and in 1875 he concluded his course in the University
+of Michigan. Later he read law with his father, and in 1877 was
+admitted to the bar. Eight years later he stood for the Legislature
+and was elected on the democratic ticket. He served with credit one
+term, and has since declined all political honors.
+
+The title, When Knighthood was in Flower, was not chosen by Mr. Major,
+whose historical taste was satisfied with Charles Brandon, Duke of
+Suffolk. And who knows but that the author's title would have proved
+just the weight to sink a fine book into obscurity? Mr. John J.
+Curtis, of the Bowen-Merrill Company, suggested When Knighthood was in
+Flower, a phrase taken from Leigh Hunt's poem, the Gentle Armour:
+
+ "There lived a knight, when knighthood was in flower,
+ Who charmed alike the tilt-yard and the bower."
+
+
+
+
+ * * * * *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note--typographical errors corrected in text:
+
+ Page 15: Gentlema replaced with Gentleman
+
+ Page 102: way replaced with was
+
+ Page 154: extra 'the' removed
+
+ Page 306: Garcon replaced with Garcon
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER***
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