Unknown to History

A Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland

By

Charlotte M. Yonge

PREFACE. 

In p. 58 of vol. Ii. Of the second edition of Miss Strickland's Life ofMary Queen of Scots, or p. 100, vol. V. Of Burton's History ofScotland, will be found the report on which this tale is founded. 

If circumstances regarding the Queen's captivity and Babington's plothave been found to be omitted, as well as many interesting personagesin the suite of the captive Queen, it must be remembered that the artof the story-teller makes it needful to curtail some of the incidentswhich would render the narrative too complicated to be interesting tothose who wish more for a view of noted characters in remarkablesituations, than for a minute and accurate sifting of facts andevidence. 

 C. M. YONGE. 

February 27, 1882. 

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. THE LITTLE WAIF

CHAPTER II. EVIL TIDINGS

CHAPTER III. THE CAPTIVE

CHAPTER IV. THE OAK AND THE OAKEN HALL

CHAPTER V. THE HUCKSTERING WOMAN

CHAPTER VI. THE BEWITCHED WHISTLE

CHAPTER VII. THE BLAST OF THE WHISTLE

CHAPTER VIII. THE KEY OF THE CIPHER

CHAPTER IX. UNQUIET

CHAPTER X. THE LADY ARBELL

CHAPTER XI. QUEEN MARY'S PRESENCE CHAMBER

CHAPTER XII. A FURIOUS LETTER

CHAPTER XIII. BEADS AND BRACELETS

CHAPTER XIV. THE MONOGRAMS

CHAPTER XV. MOTHER AND CHILD

CHAPTER XVI. THE PEAK CAVERN

CHAPTER XVII. THE EBBING WELL

CHAPTER XVIII. CIS OR SISTER

CHAPTER XIX. THE CLASH OF SWORDS

CHAPTER XX. WINGFIELD MANOR

CHAPTER XXI. A TANGLE

CHAPTER XXII. TUTBURY

CHAPTER XXIII. THE LOVE TOKEN

CHAPTER XXIV. A LIONESS AT BAY

CHAPTER XXV. PAUL'S WALK

CHAPTER XXVI. IN THE WEB

CHAPTER XXVII. THE CASTLE WELL

CHAPTER XXVIII. HUNTING DOWN THE DEER

CHAPTER XXIX. THE SEARCH

CHAPTER XXX. TETE-A-TETE

CHAPTER XXXI. EVIDENCE

CHAPTER XXXII. WESTMINSTER HALL

CHAPTER XXXIII. IN THE TOWER

CHAPTER XXXIV. FOTHERINGHAY

CHAPTER XXXV. BEFORE THE COMMISSIONERS

CHAPTER XXXVI. A VENTURE

CHAPTER XXXVII. MY LADY'S REMORSE

CHAPTER XXXVIII. MASTER TALBOT AND HIS CHARGE

CHAPTER XXXIX. THE FETTERLOCK COURT

CHAPTER XL. THE SENTENCE

CHAPTER XLI. HER ROYAL HIGHNESS

CHAPTER XLII. THE SUPPLICATION

CHAPTER XLIII. THE WARRANT

CHAPTER XLIV. ON THE HUMBER

CHAPTER XLV. TEN YEARS AFTER

UNKNOWN TO HISTORY. 

 Poor scape-goat of crimes, where, --her part what it may, So tortured, so hunted to die, Foul age of deceit and of hate, --on her head Least stains of gore-guiltiness lie; To the hearts of the just her blood from the dust Not in vain for mercy will cry. 

 Poor scape-goat of nations and faiths in their strife So cruel, --and thou so fair! Poor girl!--so, best, in her misery named, -- Discrown'd of two kingdoms, and bare; Not first nor last on this one was cast The burden that others should share. Visions of England, by F. T. Palgrave

CHAPTER I. 

THE LITTLE WAIF. 

On a spring day, in the year 1568, Mistress Talbot sat in her lodgingat Hull, an upper chamber, with a large latticed window, glazed withthe circle and diamond leading perpetuated in Dutch pictures, andopening on a carved balcony, whence, had she been so minded, she couldhave shaken hands with her opposite neighbour. There was a richlycarved mantel-piece, with a sea-coal fire burning in it, for though itwas May, the sea winds blew cold, and there was a fishy odour about thetown, such as it was well to counteract. The floor was of slipperypolished oak, the walls hung with leather, gilded in some places anddepending from cornices, whose ornaments proved to an initiated eye, that this had once been the refectory of a small priory, or cell, broken up at the Reformation. 

Of furniture there was not much, only an open cupboard, displaying twosilver cups and tankards, a sauce-pan of the same metal, a few tall, slender, Venetian glasses, a little pewter, and some rare shells. Afew high-backed chairs were ranged against the wall; there was a tall"armory, " i. E. A linen-press of dark oak, guarded on each side by thetwisted weapons of the sea unicorn, and in the middle of the room stooda large, solid-looking table, adorned with a brown earthenwarebeau-pot, containing a stiff posy of roses, southernwood, gillyflowers, pinks and pansies, of small dimensions. On hooks, against the wall, hung a pair of spurs, a shield, a breastplate, and other pieces ofarmour, with an open helmet bearing the dog, the well-known crest ofthe Talbots of the Shrewsbury line. 

On the polished floor, near the window, were a child's cart, a littleboat, some whelks and limpets. Their owner, a stout boy of three yearsold, in a tight, borderless, round cap, and home-spun, madder-dyedfrock, lay fast asleep in a big wooden cradle, scarcely large enough, however, to contain him, as he lay curled up, sucking his thumb, andhugging to his breast the soft fragment of a sea-bird's downy breast. If he stirred, his mother's foot was on the rocker, as she satspinning, but her spindle danced languidly on the floor, as if "feeblewas her hand, and silly her thread;" while she listened anxiously, forevery sound in the street below. She wore a dark blue dress, with asmall lace ruff opening in front, deep cuffs to match, and a whiteapron likewise edged with lace, and a coif, bent down in the centre, over a sweet countenance, matronly, though youthful, and now full ofwistful expectancy; not untinged with anxiety and sorrow. 

Susan Hardwicke was a distant kinswoman of the famous Bess ofHardwicke, and had formed one of the little court of gentlewomen withwhom great ladies were wont to surround themselves. There she metRichard Talbot, the second son of a relative of the Earl of Shrewsbury, a young man who, with the indifference of those days to service by landor sea, had been at one time a gentleman pensioner of Queen Mary; atanother had sailed under some of the great mariners of the westernmain. There he had acquired substance enough to make the offer of hishand to the dowerless Susan no great imprudence; and as neither couldbe a subject for ambitious plans, no obstacle was raised to theirwedding. 

He took his wife home to his old father's house in the precincts ofSheffield Park, where she was kindly welcomed; but wealth did not soabound in the family but that, when opportunity offered, he wasthankful to accept the command of the Mastiff, a vessel commissioned byQueen Elizabeth, but built, manned, and maintained at the expense ofthe Earl of Shrewsbury. It formed part of a small squadron which wascruising on the eastern coast to watch over the intercourse betweenFrance and Scotland, whether in the interest of the imprisoned Mary, orof the Lords of the Congregation. He had obtained lodgings forMistress Susan at Hull, so that he might be with her when he put intoharbour, and she was expecting him for the first time since the loss oftheir second child, a daughter whom he had scarcely seen during herlittle life of a few months. 

Moreover, there had been a sharp storm a few days previously, andexperience had not hardened her to the anxieties of a sailor's wife. She had been down once already to the quay, and learnt all that the oldsailors could tell her of chances and conjectures; and when her boybegan to fret from hunger and weariness, she had left her serving-man, Gervas, to watch for further tidings. Yet, so does one trouble driveout another, that whereas she had a few days ago dreaded the sorrow ofhis return, she would now have given worlds to hear his step. 

Hark, what is that in the street? Oh, folly! If the Mastiff were in, would not Gervas have long ago brought her the tidings? Should shelook over the balcony only to be disappointed again? Ah! she had beenprudent, for the sounds were dying away. Nay, there was a foot at thedoor! Gervas with ill news! No, no, it bounded as never did Gervas'sstep! It was coming up. She started from the chair, quivering witheagerness, as the door opened and in hurried her suntanned sailor! Shewas in his arms in a trance of joy. That was all she knew for amoment, and then, it was as if something else were given back to her. No, it was not a dream! It was substance. In her arms was a littleswaddled baby, in her ears its feeble wail, mingled with the glad shoutof little Humfrey, as he scrambled from the cradle to be uplifted inhis father's arms. 

"What is this?" she asked, gazing at the infant between terror andtenderness, as its weak cry and exhausted state forcibly recalled thelast hours of her own child. 

"It is the only thing we could save from a wreck off the Spurn, " saidher husband. "Scottish as I take it. The rogues seem to have taken totheir boats, leaving behind them a poor woman and her child. I trustthey met their deserts and were swamped. We saw the fluttering of hercoats as we made for the Humber, and I sent Goatley and Jaques in theboat to see if anything lived. The poor wench was gone before theycould lift her up, but the little one cried lustily, though it haswaxen weaker since. We had no milk on board, and could only give itbits of soft bread soaked in beer, and I misdoubt me whether it did notall run out at the corners of its mouth. "

This was interspersed with little Humfrey's eager outcries that littlesister was come again, and Mrs. Talbot, the tears running down hercheeks, hastened to summon her one woman-servant, Colet, to bring theporringer of milk. 

Captain Talbot had only hurried ashore to bring the infant, and showhimself to his wife. He was forced instantly to return to the wharf, but he promised to come back as soon as he should have taken order forhis men, and for the Mastiff, which had suffered considerably in thestorm, and would need to be refitted. 

Colet hastily put a manchet of fresh bread, a pasty, and a stoup ofwine into a basket, and sent it by her husband, Gervas, after theirmaster; and then eagerly assisted her mistress in coaxing the infant toswallow food, and in removing the soaked swaddling clothes which thecaptain and his crew had not dared to meddle with. 

When Captain Talbot returned, as the rays of the setting sun glancedhigh on the roofs and chimneys, little Humfrey stood peeping throughthe tracery of the balcony, watching for him, and shrieking with joy atthe first glimpse of the sea-bird's feather in his cap. The spotlesshome-spun cloth and the trenchers were laid for supper, a festive caponwas prepared by the choicest skill of Mistress Susan, and the littleshipwrecked stranger lay fast asleep in the cradle. 

All was well with it now, Mrs. Talbot said. Nothing had ailed it butcold and hunger, and when it had been fed, warmed, and dressed, it hadfallen sweetly asleep in her arms, appeasing her heartache for her ownlittle Sue, while Humfrey fully believed that father had brought hislittle sister back again. 

The child was in truth a girl, apparently three or four months old. Shehad been rolled up in Mrs. Talbot's baby's clothes, and her own longswaddling bands hung over the back of a chair, where they had beendried before the fire. They were of the finest woollen below, andcambric above, and the outermost were edged with lace, whose qualityMrs. Talbot estimated very highly. 

"See, " she added, "what we found within. A Popish relic, is it not?Colet and Mistress Gale were for making away with it at once, but itseemed to me that it was a token whereby the poor babe's friends mayknow her again, if she have any kindred not lost at sea. "

The token was a small gold cross, of peculiar workmanship, with acrystal in the middle, through which might be seen some mysteriousobject neither husband nor wife could make out, but which they agreedmust be carefully preserved for the identification of their littlewaif. Mrs. Talbot also produced a strip of writing which she had foundsewn to the inmost band wrapped round the little body, but it had nosuperscription, and she believed it to be either French, Latin, or HighDutch, for she could make nothing of it. Indeed, the good lady'seducation had only included reading, writing, needlework and cookery, and she knew no language but her own. Her husband had been taughtLatin, but his acquaintance with modern tongues was of the nauticalorder, and entirely oral and vernacular. However, it enabled him toaver that the letter--if such it were--was neither Scottish, French, Spanish, nor High or Low Dutch. He looked at it in all directions, andshook his head over it. 

"Who can read it, for us?" asked Mrs. Talbot. "Shall we ask MasterHeatherthwayte? he is a scholar, and he said he would look in to seehow you fared. "

"At supper-time, I trow, " said Richard, rather grimly, "the smell ofthy stew will bring him down in good time. "

"Nay, dear sir, I thought you would be fain to see the good man, and helives but poorly in his garret. "

"Scarce while he hath good wives like thee to boil his pot for him, "said Richard, smiling. "Tell me, hath he heard aught of this gear?thou hast not laid this scroll before him?"

"No, Colet brought it to me only now, having found it when washing theswaddling-bands, stitched into one of them. "

"Then hark thee, good wife, not one word to him of the writing. "

"Might he not interpret it?"

"Not he! I must know more about it ere I let it pass forth from minehands, or any strange eye fall upon it-- Ha, in good time! I hear hisstep on the stair. "

The captain hastily rolled up the scroll and put it into his pouch, while Mistress Susan felt as if she had made a mistake in herhospitality, yet almost as if her husband were unjust towards the goodman who had been such a comfort to her in her sorrow; but there was nolack of cordiality or courtesy in Richard's manner when, after a short, quick knock, there entered a figure in hat, cassock, gown, and bands, with a pleasant, though grave countenance, the complexion showing thatit had been tanned and sunburnt in early youth, although it wore latertraces of a sedentary student life, and, it might be, of less genialliving than had nourished the up-growth of that sturdily-built frame. 

Master Joseph Heatherthwayte was the greatly underpaid curate of asmall parish on the outskirts of Hull. He contrived to live on some(pounds)10 per annum in the attic of the house where the Talbotslodged, --and not only to live, but to be full of charitable deeds, mostly at the expense of his own appetite. The square cut of hisbands, and the uncompromising roundness of the hat which he doffed onhis entrance, marked him as inclined to the Puritan party, which, beingthat of apparent progress, attracted most of the ardent spirits of thetime. 

Captain Talbot's inclinations did not lie that way, but he respectedand liked his fellow-lodger, and his vexation had been merely themomentary disinclination of a man to be interrupted, especially on hisfirst evening at home. He responded heartily to MasterHeatherthwayte's warm pressure of the hand and piously expressedcongratulation on his safety, mixed with condolence on the grief thathad befallen him. 

"And you have been a good friend to my poor wife in her sorrow, " saidRichard, "for the which I thank you heartily, sir. "

"Truly, sir, I could have been her scholar, with such edifyingresignation did she submit to the dispensation, " returned theclergyman, uttering these long words in a broad northern accent whichhad nothing incongruous in it to Richard's ears, and taking advantageof the lady's absence on "hospitable tasks intent" to speak in herpraise. 

Little Humfrey, on his father's knee, comprehending that they werespeaking of the recent sorrow, put in his piece of information that"father had brought little sister back from the sea. "

"Ah, child!" said Master Heatherthwayte, in the ponderous tone of oneunused to children, "thou hast yet to learn the words of the holyDavid, 'I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. '"

"Bring not that thought forward, Master Heatherthwayte, " said Richard, "I am well pleased that my poor wife and this little lad can take thepoor little one as a solace sent them by God, as she assuredly is. "

"Mean you, then, to adopt her into your family?" asked the minister. 

"We know not if she hath any kin, " said Richard, and at that momentSusan entered, followed by the man and maid, each bearing a portion ofthe meal, which was consumed by the captain and the clergyman asthoroughly hungry men eat; and there was silence till the capon's boneswere bare and two large tankards had been filled with Xeres sack, captured in a Spanish ship, "the only good thing that ever came fromSpain, " quoth the sailor. 

Then he began to tell how he had weathered the storm on theBerwickshire coast; but he was interrupted by another knock, followedby the entrance of a small, pale, spare man, with the lightest possiblehair, very short, and almost invisible eyebrows; he had a round ruffround his neck, and a black, scholarly gown, belted round his waistwith a girdle, in which he carried writing tools. 

"Ha, Cuthbert Langston, art thou there?" said the captain, rising. "Thou art kindly welcome. Sit down and crush a cup of sack with MasterHeatherthwayte and me. "

"Thanks, cousin, " returned the visitor, "I heard that the Mastiff wascome in, and I came to see whether all was well. "

"It was kindly done, lad, " said Richard, while the others did theirpart of the welcome, though scarcely so willingly. Cuthbert Langstonwas a distant relation on the mother's side of Richard, a youngscholar, who, after his education at Oxford, had gone abroad with anobleman's son as his pupil, and on his return, instead of taking HolyOrders, as was expected, had obtained employment in a merchant'scounting-house at Hull, for which his knowledge of languages eminentlyfitted him. Though he possessed none of the noble blood of theTalbots, the employment was thought by Mistress Susan somewhatderogatory to the family dignity, and there was a strong suspicion bothin her mind and that of Master Heatherthwayte that his change ofpurpose was due to the change of religion in England, although he was aperfectly regular church-goer. Captain Talbot, however, laughed at allthis, and, though he had not much in common with his kinsman, alwaystreated him in a cousinly fashion. He too had heard a rumour of thefoundling, and made inquiry for it, upon which Richard told his storyin greater detail, and his wife asked what the poor mother was like. 

"I saw her not, " he answered, "but Goatley thought the poor woman towhom she was bound more like to be nurse than mother, judging by heryears and her garments. "

"The mother may have been washed off before, " said Susan, lifting thelittle one from the cradle, and hushing it. "Weep not, poor babe, thouhast found a mother here. "

"Saw you no sign of the crew?" asked Master Heatherthwayte. 

"None at all. The vessel I knew of old as the brig Bride of Dunbar, one of the craft that ply between Dunbar and the French ports. "

"And how think you? Were none like to be saved?"

"I mean to ride along the coast to-morrow, to see whether aught can beheard of them, but even if their boats could live in such a sea, theywould have evil hap among the wreckers if they came ashore. I wouldnot desire to be a shipwrecked man in these parts, and if I had aScottish or a French tongue in my head so much the worse for me. "

"Ah, Master Heatherthwayte, " said Susan, "should not a man give up thesea when he is a husband and father?"

"Tush, dame! With God's blessing the good ship Mastiff will ride outmany another such gale. Tell thy mother, little Numpy, that an Englishsailor is worth a dozen French or Scottish lubbers. "

"Sir, " said Master Heatherthwayte, "the pious trust of the former partof your discourse is contradicted by the boast of the latter end. "

"Nay, Sir Minister, what doth a sailor put his trust in but his Godforemost, and then his good ship and his brave men?"

It should be observed that all the three men wore their hats, and eachmade a reverent gesture of touching them. The clergyman seemedsatisfied by the answer, and presently added that it would be well, ifMaster and Mistress Talbot meant to adopt the child, that she should bebaptized. 

"How now?" said Richard, "we are not so near any coast of Turks orInfidels that we should deem her sprung of heathen folk. "

"Assuredly not, " said Cuthbert Langston, whose quick, light-colouredeyes had spied the reliquary in Mistress Susan's work-basket, "if thisbelongs to her. By your leave, kinswoman, " and he lifted it in hishand with evident veneration, and began examining it. 

"It is Babylonish gold, an accursed thing!" exclaimed MasterHeatherthwayte. "Beware, Master Talbot, and cast it from thee. "

"Nay, " said Richard, "that shall I not do. It may lead to thediscovery of the child's kindred. Why, my master, what harm think youit will do to us in my dame's casket? Or what right have we to makeaway with the little one's property?"

His common sense was equally far removed from the horror of the onevisitor as from the reverence of the other, and so it pleased neither. Master Langston was the first to speak, observing that the relic madeit evident that the child must have been baptized. 

"A Popish baptism, " said Master Heatherthwayte, "with chrism and taperand words and gestures to destroy the pure simplicity of the sacrament. "

Controversy here seemed to be setting in, and the infant cause of ithere setting up a cry, Susan escaped under pretext of putting Humfreyto bed in the next room, and carried off both the little ones. Theconversation then fell upon the voyage, and the captain described theimpregnable aspect of the castle of Dumbarton, which was held for QueenMary by her faithful partisan, Lord Flemyng. On this, CuthbertLangston asked whether he had heard any tidings of the imprisonedQueen, and he answered that it was reported at Leith that she hadwell-nigh escaped from Lochleven, in the disguise of a lavender orwasherwoman. She was actually in the boat, and about to cross thelake, when a rude oarsman attempted to pull aside her muffler, and thewhiteness of the hand she raised in self-protection betrayed her, sothat she was carried back. "If she had reached Dumbarton, " he said, "she might have mocked at the Lords of the Congregation. Nay, shemight have been in that very brig, whose wreck I beheld. "

"And well would it have been for Scotland and England had it been thewill of Heaven that so it should fall out, " observed the Puritan. 

"Or it may be, " said the merchant, "that the poor lady's escape wasfrustrated by Providence, that she might be saved from the rocks of theSpurn. "

"The poor lady, truly! Say rather the murtheress, " quothHeatherthwayte. 

"Say rather the victim and scapegoat of other men's plots, " protestedLangston. 

"Come, come, sirs, " says Talbot, "we'll have no high words here on whatHeaven only knoweth. Poor lady she is, in all sooth, if sackless;poorer still if guilty; so I know not what matter there is for fallingout about. In any sort, I will not have it at my table. " He spoke withthe authority of the captain of a ship, and the two visitors, scarceknowing it, submitted to his decision of manner, but the harmony of theevening seemed ended. Cuthbert Langston soon rose to bid good-night, first asking his cousin at what hour he proposed to set forth for theSpurn, to which Richard briefly replied that it depended on what had tobe done as to the repairs of the ship. 

The clergyman tarried behind him to say, "Master Talbot, I marvel thatso godly a man as you have ever been should be willing to harbour oneso popishly affected, and whom many suspect of being a seminary priest. "

"Master Heatherthwayte, " returned the captain, "my kinsman is mykinsman, and my house is my house. No offence, sir, but I brook notmeddling. "

The clergyman protested that no offence was intended, only caution, andbetook himself to his own bare chamber, high above. No sooner was hegone than Captain Talbot again became absorbed in the endeavour tospell out the mystery of the scroll, with his elbows on the table andhis hands over his ears, nor did he look up till he was touched by hiswife, when he uttered an impatient demand what she wanted now. 

She had the little waif in her arms undressed, and with only a woollencoverlet loosely wrapped round her, and without speaking she pointed tothe little shoulder-blades, where two marks had been indelibly made--onone side the crowned monogram of the Blessed Virgin, on the other adevice like the Labarum, only that the upright was surmounted by afleur-de-lis. 

Richard Talbot gave a sort of perplexed grunt of annoyance toacknowledge that he saw them. 

"Poor little maid! how could they be so cruel? They have been brandedwith a hot iron, " said the lady. 

"They that parted from her meant to know her again, " returned Talbot. 

"Surely they are Popish marks, " added Mistress Susan. 

"Look you here, Dame Sue, I know you for a discreet woman. Keep thisgear to yourself, both the letter and the marks. Who hath seen them?"

"I doubt me whether even Colet has seen this mark. "

"That is well. Keep all out of sight. Many a man has been broughtinto trouble for a less matter swelled by prating tongues. "

"Have you made it out?"

"Not I. It may be only the child's horoscope, or some old wife's charmthat is here sewn up, and these marks may be naught but some sailor'sfreak; but, on the other hand, they may be concerned with perilousmatter, so the less said the better. "

"Should they not be shown to my lord, or to her Grace's Council?"

"I'm not going to run my head into trouble for making a coil about whatmay be naught. That's what befell honest Mark Walton. He thought hehad seized matter of State, and went up to Master Walsingham, swellinglike an Indian turkey-cock, with his secret letters, and behold theyturned out to be a Dutch fishwife's charm to bring the herrings. I cantell you he has rued the work he made about it ever since. On theother hand, let it get abroad through yonder prating fellow, Heatherthwayte, or any other, that Master Richard Talbot had in hishouse a child with, I know not what Popish tokens, and a scroll in anunknown tongue, and I should be had up in gyves for suspicion oftreason, or may be harbouring the Prince of Scotland himself, when itis only some poor Scottish archer's babe. "

"You would not have me part with the poor little one?"

"Am I a Turk or a Pagan? No. Only hold thy peace, as I shall holdmine, until such time as I can meet some one whom I can trust to readthis riddle. Tell me--what like is the child? Wouldst guess it to beof gentle, or of clownish blood, if women can tell such things?"

"Of gentle blood, assuredly, " cried the lady, so that he smiled andsaid, "I might have known that so thou wouldst answer. "

"Nay, but see her little hands and fingers, and the mould of her daintylimbs. No Scottish fisher clown was her father, I dare be sworn. Herskin is as fair and fine as my Humfrey's, and moreover she has alwaysbeen in hands that knew how a babe should be tended. Any woman can tellyou that!"

"And what like is she in your woman's eyes? What complexion doth shepromise?"

"Her hair, what she has of it, is dark; her eyes--bless them--are of adeep blue, or purple, such as most babes have till they take their truetint. There is no guessing. Humfrey's eyes were once like to bebrown, now are they as blue as thine own. "

"I understand all that, " said Captain Talbot, smiling. "If she havekindred, they will know her better by the sign manual on her tenderflesh than by her face. "

"And who are they?"

"Who are they?" echoed the captain, rolling up the scroll in despair. "Here, take it, Susan, and keep it safe from all eyes. Whatever it maybe, it may serve thereafter to prove her true name. And above all, nota word or breath to Heatherthwayte, or any of thy gossips, wear theycoif or bands. "

"Ah, sir! that you will mistrust the good man. "

"I said not I mistrust any one; only that I will have no word of allthis go forth! Not one! Thou heedest me, wife?"

"Verily I do, sir; I will be mute. "

CHAPTER II. 

EVIL TIDINGS. 

After giving orders for the repairs of the Mastiff, and the disposal ofher crew, Master Richard Talbot purveyed himself of a horse at thehostel, and set forth for Spurn Head to make inquiries along the coastrespecting the wreck of the Bride of Dunbar, and he was joined byCuthbert Langston, who said his house had had dealings with her owners, and that he must ascertain the fate of her wares. His good ladyremained in charge of the mysterious little waif, over whom her tenderheart yearned more and more, while her little boy hovered about inserene contemplation of the treasure he thought he had recovered. Tohim the babe seemed really his little sister; to his mother, if shesometimes awakened pangs of keen regret, yet she filled up much of thedreary void of the last few weeks. 

Mrs. Talbot was a quiet, reserved woman, not prone to gadding abroad, and she had made few acquaintances during her sojourn at Hull; butevery creature she knew, or might have known, seemed to her to drop inthat day, and bring at least two friends to inspect the orphan of thewreck, and demand all particulars. 

The little girl was clad in the swaddling garments of Mrs. Talbot's ownchildren, and the mysterious marks were suspected by no one, far lessthe letter which Susan, for security's sake, had locked up in hernearly empty, steel-bound, money casket. The opinions of the gossipsvaried, some thinking the babe might belong to some of the Queen ofScotland's party fleeing to France, others fathering her on therefugees from the persecutions in Flanders, a third party believing hera mere fisherman's child, and one lean, lantern-jawed old crone, Mistress Rotherford, observing, "Take my word, Mrs. Talbot, and keepher not with you. They that are cast up by the sea never bring goodwith them. "

The court of female inquiry was still sitting when a heavy tread washeard, and Colet announced "a serving-man from Bridgefield had riddenpost haste to speak with madam, " and the messenger, booted and spurred, with the mastiff badge on his sleeve, and the hat he held in his hand, followed closely. 

"What news, Nathanael?" she asked, as she responded to his greeting. 

"Ill enough news, mistress, " was the answer. "Master Richard's ship bein, they tell me. "

"Yes, but he is rid out to make inquiry for a wreck, " said the lady. "Is all well with my good father-in-law?"

"He ails less in body than in mind, so please you. Being that MasterHumfrey was thrown by Blackfoot, the beast being scared by a flash oflightning, and never spoke again. "

"Master Humfrey!"

"Ay, mistress. Pitched on his head against the south gate-post. I sawhow it was with him when we took him up, and he never so much as liftedan eyelid, but died at the turn of the night. Heaven rest his soul!'

"Heaven rest his soul!" echoed Susan, and the ladies around chimed in. They had come for one excitement, and here was another. 

"There! See but what I said!" quoth Mrs. Rotherford, uplifting askinny finger to emphasise that the poor little flotsome had alreadybrought evil. 

"Nay, " said the portly wife of a merchant, "begging your pardon, thismay be a fat instead of a lean sorrow. Leaves the poor gentlemanheirs, Mrs. Talbot?"

"Oh no!" said Susan, with tears in her eyes. "His wife died two yearsback, and her chrisom babe with her. He loved her too well to turn hismind to wed again, and now he is with her for aye. " And she coveredher face and sobbed, regardless of the congratulations of themerchant's wife, and exclaiming, "Oh! the poor old lady!"

"In sooth, mistress, " said Nathanael, who had stood all this time as ifhe had by no means emptied his budget of ill news, "poor old madam felldown all of a heap on the floor, and when the wenches lifted her, theyfound she was stricken with the dead palsy, and she has not spoken, andthere's no one knows what to do, for the poor old squire is like onedistraught, sitting by her bed like an image on a monument, with thetears flowing down his old cheeks. 'But, ' says he to me, 'get you toHull, Nat, and take madam's palfrey and a couple of sumpter beasts, andbring my good daughter Talbot back with you as fast as she and thebabes may brook. ' I made bold to say, 'And Master Richard, yourworship?' then he groaned somewhat, and said, 'If my son's ship be comein, he must do as her Grace's service permits, but meantime he mustspare us his wife, for she is sorely needed here. ' And he looked atthe bed so as it would break your heart to see, for since old NurseTook hath been doited, there's not been a wench about the house thatcan do a hand's turn for a sick body. "

Susan knew this was true, for her mother-in-law had been one of thosebustling, managing housewives, who prefer doing everything themselvesto training others, and she was appalled at the idea of the probabledesolation and helplessness of the bereaved household. 

It was far too late to start that day, even had her husband been athome, for the horses sent for her had to rest. The visitors would fainhave extracted some more particulars about the old squire's age, hiskindred to the great Earl, and the amount of estate to which herhusband had become heir. There were those among them who could notunderstand Susan's genuine grief, and there were others whoseconsolations were no less distressing to one of her reserved character. She made brief answer that the squire was threescore and fifteen yearsold, his wife nigh about his age; that her husband was now their onlychild; that he was descended from a son of the great Earl John, killedat the Bridge of Chatillon, that he held the estate of Bridgefield infief on tenure of military service to the head of his family. She didnot know how much it was worth by the year, but she must pray the goodladies to excuse her, as she had many preparations to make. Volunteersto assist her in packing her mails were made, but she declined themall, and rejoiced when left alone with Colet to arrange for what wouldbe probably her final departure from Hull. 

It was a blow to find that she must part from her servant-woman, who, as well as her husband Gervas, was a native of Hull. Not only werethey both unwilling to leave, but the inland country was to theirimagination a wild unexplored desert. Indeed, Colet had only enteredMrs. Talbot's service to supply the place of a maid who bad sickenedwith fever and ague, and had to be sent back to her native Hallamshire. 

Ere long Mr. Heatherthwayte came down to offer his consolation, andstill more his advice, that the little foundling should be at oncebaptized--conditionally, if the lady preferred it. 

The Reformed of imperfect theological training, and as such JosephHeatherthwayte must be classed, were apt to view the ceremonial of theold baptismal form, symbolical and beautiful as it was, as almostdestroying the efficacy of the rite. Moreover, there was a furtherimpression that the Church by which the child was baptized, had a rightto bring it up, and thus the clergyman was urgent with the lady thatshe should seize this opportunity for the little one's baptism. 

"Not without my husband's consent and knowledge, " she said resolutely. 

"Master Talbot is a good man, but somewhat careless of sound doctrine, as be the most of seafaring men. "

Susan had been a little nettled by her husband's implied belief thatshe was influenced by the minister, so there was double resolution, aswell as some offence in her reply, that she knew her duty as a wife toowell to consent to such a thing without him. As to his being careless, he was a true and God-fearing man, and Mr. Heatherthwayte should knowbetter than to speak thus of him to his wife. 

Mr. Heatherthwayte's real piety and goodness had made him a greatcomfort to Susan in her lonely grief, but he had not the delicate tactof gentle blood, and had not known where to stop, and as he stood halfapologising and half exhorting, she felt that her Richard was quiteright, and that he could be both meddling and presuming. He wasexceedingly in the way of her packing too, and she was at her wit's endto get rid of him, when suddenly Humfrey managed to pinch his fingersin a box, and set up such a yell, as, seconded by the frightened baby, was more than any masculine ears could endure, and drove MasterHeatherthwayte to beat a retreat. 

Mistress Susan was well on in her work when her husband returned, andas she expected, was greatly overcome by the tidings of his brother'sdeath. He closely questioned Nathanael on every detail, and couldthink of nothing but the happy days he had shared with his brother, andof the grief of his parents. He approved of all that his wife haddone; and as the damage sustained by the Mastiff could not be repairedunder a month, he had no doubt about leaving his crew in the charge ofhis lieutenant while he took his family home. 

So busy were both, and so full of needful cares, the one in giving upher lodging, the other in leaving his men, that it was impossible toinquire into the result of his researches, for the captain was in thatmood of suppressed grief and vehement haste in which irrelevant inquiryis perfectly unbearable. 

It was not till late in the evening that Richard told his wife of hiswant of success in his investigations. He had found witnesses of thedestruction of the ship, but he did not give them full credit. "Thefellows say the ship drove on the rock, and that they saw her boats godown with every soul on board, and that they would not lie to anofficer of her Grace. Heaven pardon me if I do them injustice inbelieving they would lie to him sooner than to any one else. They arerogues enough to take good care that no poor wretch should survive evenif he did chance to come to land. "

"Then if there be no one to claim her, we may bring up as our own thesweet babe whom Heaven hath sent us. "

"Not so fast, dame. Thou wert wont to be more discreet. I said notso, but for the nonce, till I can come by the rights of that scroll, there's no need to make a coil. Let no one know of it, or of thetrinket--Thou hast them safe?"

"Laid up with the Indian gold chain, thy wedding gift, dear sir. "

"'Tis well. My mother!--ah me, " he added, catching himself up; "littlelike is she to ask questions, poor soul. "

Then Susan diffidently told of Master Heatherthwayte's earnest wish tochristen the child, and, what certainly biased her a good deal, thesuggestion that this would secure her to their own religion. 

"There is something in that, " said Richard, "specially after whatCuthbert said as to the golden toy yonder. If times changedagain--which Heaven forfend--that fellow might give us trouble aboutthe matter. "

"You doubt him then, sir!" she asked. 

"I relished not his ways on our ride to-day, " said Richard. "Sure I amthat he had some secret cause for being so curious about the wreck. Isuspect him of some secret commerce with the Queen of Scots' folk. "

"Yet you were on his side against Mr. Heatherthwayte, " said Susan. 

"I would not have my kinsman browbeaten at mine own table by theself-conceited son of a dalesman, even if he have got a round hat andGeneva band! Ah, well! one good thing is we shall leave both of themwell behind us, though I would it were for another cause. "

Something in the remonstrance had, however, so worked on RichardTalbot, that before morning be declared that, hap what hap, if he andhis wife were to bring up the child, she should be made a goodProtestant Christian before they left the house, and there should be nomore ado about it. 

It was altogether illogical and untheological; but MasterHeatherthwayte was delighted when in the very early morning hisdevotions were interrupted, and he was summoned by the captain himselfto christen the child. 

Richard and his wife were sponsors, but the question of name had neveroccurred to any one. However, in the pause of perplexity, when theresponse lagged to "Name this child, " little Humfrey, a delightedspectator, broke out again with "Little Sis. "

And forthwith, "Cicely, if thou art not already baptized, " was utteredover the child, and Cicely became her name. It cost Susan a pang, asit had been that of her own little daughter, but it was too late toobject, and she uttered no regret, but took the child to her heart, assent instead of her who had been taken from her. 

Master Heatherthwayte bade them good speed, and Master Langston stoodat the door of his office and waved them a farewell, both alikeunconscious of the rejoicing with which they were left behind. MistressTalbot rode on the palfrey sent for her use, with the little strangerslung to her neck for security's sake. Her boy rode "a cock-horse"before his father, but a resting-place was provided for him on a sortof pannier on one of the sumpter beasts. What these animals could notcarry of the household stuff was left in Colet's charge to bedespatched by carriers; and the travellers jogged slowly on throughdeep Yorkshire lanes, often halting to refresh the horses and supplythe wants of the little children at homely wayside inns, their entranceusually garnished with an archway formed of the jawbones of whales, which often served for gate-posts in that eastern part of Yorkshire. And thus they journeyed, with frequent halts, until they came to theDerbyshire borders. 

Bridgefield House stood on the top of a steep slope leading to theriver Dun, with a high arched bridge and a mill below it. From thebridge proceeded one of the magnificent avenues of oak-trees which ledup to the lordly lodge, full four miles off, right across SheffieldPark. 

The Bridgefield estate had been a younger son's portion, and its ownershad always been regarded as gentlemen retainers of the head of theirname, the Earl of Shrewsbury. Tudor jealousy had forbidden themarshalling of such a meine as the old feudal lords had loved toassemble, and each generation of the Bridgefield Talbots had becomemore independent than the former one. The father had spent his youngerdays as esquire to the late Earl, but had since become a justice of thepeace, and took rank with the substantial landowners of the country. Humfrey, his eldest son, had been a gentleman pensioner of the Queentill his marriage, and Richard, though beginning his career as page tothe present Earl's first wife, had likewise entered the service of herMajesty, though still it was understood that the head of their name hada claim to their immediate service, and had he been called to take uparms, they would have been the first to follow his banner. Indeed, apair of spurs was all the annual rent they paid for their estate, whichthey held on this tenure, as well as on paying the heriard horse on thedeath of the head of the family, and other contributions to theirlord's splendour when he knighted his son or married his daughter. Infact, they stood on the borderland of that feudal retainership whichwas being rapidly extinguished. The estate, carved out of the greatSheffield property, was sufficient to maintain the owner in thedignities of an English gentleman, and to portion off the daughters, provided that the superfluous sons shifted for themselves, as Richardhad hitherto done. The house had been ruined in the time of the Warsof the Roses, and rebuilt in the later fashion, with a friendly-lookingfront, containing two large windows, and a porch projecting betweenthem. The hall reached to the top of the house, and had a waggonceiling, with mastiffs alternating with roses on portcullises at theintersections of the timbers. This was the family sitting and diningroom, and had a huge chimney never devoid of a wood fire. One end hada buttery-hatch communicating with the kitchen and offices; at theother was a small room, sacred to the master of the house, niched underthe broad staircase that led to the upper rooms, which opened on agallery running round three sides of the hall. 

Outside, on the southern side of the house, was a garden of potherbs, with the green walks edged by a few bright flowers for beau-pots andposies. This had stone walls separating it from the paddock, whichsloped down to the river, and was a good deal broken by ivy-coveredrocks. Adjoining the stables were farm buildings and barns, for therewere several fields for tillage along the river-side, and the mill andtwo more farms were the property of the Bridgefield squire, so that theinheritance was a very fair one, wedged in, as it were, between theriver and the great Chase of Sheffield, up whose stately avenue theriding party looked as they crossed the bridge, Richard having becomemore silent than ever as he came among the familiar rocks and trees ofhis boyhood, and knew he should not meet that hearty welcome from hisbrother which had never hitherto failed to greet his return. The househad that strange air of forlornness which seems to proclaim sorrowwithin. The great court doors stood open, and a big, rough deer-hound, at the sound of the approaching hoofs, rose slowly up, and began aseries of long, deep-mouthed barks, with pauses between, sounding likea knell. One or two men and maids ran out at the sound, and as thetravellers rode up to the horse-block, an old gray-bearded serving-mancame stumbling forth with "Oh! Master Diccon, woe worth the day!"

"How does my mother?" asked Richard, as he sprang off and set his boyon his feet. 

"No worse, sir, but she hath not yet spoken a word--back, Thunder--ah!sir, the poor dog knows you. "

For the great hound had sprung up to Richard in eager greeting, butthen, as soon as he heard his voice, the creature drooped his ears andtail, and instead of continuing his demonstrations of joy, stoodquietly by, only now and then poking his long, rough nose intoRichard's hand, knowing as well as possible that though not his dearlost master, he was the next thing!

Mistress Susan and the infant were lifted down--a hurried question andanswer assured them that the funeral was over yesterday. My LadyCountess had come down and would have it so; my lord was at Court, andSir Gilbert and his brothers had been present, but the old servantsthought it hard that none nearer in blood should be there to lay theiryoung squire in his grave, nor to support his father, who, poor oldman, had tottered, and been so like to swoon as he passed the halldoor, that Sir Gilbert and old Diggory could but, help him back again, fearing lest he, too, might have a stroke. 

It was a great grief to Richard, who had longed to look on hisbrother's face again, but he could say nothing, only he gave one handto his wife and the other to his son, and led them into the hall, whichwas in an indescribable state of confusion. The trestles which hadsupported the coffin were still at one end of the room, the long tableswere still covered with cloths, trenchers, knives, cups, and theremains of the funeral baked meats, and there were overthrown tankardsand stains of wine on the cloth, as though, whatever else were lacking, the Talbot retainers had not missed their revel. 

One of the dishevelled rough-looking maidens began some hurriedmuttering about being so distraught, and not looking for madam soearly, but Susan could not listen to her, and merely putting the babeinto her arms, came with her husband up the stairs, leaving littleHumfrey with Nathanael. 

Richard knocked at the bedroom door, and, receiving no answer, openedit. There in the tapestry-hung chamber was the huge old bedstead withits solid posts. In it lay something motionless, but the first thingthe husband and wife saw was the bent head which was lifted up by theburly but broken figure in the chair beside it. 

The two knotted old hands clasped the arms of the chair, and the squireprepared to rise, his lip trembling under his white beard, and emotionworking in his dejected features. They were beforehand with him. Erehe could rise both were on their knees before him, while Richard in abroken voice cried, "Father, O father!"

"Thank God that thou art come, my son, " said the old man, laying hishands on his shoulders, with a gleam of joy, for as they afterwardsknew, he had sorely feared for Richard's ship in the storm that hadcaused Humfrey's death. "I looked for thee, my daughter, " he added, stretching out one hand to Susan, who kissed it. "Now it may go betterwith her! Speak to thy mother, Richard, she may know thy voice. "

Alas! no; the recently active, ready old lady was utterly stricken, andas yet held in the deadly grasp of paralysis, unconscious of all thatpassed around her. 

Susan found herself obliged at once to take up the reins, and becomehead nurse and housekeeper. The old squire trusted implicitly to her, and helplessly put the keys into her hands, and the serving-men andmaids, in some shame at the condition in which the hall had been found, bestirred themselves to set it in order, so that there was a chance ofthe ordinary appearance of things being restored by supper-time, whenRichard hoped to persuade his father to come down to his usual place. 

Long before this, however, a trampling had been heard in the court, anda shrill voice, well known to Richard and Susan, was heard demanding, "Come home, is she--Master Diccon too? More shame for you, yousluttish queans and lazy lubbers, never to have let me know; but noneof you have any respect--"

A visit from my Lady Countess was a greater favour to such a householdas that of Bridgefield than it would be to a cottage of the presentday; Richard was hurrying downstairs, and Susan only tarried to throwoff the housewifely apron in which she had been compounding a coolingdrink for the poor old lady, and to wash her hands, while Humfrey, rushing up to her, exclaimed "Mother, mother, is it the Queen?"

Queen Elizabeth herself was not inaptly represented by her namesake ofHardwicke, the Queen of Hallamshire, sitting on her great white mule atthe door, sideways, with her feet on a board, as little children nowride, and attended by a whole troop of gentlemen ushers, maidens, prickers, and running footmen. She was a woman of the same type as theQueen, which was of course enough to stamp her as a celebrated beauty, and though she had reached middle age, her pale, clear complexion anddelicate features were well preserved. Her chin was too sharp, andthere was something too thin and keen about her nose and lips topromise good temper. She was small of stature, but she made up for itin dignity of presence, and as she sat there, with her rich embroideredgreen satin farthingale spreading out over the mule, her tall ruffstanding up fanlike on her shoulders, her riding-rod in her hand, andher master of the horse standing at her rein, while a gentleman usherwielded an enormous, long-handled, green fan, to keep the sun fromincommoding her, she was, perhaps, even more magnificent than themaiden queen herself might have been in her more private expeditions. Indeed, she was new to her dignity as Countess, having been only a fewweeks married to the Earl, her fourth husband. Captain Talbot did notfeel it derogatory to his dignity as a gentleman to advance with hishat in his hand to kiss her hand, and put a knee to the ground as heinvited her to alight, an invitation his wife heard with dismay as shereached the door, for things were by no means yet as they should be inthe hall. She curtsied low, and advanced with her son holding herhand, but shrinking behind her. 

"Ha, kinswoman, is it thou!" was her greeting, as she, too, kissed thesmall, shapely, white, but exceedingly strong hand that was extended toher; "So thou art come, and high time too. Thou shouldst never havegone a-gadding to Hull, living in lodgings; awaiting thine husband, forsooth. Thou art over young a matron for such gear, and so I toldDiccon Talbot long ago. "

"Yea, madam, " said Richard, somewhat hotly, "and I made answer that mySusan was to be trusted, and truly no harm has come thereof. "

"Ho! and you reckon it no harm that thy father and mother were left toa set of feckless, brainless, idle serving-men and maids in theirtrouble? Why, none would so much as have seen to thy brother's poorbody being laid in a decent grave had not I been at hand to take orderfor it as became a distant kinsman of my lord. I tell thee, Richard, there must be no more of these vagabond seafaring ways. Thou must servemy lord, as a true retainer and kinsman is bound--Nay, " in reply to agesture, "I will not come in, I know too well in what ill order thehouse is like to be. I did but take my ride this way to ask how itfared with the mistress, and try if I could shake the squire from hislethargy, if Mrs. Susan had not had the grace yet to be here. How dothey?" Then in answer, "Thou must waken him, Diccon--rouse him, andtell him that I and my lord expect it of him that he should bear hisloss as a true and honest Christian man, and not pule and moan, sincehe has a son left--ay, and a grandson. You should breed your boy up toknow his manners, Susan Talbot, " as Humfrey resisted an attempt to makehim do his reverence to my lady; "that stout knave of yours wants therod. Methought I heard you'd borne another, Susan! Ay! as I said itwould be, " as her eye fell on the swaddled babe in a maid's arms. "Nolack of fools to eat up the poor old squire's substance. A maid, isit? Beshrew me, if your voyages will find portions for all yourwenches! Has the leech let blood to thy good-mother, Susan? There!not one amongst you all bears any brains. Knew you not how to send upto the castle for Master Drewitt? Farewell! Thou wilt be at the lodgeto-morrow to let me know how it fares with thy mother, when her brainis cleared by further blood-letting. And for the squire, let him knowthat I expect it of him that he shall eat, and show himself a man!"

So saying, the great lady departed, escorted as far as the avenue gateby Richard Talbot, and leaving the family gratified by hercondescension, and not allowing to themselves how much their feelingswere chafed. 

CHAPTER III. 

THE CAPTIVE. 

Death and sorrow seemed to have marked the house of Bridgefield, forthe old lady never rallied after the blood-letting enjoined by theCountess's medical science, and her husband, though for some monthsable to creep about the house, and even sometimes to visit the fields, had lost his memory, and became more childish week by week. 

Richard Talbot was obliged to return to his ship at the end of themonth, but as soon as she was laid up for the winter he resigned hiscommand, and returned home, where he was needed to assume the part ofmaster. In truth he became actually master before the next spring, forhis father took to his bed with the first winter frosts, and in spiteof the duteous cares lavished upon him by his son and daughter-in-law, passed from his bed to his grave at the Christmas feast. Richard Talbotinherited house and lands, with the undefined sense of feudalobligation to the head of his name, and ere long he was called upon tofulfil those obligations by service to his lord. 

There had been another act in the great Scottish tragedy. Queen Maryhad effected her escape from Lochleven, but only to be at oncedefeated, and then to cross the Solway and throw herself into the handsof the English Queen. 

Bolton Castle had been proved to be too perilously near the Border toserve as her residence, and the inquiry at York, and afterwards atWestminster, having proved unsatisfactory, Elizabeth had decided ondetaining her in the kingdom, and committed her to the charge of theEarl of Shrewsbury. 

To go into the history of that ill-managed investigation is not thepurpose of this tale. It is probable that Elizabeth believed hercousin guilty, and wished to shield that guilt from being proclaimed, while her councillors, in their dread of the captive, wished to enhancethe crime in Elizabeth's eyes, and were by no means scrupulous as tothe kind of evidence they adduced. However, this lies outside ourstory; all that concerns it is that Lord Shrewsbury sent a summons tohis trusty and well-beloved cousin, Richard Talbot of Bridgefield, tocome and form part of the guard of honour which was to escort the Queenof Scots to Tutbury Castle, and there attend upon her. 

All this time no hint had been given that the little Cicely was ofalien blood. The old squire and his lady had been in no state to hearof the death of their own grandchild, or of the adoption of the orphanand Susan was too reserved a woman to speak needlessly of her griefs toone so unsympathising as the Countess or so flighty as the daughters atthe great house. The men who had brought the summons to Hull had notbeen lodged in the house, but at an inn, where they either had heardnothing of Master Richard's adventure or had drowned their memory inale, for they said nothing; and thus, without any formed intention ofsecrecy, the child's parentage had never come into question. 

Indeed, though without doubt Mrs. Talbot was very loyal in heart to hernoble kinsfolk, it is not to be denied that she was a good deal more atpeace when they were not at the lodge. She tried devoutly to followout the directions of my Lady Countess, and thought herself in faultwhen things went amiss, but she prospered far more when free from suchdictation. 

She had nothing to wish except that her husband could be more often athome, but it was better to have him only a few hours' ride from her, atChatsworth or Tutbury, than to know him exposed to the perils of thesea. He rode over as often as he could be spared, to see his familyand look after his property; but his attendance was close, and my Lordand my Lady were exacting with one whom they could thoroughly trust, and it was well that in her quiet way Mistress Susan proved capable ofruling men and maids, farm and stable as well as house, servants andchildren, to whom another boy was added in the course of the year afterher return to Bridgefield. 

In the autumn, notice was sent that the Queen of Scots was to be lodgedat Sheffield, and long trains of waggons and sumpter horses and mulesbegan to arrive, bringing her plenishing and household stuff inadvance. Servants without number were sent on, both by her and by theEarl, to make preparations, and on a November day, tidings came thatthe arrival might be expected in the afternoon. Commands were sentthat the inhabitants of the little town at the park gate should keepwithin doors, and not come forth to give any show of welcome to theirlord and lady, lest it should be taken as homage to the captive queen;but at the Manor-house there was a little family gathering to hail theEarl and Countess. It chiefly consisted of ladies with their children, the husbands of most being in the suite of the Earl acting as escort orguard to the Queen. Susan Talbot, being akin to the family on bothsides, was there with the two elder children; Humfrey, both that hemight greet his father the sooner, and that he might be able toremember the memorable arrival of the captive queen, and Cicely, because he had clamoured loudly for her company. Lady Talbot, of theHerbert blood, wife to the heir, was present with two youngsisters-in-law, Lady Grace, daughter to the Earl, and Mary, daughter tothe Countess, who had been respectively married to Sir Henry Cavendishand Sir Gilbert Talbot, a few weeks before their respective parentswere wedded, when the brides were only twelve and fourteen years old. There, too, was Mrs. Babington of Dethick, the recent widow of akinsman of Lord Shrewsbury, to whom had been granted the wardship ofher son, and the little party waiting in the hall also numberedElizabeth and William Cavendish, the Countess's youngest children, andmany dependants mustered in the background, ready for the reception. Indeed, the castle and manor-house, with their offices, lodges, andoutbuildings, were an absolute little city in themselves. The castlewas still kept in perfect repair, for the battle of Bosworth was notquite beyond the memory of living men's fathers; and besides, who couldtell whether any day England might not have to be contested inch byinch with the Spaniard? So the gray walls stood on the tongue of landin the valley, formed by the junction of the rivers Sheaf and Dun, withtowers at all the gateways, enclosing a space of no less than eightacres, and with the actual fortress, crisp, strong, hard, andunmouldered in the midst, its tallest square tower serving as alook-out place for those who watched to give the first intimation ofthe arrival. 

The castle had its population, but chiefly of grooms, warders, andtheir families. The state-rooms high up in that square tower were soexceedingly confined, so stern and grim, that the grandfather of thepresent earl had built a manor-house for his family residence on thesloping ground on the farther side of the Dun. 

This house, built of stone, timber, and brick, with two large courts, two gardens, and three yards, covered nearly as much space as thecastle itself. A pleasant, smooth, grass lawn lay in front, and on itconverged the avenues of oaks and walnuts, stretching towards the gatesof the park, narrowing to the eye into single lines, then goingabsolutely out of sight, and the sea of foliage presenting the utmostvariety of beautiful tints of orange, yellow, brown, and red. Therewas a great gateway between two new octagon towers of red brick, withbattlements and dressings of stone, and from this porch a staircase ledupwards to the great stone-paved hall, with a huge fire burning on theopen hearth. Around it had gathered the ladies of the Talbot familywaiting for the reception. The warder on the tower had blown his hornas a signal that the master and his royal guest were within the park, and the banner of the Talbots had been raised to announce their coming, but nearly half an hour must pass while the party came along the avenuefrom the drawbridge over the Sheaf ere they could arrive at the lodge. 

So the ladies, in full state dresses, hovered over the fire, while thechildren played in the window seat near at hand. 

Gilbert Talbot's wife, a thin, yellow-haired, young creature, promisingto be like her mother, the Countess, had a tongue which loved to run, and with the precocity and importance of wifehood at sixteen, shedilated to her companions on her mother's constant attendance on theQueen, and the perpetual plots for that lady's escape. "She is asshifty and active as any cat-a-mount; and at Chatsworth she had ascheme for being off out of her bedchamber window to meet a traitorfellow named Boll; but my husband smelt it out in good time, and hadthe guard beneath my lady's window, and the fellows are in gyves, andto see the lady the day it was found out! Not a wry face did she make. Oh no! 'Twas all my good lord, and my sweet sir with her. I promiseyou butter would not melt in her mouth, for my Lord Treasurer Cecilhath been to see her, and he has promised to bring her to speech of herMajesty. May I be there to see. I promise you 'twill be diamond cutdiamond between them. "

"How did she and my Lord Treasurer fare together?" asked Mrs. Babington. 

"Well, you know there's not a man of them all that is proof against herblandishments. Her Majesty should have women warders for her. 'Twasgood sport to see the furrows in his old brow smoothing out against hiswill as it were, while she plied him with her tongue. I never saw theQueen herself win such a smile as came on his lips, but then he isalways a sort of master, or tutor, as it were, to the Queen. Ay, " onsome exclamation from Lady Talbot, "she heeds him like no one else. She may fling out, and run counter to him for the very pleasure offeeling that she has the power, but she will come round at last, and'tis his will that is done in the long run. If this lady could beguilehim indeed, she might be a free woman in the end. "

"And think you that she did?"

"Not she! The Lord Treasurer is too long-headed, and has too strong ahate to all Papistry, to be beguiled more than for the very moment hewas before her. He cannot help the being a man, you see, and they areall alike when once in her presence--your lord and father, like therest of them, sister Grace. Mark me if there be not tempests brewing, an we be not the sooner rid of this guest of ours. My mother is notthe woman to bear it long. "

Dame Mary's tongue was apt to run on too fast, and Lady Talbotinterrupted its career with an amused gesture towards the children. 

For the little Cis, babe as she was, had all the three boys at herservice. Humfrey, with a paternal air, was holding her on thewindow-seat; Antony Babington was standing to receive the ball that wasbeing tossed to and fro between them, but as she never caught it, WillCavendish was content to pick it up every time and return it to her, appearing amply rewarded by her laugh of delight. 

The two mothers could not but laugh, and Mrs. Babington said the bravelads were learning their knightly courtesy early, while Mary Talbotbegan observing on the want of likeness between Cis and either theTalbot or Hardwicke race. The little girl was much darker in colouringthan any of the boys, and had a pair of black, dark, heavy brows, thatprevented her from being a pretty child. Her adopted mother shrankfrom such observations, and was rejoiced that a winding of horns, and ashout from the boys, announced that the expected arrival was about totake place. The ladies darted to the window, and beholding the avenuefull of horsemen and horsewomen, their accoutrements and those of theirescort gleaming in the sun, each mother gathered her own chicks toherself, smoothed the plumage somewhat ruffled by sport, and advancedto the head of the stone steps, William Cavendish, the eldest of theboys, being sent down to take his stepfather's rein and hold hisstirrup, page fashion. 

Clattering and jingling the troop arrived. The Earl, a stout, squareman, with a long narrow face, lengthened out farther by alight-coloured, silky beard, which fell below his ruff, descended fromhis steed, gave his hat to Richard Talbot, and handed from her horse ahooded and veiled lady of slender proportions, who leant on his arm asshe ascended the steps. 

The ladies knelt, whether in respect to the heads of the family, or tothe royal guest, may be doubtful. 

The Queen came up the stairs with rheumatic steps, declaring, however, as she did so, that she felt the better for her ride, and was lessfatigued than when she set forth. She had the soft, low, sweetScottish voice, and a thorough Scottish accent and language, tempered, however, by French tones, and as, coming into the warmer air of thehall, she withdrew her veil, her countenance was seen. Mary Stuart wasonly thirty-one at this time, and her face was still youthful, thoughworn and wearied, and bearing tokens of illness. The features were farfrom being regularly beautiful; there was a decided cast in one of theeyes, and in spite of all that Mary Talbot's detracting tongue hadsaid, Susan's first impression was disappointment. But, as the Queengreeted the lady whom she already knew, and the Earl presented hisdaughter, Lady Grace, his stepdaughter, Elizabeth Cavendish, and hiskinswoman, Mistress Susan Talbot, the extraordinary magic of her eyeand lip beamed on them, the queenly grace and dignity joined with awonderful sweetness impressed them all, and each in measure felt thefascination. 

The Earl led the Queen to the fire to obtain a little warmth beforemounting the stairs to her own apartments, and likewise while LadyShrewsbury was dismounting, and being handed up the stairs by hersecond stepson, Gilbert. The ladies likewise knelt on one knee togreet this mighty dame, and the children should have done so too, butlittle Cis, catching sight of Captain Richard, who had come up bearingthe Earl's hat, in immediate attendance on him, broke out with anexulting cry of "Father! father! father!" trotted with outspread armsright in front of the royal lady, embraced the booted leg in ecstasy, and then stretching out, exclaimed "Up! up!"

"How now, malapert poppet!" exclaimed the Countess, and though at somedistance, uplifted her riding-rod. Susan was ready to sink into theearth with confusion at the great lady's displeasure, but Richard hadstooped and lifted the little maid in his arms, while Queen Maryturned, her face lit up as by a sunbeam, and said, "Ah, bonnibell, artthou fain to see thy father? Wilt thou give me one of thy kisses, sweet bairnie?" and as Richard held her up to the kind face, "A goodlychild, brave sir. Thou must let me have her at times for a playfellow. Wilt come and comfort a poor prisoner, little sweeting?"

The child responded with "Poor poor, " stroking the soft delicate cheek, but the Countess interfered, still wrathful. "Master Richard, I marvelthat you should let her Grace be beset by a child, who, if she cannotdemean herself decorously, should have been left at home. SusanHardwicke, I thought I had schooled you better. "

"Nay, madam, may not a babe's gentle deed of pity be pardoned?" saidMary. 

"Oh! if it pleasures you, madam, so be it, " said Lady Shrewsbury, deferentially; "but there be children here more worthy of your noticethan yonder little black-browed wench, who hath been allowed to thrustherself forward, while others have been kept back from importuning yourGrace. "

"No child can importune a mother who is cut off from her own, " saidMary, eager to make up for the jealousy she had excited. "Is thisbonnie laddie yours, madam? Ah! I should have known it by theresemblance. "

She held her white hand to receive the kisses of the boys: WilliamCavendish, under his mother's eye, knelt obediently; Antony Babington, a fair, pretty lad, of eight or nine, of a beautiful pink and whitecomplexion, pressed forward with an eager devotion which made the Queensmile and press her delicate hand on his curled locks; as for Humfrey, he retreated behind the shelter of his mother's farthingale, where hispresence was forgotten by every one else, and, after the rebuff justadministered to Cicely, there was no inclination to bring him to light, or combat with his bashfulness. 

The introductions over, Mary gave her hand to the Earl to be conductedfrom the hall up the broad staircase, and along the great westerngallery to the south front, where for many days her properties had beenin course of being arranged. 

Lady Shrewsbury followed as mistress of the house, and behind, in orderof precedence, came the Scottish Queen's household, in which the dark, keen features of the French, and the rufous hues of the Scots, werenearly equally divided. Lady Livingstone and Mistress Seaton, two ofthe Queen's Maries of the same age with herself, came next, the one ledby Lord Talbot, the other by Lord Livingstone. There was also thefaithful French Marie de Courcelles, paired with Master Beatoun, comptroller of the household, and Jean Kennedy, a stiff Scotswoman, whose hard outlines did not do justice to her tenderness and fidelity, and with her was a tall, active, keen-faced stripling, looked on withspecial suspicion by the English, as Willie Douglas, the contriver ofthe Queen's flight from Lochleven. Two secretaries, French andScottish, were shrewdly suspected of being priests, and there werebesides, a physician, surgeon, apothecary, with perfumers, cooks, pantlers, scullions, lacqueys, to the number of thirty, besides theirwives and attendants, these last being "permitted of my lord'sbenevolence. "

They were all eyed askance by the sturdy, north country English, whonaturally hated all strangers, above all French and Scotch, and viewedthe band of captives much like a caged herd of wild beasts. 

When on the way home Mistress Susan asked her little boy why he wouldnot make his obeisance to the pretty lady, he sturdily answered, "Sheis no pretty lady of mine. She is an evil woman who slew her husband. "

"Poor lady! tongues have been busy with her, " said his father. 

"How, sir?" asked Susan, amazed, "do you think her guiltless in thematter?"

"I cannot tell, " returned Richard. "All I know is that many who haveno mercy on her would change their minds if they beheld her patient andkindly demeanour to all. "

This was a sort of shock to Susan, as it seemed to her to prove thetruth of little Lady Talbot's words, that no one was proof againstQueen Mary's wiles; but she was happy in having her husband at homeonce more, though, as he told her, he would be occupied most of eachalternate day at Sheffield, he and another relation having beenappointed "gentlemen porters, " which meant that they were to wait in achamber at the foot of the stairs, and keep watch over whatever went inor out of the apartments of the captive and her suite. 

"And, " said Richard, "who think you came to see me at Wingfield? Noneother than Cuthbert Langston. "

"Hath he left his merchandise at Hull?"

"Ay, so he saith. He would fain have had my good word to my lord for apost in the household, as comptroller of accounts, clerk, or the like. It seemed as though there were no office he would not take so that hemight hang about the neighbourhood of this queen. "

"Then you would not grant him your recommendation?"

"Nay, truly. I could not answer for him, and his very anxiety made methe more bent on not bringing him hither. I'd fain serve in no shipwhere I know not the honesty of all the crew, and Cuthbert hath everhad a hankering after the old profession. "

"Verily then it were not well to bring him hither. "

"Moreover, he is a lover of mysteries and schemes, " said Richard. "Hewould never be content to let alone the question of our little wench'sbirth, and would be fretting us for ever about the matter. "

"Did he speak of it?"

"Yes. He would have me to wit that a nurse and babe had been put onboard at Dumbarton. Well, said I, and so they must have been, since onboard they were. Is that all thou hast to tell me? And mighty as wasthe work he would have made of it, this was all he seemed to know. Iasked, in my turn, how he came to know thus much about a vessel sailingfrom a port in arms against the Lords of the Congregation, the alliesof her Majesty?"

"What said he?"

"That his house had dealings with the owners of the Bride of Dunbar. Ilike not such dealings, and so long as this lady and her train are nearus, I would by no means have him whispering here and there that she isa Scottish orphan. "

"It would chafe my Lady Countess!" said Susan, to whom this was aserious matter. "Yet doth it not behove us to endeavour to find outher parentage?"

"I tell you I proved to myself that he knew nothing, and all that wehave to do is to hinder him from making mischief out of that little, "returned Richard impatiently. 

The honest captain could scarcely have told the cause of his distrustor of his secrecy, but he had a general feeling that to let anintriguer like Cuthbert Langston rake up any tale that could beconnected with the party of the captive queen, could only lead todanger and trouble. 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE OAK AND THE OAKEN HALL. 

The oaks of Sheffield Park were one of the greatest glories of theplace. Giants of the forest stretched their huge arms over the turf, kept smooth and velvety by the creatures, wild and tame, that browsedon it, and made their covert in the deep glades of fern and copse woodthat formed the background. 

There were not a few whose huge trunks, of such girth that two mentogether could not encompass them with outstretched arms, rose to aheight of more than sixty feet before throwing out a horizontal branch, and these branches, almost trees in themselves, spread forty-eight feeton each side of the bole, lifting a mountain of rich verdure abovethem, and casting a delicious shade upon the ground beneath them. Beneath one of these noble trees, some years after the arrival of thehapless Mary Stuart, a party of children were playing, much to theamusement of an audience of which they were utterly unaware, namely, ofsundry members of a deer-hunting party; a lady and gentleman who, having become separated from the rest, were standing in the deepbracken, which rose nearly as high as their heads, and were furthersheltered by a rock, looking and listening. 

"Now then, Cis, bravely done! Show how she treats her ladies--"

"Who will be her lady? Thou must, Humfrey!"

"No, no, I'll never be a lady, " said Humfrey gruffly. 

"Thou then, Diccon. "

"No, no, " and the little fellow shrank back, "thou wilt hurt me, Cis. "

"Come then, do thou, Tony! I'll not strike too hard!"

"As if a wench could strike too hard. "

"He might have turned that more chivalrously, " whispered the lady toher companion. "What are they about to represent? Mort de ma vie, theprofane little imps! I, believe it is my sacred cousin, the Majesty ofEngland herself! Truly the little maid hath a bearing that might servea queen, though she be all too black and beetle-browed for QueenElizabeth. Who is she, Master Gilbert?"

"She is Cicely Talbot, daughter to the gentleman porter of yourMajesty's lodge. "

"See to her--mark her little dignity with her heather and bluebellcrown as she sits on the rock, as stately as jewels could make her! Seeher gesture with her hands, to mark where the standing ruff ought tobe. She hath the true spirit of the Comedy--ah! and here cometh youngAntony with mincing pace, with a dock-leaf for a fan, and a mantle fora farthingale! She speaks! now hark!"

"Good morrow to you, my young mistress, " began a voice pitched twonotes higher than its actual childlike key. "Thou hast a newfarthingale, I see! O Antony, that's not the way to curtsey--do itlike this. No no! thou clumsy fellow--back and knees together. "

"Never mind, Cis, " interposed one of the boys--"we shall lose all ourplay time if you try to make him do it with a grace. Curtsies arewomen's work--go on. "

"Where was I? O--" (resuming her dignity after these asides) "Thouhast a new farthingale, I see. "

"To do my poor honour to your Grace's birthday. "

"Oh ho! Is it so? Methought it had been to do honour to my fairmistress's own taper waist. And pray how much an ell was yonderbroidered stuff?"

"Two crowns, an't please your Grace, " returned the supposed lady, making a wild conjecture. 

"Two crowns! thou foolish Antony!" Then recollecting herself, "twocrowns! what, when mine costs but half! Thou presumptuous, lavishvarlet--no, no, wench! what right hast thou to wear gowns finer thanthy liege?--I'll teach you. " Wherewith, erecting all her talons, andclawing frightfully with them in the air, the supposed Queen Bess leaptat the unfortunate maid of honour, appeared to tear the imaginary robe, and drove her victim on the stage with a great air of violence, amidpeals of laughter from the other children, loud enough to drown thoseof the elders, who could hardly restrain their merriment. 

Gilbert Talbot, however, had been looking about him anxiously all thetime, and would fain have moved away; but a sign from Queen Marywithheld him, as one of the children cried, "Now! show us how she serves her lords. "

The play seemed well understood between them, for the mimic queen againsettled herself on her throne, while Will Cavendish, calling out, "NowI'm Master Hatton, " began to tread a stately measure on the grass, while the queen exclaimed, "Who is this new star of my court? Whatstalwart limbs, what graceful tread! Who art thou, sir?"

"Madam, I am--I am. What is it? An ef--ef--"

"A daddy-long-legs, " mischievously suggested another of the group. 

"No, it's Latin. Is it Ephraim? No; it's a fly, something like agnat" (then at an impatient gesture from her Majesty) "disportingitself in the beams of the noontide sun. "

"Blood-sucking, " whispered the real Queen behind the fern. "He is notso far out there. See! see! with what a grace the child holds out herlittle hand for him to kiss. I doubt me if Elizabeth herself could bemore stately. But who comes here?"

"I'm Sir Philip Sydney. "

"No, no, " shouted Humfrey, "Sir Philip shall not come into thisfooling. My father says he's the best knight in England. "

"He is as bad as the rest in flattery to the Queen, " returned youngCavendish. 

"I'll not have it, I say. You may be Lord Leicester an you will! He'sbut Robin Dudley. "

"Ah!" began the lad, now advancing and shading his eyes. "Whatburnished splendour dazzles my weak sight? Is it a second Juno that Ibehold, or lovely Venus herself? Nay, there is a wisdom in her thatcan only belong to the great Minerva herself! So youthful too. Is itHebe descended to this earth?"

Cis smirked, and held out a hand, saying in an affected tone, "LordEarl, are thy wits astray?"

"Whose wits would not be perturbed at the mere sight of such exquisitebeauty?"

"Come and sit at our feet, and we will try to restore them, " said thestage queen; but here little Diccon, the youngest of the party, eagerfor more action, called out, "Show us how she treats her lords andladies together. "

On which young Babington, as the lady, and Humfrey, made demonstrationsof love-making and betrothal, upon which their sovereign lady descendedon them with furious tokens of indignation, abusing them right andleft, until in the midst the great castle bell pealed forth, and causeda flight general, being, in fact, the summons to the school kept in oneof the castle chambers by one Master Snigg, or Sniggius, for thechildren of the numerous colony who peopled the castle. Girls, as wellas boys, were taught there, and thus Cis accompanied Humfrey andDiccon, and consorted with their companions. 

Queen Mary was allowed to hunt and take out-of-door exercise in thepark whenever she pleased, but Lord Shrewsbury, or one of his sons, Gilbert and Francis, never was absent from her for a moment when shewent beyond the door of the lesser lodge, which the Earl had erectedfor her, with a flat, leaded, and parapeted roof, where she could takethe air, and with only one entrance, where was stationed a "gentlemanporter, " with two subordinates, whose business it was to keep a closewatch over every person or thing that went in or out. If she had anypurpose of losing herself in the thickets of fern, or copsewood, in thepark, or holding unperceived conference under shelter of the chase, these plans were rendered impossible by the pertinacious presence ofone or other of the Talbots, who acted completely up to their name. 

Thus it was that the Queen, with Gilbert in close attendance, had foundherself an unseen spectator of the children's performance, which shewatched with the keen enjoyment that sometimes made her forget hertroubles for the moment. 

"How got the imps such knowledge?" mused Gilbert Talbot, as he led theQueen out on the sward which had been the theatre of their mimicry. 

"Do _you_ ask that, Sir Gilbert?" said the Queen with emphasis, forindeed it was his wife who had been the chief retailer of scandal aboutQueen Elizabeth, to the not unwilling ears of herself and his mother;and Antony Babington, as my lady's page, had but used his opportunities. 

"They are insolent varlets and deserve the rod, " continued Gilbert. 

"You are too ready with the rod, you English, " returned Mary. "Youflog all that is clever and spirited out of your poor children!"

"That is the question, madam. Have the English been found so deficientin spirit compared with other nations?"

"Ah! we all know what you English can say for yourselves, " returned theQueen. "See what Master John Coke hath made of the herald's argumentbefore Dame Renown, in his translation. He hath twisted all the otherway. "

"Yea, madam, but the French herald had it all his own way before. Soit was but just we should have our turn. "

Here a cry from the other hunters greeted them, and they found LordShrewsbury, some of the ladies, and a number of prickers, lookinganxiously for them. 

"Here we are, good my lord, " said the Queen, who, when free fromrheumatism, was a most active walker. "We have only been stalking mysister Queen's court in small, the prettiest and drollest pastime Ihave seen for many a long day. "

Much had happened in the course of the past years. The intrigues withNorthumberland and Norfolk, and the secret efforts of the unfortunateQueen to obtain friends, and stir up enemies against Elizabeth, hadresulted in her bonds being drawn closer and closer. The Rising of theNorth had taken place, and Cuthbert Langston had been heard of astaking a prominent part beneath the sacred banner, but he had beenwounded and not since heard of, and his kindred knew not whether hewere among the unnamed dead who loaded the trees in the rear of thearmy of Sussex, or whether he had escaped beyond seas. Richard Talbotstill remained as one of the trusted kinsmen of Lord Shrewsbury, onwhom that nobleman depended for the execution of the charge whichyearly became more wearisome and onerous, as hope decayed and plotsthickened. 

Though resident in the new lodge with her train, it was greatlydiminished by the dismissal from time to time of persons who wereregarded as suspicious; Mary still continued on intimate terms withLady Shrewsbury and her daughters, specially distinguishing with herfavour Bessie Pierrepoint, the eldest grandchild of the Countess, whoslept with her, and was her plaything and her pupil in French andneedlework. The fiction of her being guest and not prisoner had notentirely passed away; visitors were admitted, and she went in and outof the lodge, walked or rode at will, only under pretext of courtesy. She never was unaccompanied by the Earl or one of his sons, and theyendeavoured to make all private conversation with strangers, or personsunauthorised from Court, impossible to her. 

The invitation given to little Cicely on the arrival had not beenfollowed up. The Countess wished to reserve to her own family all thefavours of one who might at any moment become the Queen of England, andshe kept Susan Talbot and her children in what she called their meetplace, in which that good lady thoroughly acquiesced, having her handsmuch too full of household affairs to run after queens. 

There was a good deal of talk about this child's play, a thing whichhad much better have been left where it was; but in a seclusion likethat of Sheffield subjects of conversation were not over numerous, andevery topic which occurred was apt to be worried to shreds. So LadyShrewsbury and her daughters heard the Queen's arch description of thechildren's mimicry, and instantly conceived a desire to see the scenerepeated. The gentlemen did not like it at all: their loyalty wasoffended at the insult to her gracious Majesty, and besides, what mightnot happen if such sports ever came to her ears? However, the Countessruled Sheffield; and Mary Talbot and Bessie Cavendish ruled theCountess, and they were bent on their own way. So the representationwas to take place in the great hall of the manor-house, and the actorswere to be dressed in character from my lady's stores. 

"They will ruin it, these clumsy English, after their own fashion, "said Queen Mary, among her ladies. "It was the unpremeditated graceand innocent audacity of the little ones that gave the charm. Now itwill be a mere broad farce, worthy of Bess of Hardwicke. Mais quevoulez vous?"

The performance was, however, laid under a great disadvantage by theabsolute refusal of Richard and Susan Talbot to allow their Cicely toassume the part of Queen Elizabeth. They had been dismayed at herdoing so in child's play, and since she could read fluently, writepretty well, and cipher a little, the good mother had decided to put astop to this free association with the boys at the castle, and to keepher at home to study needlework and housewifery. As to her acting withboys before the assembled households, the proposal seemed to themabsolutely insulting to any daughter of the Talbot line, and they hadby this time forgotten that she was no such thing. Bess Cavendish, thespecial spoilt child of the house, even rode down, armed with hermother's commands, but her feudal feeling did not here sway MistressSusan. 

Public acting was esteemed an indignity for women, and, though Cis wasa mere child, all Susan's womanhood awoke, and she made answer firmlythat she could not obey my lady Countess in this. 

Bess flounced out of the house, indignantly telling her she should ruethe day, and Cis herself cried passionately, longing after the finerobes and jewels, and the presentation of herself as a queen before thewhole company of the castle. The harsh system of the time made thegood mother think it her duty to requite this rebellion with the rod, and to set the child down to her seam in the corner, and there sat Cis, pouting and brooding over what Antony Babington had told her of what hehad picked up when in his page's capacity, attending his lady, of QueenMary's admiration of the pretty ways and airs of the little mimic QueenBess, till she felt as if she were defrauded of her due. The captiveQueen was her dream, and to hear her commendations, perhaps be kissedby her, would be supreme bliss. Nay, she still hoped that there wouldbe an interference of the higher powers on her behalf, which would giveher a triumph. 

No! Captain Talbot came home, saying, "So, Mistress Sue, thou art asteadfast woman, to have resisted my lady's will!"

"I knew, my good husband, that thou wouldst never see our Cis even insport a player!"

"Assuredly not, and thou hadst the best of it, for when Mistress Besscame in as full of wrath as a petard of powder, and made your refusalknown, my lord himself cried out, 'And she's in the right o't! What achild may do in sport is not fit for a gentlewoman in earnest. '"

"Then, hath not my lord put a stop to the whole?"

"Fain would he do so, but the Countess and her daughters are set oncarrying out the sport. They have set Master Sniggius to indite thespeeches, and the boys of the school are to take the parts for theirautumn interlude. "

"Surely that is perilous, should it come to the knowledge of those atCourt. "

"Oh, I promise you, Sniggius hath a device for disguising all thatcould give offence. The Queen will become Semiramis or Zenobia, I knownot which, and my Lord of Leicester, Master Hatton, and the others, will be called Ninus or Longinus, or some such heathenish long-tailedterms, and speak speeches of mighty length. Are they to be in Latin, Humfrey?"

"Oh no, sir, " said Humfrey, with a shudder. "Master Sniggius wouldhave had them so, but the young ladies said they would have nothing todo with the affair if there were one word of Latin uttered. It is badenough as it is. I am to be Philidaspes, an Assyrian knight, and havesome speeches to learn, at least one is twenty-five lines, and not oneis less than five!"

"A right requital for thy presumptuous and treasonable game, my son, "said his father, teasing him. 

"And who is to be the Queen?" asked the mother. 

"Antony Babington, " said Humfrey, "because he can amble and mince morelike a wench than any of us. The worse luck for him. He will havemore speeches than any one of us to learn. "

The report of the number of speeches to be learnt took off the sting ofCis's disappointment, though she would not allow that it did so, declaring with truth that she could learn by hearing faster than any ofthe boys. Indeed, she did learn all Humfrey's speeches, and Antony'sto boot, and assisted both of them with all her might in committingthem to memory. 

As Captain Talbot had foretold, the boys' sport was quite sufficientlypunished by being made into earnest. Master Sniggius was far frommerciful as to length, and his satire was so extremely remote thatQueen Elizabeth herself could hardly have found out that Zenobia's finemoral lecture on the vanities of too aspiring ruffs was founded on thebox on the ear which rewarded poor Lady Mary Howard's display of herrich petticoat, nor would her cheeks have tingled when the Queen of theEast--by a bold adaptation--played the part of Lion in interrupting theinterview of our old friends Pyramus and Thisbe, who, by an awfulanachronism, were carried to Palmyra. It was no plagiarism from"Midsummer Night's Dream, " only drawn from the common stock ofplaywrights. 

So, shorn of all that was perilous, and only understood by theinitiated, the play took place in the Castle Hall, the largestavailable place, with Queen Mary seated upon the dais, with a canopy ofState over her head, Lady Shrewsbury on a chair nearly as high, theEarl, the gentlemen and ladies of their suites drawn up in a circle, the servants where they could, the Earl's musicians thundering withdrums, tooting with fifes, twanging on fiddles, overhead in a gallery. Cis and Diccon, on either side of Susan Talbot, gazing on the stage, where, much encumbered by hoop and farthingale, and arrayed in a yellowcurled wig, strutted forth Antony Babington, declaiming--

 "Great Queen Zenobia am I, The Roman Power I defy. At my Palmyra, in the East, I rule o'er every man and beast"

Here was an allusion couched in the Roman power, which Master Antonyhad missed, or he would hardly have uttered it, since he was of a RomanCatholic family, though, while in the Earl's household, he had toconform outwardly. 

A slender, scholarly lad, with a pretty, innocent face, and a voicethat could "speak small, like a woman, " came in and announced himselfthus--

 "I'm Thisbe, an Assyrian maid, My robe's with jewels overlaid. "

The stiff colloquy between the two boys, encumbered with their dresses, shy and awkward, and rehearsing their lines like a task, was no smallcontrast to the merry impromptu under the oak, and the gay, free graceof the children. 

Poor Philidaspes acquitted himself worst of all, for when done up in aglittering suit of sham armour, with a sword and dagger of lath, hisentire speech, though well conned, deserted him, and he stoodred-faced, hesitating, and ready to cry, when suddenly from the midstof the spectators there issued a childish voice, "Go on, Humfrey!

 "Philidaspes am I, most valorous knight, Ever ready for Church and Queen to fight. 

"Go on, I say!" and she gave a little stamp of impatience, to theextreme confusion of the mother and the great amusement of theassembled company. Humfrey, once started, delivered himself of therest of his oration in a glum and droning voice, occasioning fits oflaughter, such as by no means added to his self-possession. 

The excellent Sniggius and his company of boys had certainly, whetherintentionally or not, deprived the performance of all its personalsting, and most likewise of its interest. Such diversion as thespectators derived was such as Hippolyta seems to have found inlistening to Wall, Lion, Moonshine and Co. ; but, like Theseus, LordShrewsbury was very courteous, and complimented both playwright andactors, relieved and thankful, no doubt, that Queen Zenobia was sounlike his royal mistress. 

There was nothing so much enforced by Queen Elizabeth as that strangersshould not have resort to Sheffield Castle. No spectators, exceptthose attached to the household, and actually forming part of thecolony within the park, were therefore supposed to be admitted, and allof them were carefully kept at a distant part of the hall, where theycould have no access to the now much reduced train of the ScottishQueen, with whom all intercourse was forbidden. 

Humfrey was therefore surprised when, just as he had come out of thetiring-room, glad to divest himself of his encumbering and gaudyequipments, a man touched him on the arm and humbly said, "Sir, I havea humble entreaty to make of you. If you would convey my petition tothe Queen of Scots!"

"I have nothing to do with the Queen of Scots, " said theex-Philidaspes, glancing suspiciously at the man's sleeve, where, however, he saw the silver dog, the family badge. 

"She is a charitable lady, " continued the man, who looked like a groom, "and if she only knew that my poor old aunt is lying famishing, shewould aid her. Pray you, good my lord, help me to let this scrollreach to her. "

"I'm no lord, and I have naught to do with the Queen, " repeatedHumfrey, while at the same moment Antony, who had been rather longer ingetting out of his female attire, presented himself; and Humfrey, pitying the man's distress, said, "This young gentleman is theCountess's page. He sometimes sees the Queen. "

The man eagerly told his story, how his aunt, the widow of a huckster, had gone on with the trade till she had been cruelly robbed and beaten, and now was utterly destitute, needing aid to set herself up again. The Queen of Scots was noted for her beneficent almsgiving, and a fewsilver pieces from her would be quite sufficient to replenish herbasket. 

Neither boy doubted a moment. Antony had the entree to the presencechamber, where on this festival night the Earl and Countess were sureto be with the Queen. He went straightway thither, and trained as hewas in the usages of the place, told his business to the Earl, who wasseated near the Queen. Lord Shrewsbury took the petition from him, glanced it over, and asked, "Who knew the Guy Norman who sent it?"Frank Talbot answered for him, that he was a yeoman pricker, and theEarl permitted the paper to be carried to Mary, watching her carefullyas she read it, when Antony had presented it on one knee. 

"Poor woman!" she said, "it is a piteous case. Master Beatoun, hastthou my purse? Here, Master Babington, wilt thou be the bearer of thisangel for me, since I know that the delight of being the bearer will bea reward to thy kind heart. "

Antony gracefully kissed the fair hand, and ran off joyously with theQueen's bounty. Little did any one guess what the career thus begunwould bring that fair boy. 

CHAPTER V. 

THE HUCKSTERING WOMAN. 

The huckstering woman, Tibbott by name, was tended by Queen Mary'sapothecary, and in due time was sent off well provided, to the greatfair of York, whence she returned with a basket of needles, pins (suchas they were), bodkins, and the like articles, wherewith to circulateabout Hallamshire, but the gate-wards would not relax their rules sofar as to admit her into the park. She was permitted, however, tobring her wares to the town of Sheffield, and to Bridgefield, but shemight come no farther. 

Thither Antony Babington came down to lay out the crown which had beengiven to him on his birthday, and indeed half Master Sniggius'sscholars discovered needs, and came down either to spend, or to giveadvice to the happy owners of groats and testers. So far so good; butthe huckster-woman soon made Bridgefield part of her regular rounds, and took little commissions which she executed for the household ofSheffield, who were, as the Cavendish sisters often said in theirspleen, almost as much prisoners as the Queen of Scots. AntonyBabington was always her special patron, and being Humfrey's greatcompanion and playfellow, he was allowed to come in and out of thegates unquestioned, to play with him and with Cis, who no longer wentto school, but was trained at home in needlework and housewifery. 

Match-making began at so early an age, that when Mistress Susan hadtwice found her and Antony Babington with their heads together over thelamentable ballad of the cold fish that had been a lady, and which sangits own history "forty thousand fathom above water, " she began toquestion whether the girl were the attraction. He was now an orphan, and his wardship and marriage had been granted to the Earl, who, havingdisposed of all his daughters and stepdaughters, except BessieCavendish, might very fairly bestow on the daughter of his kinsman sogood a match as the young squire of Dethick. 

"Then should we have to consider of her parentage, " said Richard, whenhis wife had propounded her views. 

"I never can bear in mind that the dear wench is none of ours, " saidSusan. "Thou didst say thou wouldst portion her as if she were our ownlittle maid, and I have nine webs ready for her household linen. Mustwe speak of her as a stranger?"

"It would scarce be just towards another family to let them deem her oftrue Talbot blood, if she were to enter among them, " said Richard;"though I look on the little merry maid as if she were mine own child. But there is no need yet to begin upon any such coil; and, indeed, Iwould wager that my lady hath other views for young Babington. "

After all, parents often know very little of what passes in children'sminds, and Cis never hinted to her mother that the bond of unionbetween her and Antony was devotion to the captive Queen. Cis had onlyhad a glimpse or two of her, riding by when hunting or hawking, orwhen, on festive occasions, all who were privileged to enter the parkwere mustered together, among whom the Talbots ranked high as kindredto both Earl and Countess; but those glimpses had been enough to fillthe young heart with romance, such as the matter-of-fact elders neverguessed at. Antony Babington, who was often actually in the graciouspresence, and received occasional smiles, and even greetings, wasimmeasurably devoted to the Queen, and maintained Cicely's admirationby his vivid descriptions of the kindness, the grace, the charms of theroyal captive, in contrast with the innate vulgarity of their ownCountess. 

Willie Douglas (the real Roland Graeme of the escape from Lochleven)had long ago been dismissed from Mary's train, with all the otherservants who were deemed superfluous; but Antony had heard the detailsof the story from Jean Kennedy (Mrs. Kennett, as the English werepleased to call her), and Willie was the hero of his emulativeimagination. 

"What would I not do to be like him!" he fervently exclaimed when hehad narrated the story to Humfrey and Cis, as they lay on a nest in thefern one fine autumn day, resting after an expedition to gatherblackberries for the mother's preserving. 

"I would not be him for anything, " said Humfrey. 

"Fie, Humfrey, " cried Cis; "would not you dare exile or anything elsein a good cause?"

"For a good cause, ay, " said Humfrey in his stolid way. 

"And what can be a better cause than that of the fairest of captivequeens?" exclaimed Antony, hotly. 

"I would not be a traitor, " returned Humfrey, as he lay on his back, looking up through the chequerwork of the branches of the trees towardsthe sky. 

"Who dares link the word traitor with my name?" said Babington, feelingfor the imaginary handle of a sword. 

"Not I; but you'll get it linked if you go on in this sort. "

"For shame, Humfrey, " again cried Cis, passionately. "Why, deliveringimprisoned princesses always was the work of a true knight. "

"Yea; but they first defied the giant openly, " said Humfrey. 

"What of that?" said Antony. 

"They did not do it under trust, " said Humfrey. 

"I am not under trust, " said Antony. "Your father may be a swornservant of the Earl and, the Queen--Queen Elizabeth, I mean; but I havetaken no oaths--nobody asked me if I would come here. "

"No, " said Humfrey, knitting his brows, "but you see we are all trustedto go in and out as we please, on the understanding that we do noughtthat can be unfaithful to the Earl; and I suppose it was thus with thissame Willie Douglas. "

"She was his own true and lawful Queen, " cried Cis. "His first dutywas to her. "

Humfrey sat up and looked perplexed, but with a sudden thoughtexclaimed, "No Scots are we, thanks be to Heaven! and what might beloyalty in him would be rank treason in us. "

"How know you that?" said Antony. "I have heard those who say that ourlawful Queen is there, " and he pointed towards the walls that rose inthe distance above the woods. 

Humfrey rose wrathful. "Then truly you are no better than a traitor, and a Spaniard, and a Papist, " and fists were clenched on both aides, while Cis flew between, pulling down Humfrey's uplifted hand, andcrying, "No, no; he did not say he thought so, only he had heard it. "

"Let him say it again!" growled Antony, his arm bared. 

"No, don't, Humfrey!" as if she saw it between his clenched teeth. "Youknow you only meant if Tony thought so, and he didn't. Now how can youtwo be so foolish and unkind to me, to bring me out for a holiday toeat blackberries and make heather crowns, and then go and spoil it allwith folly about Papists, and Spaniards, and grown-up people's nonsensethat nobody cares about!"

Cis had a rare power over both her comrades, and her piteous appealactually disarmed them, since there was no one present to make themashamed of their own placability. Grown-up people's follies wereavoided by mutual consent through the rest of the walk, and the threechildren parted amicably when Antony had to return to fulfil his page'sduties at my lord's supper, and Humfrey and Cis carried home their bigbasket of blackberries. 

When they entered their own hall they found their mother engaged inconversation with a tall, stout, and weather-beaten man, whom sheannounced--"See here, my children, here is a good friend of yourfather's, Master Goatley, who was his chief mate in all his voyages, and hath now come over all the way from Hull to see him! He will behere anon, sir, so soon as the guard is changed at the Queen's lodge. Meantime, here are the elder children. "

Diccon, who had been kept at home by some temporary damage to his foot, and little Edward were devouring the sailor with their eyes; andHumfrey and Cis were equally delighted with the introduction, especially as Master Goatley was just returned from the Western Main, and from a curious grass-woven basket which he carried slung to hisside, produced sundry curiosities in the way of beads, shell-work, feather-work, and a hatchet of stone, and even a curious armlet ofsoft, dull gold, with pearls set in it. This he had, with greatdifficulty, obtained on purpose for Mistress Talbot, who had once curedhim of a bad festering hurt received on board ship. 

The children clustered round in ecstasies of admiration and wonder asthey heard of the dark brown atives, the curious expedients by whichbarter was carried on; also of cruel Spaniards, and of savage fishes, with all the marvels of flying-fish, corals, palm-trees, hummingbirds--all that is lesson work to our modern youth, but was the mostbrilliant of living fairy tales at this Elizabethan period. Humfreyand Diccon were ready to rush off to voyage that instant, and evenlittle Ned cried imitatively in his imperfect language that he would be"a tailor. "

Then their father came home, and joyfully welcomed and clasped handswith his faithful mate, declaring that the sight did him good; and theysat down to supper and talked of voyages, till the boys' eyes glowed, and they beat upon their own knees with the enthusiasm that theirstrict manners bade them repress; while their mother kept back hersighs as she saw them becoming infected with that sea fever so dreadedby parents. Nay, she saw it in her husband himself. She knew him tobe grievously weary of a charge most monotonously dull, and only variedby suspicions and petty detections; and that he was hungering andthirsting for his good ship and to be facing winds and waves. Shecould hear his longing in the very sound of the "Ays?" and briefinquiries by which he encouraged Goatley to proceed in the story ofvoyages and adventures, and she could not wonder when Goatley said, "Your heart is in it still, sir. Not one of us all but says it is apity such a noble captain should be lost as a landsman, with nothing todo but to lock the door on a lady. "

"Speak not of it, my good Goatley, " said Richard, hastily, "or you willset me dreaming and make me mad. "

"Then it is indeed so, " returned Goatley. "Wherefore then come younot, sir, where a crew is waiting for you of as good fellows as everstepped on a deck, and who, one and all, are longing after such acaptain as you are, sir? Wherefore hold back while still in yourprime?"

"Ask the mistress, there, " said Richard, as he saw his Susan's whiteface and trembling fingers, though she kept her eyes on her work toprevent them from betraying their tears and their wistfulness. 

"O sweet father, " burst forth Humfrey, "do but go, and take me. I amquite old enough. "

"Nay, Humfrey, 'tis no matter of liking, " said his father, not wishingto prolong his wife's suspense. "Look you here, boy, my Lord Earl iscaptain of all of his name by right of birth, and so long as he needsmy services, I have no right to take them from him. Dost see, my boy?"

Humfrey reluctantly did see. It was a great favour to be thus arguedwith, and admitted of no reply. 

Mrs. Talbot's heart rejoiced, but she was not sorry that it was timefor her to carry off Diccon and Ned to their beds, away from thefascinating narrative, and she would give no respite, though Dicconpleaded hard. In fact, the danger might be the greatest to him, sinceHumfrey, though born within the smell of the sea, might be retained bythe call of duty like his father. To Cis, at least, she thought thesailor's conversation could do no harm, little foreboding the wordsthat presently ensued. "And, sir, what befell the babe we found in ourlast voyage off the Spurn? It would methinks be about the age of thispretty mistress. "

Richard Talbot endeavoured to telegraph a look both of assent andwarning, but though Master Goatley would have been sharp to detect theleast token of a Spanish galleon on the most distant horizon, thesignal fell utterly short. "Ay, sir. What, is it so? Bless me! Thevery maiden! And you have bred her up for your own. "

"Sir! Father!" cried Cis, looking from one to the other, with eyes andmouth wide open. 

"Soh!" cried the sailor, "what have I done? I beg your pardon, sir, ifI have overhauled what should have been let alone. But, " continued thehonest, but tactless man, "who could have thought of the like of that, and that the pretty maid never knew it? Ay, ay, dear heart. Neverfear but that the captain will be good father to you all the same. "

For Richard Talbot had held out his arm, and, as Cis ran up to him, hehad seated her on his knee, and held her close to him. Humfreylikewise started up with an impulse to contradict, which was suddenlycut short by a strange flash of memory, so all he did was to come up tohis father, and grasp one of the girl's hands as fast as he could. Shetrembled and shivered, but there was something in the presence of thisstrange man which choked back all inquiry, and the silence, thevehement grasp, and the shuddering, alarmed the captain, lest she mightsuddenly go off into a fit upon his hands. 

"This is gear for mother, " said he, and taking her up like a baby, carried her off, followed closely by Humfrey. He met Susan comingdown, asking anxiously, "Is she sick?"

"I hope not, mother, " he said, "but honest Goatley, thinking no harm, hath blurted out that which we had never meant her to know, at leastnot yet awhile, and it hath wrought strangely with her. "

"Then it is true, father?" said Humfrey, in rather an awe-strickenvoice, while Cis still buried her face on the captain's breast. 

"Yes, " he said, "yea, my children, it is true that God sent us adaughter from the sea and the wreck when He had taken our own littlemaid to His rest. But we have ever loved our Cis as well, and hopeever to do so while she is our good child. Take her, mother, and tellthe children how it befell; if I go not down, the fellow will spread itall over the house, and happily none were present save Humfrey and thelittle maiden. "

Susan put the child down on her own bed, and there, with Humfreystanding by, told the history of the father carrying in the littleshipwrecked babe. They both listened with eyes devouring her, but theywere as yet too young to ask questions about evidences, and Susan didnot volunteer these, only when the girl asked, "Then, have I no name?"she answered, "A godly minister, Master Heatherthwayte, gave thee thename of Cicely when he christened thee. "

"I marvel who I am?" said Cis, gazing round her, as if the world wereall new to her. 

"It does not matter, " said Humfrey, "you are just the same to us, isshe not, mother?"

"She is our dear Heaven-sent child, " said the mother tenderly. 

"But thou art not my true mother, nor Humfrey nor Diccon my brethren, "she said, stretching out her hands like one in the dark. 

"If I'm not your brother, Cis, I'll be your husband, and then you willhave a real right to be called Talbot. That's better than if you weremy sister, for then you would go away, I don't know where, and now youwill always be mine--mine--mine very own. "

And as he gave Cis a hug in assurance of his intentions, his father, who was uneasy about the matter, looked in again, and as Susan, withtears in her eyes, pointed to the children, the good man said, "By myfaith, the boy has found the way to cut the knot--or rather to tie it. What say you, dame? If we do not get a portion for him, we do not haveto give one with her, so it is as broad as it is long, and she remainsour dear child. Only listen, children, you are both old enough to keepa secret. Not one word of all this matter is to be breathed to anysoul till I bid you. "

"Not to Diccon, " said Humfrey decidedly. 

"Nor to Antony?" asked Cis wistfully. 

"To Antony? No, indeed! What has he to do with it? Now, to yourbeds, children, and forget all about this tale. "

"There, Humfrey, " broke out Cis, as soon as they were alone together, "Huckstress Tibbott _is_ a wise woman, whatever thou mayest say. "

"How?" said Humfrey. 

"Mindst thou not the day when I crossed her hand with the tester fathergave me?"

"When mother whipped thee for listening to fortune-tellers and wastingthy substance. Ay, I mind it well, " said Humfrey, "and how thou didststand simpering at her pack of lies, ere mother made thee sing anothertune. "

"Nay, Humfrey, they were no lies, though I thought them so then. Shesaid I was not what I seemed, and that the Talbots' kennel would notalways hold one of the noble northern eagles. So Humfrey, sweetHumfrey, thou must not make too sure of wedding me. "

"I'll wed thee though all the lying old gipsy-wives in England woretheir false throats out in screeching out that I shall not, " criedHumfrey. 

"But she must have known, " said Cis, in an awestruck voice; "thespirits must have spoken with her, and said that I am none of theTalbots. "

"Hath mother heard this?" asked Humfrey, recoiling a little, but neverthinking of the more plausible explanation. 

"Oh no, no! tell her not, Humfrey, tell her not. She said she wouldwhip me again if ever I talked again of the follies that thefortune-telling woman had gulled me with, for if they were not deceits, they were worse. And, thou seest, they are worse, Humfrey!"

With which awe-stricken conclusion the children went off to bed. 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE BEWITCHED WHISTLE. 

A child's point of view is so different from that of a grown person, that the discovery did not make half so much difference to Cis as heradopted parents expected. In fact it was like a dream to her. Shefound her daily life and her surroundings the same, and her chiefinterest was--at least apparently--how soon she could escape frompsalter and seam, to play with little Ned, and look out for the elderboys returning, or watch for the Scottish Queen taking her daily ride. Once, prompted by Antony, Cis had made a beautiful nosegay of liliesand held it up to the Queen when she rode in at the gate on her returnfrom Buxton. She had been rewarded by the sweetest of smiles, butCaptain Talbot had said it must never happen again, or he should beaccused of letting billets pass in posies. The whole place waspervaded, in fact, by an atmosphere of suspicion, and the vigilance, which might have been endurable for a few months, was wearing thespirits and temper of all concerned, now that it had already lasted forseven or eight years, and there seemed no end to it. Moreover, inspite of all care, it every now and then became apparent that QueenMary had some communication with the outer world which no one couldtrace, though the effects endangered the life of Queen Elizabeth, thepeace of the kingdom, and the existence of the English Church. Theblame always fell upon Lord Shrewsbury; and who could wonder that hewas becoming captiously suspicious, and soured in temper, so that evensuch faithful kinsmen as Richard Talbot could sometimes hardly bearwith him, and became punctiliously anxious that there should not be thesmallest loophole for censure of the conduct of himself and his family?

The person on whom Master Goatley's visit had left the most impressionseemed to be Humfrey. On the one hand, his father's words had made himenter into his situation of trust and loyalty, and perceive somethingof the constant sacrifice of self to duty that it required, and, on theother hand, he had assumed a position towards Cis of which he in somedegree felt the force. There was nothing in the opinions of the timeto render their semi-betrothal ridiculous. At the Manor house itself, Gilbert Talbot and Mary Cavendish had been married when no older thanhe was; half their contemporaries were already plighted, and the onlydifference was that in the present harassing state of surveillance inwhich every one lived, the parents thought that to avow the secret solong kept might bring about inquiry and suspicion, and they thereforewished it to be guarded till the marriage could be contracted. As Cisdeveloped, she had looks and tones which so curiously harmonised, nowwith the Scotch, now with the French element in the royal captive'ssuite, and which made Captain Richard believe that she must belong tosome of the families who seemed amphibious between the two courts; andher identification as a Seaton, a Flemyng, a Beatoun, or as a member ofany of the families attached to the losing cause, would only involveher in exile and disgrace. Besides, there was every reason to thinkher an orphan, and a distant kinsman was scarcely likely to give hersuch a home as she had at Bridgefield, where she had always been lookedon as a daughter, and was now regarded as doubly their own in right oftheir son. So Humfrey was permitted to consider her as peculiarly hisown, and he exerted this right of property by a certain jealousy ofAntony Babington which amused his parents, and teased the young lady. Nor was he wholly actuated by the jealousy of proprietorship, for heknew the devotion with which Antony regarded Queen Mary, and did notwholly trust him. His sense of honour and duty to his father's trustwas one thing, Antony's knight-errantry to the beautiful captive wasanother; each boy thought himself strictly honourable, while they movedin parallel lines and could not understand one another; yet, with thereserve of childhood, all that passed between them was a secret, tillone afternoon when loud angry sounds and suppressed sobs attractedMistress Susan to the garden, where she found Cis crying bitterly, andlittle Diccon staring eagerly, while a pitched battle was going onbetween her eldest son and young Antony Babington, who were pommellingeach other too furiously to perceive her approach. 

"Boys! boys! fie for shame, " she cried, with a hand on the shoulder ofeach, and they stood apart at her touch, though still fiercely lookingat one another. 

"See what spectacles you have made of yourselves!" she continued. "Isthis your treatment of your guest, Humfrey? How is my Lord's page toshow himself at Chatsworth to-morrow with such an eye? What is it allabout?"

Both combatants eyed each other in sullen silence. 

"Tell me, Cis. Tell me, Diccon. I will know, or you shall have therod as well as Humfrey. "

Diccon, who was still in the era of timidity, instead of secretiveness, spoke out. "He, " indicating his brother, "wanted the packet. "

"What packet?" exclaimed the mother, alarmed. 

"The packet that _he_ (another nod towards Antony) wanted Cis to givethat witch in case she came while he is at Chatsworth. "

"It was the dog-whistle, " said Cis. "It hath no sound in it, andAntony would have me change it for him, because Huckster Tibbott maynot come within the gates. I did not want to do so; I fear Tibbott, and when Humfrey found me crying he fell on Antony. So blame him not, mother. "

"If Humfrey is a jealous churl, and Cis a little fool, there's no helpfor it, " said Antony, disdainfully turning his back on his lateadversary. 

"Then let me take charge of this whistle, " returned the lady, moved bythe universal habit of caution, but Antony sprang hastily to intercepther as she was taking from the little girl a small paper packet tiedround with coloured yarn, but he was not in time, and could onlyexclaim, "Nay, nay, madam, I will not trouble you. It is nothing. "

"Master Babington, " said Susan firmly, "you know as well as I do thatno packet may pass out of the park unopened. If you wished to have thewhistle changed you should have brought it uncovered. I am sorry forthe discourtesy, and ask your pardon, but this parcel may not pass. "

"Then, " said Antony, with difficulty repressing something much morepassionate and disrespectful, "let me have it again. "

"Nay, Master Babington, that would not suit with my duty. "

The boy altogether lost his temper. "Duty! duty!" he cried. "I amsick of the word. All it means is a mere feigned excuse for prying andspying, and besetting the most beautiful and unhappy princess in theworld for her true faith and true right!"

"Master Antony Babington, " said Susan gravely, "you had better takecare what you are about. If those words of yours had been spoken in myLord's hearing, they would bring you worse than the rod or bread andwater. "

"What care I what I suffer for such a Queen?" exclaimed Antony. 

"Suffering is a different matter from saying 'What care I, '" returnedthe lady, "as I fear you will learn, Master Antony. "

"O mother! sweet mother, " said Cis, "you will not tell of him!"--butmother shook her head. 

"Prithee, dear mother, " added Humfrey, seeing no relenting in hercountenance, "I did but mean to hinder Cis from being maltreated and ago-between in this traffic with an old witch, not to bring Tony intotrouble. "

"His face is a tell-tale, Humfrey, " said Susan. "I meant ere now tohave put a piece of beef on it. Come in, Antony, and let me wash it. "

"Thank you, madam, I need nothing here, " said Antony, stalking proudlyoff; while Humfrey, exclaiming "Don't be an ass, Tony!--Mother, no onewould care to ask what we had given one another black eyes for in afriendly way, " tried to hold him back, and he did linger when Cis addedher persuasions to him not to return the spectacle he was at present. 

"If this lady will promise not to betray an unfortunate Queen, " hesaid, as if permission to deal with his bruises were a great reward. 

"Oh! you foolish boy!" exclaimed Mistress Talbot, "you were never meantfor a plotter! you have yourself betrayed that you are her messenger. "

"And I am not ashamed of it, " said Antony, holding his head high. "Madam, madam, if you have surprised this from me, you are the morebound not to betray her. Think, lady, if you were shut up from yourchildren and friends, would you not seek to send tidings to them?"

"Child, child! Heaven knows I am not blaming the poor lady withinthere. I am only thinking what is right. "

"Well, " said Antony, somewhat hopefully, "if that be all, give me backthe packet, or tear it up, if you will, and there can be no harm done. "

"Oh, do so, sweet mother, " entreated Cis, earnestly; "he will never bidme go to Tibbott again. "

"Ay, " said Humfrey, "then no tales will be told. "

For even he, with all his trustworthiness, or indeed because of it, could not bear to bring a comrade to disgrace; but the dilemma was putan end to by the sudden appearance on the scene of Captain Richardhimself, demanding the cause of the disturbance, and whether his sonshad been misbehaving to their guest. 

"Dear sir, sweet father, do not ask, " entreated Cis, springing to him, and taking his hand, as she was privileged to do; "mother has come, andit is all made up and over now. "

Richard Talbot, however, had seen the packet which his wife washolding, and her anxious, perplexed countenance, and the perilousatmosphere of suspicion around him made it incumbent on him to turn toher and say, "What means this, mother? Is it as Cis would have mebelieve, a mere childish quarrel that I may pass over? or what is thispacket?"

"Master Babington saith it is a dog-whistle which he was leaving incharge with Cis to exchange for another with Huckstress Tibbott, " sheanswered. 

"Feel, --nay, open it, and see if it be not, sir, " cried Antony. 

"I doubt not that so it is, " said the captain; "but you know, MasterBabington, that it is the duty of all here in charge to let no packetpass the gate which has not been viewed by my lord's officers. "

"Then, sir, I will take it back again, " said Antony, with a vainattempt at making his brow frank and clear. 

Instead of answering. Captain Talbot took the knife from his girdle, and cut in twain the yarn that bound the packet. There was no doubtabout the whistle being there, nor was there anything written on thewrapper; but perhaps the anxiety in Antony's eye, or even the oldassociation with boatswains, incited Mr. Talbot to put the whistle tohis lips. Not a sound would come forth. He looked in, and saw whatled him to blow with all his force, when a white roll of paperprotruded, and on another blast fell out into his hand. 

He held it up as he found it, and looked full at Antony, who exclaimedin much agitation, "To keep out the dust. Only to keep out the dust. It is all gibberish--from my old writing-books. "

"That will we see, " said Richard very gravely. 

"Mistress, be pleased to give this young gentleman some water to washhis face, and attend to his bruises, keeping him in the guest-chamberwithout speech from any one until I return. Master Babington, Icounsel you to submit quietly. I wish, and my Lord will wish, to sparehis ward as much scandal as possible, and if this be what you say itis, mere gibberish from your exercise-books, you will be quit forchastisement for a forbidden act, which has brought you into suspicion. If not, it must be as my Lord thinks good. "

Antony made no entreaties. Perhaps he trusted that what wasunintelligible to himself might pass for gibberish with others; perhapsthe headache caused by Humfrey's fists was assisting to produce a stateof sullen indifference after his burst of eager chivalry; at any ratehe let Mistress Talbot lead him away without resistance. The otherchildren would have followed, but their father detained them to hearthe particulars of the commission and the capture. Richard desired toknow from his son whether he had any reason for suspecting underhandmeasures; and when Humfrey looked down and hesitated, added, "On yourobedience, boy; this is no slight matter. "

"You will not beat Cis, father?" said Humfrey. 

"Wherefore should I beat her, save for doing errands that yonder ladshould have known better than to thrust on her?"

"Nay, sir, 'tis not for that; but my mother said she should be beatenif ever she spake of the fortune yonder Tibbott told her, and we aresure that she--Tibbott I mean--is a witch, and knows more than sheought. "

"What mean'st thou? Tell me, children;" and Cis, nothing loath, sinceshe was secured from the beating, related the augury which had left sodeep an impression on her, Humfrey bearing witness that it was beforethey knew themselves of Cicely's history. 

"But that is not all, " added Cicely, seeing Mr. Talbot less impressedthan she expected by these supernatural powers of divination. "She canchange from a woman to a man!"

"In sooth!" exclaimed Richard, startled enough by this information. 

"Yea, father, " said Cicely, "Faithful Ekins, the carrier's boy, sawher, in doublet and hose, and a tawny cloak, going along the road toChesterfield. He knew her by the halt in her left leg. "

"Ha!" said Richard, "and how long hast thou known this?"

"Only yestermorn, " said Cis; "it was that which made me so much afraidto have any dealings with her. "

"She shall trouble thee no more, my little wench, " said Richard in atone that made Humfrey cry out joyously, "O father! sweet father! wilt thou duck her for a witch? Sink or swim!that will be rare!"

"Hush, hush! foolish lad, " said Richard, "and thou, Cicely, take goodheed that not a word of all this gets abroad. Go to thy mother, child, --nay, I am not wroth with thee, little one. Thou hast not doneamiss, but bear in mind that nought is ever taken out of the parkwithout knowledge of me or of thy mother. "

CHAPTER VII. 

THE BLAST OF THE WHISTLE. 

Richard Talbot was of course convinced that witchcraft was not likelyto be the most serious part of the misdeeds of Tibbott the huckstress. Committing Antony Babington to the custody of his wife, he sped on hisway back to the Manor-house, where Lord Shrewsbury was at presentresiding, the Countess being gone to view her buildings at Chatsworth, taking her daughter Bessie with her. He sent in a message desiring tospeak to my lord in his privy chamber. 

Francis Talbot came to him. "Is it matter of great moment, Dick?" hesaid, "for my father is so fretted and chafed, I would fain not vex himfurther to-night. --What! know you not? Here are tidings that my ladyhath married Bess--yes, Bess Cavendish, in secret to my young LordLennox, the brother of this Queen's unlucky husband! How he is toclear himself before her Grace of being concerned in it, I know not, for though Heaven wots that he is as innocent as the child unborn, shewill suspect him!"

"I knew she flew high for Mistress Bess, " returned Richard. 

"High! nothing would serve her save royal blood! My poor father saysas sure as the lions and fleur-de-lis have come into a family, theheadsman's axe has come after them. "

"However it is not our family. "

"So I tell him, but it gives him small comfort, " said Frank, "lookingas he doth on the Cavendish brood as his own, and knowing that therewill be a mighty coil at once with my lady and these two queens. He issore vexed to-night, and saith that never was Earl, not to say man, sobaited by woman as he, and he bade me see whether yours be a matter ofsuch moment that it may not wait till morning or be despatched by me. "

"That is for you to say, Master Francis. What think you of this for atoy?" as he produced the parcel with the whistle and its contents. "Iwent home betimes to-day, as you know, and found my boy Humfrey hadjust made young Master Babington taste of his fists for trying to makeour little wench pass this packet to yonder huckster-woman who wassuccoured some months back by the Queen of Scots. "

Francis Talbot silently took the whistle and unrolled the long narrowstrip of paper. "This is the cipher, " said he, "the cipher used incorresponding with her French kin; Phillipps the decipherer showed methe trick of it when he was at Tutbury in the time of the Duke ofNorfolk's business. Soh! your son hath done good service, Richard. That lad hath been tampered with then, I thought he was over thick withthe lady in the lodge. Where is he, the young traitor?"

"At Bridgefield, under my wife's ward, having his bruises attended to. I would not bring him up here till I knew what my Lord would have donewith him. He is but a child, and no doubt was wrought with by sweetlooks, and I trust my Lord will not be hard with him. "

"If my father had hearkened to me, he should never have been here, "said Francis. "His father was an honest man, but his mother was, Ifind, a secret recusant, and when she died, young Antony was quite oldenough to have sucked in the poison. You did well to keep him, Richard; he ought not to return hither again, either in ward or atliberty. "

"If he were mine, I would send him to school, " said Richard, "where themasters and the lads would soon drive out of him all dreams aboutcaptive princesses and seminary priests to boot. For, Cousin Francis, I would have you to know that my children say there is a rumour thatthis woman Tibbott the huckstress hath been seen in a doublet and hosenear Chesterfield. "

"The villain! When is she looked for here again?"

"Anon, I should suppose, judging by the boy leaving this charge withCis in case she should come while he is gone to Chatsworth. "

"We will take order as to that, " said Francis, compressing his lips; "Iknow you will take heed, cousin, that she, or he, gets no breath ofwarning. I should not wonder if it were Parsons himself!" and heunfolded the scroll with the air of a man seeking to confirm histriumph. 

"Can you make anything of it?" asked Richard, struck by its resemblanceto another scroll laid up among his wife's treasures. 

"I cannot tell, they are not matters to be read in an hour, " saidFrancis Talbot, "moreover, there is one in use for the Englishtraitors, her friends, and another for the French. This looks like theFrench sort. Let me see, they are read by taking the third letter ineach second word. " Francis Talbot, somewhat proud of his proficiency, and perfectly certain of the trustworthiness of his cousin Richard, went on puzzling out the ciphered letters, making Richard set eachletter down as he picked it out, and trying whether they would makesense in French or English. Both understood French, having learned itin their page days, and kept it up by intercourse with the Frenchsuite. Francis, however, had to try two or three methods, which, beinga young man, perhaps he was pleased to display, and at last he hit uponthe right, which interpreted the apparent gibberish of thescroll--excepting that the names of persons were concealed undersoubriquets which Francis Talbot could not always understand--but thefollowing sentence by and by became clear:--"Quand le matelot vient desmarais, un feu peut eclater dans la meute et dans la melee"--"When thesailor lands from the fens, a fire might easily break out in thedog-kennel, and in the confusion" (name could not be read) "could carryoff the tercel gentle. "

"La meute, " said Francis, "that is their term for the home of usTalbots, and the sailor in the fens is this Don John of Austria, whomeans, after conquering the Dutchmen, to come and set free this tercelgentle, as she calls herself, and play the inquisitor upon us. On myhonour, Dick, your boy has played the man in making this discovery. Keep the young traitor fast, and take down a couple of yeomen to layhands on this same Tibbott as she calls herself. "

"If I remember right, " said Richard, "she was said to be the sister oraunt to one of the grooms or prickers. "

"So it was, Guy Norman, methinks. Belike he was the very fellow to setfire to our kennel. Yea, we must secure him. I'll see to that, andyou shall lay this scroll before my father meantime, Dick. Why, tofall on such a trail will restore his spirits, and win back her Graceto believe in his honesty, if my lady's tricks should have made herdoubtful. "

Off went Francis with great alacrity, and ere long the Earl was presentwith Richard. The long light beard was now tinged with gray, and therewere deep lines round the mouth and temples, betraying how the longanxiety was telling on him, and rendering him suspicious and querulous. "Soh! Richard Talbot, " was his salutation, "what's the coil now? Cana man never be left in peace in his own house, between queens andladies, plots and follies, but his own kinsfolk and retainers must cometo him on every petty broil among the lads! I should have thought yourboy and young Babington might fight out their quarrels alone withoutvexing a man that is near driven distracted as it is. "

"I grieve to vex your lordship, " said Richard, standing bareheaded, "but Master Francis thought this scroll worthy of your attention. Thisis the manner in which he deciphered it. "

"Scrolls, I am sick of scrolls, " said the Earl testily. "What! is itsome order for saying mass, --or to get some new Popish image or a skeinof silk? I wear my eyes out reading such as that, and racking mybrains for some hidden meaning!"

And falling on Francis's first attempt at copying, he was scornful ofthe whole, and had nearly thrown the matter aside, but when he lit atlast on the sentence about burning the meute and carrying off thetercel gentle, his brow grew dark indeed, and his inquiries camethickly one upon the other, both as to Antony Babington and thehuckstering woman. 

In the midst, Frank Talbot returned with the tidings that the prickerGuy Norman was nowhere to be found. He had last been seen by hiscomrades about the time that Captain Richard had returned to theManor-house. Probably he had taken alarm on seeing him come back atthat unusual hour, and had gone to carry the warning to his supposedaunt. This last intelligence made the Earl decide on going down atonce to Bridgefield to examine young Babington before there was time tomiss his presence at the lodge, or to hold any communication with him. Frank caused horses to be brought round, and the Earl rode down withRichard by a shaded alley in an ordinary cloak and hat. 

My Lord's appearance at Bridgefield was a rarer and more awful eventthan was my Lady's, and if Mistress Susan had been warned beforehand, there is no saying how at the head of her men and maids she would havescrubbed and polished the floors, and brushed the hangings andcushions. What then were her feelings when the rider, who dismountedfrom his little hackney as unpretendingly as did her husband in thetwilight court, proved to have my Lord's long beard and narrow face!

Curtseying her lowest and with a feeling of consternation and pity, asshe thought of the orphan boy, she accepted his greeting with duteouswelcome as he said, "Kinswoman, I am come to cumber you, whilst Iinquire into this matter. I give your son thanks for the honesty andfaithfulness he hath shown in the matter, as befitted his father's son. I should wish myself to examine the springald. "

Humfrey was accordingly called, and, privately admonished by his fatherthat he must not allow any scruples about bringing his playmate intotrouble to lead him to withhold his evidence, or shrink from tellingthe whole truth as he knew it, Humfrey accordingly stood before theEarl and made his replies a little sullenly but quitestraightforwardly. He had prevented the whistle from being given tohis sister for the huckstress because the woman was a witch, whofrightened her, and moreover he knew it was against rules. Did hesuspect that the whistle came from the Queen of Scots?

He looked startled, and asked if it were so indeed, and when againcommanded to say why he had thought it possible, he replied that heknew Antony thought the Queen of Scots a fair and gracious lady. 

Did he believe that Antony ever had communication with her or herpeople unheard by others?

"Assuredly! Wherefore not, when he carried my Lady Countess'smessages?"

Lord Shrewsbury bent his brow, but did not further pursue this branchof the subject, but demanded of Humfrey a description of Tibbott, huckster or witch, man or woman. 

"She wears a big black hood and muffler, " said Humfrey, "and hath along hooked stick. "

"I asked thee not of her muffler, boy, but of her person. "

"She hath pouncet boxes and hawks' bells, and dog-whistles in herbasket, " proceeded Humfrey, but as the Earl waxed impatient, anddemanded whether no one could give him a clearer account, Richard badeHumfrey call his mother. 

She, however, could say nothing as to the woman's appearance. She hadgone to Norman's cottage to offer her services after the supposedaccident, but had been told that the potticary of the Queen of Scotshad undertaken her cure, and had only seen her huddled up in a heap ofrags, asleep. Since her recovery the woman had been several times atBridgefield, but it had struck the mistress of the house that there wasa certain avoidance of direct communication with her, and a preferencefor the servants and children. This Susan had ascribed to fear thatshe should be warned off for her fortune-telling propensities, or thechildren's little bargains interfered with. All she could answer forwas that she had once seen a huge pair of grizzled eyebrows, with lighteyes under them, and that the woman, if woman she were, was tall, andbent a good deal upon a hooked stick, which supported her limpingsteps. Cicely could say little more, except that the witch had a deepawesome voice, like a man, and a long nose terrible to look at. Indeed, there seemed to have been a sort of awful fascination about herto all the children, who feared her yet ran after her. 

Antony was then sent for. It was not easy to judge of the expressionof his disfigured countenance, but when thus brought to bay he threwoff all tokens of compunction, and stood boldly before the Earl. 

"So, Master Babington, I find you have been betraying the trust Iplaced in you--"

"What, trust, my Lord?" said Antony, his bright blue eyes looking backinto those of the nobleman. 

"The cockerel crows loud, " said the Earl. "What trust, quotha! Isthere no trust implied in the coming and going of one of my household, when such a charge is committed to me and mine?"

"No one ever gave me any charge, " said Antony. 

"Dost thou bandy words, thou froward imp?" said the Earl. "Thou hastnot the conscience to deny that there was no honesty in smuggling fortha letter thus hidden. Deny it not. The treasonable cipher hath beenread!"

"I knew nought of what was in it, " said the boy. 

"I believe thee there, but thou didst know that it was foully disloyalto me and to her Majesty to bear forth secret letters to disguisedtraitors. I am willing to believe that the smooth tongue which hathdeluded many a better man than thou hath led thee astray, and I amwilling to deal as lightly with thee as may be, so thou wilt tell meopenly all thou knowest of this infamous plot. "

"I know of no plot, sir. "

"They would scarce commit the knowledge to the like of him, " saidRichard Talbot. 

"May be not, " said Lord Shrewsbury, looking at him with a glance thatAntony thought contemptuous, and which prompted him to exclaim, "And ifI did know of one, you may be assured I would never betray it were Itorn with wild horses. "

"Betray, sayest thou!" returned the Earl. "Thou hast betrayed myconfidence, Antony, and hast gone as far as in thee lies to betray thyQueen. "

"My Queen is Mary, the lawful Queen of us all, " replied Antony, boldly. 

"Ho! Sayest thou so? It is then as thou didst trow, cousin, thefoolish lad hath been tampered with by the honeyed tongue. I need notask thee from whom thou hadst this letter, boy. We have read it andknow the foul treason therein. Thou wilt never return to the castleagain, but for thy father's sake thou shalt be dealt with less sternly, if thou wilt tell who this woman is, and how many of these toys thouhast given to her, if thou knowest who she is. "

But Antony closed his lips resolutely. In fact, Richard suspected himof being somewhat flattered by being the cause of such a commotion, andactually accused of so grand and manly a crime as high treason. TheEarl could extract no word, and finally sentenced him to remain atBridgefield, shut up in his own chamber till he could be dealt with. The lad walked away in a dignified manner, and the Earl, holding up hishands, half amused, half vexed, said, "So the spell is on that poor ladlikewise. What shall I do with him? An orphan boy too, and mine oldfriend's son. "

"With your favour, my Lord, " said Richard, "I should say, send him to agrammar school, where among lads of his own age, the dreams aboutcaptive princesses might be driven from him by hard blows and merrygames. "

"That may scarce serve, " said the Earl rather severely, for publicschools were then held beneath the dignity of both the nobility andhigher gentry. "I may, however, send him to study at Cambridge undersome trusty pedagogue. Back at the castle I cannot have him, so must Icumber you with him, my good kinswoman, until his face have recoveredyour son's lusty chastisement. Also it may be well to keep him heretill we can lay hands on this same huckster-woman, since there may beneed to confront him with her. It were best if you did scour thecountry toward Chesterfield for her, while Frank went to York. "

Having thus issued his orders, the Earl took a gracious leave of thelady, mounted his horse, and rode back to Sheffield, dispensing withthe attendance of his kinsman, who had indeed to prepare for an earlystart the next morning, when he meant to take Humfrey with him, as notunlikely to recognise the woman, though he could not describe her. 

"The boy merits well to go forth with me, " said he. "He hath doneyeoman's service, and proved himself staunch and faithful. "

"Was there matter in that scroll?" asked Susan. 

"Only such slight matter as burning down the Talbots' kennel, while DonJohn of Austria is landing on the coast. "

"God forgive them, and defend us!" sighed Susan, turning pale. "Wasthat in the cipher?"

"Ay, in sooth, but fear not, good wife. Much is purposed that ne'ercomes to pass. I doubt me if the ship be built that is to carry theDon hither. "

"I trust that Antony knew not of the wickedness?"

"Not he. His is only a dream out of the romances the lads love sowell, of beauteous princesses to be freed, and the like. "

"But the woman!"

"Yea, that lies deeper. What didst thou say of her? Wherefore do thechildren call her a witch? Is it only that she is grim and ugly?"

"I trow there is more cause than that, " said Susan. "It may be that Ishould have taken more heed to their babble at first; but I havequestioned Cis while you were at the lodge, and I find that even beforeMate Goatley spake here, this Tibbott had told the child of her beingof lofty race in the north, alien to the Talbots' kennel, holding outto her presages of some princely destiny. "

"That bodeth ill!" said Richard, thoughtfully. "Wife, my soul misgivesme that the hand of Cuthbert Langston is in this. "

Susan started. The idea chimed in with Tibbott's avoidance of herscrutiny, and also with a certain vague sense she had had of havingseen those eyes before. So light-complexioned a man would be easilydisguised, and the halt was accounted for by a report that he had had abad fall when riding to join in the Rising in the North. Nor couldthere now be any doubt that he was an ardent partisan of the imprisonedMary, while Richard had always known his inclination to intrigue. Shecould only agree with her husband's opinion, and ask what he would do. 

"My duty must be done, kin or no kin, " said Richard, "that is if I findhim; but I look not to do that, since Norman is no doubt off to warnhim. "

"I marvel whether he hath really learnt who our Cis can be?"

"Belike not! The hint would only have been thrown out to gain powerover her. "

"Said you that you read the cipher?"

"Master Frank did so. "

"Would it serve you to read our scroll?"

"Ah, woman! woman! Why can thy kind never let well alone? I havesufficient on my hands without reading of scrolls!"

Humfrey's delight was extreme when he found that he was to ride forthwith his father, and half-a-dozen of the earl's yeomen, in search ofthe supposed witch. They traced her as far as Chesterfield; but havingmet the carrier's waggon on the way, they carefully examined FaithfulEkins on his report, but all the youth was clear about was the halt andthe orange tawny cloak, and after entering Chesterfield, no one knewanything of these tokens. There was a large village belonging to afamily of recusants, not far off, where the pursuers generally did losesight of suspicious persons; and, perhaps, Richard was relieved, thoughhis son was greatly chagrined. 

The good captain had a sufficient regard for his kinsman to beunwilling to have to unmask him as a traitor, and to be glad that heshould have effected an escape, so that, at least, it should be otherswho should detect him--if Langston indeed it were. 

His next charge was to escort young Babington to Cambridge, and deliverhim up to a tutor of his lordship's selection, who might draw thePopish fancies out of him. 

Meantime, Antony had been kept close to the house and garden, and notallowed any intercourse with any of the young people, save Humfrey, except when the master or mistress of the house was present; but he didnot want for occupation, for Master Sniggius came down, and gave him along chapter of the Book of Proverbs--chiefly upon loyalty, in theSeptuagint, to learn by heart, and translate into Latin and English ashis Saturday's and Sunday's occupation, under pain of a flogging, whichwas no light thing from the hands of that redoubted dominie. 

Young Babington was half-flattered and half-frightened at the commotionhe had excited. "Am I going to the Tower?" he asked, in a low voice, awestricken, yet not without a certain ring of self-importance, when hesaw his mails brought down, and was bidden to put on his boots and histravelling dress. 

And Captain Talbot had a cruel satisfaction in replying, "No, MasterBabington; the Tower is not for refractory boys. You are going to yourschoolmaster. "

But where the school was to be Richard kept an absolute secret byspecial desire, in order that no communication should be kept upthrough any of the household. He was to avoid Chatsworth, and toreturn as soon as possible to endeavour to trace the supposedhuckster-woman at Chesterfield. 

When once away from home, he ceased to treat young Babington as acriminal, but rode in a friendly manner with him through lanes and overmoors, till the young fellow began to thaw towards him, and even wentso far as to volunteer one day that he would not have brought MistressCicely into the matter if there had been any other sure way of gettingthe letter delivered in his absence. 

"Ah, boy!" returned Richard, "when once we swerve from the open anddirect paths, there is no saying into what tangles we may bringourselves and others. "

Antony winced a little, and said, "Whoever says I lied, lies in histhroat. "

"No one hath said thou wert false in word, but how as to thy deed?"

"Sir, " said Antony, "surely when a high emprise and great right is tobe done, there is no need to halt over such petty quibbles. "

"Master Babington, no great right was ever done through a little wrong. Depend on it, if you cannot aid without a breach of trust, it is thesure sign that it is not the will of God that you should be the one todo it. "

Captain Talbot mused whether he should convince or only weary the ladby an argument he had once heard in a sermon, that the force of Satan'stemptation to our blessed Lord, when showing Him all the kingdoms ofthe world, must have been the absolute and immediate vanishing of allkinds of evil, by a voluntary abdication on the part of the Prince ofthis world, instead not only of the coming anguish of the strife, butof the long, long, often losing, battle which has been waging eversince. Yet for this great achievement He would not commit the moment'ssin. He was just about to begin when Antony broke in, "Then, sir, youdo deem it a great wrong?"

"That I leave to wiser heads than mine, " returned the sailor. "My dutyis to obey my Lord, his duty is to obey her Grace. That is all a plainman needs to see. "

"But an if the true Queen be thus mewed up, sir?" asked Antony. Richardwas too wise a man to threaten the suggestion down as rank treason, well knowing that thus he should never root it out. 

"Look you here, Antony, " he said; "who ought to reign is a question ofbirth, such as neither of us can understand nor judge. But we knowthus much, that her Grace, Queen Elizabeth, hath been crowned andanointed and received oaths of fealty as her due, and that is quiteenough for any honest man. "

"Even when she keeps in durance the Queen, who came as her guest indire distress?"

"Nay, Master Antony, you are not old enough to remember that thedurance began not until the Queen of Scots tried to form a party forherself among the English liegemen. And didst thou know, thou simplelad, what the letter bore, which thou didst carry, and what it wouldbring on this peaceful land?"

Antony looked a little startled when he heard of the burning of thekennel, but he averred that Don John was a gallant prince. 

"I have seen more than one gallant Spaniard under whose power I shouldgrieve to see any friend of mine. "

All the rest of the way Richard Talbot entertained the young gentlemanwith stories of his own voyages and adventures, into which he managedto bring traits of Spanish cruelty and barbarity as shown in the LowCountries, such as, without actually drawing the moral every time, might show what was to be expected if Mary of Scotland and Don John ofAustria were to reign over England, armed with the Inquisition. 

Antony asked a good many questions, and when he found that the captainhad actually been an eye-witness of the state of a country harried bythe Spaniards, he seemed a good deal struck. 

"I think if I had the training of him I could make a loyal Englishmanof him yet, " said Richard Talbot to his wife on his return. "But Ifear me there is that in his heart and his conscience which will onlygrow, while yonder sour-faced doctor, with whom I had to leave him atCambridge, preaches to him of the perdition of Pope and Papists. "

"If his mother were indeed a concealed Papist, " said Susan, "suchsermons will only revolt the poor child. "

"Yea, truly. If my Lord wanted to make a plotter and a Papist of theboy he could scarce find a better means. I myself never could awaywith yonder lady's blandishments. But when he thinks of her incontrast to yonder divine, it would take a stronger head than his notto be led away. The best chance for him is that the stir of the worldabout him may put captive princesses out of his head. "

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE KEY OF THE CIPHER

Where is the man who does not persuade himself that when he gratifieshis own curiosity he does so for the sake of his womankind? So RichardTalbot, having made his protest, waited two days, but when next he hadany leisure moments before him, on a Sunday evening, he said to hiswife, "Sue, what hast thou done with that scroll of Cissy's? I trowthou wilt not rest till thou art convinced it is but some lyinghoroscope or Popish charm. "

Susan had in truth been resting in perfect quietness, being extremelybusy over her spinning, so as to be ready for the weaver who came roundperiodically to direct the more artistic portions of domestic work. However, she joyfully produced the scroll from the depths of the casketwhere she kept her chief treasures, and her spindle often paused in itsdance as she watched her husband over it, with his elbows on the tableand his hands in his hair, from whence he only removed them now andthen to set down a letter or two by way of experiment. She had to bepatient, for she heard nothing that night but that he believed it wasFrench, that the father of deceits himself might be puzzled with thething, and that she might as well ask him for his head at once aspropose his consulting Master Francis. 

The next night he unfolded it with many a groan, and would say nothingat all; but he sat up late and waked in early dawn to pore over itagain, and on the third day of study he uttered a loud exclamation ofdismay, but he ordered Susan off to bed in the midst, and did not utteranything but a perplexed groan or two when he followed her much later. 

It was not till the next night that she heard anything, and then, inthe darkness, he began, "Susan, thou art a good wife and a discreetwoman. "

Perhaps her heart leapt as she thought to herself, "At last it iscoming, I knew it would!" but she only made some innocent note ofattention. 

"Thou hast asked no questions, nor tried to pry into this unhappymystery, " he went on. 

"I knew you would tell me what was fit for me to hear, " she replied. 

"Fit! It is fit for no one to hear! Yet I needs must take counselwith thee, and thou hast shown thou canst keep a close mouth so far. "

"Concerns it our Cissy, husband?"

"Ay does it Our Cissy, indeed! What wouldst say, Sue, to hear she wasdaughter to the lady yonder. "

"To the Queen of Scots?"

"Hush! hush!" fairly grasping her to hinder the words from beinguttered above her breath. 

"And her father?"

"That villain, Bothwell, of course. Poor lassie, she is ill fathered!"

"You may say so. Is it in the scroll?"

"Ay! so far as I can unravel it; but besides the cipher no doubt muchwas left for the poor woman to tell that was lost in the wreck. "

And he went on to explain that the scroll was a letter to the Abbess ofSoissons, who was aunt to Queen Mary, as was well known, since an opencorrespondence was kept up through the French ambassador. This lettersaid that "our trusty Alison Hepburn" would tell how in secrecy anddistress Queen Mary had given birth to this poor child in Lochleven, and how she had been conveyed across the lake while only a few hoursold, after being hastily baptized by the name of Bride, one of thepatron saints of Scotland. She had been nursed in a cottage for a fewweeks till the Queen had made her first vain attempt to escape, afterwhich Mary had decided on sending her with her nurse to DumbartonCastle, whence Lord Flemyng would despatch her to France. The Abbesswas implored to shelter her, in complete ignorance of her birth, untilsuch time as her mother should resume her liberty and her throne. "Orif, " the poor Queen said, "I perish in the hands of my enemies, youwill deal with her as my uncles of Guise and Lorraine think fit, since, should her unhappy little brother die in the rude hands of yondertraitors, she may bring the true faith back to both realms. "

"Ah!" cried Susan, with a sudden gasp of dismay, as she bethought herthat the child was indeed heiress to both realms after the young Kingof Scots. "But has there been no quest after her? Do they deem herlost?"

"No doubt they do. Either all hands were lost in the Bride of Dunbar, or if any of the crew escaped, they would report the loss of nurse andchild. The few who know that the little one was born believe her tohave perished. None will ever ask for her. They deem that she hasbeen at the bottom of the sea these twelve years or more. "

"And you would still keep the knowledge to ourselves?" asked his wife, in a tone of relief. 

"I would I knew it not myself!" sighed Richard. "Would that I couldblot it out of my mind. "

"It were far happier for the poor maid herself to remain no one's childbut ours, " said Susan. 

"In sooth it is! A drop of royal blood is in these days a mere drop ofpoison to them that have the ill luck to inherit it. As my lord saidthe other day, it brings the headsman's axe after it. "

"And our boy Humfrey calls himself contracted to her!"

"So long as we let the secret die with us that can do her no ill. Happily the wench favours not her mother, save sometimes in a certainlordly carriage of the head and shoulders. She is like enough to someof the Scots retinue to make me think she must take her face from herfather, the villain, who, someone told me, was beetle-browed andswarthy. "

"Lives he still?"

"So 'tis thought, but somewhere in prison in the north. There havebeen no tidings of his death; but my Lady Queen, you'll remember, treats the marriage as nought, and has made offer of herself for themisfortune of the Duke of Norfolk, ay, and of this Don John, and I knownot whom besides. "

"She would not have done that had she known that our Cis was alive. "

"Mayhap she would, mayhap not. I believe myself she would do anythingshort of disowning her Popery to get out of prison; but as mattersstand I doubt me whether Cis--"

"The Lady Bride Hepburn, " suggested Susan. 

"Pshaw, poor child, I misdoubt me whether they would own her claim evento that name. "

"And they might put her in prison if they did, " said Susan. 

"They would be sure to do so, sooner or later. Here has my lord beenrecounting in his trouble about my lady's fine match for her Bess, allthat hath come of mating with royal blood, the very least disasterbeing poor Lady Mary Grey's! Kept in ward for life! It is a cruelmatter. I would that I had known the cipher at first. Then she mighteither have been disposed of at the Queen's will, or have been sentsafe to this nunnery at Soissons. "

"To be bred a Papist! Oh fie, husband!"

"And to breed dissension in the kingdoms!" added her husband. "It isbest so far for the poor maiden herself to have thy tender hand overher than that of any queen or abbess of them all. "

"Shall we then keep all things as they are, and lock this knowledge inour own hearts?" asked Susan hopefully. 

"To that am I mightily inclined, " said Richard. "Were it blazed abroadat once, thou and I might be made out guilty of I know not what forconcealing it; and as to the maiden, she would either be put in closeward with her mother, or, what would be more likely, had up to court tobe watched, and flouted, and spied upon, as were the two poorladies--sisters to the Lady Jane--ere they made their lot hopeless bymarrying. Nay, I have seen those who told me that poor Lady Katherinewas scarce worse bested in the Tower than she was while at court. "

"My poor Cis! No, no! The only cause for which I could bear to yieldher up would be the thought that she would bring comfort to the heartof the poor captive mother who hath the best right to her. "

"Forsooth! I suspect her poor captive mother would scarce be pleasedto find this witness to her ill-advised marriage in existence. "

"Nor would she be permitted to be with her. "

"Assuredly not. Moreover, what could she do with the poor child?"

"Rear her in Popery, " exclaimed Susan, to whom the word was terrible. 

"Yea, and make her hand secure as the bait to some foreign prince orsome English traitor, who would fain overthrow Queen and Church. "

Susan shuddered. "Oh yes! let us keep the poor child to ourselves. I_could_ not give her up to such a lot as that. And it might imperilyou too, my husband. I should like to get up instantly and burn thescroll. "

"I doubt me whether that were expedient, " said Richard. "Suppose itwere in the course of providence that the young King of Scots shouldnot live, then would this maid be the means of uniting the two kingdomsin the true and Reformed faith! Heaven forefend that he should be cutoff, but meseemeth that we have no right to destroy the evidence thatmay one day be a precious thing to the kingdom at large. "

"No chance eye could read it even were it discovered?" said Susan. 

"No, indeed. Thou knowest how I strove in vain to read it at first, and even now, when Frank Talbot unwittingly gave me the key, it wasdays before I could fully read it. It will tell no tales, sweet wife, that can prejudice any one, so we will let it be, even with the babyclouts. So now to sleep, with no more thoughts on the matter. "

That was easy to say, but Susan lay awake long, pondering over thewonder, and only slept to dream strange dreams of queens andprincesses, ay, and worse, for she finally awoke with a scream, thinking her husband was on the scaffold, and that Humfrey and Cis werewalking up the ladder, hand in hand with their necks bared, to followhim!

There was no need to bid her hold her tongue. She regarded the secretwith dread and horror, and a sense of something amiss which she couldnot quite define, though she told herself she was only acting inobedience to her husband, and indeed her judgment went along with his. 

Often she looked at the unconscious Cis, studying whether the child'sparentage could be detected in her features. But she gave promise ofbeing of larger frame than her mother, who had the fine limbs andcontour of her Lorraine ancestry, whereas Cis did, as Richard said, seem to have the sturdy outlines of the Borderer race from whom herfather came. She was round-faced too, and sunburnt, with deep grayeyes under black straight brows, capable of frowning heavily. She didnot look likely ever to be the fascinating beauty which all declaredher mother to be--though those who saw the captive at Sheffield, believed the charm to be more in indefinable grace than in actualfeatures, --in a certain wonderful smile and sparkle, a mixed pathos andarchness which seldom failed of its momentary effect, even upon thosewho most rebelled against it. Poor little Cis, a sturdy girl of twelveor thirteen, playing at ball with little Ned on the terrace, and comingwith tardy steps to her daily task of spinning, had little of theprincess about her; and yet when she sat down, and the management ofdistaff and thread threw her shoulders back, there was something in thepoise of her small head and the gesture of her hand that forciblyrecalled the Queen. Moreover, all the boys around were at her beck andcall, not only Humfrey and poor Antony Babington, but Cavendishes, Pierrepoints, all the young pages and grandsons who dwelt at castle orlodge, and attended Master Sniggius's school. Nay, the dominiehimself, though owning that Mistress Cicely promoted idleness andinattention among his pupils, had actually volunteered to come down toBridgefield twice a week himself to prevent her from forgetting herLilly's grammar and her Caesar's Commentaries, an attention with whichthis young lady would willingly have dispensed. 

Stewart, Lorraine, Hepburn, the blood of all combined was a perilousinheritance, and good Susan Talbot's instinct was that the young girlwhom she loved truly like her own daughter would need all the morecareful and tender watchfulness and training to overcome any tendenciesthat might descend to her. Pity increased her affection, and evenwhile in ordinary household life it was easy to forget who and what thegirl really was, yet Cis was conscious that she was admitted to theintimacy and privileges of an elder daughter, and made a companion andfriend, while her contemporaries at the Manor-house were treated aschildren, and rated roundly, their fingers tapped with fans, theirshoulders even whipped, whenever they transgressed. Cis did indeedlive under equal restraint, but it was the wise and gentle restraint offirm influence and constant watchfulness, which took from her the wishto resist. 

CHAPTER IX. 

UNQUIET. 

Bridgefield was a peaceable household, and the castle and manor beyondmight envy its calm. 

From the time of the marriage of Elizabeth Cavendish with the youngEarl of Lennox all the shreds of comfort which had remained to theunfortunate Earl had vanished. First he had to clear himself beforeQueen Elizabeth from having been a consenting party, and then he foundhis wife furious with him at his displeasure at her daughter'saggrandisement. Moreover, whereas she had formerly been on terms offriendly gossiphood with the Scottish Queen, she now went over to theLennox side because her favourite daughter had married among them; andit was evident that from that moment all amity between her and theprisoner was at an end. 

She was enraged that her husband would not at once change his wholetreatment of the Queen, and treat her as such guilt deserved; and withthe illogical dulness of a passionate woman, she utterly scouted andfailed to comprehend the argument that the unhappy Mary was, to say theleast of it, no more guilty now than when she came into their keeping, and that to alter their demeanour towards her would be unjust andunreasonable. 

"My Lady is altogether beyond reason, " said Captain Talbot, returningone evening to his wife; "neither my Lord nor her daughter can do oughtwith her; so puffed up is she with this marriage! Moreover, she ishotly angered that young Babington should have been sent away from herretinue without notice to her, and demands our Humfrey in his stead asa page. "

"He is surely too old for a page!" said his mother, thinking of hertall well-grown son of fifteen. 

"So said I, " returned Richard. "I had sooner it were Diccon, and so Itold his lordship. "

Before Richard could speak for them, the two boys came in, eager andbreathless. "Father!" cried Humfrey, "who think you is at Hull? Why, none other than your old friend and shipmate, Captain Frobisher!"

"Ha! Martin Frobisher! Who told thee, Humfrey?"

"Faithful Ekins, sir, who had it from the Doncaster carrier, who sawCaptain Frobisher himself, and was asked by him if you, sir, were notsomewhere in Yorkshire, and if so, to let you know that he will be inHull till May-day, getting men together for a voyage to the northwards, where there is gold to be had for the picking--and if you had a likelyson or two, now was the time to make their fortunes, and show them theworld. He said, any way you might ride to see an old comrade. "

"A long message for two carriers, " said Richard Talbot, smiling, "butMartin never was a scribe!"

"But, sir, you will let me go, " cried Humfrey, eagerly. "I mean, Ipray you to let me go. Dear mother, say nought against it, " entreatedthe youth. "Cis, think of my bringing thee home a gold bracelet likemother's. "

"What, " said his father, "when my Lady has just craved thee for a page. "

"A page!" said Humfrey, with infinite contempt--"to hear all theirtales and bickerings, hold skeins of silk, amble mincingly alonggalleries, be begged to bear messages that may have more in them thanone knows, and be noted for a bear if one refuses. "

The father and Cis laughed, the mother looked unhappy. 

"So Martin is at Hull, is he?" said Richard, musingly. "If my Lord cangive me leave for a week or fortnight, methinks I must ride to see thestout old knave. "

"And oh, sweet father! prithee take me with you, " entreated Humfrey, "if it be only to come back again. I have not seen the sea since wecame here, and yet the sound is in my ears as I fall asleep. I entreatof you to let me come, good my father. "

"And, good father, let me come, " exclaimed Diccon; "I have never evenseen the sea!"

"And dear, sweet father, take me, " entreated little Ned. 

"Nay, " cried Cis, "what should I do? Here is Antony Babington borneoff to Cambridge, and you all wanting to leave me. "

"I'll come home better worth than he!" muttered Humfrey, who thought hesaw consent on his father's brow, and drew her aside into the deepwindow. 

"You'll come back a rude sailor, smelling of pitch and tar, and Antonywill be a well-bred, point-device scholar, who will know how to give alady his hand, " said the teasing girl. 

"And so the playful war was carried on, while the father, havingsilenced and dismissed the two younger lads, expressed his intention ofobtaining leave of absence, if possible, from the Earl. "

"Yea, " he added to his wife, "I shall even let Humfrey go with me. Itis time he looked beyond the walls of this place, which is littlebetter than a prison. "

"And will you let him go on this strange voyage?" she asked wistfully, "he, our first-born, and our heir. "

"For that, dame, remember his namesake, my poor brother, was the onewho stayed at home, I the one to go forth, and here am I now! Thelad's words may have set before thee weightier perils in yonder parkthan he is like to meet among seals and bears under honest old Martin. "

"Yet here he has your guidance, " said Susan. 

"Who knows how they might play on his honour as to talebearing? Nay, good wife, when thou hast thought it over, thou wilt see that farfouler shoals and straits lie up yonder, than in the free open sea thatGod Almighty made. Martin is a devout and godly man, who hath matinsand evensong on board each day when the weather is not too foul, andlooks well that there be no ill-doings in his ship; and if he have aberth for thy lad, it will be a better school for him than wheretwo-thirds of the household are raging against one another, and thethird ever striving to corrupt and outwit the rest. I am weary of itall! Would that I could once get into blue water again, and leave itall behind!"

"You will not! Oh! you will not!" implored Susan. "Remember, my dear, good lord, how you said all your duties lay at home. "

"I remember, my good housewife. Thou needst not fear for me. Butthere is little time to spare. If I am to see mine old friend, I mustget speech of my Lord to-night, so as to be on horseback to-morrow. Saddle me Brown Dumpling, boys. "

And as the boys went off, persuading Cis, who went coyly protestingthat the paddock was damp, yet still following after them, he added, "Yea, Sue, considering all, it is better those two were apart for ayear or so, till we see better what is this strange nestling that wehave reared. Ay, thou art like the mother sparrow that hath bred up acuckoo and doteth on it, yet it mateth not with her brood. "

"It casteth them out, " said Susan, "as thou art doing now, by yourleave, husband. "

"Only for a flight, gentle mother, " he answered, "only for a flight, toprove meanwhile whether there be the making of a simple household bird, or of a hawk that might tear her mate to pieces, in yonder nestling. "

Susan was too dutiful a wife to say more, though her motherly heart waswrung almost as much at the implied distrust of her adopted daughter asby the sudden parting with her first-born to the dangers of thenorthern seas. She could better enter into her husband's fears of thetemptations of page life at Sheffield, and being altogether a wife, "bonner and boughsome, " as her marriage vow held it, she appliedherself and Cis to the choosing of the shirts and the crimping of theruffs that were to appear in Hull, if, for there was this hope at thebottom of her heart, my Lord might refuse leave of absence to his"gentleman porter. "

The hope was fallacious; Richard reported that my Lord was so muchrelieved to find that he had detected no fresh conspiracy, as to bewilling to grant him a fortnight's leave, and even had said with a sighthat he was in the right on't about his son, for Sheffield was more ofa school for plotting than for chivalry. 

It was a point of honour with every good housewife to have a store oflinen equal to any emergency, and, indeed, as there were no washingdays in the winter, the stock of personal body-linen was at all timesnearly a sufficient outfit; so the main of Humfrey's shirts were to bedespatched by a carrier, in the trust that they would reach him beforethe expedition should sail. 

There was then little to delay the father and son, after the mother, with fast-gathering tears resolutely forced back, had packed andstrapped their mails, with Cis's help, Humfrey standing by, booted andspurred, and talking fast of the wonders he should see, and the goldand ivory he should bring home, to hide the qualms of home-sickness, and mother-sickness, he was already beginning to feel; and maybe to getCis to pronounce that then she should think more of him than of AntonyBabington with his airs and graces. Wistfully did the lad watch forsome such tender assurance, but Cis seemed all provoking brilliancy andteasing. "She knew he would be back over soon. Oh no, _he_ wouldnever go to sea! She feared not. Mr. Frobisher would have none ofsuch awkward lubbers. More's the pity. There would be some peace toget to do her broidery, and leave to play on the virginals when he wasgone. "

But when the horsemen had disappeared down the avenue, Cis hid herselfin a corner and cried as if her heart would break. 

She cried again behind the back of the tall settle when the father cameback alone, full of praises of Captain Frobisher, his ship, and hiscompany, and his assurances that he would watch over Humfrey like hisown son. 

Meantime the domestic storms at the park were such that Master Richardand his wife were not sorry that the boy was not growing up in themidst of them, though the Countess rated Susan severely for heringratitude. 

Queen Elizabeth was of course much angered at the Lennox match, and theEarl had to write letter after letter to clear himself from anyparticipation in bringing it about. Queen Mary also wrote to clearherself of it, and to show that she absolutely regretted it, as she hadsmall esteem for Bess Cavendish. Moreover, though Lady Shrewsbury'sfriendship might not be a very pleasant thing, it was at least betterthan her hostility. However, she was not much at Sheffield. Not onlywas she very angry with her husband, but Queen Elizabeth had strictlyforbidden the young Lord Lennox from coming under the same roof withhis royal sister-in-law. He was a weakly youth, and his wife's healthfailed immediately after her marriage, so that Lady Shrewsbury remainedalmost constantly at Chatsworth with her darling. 

Gilbert Talbot, who was the chief peacemaker of the family, went to andfro, wrote letters and did his best, which would have been moreeffective but for Mary, his wife, who, no doubt, detailed all thegossip of Sheffield at Chatsworth, as she certainly amused Sheffieldwith stories of her sister Bess as a royal countess full of airs andhumours, and her mother treating her, if not as a queen, at least onthe high road to become one, and how the haughty dame of Shrewsbury ranwillingly to pick up her daughter's kerchief, and stood over the firestirring the posset, rather than let it fail to tempt the appetitewhich became more dainty by being cossetted. 

The difference made between Lady Lennox and her elder sisters was not alittle nettling to Dame Mary Talbot, who held that some considerationwas her due, as the proud mother of the only grandson of the house ofShrewsbury, little George, who was just able to be put on horseback inthe court, and say he was riding to see "Lady Danmode, " and to drinkthe health of "Lady Danmode" at his meals. 

Alas! the little hope of the Talbots suddenly faded. One evening aftersupper a message came down in haste to beg for the aid of MistressSusan, who, though much left to the seclusion of Bridgefield inprosperous days, was always a resource in trouble or difficulty. LittleGeorge, then two and a half years old, had been taken suddenly illafter a supper on marchpane and plum broth, washed down by Christmasale. Convulsions had come on, and the skill of Queen Mary's apothecaryhad only gone so far as to bleed him. Susan arrived only just in timeto see the child breathe his last sigh, and to have his mother, wildwith tumultuous clamorous grief, put into her hands for such soothingand comforting as might be possible, and the good and tender woman didher best to turn the mother's thoughts to something higher and betterthan the bewailing at one moment "her pretty boy, " with a sort ofanimal sense of bereavement, and the next with lamentations over thehonours to which he would have succeeded. It was of little use to speakto her of the eternal glories of which he was now secure, for MaryTalbot's sorrow was chiefly selfish, and was connected with the loss ofher pre-eminence as parent to the heir-male. 

However, the grief of those times was apt to expend itself quickly, andwhen little George's coffin, smothered under heraldic devices andfuneral escutcheons, had been bestowed in the family vault, Dame Marysoon revived enough to take a warm interest in the lords who were nextafterwards sent down to hold conferences with the captive; and hercriticism of the fashion of their ruffs and doublets was as animated asever. Another grief, however, soon fell upon the family. Lady Lennox'sailments proved to be no such trifles as her sisters and sisters-in-lawhad been pleased to suppose, and before the year was out, she hadpassed away from all her ambitious hopes, leaving a little daughter. The Earl took a brief leave of absence to visit his lady in heraffliction at Chatsworth, and to stand godfather to the motherlessinfant. 

"She will soon be fatherless, too, " said Richard Talbot on his returnto Bridgefield, after attending his lord on this expedition. "My youngLord Lennox, poor youth, is far gone in the wasting sickness, as wellas distraught with grief, and he could scarcely stand to receive myLord. "

"Our poor lady!" said Susan, "it pities me to think what hopes she hadfixed upon that young couple whom she had mated together. "

"I doubt me whether her hopes be ended now, " quoth Richard. "Whatthink you she hath fixed on as the name of the poor puling babe yonder?They have called her Arbel or Arabella. "

"Arabella, say you? I never heard such a name. It is scarceChristian. Is it out of a romaunt?"

"Better that it were. It is out of a pedigree. They have got thewhole genealogy of the house of Lennox blazoned fair, with crowns andcoronets and coats of arms hung up in the hall at Chatsworth, going upon the one hand through Sir AEneas of Troy, and on the other handthrough Woden to Adam and Eve! Pass for all before the Stewart linebecame Kings of Scots! Well, it seems that these Lennox Stewartssprang from one Walter, who was son to King Robert II. , and that themother of this same Walter was called Anhild, or as the Scots here callit Annaple, but the scholars have made it into Arabella, and so myyoung lady is to be called. They say it was a special fancy of theyoung Countess's. "

"So I should guess. My lady would fill her head with such thoughts, and of this poor youth being next of kin to the young Scottish king, and to our own Queen. "

"He is not next heir to Scotland even, barring a little one we wot of, Dame Sue. The Hamiltons stand between, being descended from a daughterof King James I. "

"So methought I had heard. Are they not Papists?"

"Yea! Ah ha, sweetheart, there is another of the house of Hardwicke asfain to dreams of greatness for her child as ever was the Countess, though she may be more discreet in the telling of them. "

"Ah me, dear sir, I dreamt not of greatness for splendour'ssake--'twere scarce for the dear child's happiness. I only thought ofwhat you once said, that she may be the instrument of preserving thetrue religion. "

"And if so, it can only be at a mighty cost!" said her husband. 

"Verily, " said Susan, "glad am I that you sent our Humfrey from her. Would that nought had ever passed between the children!"

"They were but children, " said Richard; "and there was no contractbetween them. "

"I fear me there was what Humfrey will hold to, or know good reasonwhy, " said his mother. 

"And were the young King of Scots married and father to a goodly heir, there is no reason he should not hold to it, " rejoined Richard. 

However Richard was still anxious to keep his son engaged at a distancefrom Sheffield. There was great rejoicing and thankfulness when one ofthe many messengers constantly passing between London and Sheffieldbrought a packet from Humfrey, whose ship had put into the Thamesinstead of the Humber. 

The packet contained one of the black stones which the science of thetime expected to transmute into gold, also some Esquimaux trinkets madeof bone, and a few shells. These were for the mother and Cis, andthere were also the tusks of a sea-elephant which Humfrey would lay upat my Lord's London lodgings till his father sent tidings what shouldbe done with them, and whether he should come home at once by sea toHull, or if, as he much desired to do, he might join an expeditionwhich was fitting out for the Spanish Main, where he was assured thatmuch more both of gold and honour was to be acquired than in the coldnorthern seas, where nothing was to be seen for the fog at most times, and when it cleared only pigmies, with their dogs, white bears, andseals, also mountains of ice bigger than any church, blue as my lady'sbest sapphires, green as her emeralds, sparkling as her diamonds, butready to be the destruction of the ships. 

"One there was, " wrote Humfrey, "that I could have thought was no otherthan the City that the blessed St. John saw descending from Heaven, sofair was it to look on, but they cried out that it was rather a City ofDestruction, and when we had got out of the current where it wasbearing down on us, our noble captain piped all hands up to prayers, and gave thanks for our happy deliverance therefrom. "

Susan breathed a thanksgiving as her husband read, and he forbore totell her of the sharks, the tornadoes, and the fevers which might makethe tropical seas more perilous than the Arctic. No Elizabethanmariner had any scruples respecting piracy, and so long as the captainwas a godly man who kept up strict discipline on board, Master Richardheld the quarterdeck to be a much more wholesome place than theManor-house, and much preferred the humours of the ship to those of anyother feminine creature; for, as to his Susan, he always declared thatshe was the only woman who had none. 

So she accepted his decision, and saw the wisdom of it, though hertender heart deeply felt the disappointment. Tenderly she packed upthe shirts which she and Cis had finished, and bestrewed them withlavender, which, as she said, while a tear dropped with the grayblossoms, would bring the scent of home to the boy. 

Cis affected to be indifferent and offended. Master Humfrey might doas he chose. She did not care if he did prefer pitch and tar, andwhale blubber and grease, to hawks and hounds, and lords and ladies. She was sure she wanted no more great lubberly lads--with a sly cut atDiccon--to tangle her silk, and torment her to bait their hooks. Shewas well quit of any one of them. 

When Diccon proposed that she should write a letter to Humfrey, shedeclared that she should do no such thing, since he had never attemptedto write to her. In truth Diccon may have made the proposal in orderto obtain a companion in misfortune, since Master Sniggius, emulous ofthe success of other tutors, insisted on his writing to his brother inLatin, and the unfortunate epistle of Ricardus to Onofredus was revisedand corrected to the last extremity, and as it was allowed to containno word unknown to Virgilius Maro, it could not have afforded muchdelectation to the recipient. 

But when Mrs. Susan had bestowed all the shirts as neatly as possible, on returning to settle them for the last time before wrapping them upfor the messenger, she felt something hard among them. It was a tinyparcel wrapped in a piece of a fine kerchief, tied round with a tressof dark hair, and within, Susan knew by the feeling, a certain chessrook which had been won by Cis when shooting at the butts a week or twobefore. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE LADY ARBELL. 

After several weary months of languishing, Charles Stewart was savedfrom the miseries which seemed the natural inheritance of his name bysinking into his grave. His funeral was conducted with the utmostmagnificence, though the Earl of Shrewsbury declined to be present atit, and shortly after, the Countess intimated her purpose of returningto Sheffield, bringing with her the little orphan, Lady ArabellaStewart. Orders came that the best presence chamber in the Manor-houseshould be prepared, the same indeed where Queen Mary had been quarteredbefore the lodge had been built for her use. The Earl was greatlyperturbed. "Whom can she intend to bring?" he went about asking. "Ifit were the Lady Margaret, it were be much as my head were worth toadmit her within the same grounds as this Queen. "

"There is no love lost between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, "observed his son Gilbert in a consolatory tone. 

"Little good would that do to me, if once it came to the ears of herGrace and the Lord Treasurer that both had been my guests! And if Ihad to close the gates--though in no other way could I save my life andhonour--your mother would never forget it. It would be cast up to mefor ever. What think you, daughter Talbot?"

"Mayhap, " said Dame Mary, "my lady mother has had a hint to make readyfor her Majesty herself, who hath so often spoken of seeing the Queenof Scots, and might think well to take her unawares. "

This was a formidable suggestion. "Say you so, " cried the poor Earl, with an alarm his eye would never have betrayed had Parma himself beenwithin a march of Sheffield, "then were we fairly spent. I am animpoverished man, eaten out of house and lands as it is, and were theQueen herself to come, I might take at once to the beggar's bowl. "

"But think of the honour, good my lord, " cried Mary. "Think of allHallamshire coming to do her homage. Oh, how I should laugh to hearthe Mayor stumbling over his address. "

"Laugh, ay, " growled the Earl; "and how will you laugh when there isnot a deer left in the park, nor an ox in the stalls?"

"Nay, my Lord, " interposed Gilbert, "there is no fear of her Majesty'scoming. That post from M. De la Mauvissiere reported her at Greenwichonly five days back, and it would take her Majesty a far longer time tomake her progress than yonder fellow, who will tell you himself thatshe had no thoughts of moving. "

"That might only be a feint to be the more sudden with us, " said hiswife, actuated in part by the diversion of alarming her father-in-law, and in part really fired by the hope of such an effectual enlivenmentof the dulness of Sheffield. 

They were all in full family conclave drawn up in the hall for thereception, and Mistress Susan, who could not bear to see the Earl soperplexed and anxious, ventured to say that she was quite sure that myLady Countess would have sent warning forward if indeed she werebringing home such a guest, and at that moment the blare of trumpetsannounced that the cavalcade was approaching. The start which the Earlgave showed how much his nerves had become affected by his years ofcustody. Up the long avenue they came, with all the state with whichthe Earl had conducted Queen Mary to the lodge before she wasabsolutely termed a prisoner. Halberdiers led the procession, horseand foot seemed to form it. The home party stood on the top of thesteps watching with much anxiety. There was a closed litter visible, beside which Lady Shrewsbury, in a mourning dress and hood, could beseen riding her favourite bay palfrey. No doubt it contained the LadyMargaret, Countess of Lennox; and the unfortunate Earl, forgetting allhis stately dignity, stood uneasily moving from leg to leg, and pullinghis long beard, torn between the instincts of hospitality and of loyalobedience, between fear of his wife and fear of the Queen. 

The litter halted at the foot of the steps, the Earl descended. All hesaw was the round face of an infant in its nurse's arms, and he turnedto help his wife from the saddle, but she waved him aside. "My sonGilbert will aid me, my Lord, " said she, "your devoir is to theprincess. "

Poor Lord Shrewsbury, his apologies on his tongue, looked into thelitter, where he saw the well-known and withered countenance of thefamily nurse. He also beheld a buxom young female, whose dress markedher as a peasant, but before he had time to seek further for theprincess, the tightly rolled chrysalis of a child was thrust into hisastonished arms, while the round face puckered up instantly with terrorat sight of his bearded countenance, and he was greeted with a loudyell. He looked helplessly round, and his lady was ready at once torelieve him. "My precious! My sweetheart! My jewel! Did he looksour at her and frighten her with his ugsome beard?" and the likeendearments common to grandmothers in all ages. 

"But where is the princess?"

"Where? Where should she be but here? Her grandame's own precious, royal, queenly little darling!" and as a fresh cry broke out, "Yes, yes; she shall to her presence chamber. Usher her, Gilbert. "

"Bess's brat!" muttered Dame Mary, in ineffable disappointment. 

Curiosity and the habit of obedience to the Countess carried the entiretroop on to the grand apartments on the south side, where Queen Maryhad been lodged while the fiction of her guestship had been kept up. Lady Shrewsbury was all the time trying to hush the child, who wasquite old enough to be terrified by new faces and new scenes, and whowas besides tired and restless in her swaddling bands, for which shewas so nearly too old that she had only been kept in them for greatersecurity upon the rough and dangerous roads. Great was my lady'sindignation on reaching the state rooms on finding that no nurserypreparations had been made, and her daughter Mary, with a giggle hardlyrepressed by awe of her mother, stood forth and said, "Why, verily, mylady, we expected some great dame, my Lady Margaret or my Lady Hunsdonat the very least, when you spoke of a princess. "

"And who should it be but one who has both the royal blood of Englandand Scotland in her veins? You have not saluted the child to whom youhave the honour to be akin, Mary! On your knee, minion; I tell you shehath as good or a better chance of wearing a crown as any woman inEngland. "

"She hath a far better chance of a prison, " muttered the Earl, "if allthis foolery goes on. "

"What! What is that? What are you calling these honours to my orphanprincess?" cried the lady, but the princess herself here broke in withthe lustiest of squalls, and Susan, who was sorry for the child, contrived to insert an entreaty that my lady would permit her to betaken at once to the nursery chamber that had been made ready for her, and let her there be fed, warmed, and undressed at once. 

There was something in the quality of Susan's voice to which peoplelistened, and the present necessity overcame the Countess's desire toassert the dignity of her granddaughter, so she marched out of the roomattended by the women, while the Earl and his sons were only too gladto slink away--there is no other word for it, their relief as to theexpected visitor having been exchanged for consternation of anotherdescription. 

There was a blazing fire ready, and all the baby comforts of the timeprovided, and poor little Lady Arbell was relieved from her swathingbands, and allowed to stretch her little limbs on her nurse's lap, theone rest really precious to babes of all periods and conditions--butthe troubles were not yet over, for the grandmother, glancing round, demanded, "Where is the cradle inlaid with pearl? Why was it notprovided? Bring it here. "

Now this cradle, carved in cedar wood and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, had been a sponsor's gift to poor little George, the first male heir ofthe Talbots, and it was regarded as a special treasure by his mother, who was both wounded and resentful at the demand, and stood pouting andsaying, "It was my son's. It is mine. "

"It belongs to the family. You, " to two of the servants, "fetch ithere instantly!"

The ladies of Hardwicke race were not guarded in temper or language, and Mary burst into passionate tears and exclamations that Bess's bratshould not have her lost George's cradle, and flounced away to getbefore the servants and lock it up. Lady Shrewsbury would have sprungafter her, and have made no scruple of using her fists and nails evenon her married daughter, but that she was impeded by a heavy table, andthis gave time for Susan to throw herself before her, and entreat herto pause. 

"You, you, Susan Talbot! You should know better than to take the partof an undutiful, foul-tongued vixen like that. Out of my way, I say!"and as Susan, still on her knees, held the riding-dress, she received astinging box on the ear. But in her maiden days she had known theweight of my lady's hand, and without relaxing her hold, she onlyentreated: "Hear me, hear me for a little space, my lady. Did you butknow how sore her heart is, and how she loved little Master George!"

"That is no reason she should flout and miscall her dead sister, ofwhom she was always jealous!"

"O madam, she wept with all her heart for poor Lady Lennox. It is notany evil, but she sets such store by that cradle in which her childdied--she keeps it by her bed even now, and her woman told me how, forall she seems gay and blithe by day, she weeps over it at night, as ifher heart would break. "

Lady Shrewsbury was a little softened. "The child died in it?" sheasked. 

"Yea, madam. He had been on his father's knee, and had seemed a littleeasier, and as if he might sleep, so Sir Gilbert laid him down, and hedid but stretch himself out, shiver all over, draw a long breath, andthe pretty lamb was gone to Paradise!"

"You saw him, Susan?"

"Yea, madam. Dame Mary sent for me, but none could be of any aid whereit was the will of Heaven to take him. "

"If I had been there, " said the Countess, "I who have brought up eightchildren and lost none, I should have saved him! So he died in yondercedar cradle! Well, e'en let Mary keep it. It may be that there isinfection in the smell of the cedar wood, and that the child will sleepbetter out of it. It is too late to do aught this evening, butto-morrow the child shall be lodged as befits her birth, in thepresence chamber. "

"Ah, madam!" said Susan, "would it be well for the sweet babe if herMajesty's messengers, who be so often at the castle, were to report herso lodged?"

"I have a right to lodge my grandchild where and how I please in my ownhouse. "

"Yea, madam, that is most true, but you wot how the Queen treats allwho may have any claim to the throne in future times; and were itreported by any of the spies that are ever about us, how royal honourswere paid to the little Lady Arbell, might she not be taken from yourladyship's wardship, and bestowed with those who would not show hersuch loving care?"

The Countess would not show whether this had any effect on her, or elsesome sound made by the child attracted her. It was a puny littlething, and she had a true grandmother's affection for it, apart fromher absurd pride and ambition, so that she was glad to hold counselover it with Susan, who had done such justice to her training as to be, in her eyes, a mother who had sense enough not to let her childrenwaste and die; a rare merit in those days, and one that Susan could notdisclaim, though she knew that it did not properly belong to her. 

Cis had stood by all the time like a little statue, for no one, noteven young Lady Talbot, durst sit down uninvited in the presence ofEarl or Countess; but her black brows were bent, her gray eyes intent. 

"Mother, " she said, as they went home on their quiet mules, "are greatladies always so rudely spoken to one another?"

"I have not seen many great ladies, Cis, and my Lady Countess hasalways been good to me. "

"Antony said that the Scots Queen and her ladies never storm at oneanother like my lady and her daughters. "

"Open words do not always go deep, Cis, " said the mother. "I hadrather know and hear the worst at once. " And then her heart smote heras she recollected that she might be implying censure of the girl'strue mother, as well as defending wrath and passion, and she added, "Bethat as it may, it is a happy thing to learn to refrain the tongue. "

CHAPTER XI. 

QUEEN MARY'S PRESENCE CHAMBER. 

The storm that followed on the instalment of the Lady Arbell atSheffield was the precursor of many more. Her grandmother didsufficiently awake to the danger of alarming the jealousy of QueenElizabeth to submit to leave her in the ordinary chambers of thechildren of the house, and to exact no extraordinary marks of respecttowards the unconscious infant; but there was no abatement in theCountess's firm belief that an English-born, English-bred child, wouldhave more right to the crown than any "foreign princes, " as shecontemptuously termed the Scottish Queen and her son. 

Moreover, in her two years' intercourse with the elder Countess ofLennox, who was a gentle-tempered but commonplace woman, she hadadopted to the full that unfortunate princess's entire belief in theguilt of Queen Mary, and entertained no doubt that she had been themurderer of Darnley. Old Lady Lennox had seen no real evidence, andmerely believed what she was told by her lord, whose impeachment ofBothwell had been baffled by the Queen in a most suspicious manner. Conversations with this lady had entirely changed Lady Shrewsbury fromthe friendly hostess of her illustrious captive, to be her enemy andpersecutor, partly as being convinced of her guilt, partly as regardingher as an obstacle in the path of little Arbell to the throne. So shenot only refused to pay her respects as usual to "that murtheress, " butshe insisted that her husband should tighten the bonds of restraint, and cut off all indulgences. 

The Countess was one of the women to whom argument and reason areimpossible, and who was entirely swayed by her predilections, as wellas of so imperious a nature as to brook no opposition, and to be almostalways able to sweep every one along with her. 

Her own sons always were of her mind, and her daughters might fret andchafe, but were sure to take part with her against every one elseoutside the Cavendish family. The idea of being kinsfolk to the futureQueen excited them all, and even Mary forgot her offence about thecradle, and her jealousy of Bess, and ranked herself against herstepfather, influencing her husband, Gilbert, on whom the unfortunateEarl had hitherto leant. On his refusal to persecute his unfortunatecaptive beyond the orders from the Court, Bess of Hardwicke, emboldenedby the support she had gathered from her children, passionatelydeclared that it could only be because he was himself in love with themurtheress. Lord Shrewsbury could not help laughing a little at theabsurdity of the idea, whereupon my lady rose up in virtuousindignation, calling her sons and daughters to follow her. 

All that night, lights might have been seen flitting about at theManor-house, and early in the morning bugles sounded to horse. A hugeprocession, consisting of the Countess herself, and all her sons anddaughters then at Sheffield, little Lady Arbell, and the whole of theirattendants, swept out of the gates of the park on the way to Hardwicke. When Richard Talbot went up to fulfil his duties as gentleman porter atthe lodge the courts seemed well-nigh deserted, and a messengersummoned him at once to the Earl, whom he found in his bed-chamber inhis morning gown terribly perturbed. 

"For Heaven's sake send for your wife, Richard Talbot!" he said. "It isher Majesty's charge that some of mine household, or I myself, see thisunhappy Queen of Scots each day for not less than two hours, as youwell know. My lady has broken away, and all her daughters, on thisaccursed fancy--yea, and Gilbert too, Gilbert whom I always looked toto stand by me; I have no one to send. If I go and attend upon heralone, as I have done a thousand times to my sorrow, it will but givecolour to the monstrous tale; but if your good wife, an honourable ladyof the Hardwicke kin, against whom none ever breathed a word, will goand give the daily attendance, then can not the Queen herself findfault, and my wife's heated fancy can coin nothing suspicious. Youmust all come up, and lodge here in the Manor-house till this tempestbe overpast. Oh, Richard, Richard! will it last out my life? My verychildren are turned against me. Go you down and fetch your good Susan, and take order for bringing up your children and gear. Benthall shalltake your turn at the lodge. What are you tarrying for? Do you doubtwhether your wife have rank enough to wait on the Queen? She shouldhave been a knight's lady long ago, but that I deemed you would be gladto be quit of herald's fees; your service and estate have merited it, and I will crave license by to-day's courier from her Majesty to layknighthood on your shoulder. "

"That was not what I thought of, my Lord, though I humbly thank you, and would be whatever was best for your Lordship's service, though, ifit would serve you as well, I would rather be squire than knight; but Iwas bethinking me how we should bestow our small family. We have ayoung damsel at an age not to be left to herself. "

"The black-browed maid--I recollect her. Let her e'en follow hermother. Queen Mary likes a young face, and is kindly disposed tolittle maids. She taught Bess Pierrepoint to speak French and workwith her needle, and I cannot see that she did the lass any harm, nay, she is the only one of them all that can rule her tongue to give a softanswer if things go not after her will, and a maid might learn worsethings. Besides, your wife will be there to look after the maiden, soyou need have no fears. And for your sons, they will be at school, andcan eat with us. "

Richard's doubts being thus silenced he could not but bring his wife tohis lord's rescue, though he well knew that Susan would be greatlydisturbed on all accounts, and indeed he found her deep in the ironingthat followed the great spring wash, and her housewifely mind was asmuch exercised as to the effects of her desertion, as was her maternalprudence at the plunge which her unconscious adopted child was about tomake. However, there was no denying the request, backed as it was byher husband, looking at her proudly, and declaring she was by generalconsent the only discreet woman in Sheffield. She was very sorry forthe Earl's perplexity, and had a loyal pity for the Countess's vexationand folly, and she was consoled by the assurance that she would have afree time between dinner and supper to go home and attend to her wash, and finish her preparations. Cis, who had been left in a state ofgreat curiosity, to continue compounding pickle while the mother wascalled away, was summoned, to don her holiday kirtle, for she was tojoin in attendance on the Queen of Scots while Lady Shrewsbury and herdaughters were absent. 

It was unmixed delight to the girl, and she was not long infresh-binding up her hair--black with a little rust-colouredtinge--under her stiff little cap, smoothing down the front, which wasalone visible, putting on the well-stiffened ruff with the daintylittle lace edge and close-fitting tucker, and then the gray home-spunkirtle, with the puffs at the top of the tight sleeves, and the slashesinto which she had persuaded mother to insert some old pink satin, forwas not she sixteen now, and almost a woman? There was a pinkbreast-knot to match, and Humfrey's owch just above it, gray stockings, home-spun and worked with elaborate pink clocks, but knitted by Cisherself; and a pair of shoes with pink roses to match were put into abag, to be assumed when she arrived at the lodge. Out of this simplefinery beamed a face, bright in spite of the straight, almost bushy, black brows. There was a light of youth, joy, and intelligence, abouther gray eyes which made them sparkle all the more under their darksetting, and though her complexion had no brilliancy, only theclearness of health, and her features would not endure criticism, therewas a wonderful lively sweetness about her fresh, innocent young mouth;and she had a tall lithe figure, surpassing that of her stepmother. She would have been a sonsie Border lass in appearance but for theremarkable carriage of her small head and shoulders, which wasassuredly derived from her royal ancestry, and indeed her air andmanner of walking were such that Diccon had more than once accused herof sailing about ambling like the Queen of Scots, an accusation whichshe hotly denied. Her hands bad likewise a slender form and finetexture, such as none of the ladies of the houses of Talbot orHardwicke could rival, but she was on the whole viewed as far frombeing a beauty. The taste of the day was altogether for light, sandy-haired, small-featured women, like Queen Elizabeth or hernamesake of Hardwicke, so that Cis was looked on as a sort of crow, andher supposed parents were pitied for having so ill-favoured a daughter, so unlike all their families, except one black-a-vised Talbotgrandmother, whose portrait had been discovered on a pedigree. 

Much did Susan marvel what impression the daughter would make on thetrue mother as they jogged up on their sober ponies through the longavenues, whose branches were beginning to wear the purple shades ofcoming spring. 

Lord Shrewsbury himself met them in front of the lodge, where, in spiteof all his dignity, he had evidently been impatiently awaiting them. He thanked Susan for coming, as if he had not had a right to order, gave her his ungloved hand when she had dismounted, then at the singledoorway of the lodge caused his gentleman to go through the form ofrequesting admission for himself and Mistress Talbot, his dearkinswoman, to the presence of the Queen. It was a ceremony dailyobserved as an acknowledgment of Mary's royalty, and the Earl was fartoo courteous ever to omit it. 

Queen Mary's willingness to admit him was notified by Sir AndrewMelville, a tall, worn man, with the typical Scottish countenance and akeen steadfast gray eye. He marshalled the trio up a circularstaircase, made as easy as possible, but necessarily narrow, since itwound up through a brick turret at the corner, to the third anduppermost story of the lodge. 

There, however, was a very handsome anteroom, with tapestry hangings, arichly moulded ceiling, and wide carved stone chimneypiece, where abright fire was burning, around which sat several Scottish and Frenchgentlemen, who rose at the Earl's entrance. Another wide doorway witha tapestry curtain over the folding leaves led to the presence chamber, and Sir Andrew announced in as full style as if he had been marshallingan English ambassador to the Court of Holyrood, the most high andmighty Earl of Shrewsbury. The room was full of March sunshine, and agreat wood fire blazed on the hearth. Part of the floor was carpeted, and overhung with a canopy, proceeding from the tapestried wall, andhere was a cross-legged velvet chair on which sat Queen Mary. This wasall that Cis saw at first, while the Earl advanced, knelt on one stepof the dais, with bared head, exchanging greetings with the Queen. Hethen added, that his wife, the Countess, and her daughter, having beencalled away from Sheffield, he would entreat her Grace to accept for afew days in their stead the attendance of his good kinswoman, Mrs. Talbot, and her daughter, Mistress Cicely. 

Mary graciously intimated her consent, and extended her hand for eachto kiss as they knelt in turn on the step; Susan either fancied, orreally saw a wonderful likeness in that taper hand to the little onewhose stitches she had so often guided. Cis, on her part, felt thethrill of girlhood in the actual touch of the subject of her dreams. She stood, scarcely hearing what passed, but taking in, from under herblack brows, all the surroundings, and recognising the persons from herformer glimpses, and from Antony Babington's descriptions. The presencechamber was ample for the suite of the Queen, which had been reduced onevery fresh suspicion. There was in it, besides the Queen's fourladies, an elderly one, with a close black silk hood--Jean Kennedy, orMrs. Kennett as the English called her; another, a thin slight figure, with a worn face, as if a great sorrow had passed over her, making herlook older than her mistress, was the Queen's last remaining Mary, otherwise Mrs. Seaton. The gossip of Sheffield had not failed to tellhow the chamberlain, Beatoun, had been her suitor, and she had halfconsented to accept him when he was sent on a mission to France, andthere died. The dark-complexioned bright-eyed little lady, on asmaller scale than the rest, was Marie de Courcelles, who, like the twoothers, had been the Queen's companion in all her adventures; and thefourth, younger and prettier than the rest, was already known to Cisand her mother, since she was the Barbara Mowbray who was affianced toGilbert Curll, the Queen's Scottish secretary, recently taken into herservice. Both these were Protestants, and, like the Bridgefieldfamily, attended service in the castle chapel. They were all at work, as was likewise their royal lady, to whom the girl, with the youthfulcoyness that halts in the fulfilment of its dreams, did not at firstraise her eyes, having first taken in all the ladies, the severalportions of one great coverlet which they were all embroidering inseparate pieces, and the gentleman who was reading aloud to them from alarge book placed on a desk at which he was standing. 

When she did look up, as the Queen was graciously requesting her motherto be seated, and the Earl excusing himself from remaining longer, herfirst impression was one of disappointment. Either the Queen of Scotswas less lovely seen leisurely close at hand than Antony Babington andCis's own fancy had painted her, or the last two or three years hadlessened her charms, as well they might, for she had struggled andsuffered much in the interval, had undergone many bitterdisappointments, and had besides endured much from rheumatism everywinter, indeed, even now she could not ride, and could only go out in acarriage in the park on the finest days, looking forward to her annualvisit to Buxton to set her up for the summer. Her face was longer andmore pointed than in former days, her complexion had faded, or perhapsin these private moments it had not been worth while to enhance it;though there was no carelessness in the general attire, the blackvelvet gown, and delicate lace of the cap, and open ruff alwayscharacteristic of her. The small curls of hair at her temples hadtheir auburn tint softened by far more white than suited one who wasonly just over forty, but the delicate pencilling of the eyebrows wasas marked as ever; and the eyes, on whose colour no one ever agreed, melted and sparkled as of old. Cis had heard debates as to their hue, and furtively tried to form her own opinion, but could not decide onanything but that they had a dark effect, and a wonderful power ofexpression, seeming to look at every one at once, and to rebuke, encourage, plead, or smile, from moment to moment. The slight cast inone of them really added to their force of expression rather thandetracted from their beauty, and the delicate lips were ready to secondthe glances with wondrous smiles. Cis had not felt the magic of hermere presence five minutes without being convinced that AntonyBabington was right; the Lord Treasurer and all the rest utterly wrong, and that she beheld the most innocent and persecuted of princesses. 

Meantime, all due formalities having been gone through, Lord Shrewsburybowed himself out backwards with a dexterity that Cis breathlesslyadmired in one so stately and so stiff, forgetting that he had dailypractice in the art. Then Queen Mary courteously entreated hervisitors to be seated, near herself, asking with a smile if this werenot the little maiden who had queened it so prettily in the brake somefew years since. Cis blushed and drew back her head with a prettygesture of dignified shyness as Susan made answer for her that she wasthe same. 

"I should have known it, " said the Queen, smiling, "by the port of herhead alone. 'Tis strange, " she said, musing, "that maiden hath thebearing of head and neck that I have never seen save in my own mother, the saints rest her soul, and in her sisters, and which we always heldto be their inheritance from the blood of Charlemagne. "

"Your grace does her too much honour, " Susan contrived to say, thankfulthat no less remote resemblance had been detected. 

"It was a sad farce when they tried to repeat your pretty comedy withthe chief performer omitted, " proceeded the Queen, directing her wordsto the girl, but the mother replied for her. 

"Your Grace will pardon me, I could not permit her to play in public, before all the menie of the castle. "

"Madame is a discreet and prudent mother, " said the Queen. "Themistake was in repeating the representation at all, not in abstainingfrom appearing in it. I should be very sorry that this young ladyshould have been concerned in a spectacle a la comtesse. "

There was something in the intonation of "this young lady" that wonCis's heart on the spot, something in the concluding words that hurtSusan's faithful loyalty towards her kinswoman, in spite of thecompliment to herself. However Mary did not pursue the subject, perceiving with ready tact that it was distasteful, and proceeded toask Dame Susan's opinion of her work, which was intended as a gift toher good aunt, the Abbess of Soissons. How strangely the name fellupon Susan's ear. It was a pale blue satin coverlet, worked in largeseparate squares, innumerable shields and heraldic devices of Lorraine, Bourbon, France, Scotland, etc. , round the border, and beautifulmeandering patterns of branches, with natural flowers and leavesgrowing from them covering the whole with a fascinating regularirregularity. Cis could not repress an exclamation of delight, whichbrought the most charming glance of the winning eyes upon her. Therewas stitchery here that she did not understand, but when she looked atsome of the flowers, she could not help uttering the sentiment that theeyes of the daisies were not as mother could make them. 

So, as a great favour, Queen Mary entreated to be shown Mrs. Talbot'smode of dealing with the eyes of the daisies. No, her good Seatonwould not learn so well as she should; Madame must come and sit by herand show her. Meantime here was her poor little Bijou whimpering to betaken on her lap. Would not he find a comforter in sweet Mistress--ah, what was her name?

"We named her Cicely, so please your Grace, " said Susan, unable to helpblushing. 

"Cecile, a fair name. Ah! so the poor Antoine called her. I see myBijou has found a friend in you, Mistress Cecile"--as the girl's idlehands were only too happy to caress the pretty little shivering Italiangreyhound rather than to be busy with a needle. "Do you ever hear ofthat young Babington, your playfellow?" she added. 

"No, madam, " said Cis, looking up, "he hath never been here!"

"I thought not, " said Queen Mary, sighing. "Take heed to manifest nopity for me, maiden, if you should ever chance to be inspired with itfor a poor worn-out old prisoner. It is the sure sentence ofmisfortune and banishment. "

"In his sex, madam, " here put in Marie de Courcelles. "If it were soin ours, woe to some of us. "

"That is true, my dear friends, " said Mary, her eyes glistening withdew. "It is the women who are the most fearless, the most faithful, and whom the saints therefore shield. "

"Alas, there are some who are faithful but who are not shielded!"

It was merely a soft low murmur, but the tender-hearted Queen hadcaught it, and rising impulsively, crossed the room and gathered MarySeaton's hands into hers, no longer the queen but the loving friend ofequal years, soothing her in a low fond voice, and presently sendingher to the inner chamber to compose herself. Then as the Queenreturned slowly to her seat it would be seen how lame she was fromrheumatism. Mrs. Kennedy hurried to assist her, with a nurse-like wordof remonstrance, to which she replied with a bewitching look ofsweetness that she could not but forget her aches and pains when shesaw her dear Mary Seaton in trouble. 

Most politely she then asked whether her visitors would object tolistening to the conclusion of her day's portion of reading. There wasno refusing, of course, though, as Susan glanced at the reader and knewhim to be strongly suspected of being in Holy Orders conferred abroad, she had her fears for her child's Protestant principles. The book, however, proved to be a translation of St. Austin on the Psalms, and, of course, she could detect nothing that she disapproved, even if Cishad not been far too much absorbed by the little dog and its mistressto have any comprehending ears for theology. Queen Mary confidentiallyobserved as much to her after the reading, having, no doubt, detectedher uneasy glance. 

"You need not fear for your child, madam, " she said; "St. Augustine isrespected by your own Queen and her Bishops. At the readings withwhich my good Mr. Belton favours me, I take care to have nothing youProtestants dispute when I know it. " She added, smiling, "Heaven knowsthat I have endeavoured to understand your faith, and many a ministerhas argued with me. I have done my best to comprehend them, but theyagreed in nothing but in their abuse of the Pope. At least so itseemed to my poor weak mind. But you are satisfied, madam, I see it inyour calm eyes and gentle voice. If I see much of you, I shall learnto think well of your religion. "

Susan made an obeisance without answering. She had heard Sir GilbertTalbot say, "If she tries to persuade you that you can convert her, besure that she means mischief, " but she could not bear to believe itanything but a libel while the sweet sad face was gazing into hers. 

Queen Mary changed the subject by asking a few questions about theCountess's sudden departure. There was a sort of guarded ironysuppressed in her tone--she was evidently feeling her way with thestranger, and when she found that Susan would only own to causes LordShrewsbury had adduced on the spur of the moment, she was much too waryto continue the examination, though Susan could not help thinking thatshe knew full well the disturbance which had taken place. 

A short walk on the roof above followed. The sun was shiningbrilliantly, and lame as she was, the Queen's strong craving for freeair led her to climb her stairs and creep to and fro on Sir AndrewMelville's arm, gazing out over the noble prospect of the park closebelow, divided by the winding vales of the three rivers, which could betraced up into the woods and the moors beyond, purple with springfreshness and glory. Mary made her visitors point out Bridgefield, andasked questions about all that could be seen of the house andpleasance, which, in truth, was little enough, but she contrived to setCis off into a girl's chatter about her home occupations, and would notlet her be hushed. 

"You little know the good it does a captive to take part, only infancy, in a free harmless life, " returned Mary, with the wistful lookthat made her eyes so pathetic. "There is no refreshment to me like achild's prattle. "

Susan's heart smote her as she thought of the true relations in whichthese two stood to one another, and she forbore from furtherinterference; but she greatly rejoiced when the great bell of thecastle gave notice of noon, and of her own release. When Queen Mary'sdinner was served, the Talbot ladies in attendance left her andrepaired to the general family meal in the hall. 

CHAPTER XII. 

A FURIOUS LETTER. 

A period now began of daily penance to Mrs. Talbot, of daily excitementand delight to Cis. Two hours or more had to be spent in attendance onQueen Mary. Even on Sundays there was no exemption, the visit onlytook place later in the day, so as not to interfere with going tochurch. 

Nothing could be more courteous or more friendly than the manner inwhich the elder lady was always received. She was always made welcomeby the Queen herself, who generally entered into conversation with heralmost as with an equal. Or when Mary herself was engaged in her privychamber in dictating to her secretaries, the ladies of the suite showedthemselves equally friendly, and told her of their mistress'ssatisfaction in having a companion free from all the rude andunaccountable humours and caprices of my Lady Countess and herdaughters. And if Susan was favoured, Cis was petted. Queen Maryalways liked to have young girls about her. Their fresh, spontaneous, enthusiastic homage was pleasant to one who loved above all to attract, and it was a pleasure to a prisoner to have a fresh face about her. 

Was it only this, or was it the maternal instinct that made her facelight up when the young girl entered the room and return the shyreverential kiss of the hand with a tender kiss on the forehead, thatmade her encourage the chatter, give little touches to the deportment, and present little keepsakes, which increased in value till Sir Richardbegan to look grave, and to say there must be no more jewels of pricebrought from the lodge? And as his wife uttered a word that soundedlike remonstrance, he added, "Not while she passes for my daughter. "

Cis, who had begun by putting on a pouting face, burst into tears. Heradopted parents had always been more tolerant and indulgent to her thanif she had been a child over whom they felt entire rights, and insteadof rewarding her petulance with such a blow as would have fallen to thelot of a veritable Talbot, Richard shrugged his shoulders and left theroom--the chamber which had been allotted to Dame Susan at theManor-house, while Susan endeavoured to cheer the girl by telling hernot to grieve, for her father was not angry with her. 

"Why--why may not the dear good Queen give me her dainty gifts?" sobbedCis. 

"See, dear child, " said Susan, "while she only gave thee an orangestuck with cloves, or an embroidery needle, or even a puppy dog, it isall very well; but when it comes to Spanish gloves and coral clasps, the next time there is an outcry about a plot, some evil-disposedperson would be sure to say that Master Richard Talbot had been takingbribes through his daughter. "

"It would be vilely false!" cried Cis with flashing eyes. 

"It would not be the less believed, " said Susan. "My Lord would say wehad betrayed our trust, and there never has been one stain on myhusband's honour. "

"You are wroth with me too, mother!" said Cis. 

"Not if you are a good child, and guard the honour of the name youbear. "

"I will, I will!" said Cis. "Never will I take another gift from theQueen if only you and he will call me your child, and be--good to me--"The rest was lost in tears and in the tender caresses that Susanlavished on her; all the more as she caught the broken words, "Humfrey, too, he would never forgive me. "

Susan told her husband what had passed, adding, "She will keep herword. "

"She must, or she shall go no more to the lodge, " he said. 

"You would not have doubted had you seen her eye flash at the thoughtof bringing your honour into question. There spoke her kingly blood. "

"Well, we shall see, " sighed Richard, "if it be blood that makes thenature. I fear me hers is but that of a Scottish thief! Scorn notwarning, mother, but watch thy stranger nestling well. "

"Nay, mine husband. While we own her as our child, she will doanything to be one with us. It is when we seem to put her from us thatwe wound her so that I know not what she might do, fondled as sheis--by--by her who--has the best right to the dear child. "

Richard uttered a certain exclamation of disgust which silenced hisdiscreet wife. 

Neither of them had quite anticipated the result, namely, that the nextmorning, Cis, after kissing the Queen's hand as usual, remainedkneeling, her bosom heaving, and a little stammering on her tongue, while tears rose to her eyes. 

"What is it, mignonne, " said Mary, kindly; "is the whelp dead? or isthe clasp broken?"

"No, madam; but--but I pray you give me no more gifts. My father saysit touches his honour, and I have promised him--Oh, madam, be notdispleased with me, but let me give you back your last beauteous gift. "

Mary was standing by the fire. She took the ivory and coral trinketfrom the hand of the kneeling girl, and dashed it into the hottestglow. There was passion in the action, and in the kindling eye, but itwas but for a moment. Before Cis could speak or Susan begin herexcuses, the delicate hand was laid on the girl's head, and a calmvoice said, "Fear not, child. Queens take not back their gifts. Iought to have borne in mind that I am balked of the pleasure ofgiving--the beat of all the joys they have robbed me of. But tremblenot, sweetheart, I am not chafed with thee. I will vex thy father nomore. Better thou shouldst go without a trinket or two than deprive meof the light of that silly little face of thine so long as they willleave me that sunbeam. "

She stooped and kissed the drooping brow, and Susan could not but feelas if the voice of nature were indeed speaking. 

A few words of apology in her character of mother for the maiden'sabrupt proceeding were met by the Queen most graciously. "Spare thywords, good madam. We understand and reverence Mr. Talbot's point ofhonour. Would that all who approached us had held his scruples!"

Perhaps Mary was after this more distant and dignified towards thematron, but especially tender and caressing towards the maiden, as ifto make up by kindness for the absence of little gifts. 

Storms, however, were brewing without. Lady Shrewsbury made opencomplaints of her husband having become one of Mary's many victims, representing herself as an injured wife driven out of her house. Sheactually in her rage carried the complaint to Queen Elizabeth, who sentdown two commissioners to inquire into the matter. They sat in thecastle hall, and examined all the attendants, including Richard and hiswife. The investigation was extremely painful and distressing, but itwas proved that nothing could have been more correct and guarded thanthe whole intercourse between the Earl and his prisoner. If he haderred, it had been on the side of caution and severity, though he hadalways preserved the courteous demeanour of a gentleman, and had beenrejoiced to permit whatever indulgences could be granted. If there hadbeen any transgressions of the strict rules, they had been made by theCountess herself and her daughters in the days of their intimacy withthe Queen; and the aspersions on the unfortunate Earl were, it was soonevident, merely due to the violent and unscrupulous tongues of theCountess and her daughter Mary. No wonder that Lord Shrewsbury wroteletters in which he termed the lady "his wicked and malicious wife, "and expressed his conviction that his son Gilbert's mind had beenperverted by her daughter. 

The indignation of the captive Queen was fully equal to his, as oneafter another of her little court returned and was made to detail thepoints on which he or she had been interrogated. Susan found herpacing up and down the floor like a caged tigress, her cap and veilthrown back, so that her hair--far whiter than what was usuallydisplayed--was hanging dishevelled, her ruff torn open, as if it chokedback the swelling passion in her throat. 

"Never, never content with persecuting me, they must insult me! Is itnot enough that I am stripped of my crown, deprived of my friends; thatI cannot take a step beyond this chamber, queen as I am, without mywarder? Must they attaint me as a woman? Oh, why, why did the doomspare me that took my little brothers? Why did I live to be the mostwretched, not of sovereigns alone, but of women?"

"Madam, " entreated Marie de Courcelles, "dearest madam, take courage. All these horrible charges refute themselves. "

"Ah, Marie! you have said so ten thousand times, and what charge hasever been dropped?"

"This one is dropped!" exclaimed Susan, coming forward. "Yes, yourGrace, indeed it is! The Commissioner himself told my husband that noone believed it for a moment. "

"Then why should these men have been sent but to sting and gall me, andmake me feel that I am in their power?" cried the Queen. 

"They came, " said the Secretary Curll, "because thus alone could theCountess be silenced. "

"The Countess!" exclaimed Mary. "So my cousin hath listened to hertongue!"

"Backed by her daughter's, " added Jean Kennedy. 

"It were well that she knew what those two dames can say of her Majestyherself, when it serves them, " added Marie de Courcelles. 

"That shall she!" exclaimed Mary. "She shall have it from mine ownhand! Ha! ha! Elizabeth shall know the choice tales wherewith MaryTalbot hath regaled us, and then shall she judge how far anything thatcomes from my young lady is worth heeding for a moment. Remember youall the tales of the nips and the pinches? Ay, and of all theendearments to Leicester and to Hatton? She shall have it all, and tryhow she likes the dish of scandal of Mary Talbot's cookery, sauced byBess of Hardwicke. Here, nurse, come and set this head-gear of mine inorder, and do you, my good Curll, have pen, ink, and paper in readinessfor me. "

The Queen did little but write that morning. The next day, on comingout from morning prayers, which the Protestants of her suite attended, with the rest of the Shrewsbury household, Barbara Mowbray contrived todraw Mrs. Talbot apart as they went towards the lodge. 

"Madam, " she said, "they all talk of your power to persuade. Now isthe time you could do what would be no small service to this poorQueen, ay, and it may be to your own children. "

"I may not meddle in any matters of the Queen's, " returned Susan, rather stiffly. 

"Nay, but hear me, madam. It is only to hinder the sending of aletter. "

"That letter which her Grace was about to write yesterday?"

"Even so. 'Tis no secret, for she read fragments of it aloud, and allher women applauded it with all their might, and laughed over thestings that it would give, but Mr. Curll, who bad to copy it, saiththat there is a bitterness in it that can do nothing but make herMajesty of England the more inflamed, not only against my LadyShrewsbury, but against her who writ the letter, and all concerned. Why, she hath even brought in the comedy that your children acted inthe woodland, and that was afterwards repeated in the hall!"

"You say not so, Mistress Barbara?"

"Indeed I do. Mr. Curll and Sir Andrew Melville are both of them sorevexed, and would fain have her withdraw it; but Master Nau and all theFrench part of the household know not how to rejoice enough at such anexposure of my Lady, which gives a hard fling at Queen Elizabeth at thesame time! Nay, I cannot but tell you that there are things in it thatDame Mary Talbot might indeed say, but I know not how Queen Mary couldbring herself to set down--"

Barbara Mowbray ventured no more, and Susan felt hopeless of her task, since how was she by any means to betray knowledge of the contents ofthe letter? Yet much that she had heard made her feel very uneasy onall accounts. She had too much strong family regard for the Countessand for Gilbert Talbot and his wife to hear willingly of what mightimperil them, and though royal indignation would probably fly over theheads of the children, no one was too obscure in those Tudor times tostand in danger from a sovereign who might think herself insulted. Yetas a Hardwicke, and the wife of a Talbot, it was most unlikely that shewould have any opening for remonstrance given to her. 

However, it was possible that Curll wished to give her an opening, forno sooner were the ladies settled at work than he bowed himself forwardand offered his mistress his copy of the letter. 

"Is it fair engrossed, good Curll?" asked Mary. 

"Thanks. Then will we keep your copy, and you shall fold and prepareour own for our sealing. "

"Will not your Majesty hear it read over ere it pass out of yourhands?" asked Curll. 

"Even so, " returned Mary, who really was delighted with the pungency ofher own composition. "Mayhap we may have a point or two to add. "

After what Mistress Barbara had said, Susan was on thorns that Cisshould hear the letter; but that good young lady, hating theexpressions therein herself, and hating it still more for the girl, bethought her of asking permission to take Mistress Cicely to her ownchamber, there to assist her in the folding of some of her laces, andMary consented. It was well, for there was much that made theEnglish-bred Susan's cheeks glow and her ears tingle. 

But, at least, it gave her a great opportunity. When the letter wasfinished, she advanced and knelt on the step of the canopied chair, saying, "Madam, pardon me, if in the name of my unfortunate children, Ientreat you not to accuse them to the Queen. "

"Your children, lady! How have I included them in what I have told herMajesty of our sweet Countess?"

"Your Grace will remember that the foremost parts in yonder farce wereallotted to my son Humfrey and to young Master Babington. Nay, thatthe whole arose from the woodland sport of little Cis, which your Gracewas pleased to admire. "

"Sooth enough, my good gossip, but none could suspect the poor childrenof the malice my Lady Countess contrived to put into the matter. "

"Ah, madam! these are times when it is convenient to shift the blame onone who can be securely punished. "

"Certes, " said Mary, thoughtfully, "the Countess is capable of makingher escape by denouncing some one else, especially those within her ownreach. "

"Your Grace, who can speak such truth of my poor Lady, " said Susan, "will also remember that though my Lord did yield to the persuasions ofthe young ladies, he so heedfully caused Master Sniggins to omit allperilous matter, that no one not informed would have guessed at theimport of the piece, as it was played in the hall. "

"Most assuredly not, " said Mary, laughing a little at the recollection. "It might have been played in Westminster Hall without putting mygracious cousin, ay, or Leicester and Hatton themselves, to the blush. "

"Thus, if the Queen should take the matter up and trace it home, itcould not but be brought to my poor innocent children! Humfrey is forthe nonce out of reach, but the maiden--I wis verily that your Highnesswould be loath to do her any hurt!"

"Thou art a good pleader, madam, " said the queen. "Verily I should notlike to bring the bonnie lassie into trouble. It will give MasterCurll a little more toil, ay and myself likewise, for the matter muststand in mine own hand; but we will leave out yonder unlucky farce. "

"Your Highness is very good, " said Susan earnestly. 

"Yet you look not yet content, my good lady. What more would you haveof me?"

"What your Majesty will scarce grant, " said Susan. 

"Ha! thou art of the same house thyself. I had forgotten it; thou artso unlike to them. I wager that it is not to send this same letter atall. "

"Your Highness hath guessed my mind. Nay, madam, though assuredly I dodesire it because the Countess bath been ever my good lady, and bred meup ever since I was an orphan, it is not solely for her sake that Iwould fain pray you, but fully as much for your Majesty's own. "

"Madame Talbot sees the matter as I do, " said Sir Andrew Melville. "TheEnglish Queen is as like to be irate with the reporter of the scandalas with the author of it, even as the wolf bites the barb that pierceshim when he cannot reach the archer. "

"She is welcome to read the letter, " said Mary, smiling; "thy semblancefalleth short, my good friend. "

"Nay, madam, that was not the whole of my purport, " said Susan, standing with folded hands, looking from one to another. "Pardon me. My thought was that to take part in all this repeating of thoughtless, idle words, spoken foolishly indeed, but scarce so much in malice as toamuse your Grace with Court news, and treasured up so long, yourMajesty descends from being the patient and suffering princess, meek, generous, and uncomplaining, to be--to be--"

"No better than one of them, wouldst thou add?" asked Mary, somewhatsharply, as Susan paused. 

"Your Highness has said it, " answered Susan; then, as there was amoment's pause, she looked up, and with clasped hands added, "Oh, madam! would it not be more worthy, more noble, more queenly, moreChristian, to refrain from stinging with this repetition of these vainand foolish slanders?"

"Most Christian treatment have I met with, " returned Mary; but after apause she turned to her almoner. Master Belton, saying, "What say you, sir?"

"I say that Mrs. Talbot speaks more Christian words than are oftenheard in these parts, " returned he. "The thankworthiness of sufferingis lost by those who return the revilings upon those who utter them. "

"Then be it so, " returned the Queen. "Elizabeth shall be spared theknowledge that some ladies' tongues can be as busy with her as with herpoor cousin. "

With her own hands Mary tore up her own letter, but Curll's copyunfortunately escaped destruction, to be discovered in after times. Lord and Lady Shrewsbury never knew the service Susan had rendered themby causing it to be suppressed. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

BEADS AND BRACELETS. 

The Countess was by no means pacified by the investigation, and bothshe and her family remained at Court, maligning her husband and hiscaptive. As the season advanced, bringing the time for the Queen'sannual resort to the waters of Buxton, Lord Shrewsbury was obliged toentreat Mrs. Talbot again to be her companion, declaring that he hadnever known so much peace as with that lady in the Queen's chambers. 

The journey to Buxton was always the great holiday of the imprisonedCourt. The place was part of the Shrewsbury property, and the Earl hada great house there, but there were no conveniences for exercising sostrict a watch as at Sheffield, and there was altogether a relaxationof discipline. Exercise was considered an essential part of thetreatment, and recreations were there provided. 

Cis had heard so much of the charms of the expedition, that she wasenraptured to hear that she was to share it, together with Mrs. Talbot. The only drawback was that Humfrey had promised to come home after thispresent voyage, to see whether his little Cis were ready for him; andhis father was much disposed to remain at home, receive him first, andcommunicate to him the obstacles in the way of wedding the young lady. However, my Lord refused to dispense with the attendance of his mosttrustworthy kinsman, and leaving Ned at school under charge of thelearned Sniggius, the elder and the younger Richard Talbot rode forthwith the retinue of the Queen and her warder. 

Neither Cicely nor Diccon had ever left home before, and they were inraptures which would have made any journey delightful to them, far morea ride through some of the wildest and loveliest glades that Englandcan display. Nay, it may be that they would better have enjoyedsomething less like Sheffield Park than the rocks, glens, and woods, through which they rode. Their real delight was in the towns andvillages at which there was a halt, and every traveller they saw wassuch a wonder to them, that at the end of the first day they werealmost as full of exultation in their experiences, as if, with Humfrey, they had been far on the way to America. 

The delight of sleeping at Tideswell was in their eyes extreme, thoughthe hostel was so crowded that Cis had to share a mattress with Mrs. Talbot, and Diccon had to sleep in his cloak on the floor, which hepersuaded himself was high preferment. He woke, however, much soonerthan was his wont, and finding it useless to try to fall asleep again, he made his way out among the sleeping figures on the floor and hall, and finding the fountain in the midst of the court, produced his soapand comb from his pocket, and made his morning toilet in the open airwith considerable satisfaction at his own alertness. Presently therewas a tap at the window above, and he saw Cicely making signals to himto wait for her, and in a few minutes she skipped out from the doorinto the sunlight of the early summer morning. 

"No one is awake yet, " she said. "Even the guard before the Queen'sdoor is fast asleep. I only heard a wench or two stirring. We canhave a run in the fields and gather May dew before any one is afoot. "

"'Tis not May, 'tis June, " said matter-of-fact Diccon. "But yonder isa guard at the yard gate; will he let us past?"

"See, here's a little wicket into a garden of pot-herbs, " said Cis. "Nodoubt we can get out that way, and it will bring us the sooner into thefields. I have a cake in my wallet that mother gave me for thejourney, so we shall not fast. How sweet the herbs smell in thedew--and see how silvery it lies on the strawberry leaves. Ah! thounaughty lad, think not whether the fruit be ripe. Mayhap we shall findsome wild ones beyond. "

The gate of the garden was likewise guarded, but by a yeoman who wellknew the young Talbots, and made no difficulty about letting them outinto the broken ground beyond the garden, sloping up into a littlehill. Up bounded the boy and girl, like young mountaineers, throughgorse and fern, and presently had gained a sufficient height to lookover the country, marking the valleys whence still were rising"fragrant clouds of dewy steam" under the influence of the sunbeams, gazing up at the purple heights of the Peak, where a few lines of snowstill lingered in the crevices, trying to track their past journey fromtheir own Sheffield, and with still more interest to guess which woodedvalley before them contained Buxton. 

"Have you lost your way, my pretty mistress?" said a voice close tothem, and turning round hastily they saw a peasant woman with a largebasket on her arm. 

"No, " said Cicely courteously, "we have only come out to take the airbefore breakfast. "

"I crave pardon, " said the woman, curtseying, "the pretty lady belongsto the great folk down yonder. Would she look at my poor wares? Hereare beads and trinkets of the goodly stones, pins and collars, bracelets and eardrops, white, yellow, and purple, " she said, uncovering her basket, where were arranged various ornaments made ofDerbyshire spar. 

"We have no money, good woman, " said Cicely, rising to return, vaguelyuncomfortable at the woman's eye, which awoke some remembrance ofTibbott the huckster, and the troubles connected with her. 

"Yea, but if my young mistress would only bring me in to the Great Ladythere, I know she would buy of me my beads and bracelets, of give me analms for my poor children. I have five of them, good young lady, andthey lie naked and hungry till I can sell my few poor wares, and theyeomen are so rough and hard. They would break and trample every poorbead I have in pieces rather than even let my Lord hear of them. Butif even my basket could be carried in and shown, and if the good Earlheard my sad tale, I am sure he would give license. "

"He never does!" said Diccon, roughly; "hold off, woman, do not hang onus, or I'll get thee branded for a vagabond. "

The woman put her knuckles into her eyes, and wailed out that it wasall for her poor children, and Cicely reproved him for his roughness, and as the woman kept close behind them, wailing, moaning, andpersuading, the boy and girl were wrought upon at last to give herleave to wait outside the gate of the inn garden, while they sawwhether it was possible to admit her or her basket. 

But before they reached the gate, they saw a figure beyond it, scanningthe hill eagerly. They knew him for their father even before heshouted to them, and, as they approached, his voice was displeased:"How now, children; what manners are these?"

"We have only been on the hillside, sweet father, " said Cis, "Dicconand I together. We thought no harm. "

"This is not Sheffield Chase, Cis, and thou art no more a child, but amaiden who needs to be discreet, above all in these times. Whom did Isee following you?"

"A poor woman, whom--Ha, where is she?" exclaimed Cis, suddenlyperceiving that the woman seemed to have vanished. 

"A troublesome begging woman who beset us with her wares, " said Diccon, "and would give us no peace, praying that we would get them carried into the Queen and her ladies, whining about her children till she madeCis soft-hearted. Where can she have hidden herself?"

The man who was stationed as sentry at the gate said he had seen thewoman come over the brow of the hill with Master Diccon and MistressCicely, but that as they ran forward to meet Captain Talbot she haddisappeared amid the rocks and brushwood. 

"Poor woman, she was afraid of our father, " said Cicely; "I would wecould see her again. "

"So would not I, " said Richard. "It looks not well, and heed me well, children, there must be no more of these pranks, nor of wandering outof bounds, or babbling with strangers. Go thou in to thy mother, Cis, she hath been in much trouble for thee. "

Mistress Susan was unusually severe with the girl on the indiscretionof gadding in strange places with no better escort than Diccon, and ofentering into conversation with unknown persons. Moreover, Cicely'shair, her shoes, and camlet riding skirt were all so dank with dew thatshe was with difficulty made presentable by the time the horses werebrought round. 

The Queen, who had not seen the girl that morning, made her come andride near her, asking questions on the escapade, and giving one of herbewitching pathetic smiles as she said how she envied the power of thusdancing out on the greensward, and breathing the free and fresh morningair. "My Scottish blood loves the mountains, and bounds the morefreely in the fresh breeze, " she said, gazing towards the Peak. "Ilove the scent of the dew. Didst get into trouble, child? Methought Iheard sounds of chiding?"

"It was no fault of mine, " said Cis, inclined to complain when shefound sympathy, "the woman would speak to us. "

"What woman?" asked the Queen. 

"A poor woman with a basket of wares, who prayed hard to be allowed toshow them to your Grace or some of the ladies. She said she had fivesorely hungered children, and that she heard your Grace was acompassionate lady. "

"Woe is me, compassion is full all that I am permitted to give, " saidthe Queen, sadly; "she brought trinkets to sell. What were her wares, saidst thou?"

"I had no time to see many, " said Cis, "something pure and white like anew-laid egg, I saw, and a necklet, clouded with beauteous purple. "

"Ay, beads and bracelets, no doubt, " said the Queen. 

"Yes, beads and bracelets, " returned Cicely, the soft chime of theQueen's Scottish accent bringing back to her that the woman had twicepressed on her beads and bracelets. 

"She dwelt on them, " said the Queen lightly. "Ay, I know the chant ofthe poor folk who ever hover about our outskirts in hopes to sell theircountry gewgaws, beads and bracelets, collars and pins, little guessingthat she whom they seek is poorer than themselves. Mayhap, ourArgus-eyed lord may yet let the poor dame within his fence, and we maybe able to gratify thy longing for those same purple and white beadsand bracelets. "

Meantime the party were riding on, intending to dine at Buxton, whichmeant to reach it by noonday. The tall roof of the great hall erectedby the Earl over the baths was already coming in sight, and by and bythey would look into the valley. The Wye, after coming down one ofthose lovely deep ravines to be found in all mountainous countries, here flowed through a more open space, part of which had beenartificially levelled, but which was covered with buildings, rising outamongst the rocks and trees. 

Most conspicuous among them was a large freshly-built erection in Tudorarchitecture, with a wide portal arch, and five separate gablesstarting from one central building, which bore a large clock-tower, andwas decorated at every corner with the Talbots' stout and sturdy form. This was the great hall, built by the present Earl George, andcontaining five baths, intended to serve separately for each sex, gentle and simple, with one special bath reserved for the sole use ofthe more distinguished visitors. Besides this, at no great distance, was the Earl's own mansion, "a very goodly house, four square, fourstories high, " with stables, offices, and all the requisites of anobleman's establishment, and this was to be the lodging of theScottish Queen. 

Farther off was another house, which had been built by permission ofthe Earl, under the auspices of Dr. Jones, probably one of the first ofthe long series of physicians who have made it their business toenhance the fame of the watering-places where they have set up theirstaff. This was the great hostel or lodging-house for the patients ofcondition who resorted to the healing springs, and nestled here andthere among the rocks were cottages which accommodated, after afashion, the poorer sort, who might drag themselves to the spot in thehope of washing away their rheumatic pains and other infirmities. In adistant and magnificent way, like some of the lesser German potentates, the mighty Lord of Shrewsbury took toll from the visitors to his baths, and this contributed to repair the ravages to his fortune caused by themaintenance of his royal captive. 

Arriving just at noontide, the Queen and her escort beheld a motleycrowd dispersed about the sward on the banks of the river, some playingat ball, others resting on benches or walking up and down in groups, exercise being recommended as part of the cure. All thronged togetherto watch the Earl and his captive ride in with their suite, thehousehold turning out to meet them, while foremost stood a dapperlittle figure with a short black cloak, a stiff round ruff, and asquare barrett cap, with a gold-headed cane in one hand and a paper inthe other. 

"Prepare thy patience, Cis, " whispered Barbara Mowbray, "now shall wenot be allowed to alight from our palfreys till we have heard his fullwelcome to my Lord, and all his plans for this place, how--it is to bemade a sanctuary for the sick during their abode there, for all causessaving sacrilege, treason, murder, burglary, and highway robbery, witha license to eat flesh on a Friday, as long as they are drinking thewaters!"

It was as Mistress Mowbray said. Dr. Jones's harangue on the progressof Buxton and its prospects had always to be endured before any one wasallowed to dismount; but royalty and nobility were inured to listeningwith a good grace, and Mary, though wearied and aching, sat patientlyin the hot sunshine, and was ready to declare that Buxton put her ingood humour. In fact the grandees and their immediate attendantsendured with all the grace of good breeding; but the farther from thescene of action, the less was the patience, and the more restless andconfused the movements of the retinue. 

Diccon Talbot, hungry and eager, had let his equally restless ponyconvey him, he scarce knew where, from his father's side, when he saw, making her way among the horses, the very woman with the basket whom hehad encountered at Tideswell in the early morning. How could she havegone such a distance in the time? thought the boy, and he presentlycaught the words addressed to one of the grooms of the Scottish Queen'ssuite. "Let me show my poor beads and bracelets. " The Scotsmaninstantly made way for her, and she advanced to a wizened thin oldFrenchman, Maitre Gorion, the Queen's surgeon, who jumped down from hishorse, and was soon bending over her basket exchanging whispers in thelowest possible tones; but a surge among those in the rear drove Dicconup so near that he was absolutely certain that they were speakingFrench, as indeed he well knew that M. Gorion never could succeed inmaking himself understood in English. 

The boy, bred up in the perpetual caution and suspicion of Sheffield, was eager to denounce one who he was sure was a conspirator; but he washemmed in among horses and men, so that he could not make his way outor see what was passing, till suddenly there was a scattering to theright and left, and a simultaneous shriek from the ladies in front. 

When Diccon could see anything, his father was pressing forward to agroup round some one prostrate on the ground before the house, andthere were exclamations, "The poor young lady! The chirurgeon! To thefront, the Queen is asking for you, sir, " and Cicely's horse with loosebridle passed before his eyes. 

"Let me through! let me through!" cried the boy; "it is my sister. "

He threw his bridle to a groom, and, squeezing between horses and underelbows, succeeded in seeing Cis lying on the ground with her eyes shutand her head in his mother's lap, and the French surgeon bending overher. She gave a cry when he touched her arm, and he said something inhis mixture of French and English, which Diccon could not hear. TheQueen stood close by, a good deal agitated, anxiously asking questions, and throwing out her hands in her French fashion. Diccon, muchfrightened, struggled on, but only reached the party just as his fatherhad gathered Cicely up in his arms to carry her upstairs. Dicconfollowed as closely as he could, but blindly in the crowd in thestrange house, until he found himself in a long gallery, shut out, among various others of both sexes. "Come, my masters and mistressesall, " said the voice of the seneschal, "you had best to your chambers, there is naught for you to do here. "

However, he allowed Diccon to remain leaning against the balustrade ofthe stairs which led up outside the house, and in another minute hisfather came out. "Ha, Diccon, that is well, " said he. "No, thou canstnot enter. They are about to undress poor little Cis. Nay, it seemednot to me that she was more hurt than thy mother could well have dealtwith, but the French surgeon would thrust in, and the Queen would haveit so. We will walk here in the court till we hear what he saith ofher. How befell it, dost thou ask? Truly I can hardly tell, but Ibelieve one of the Frenchmen's horses got restless either with a fly orwith standing so long to hear yonder leech's discourse. He must needscut the beast with his rod, and so managed to hit White Posy, whostarts aside, and Cis, sitting unheedfully on that new-fangled Frenchsaddle, was thrown in an instant. "

"I shall laugh at her well for letting herself be thrown by a Frenchmanwith his switch, " said Diccon. 

"I hope the damage hath not been great, " said his father, anxiouslylooking up the stair. "Where wast thou, Dick? I had lost sight ofthee. "

"I was seeking you, sir, for I had seen a strange sight, " said Dick. "That woman who spoke with us at Tideswell was here again; yea, and shetalked with the little old Frenchman that they call Gorion, the samethat is with Cis now. "

"She did! Folly, boy! The fellow can hardly comprehend five words ofplain English together, long as he hath been here! One of the Queen'swomen is gone in even now to interpret for him. "

"That do I wot, sir. Therefore did I marvel, and sought to tell you. "

"What like was the woman?" demanded Richard. 

Diccon's description was lame, and his father bade him hasten out ofthe court, and fetch the woman if he could find her displaying hertrinkets to the water-drinkers, instructing him not to alarm her byperemptory commands, but to give her hopes of a purchaser for herspars. Proud of the commission entrusted to him, the boy salliedforth, but though he wandered through all the groups on the sward, andencountered two tumblers and one puppet show, besides a bear andmonkey, he utterly failed in finding the vendor of the beads andbracelets. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE MONOGRAMS. 

When Cicely had been carried into a chamber by Master Talbot, and laidhalf-conscious and moaning on the grand carved bed, Mrs. Talbot by wordand gesture expelled all superfluous spectators. She would havepreferred examining alone into the injury sustained by the maiden, which she did not think beyond her own management; but there was norefusing the services of Maitre Gorion, or of Mrs. Kennedy, who indeedtreated her authoritatively, assuming the direction of the sick-room. She found herself acting under their orders as she undid the boddice, while Mrs. Kennedy ripped up the tight sleeve of the riding dress, andlaid bare the arm and shoulder, which had been severely bruised andtwisted, but neither broken nor dislocated, as Mrs. Kennedy informedher, after a few rapid words from the Frenchman, unintelligible to theEnglish lady, who felt somewhat impatient of this invasion of herprivileges, and was ready to say she had never supposed any such thing. 

The chirurgeon skipped to the door, and for a moment she hoped that shewas rid of him, but he had only gone to bring in a neat case with whichhis groom was in waiting outside, whence he extracted a lotion andsponge, speaking rapidly as he did so. 

"Now, madam, " said Jean Kennedy, "lift the lassie, there, turn back herboddice, and we will bathe her shouther. So! By my halidome!"

"Ah! Mort de ma vie!"

The two exclamations darted simultaneously from the lips of theScottish nurse and the French doctor. Susan beheld what she had at themoment forgotten, the curious mark branded on her nursling's shoulder, which indeed she had not seen since Cicely had been of an age to havethe care of her own person, and which was out of the girl's own sight. No more was said at the moment, for Cis was reviving fast, and was somuch bewildered and frightened that she required all the attention andsoothing that the two women could give, but when they removed the restof her clothing, so that she might be laid down comfortably to rest, Mrs. Kennedy by another dexterous movement uncovered enough of theother shoulder to obtain a glimpse of the monogram upon it. 

Nothing was spoken. Those two had not been so many years attendants ona suspected and imprisoned queen without being prudent and cautious;but when they quitted the apartment after administering a febrifuge, Susan felt a pang of wonder, whether they were about to communicatetheir discovery to their mistress. For the next quarter of an hour, the patient needed all her attention, and there was no possibility ofobeying the summons of a great clanging bell which announced dinner. When, however, Cis had fallen asleep it became possible to think overthe situation. She foresaw an inquiry, and would have given much for afew words with her husband; but reflection showed her that the onepoint essential to his safety was not to betray that he and she had anyprevious knowledge of the rank of their nursling. The existence of thescroll might have to be acknowledged, but to show that Richard haddeciphered it would put him in danger on all hands. 

She had just made up her mind on this point when there was a knock atthe door, and Mrs. Kennedy bore in a salver with a cup of wine, andtook from an attendant, who remained outside, a tray with some moresolid food, which she placed on the broad edge of the deep-set window, and coming to the bedside, invited Mrs. Talbot to eat, while shewatched the girl. Susan complied, though with little appetite, andMrs. Kennedy, after standing for a few minutes in contemplation, cameto the window. She was a tall woman, her yellow hair softened by anadmixture of gray, her eyes keen and shrewd, yet capable of greattenderness at times, her features certainly not youthful, but not awhit more aged than they had been when Susan had first seen herfourteen years ago. It was a quiet mouth, and one that gave a sense oftrust both in its firmness, secrecy, and kindness. 

"Madam, " said she, in her soft Scotch voice, lowered considerably, butnot whispering, and with her keen eyes fixed on Susan--"Madam, whatgarred ye gie your bit lassie yonder marks? Ye need not fear, thatdraught of Maister Gorion's will keep her sleeping fast for a good houror two longer, and it behoves me to ken how she cam by yonder brands. "

"She had them when she came to us, " said Susan. 

"Ye'll no persuade me that they are birth marks, " returned MistressJean. "Such a thing would be a miracle in a loyal Scottish Catholic'swean, let alone an English heretic's. "

"No, " said Susan, who had in fact only made the answer to give herselftime to think whether it were possible to summon her husband. "Theynever seemed to me birth marks. "

"Woman, " said Jean Kennedy, laying a strong, though soft hand, on herwrist, "this is not gear for trifling. Is the lass your ain bairn? Ha!I always thought she had mair of the kindly Scot than of the Southronabout her. Hech! so they made the puir wean captive! Wha gave hertill you to keep? Your lord, I trow. "

"The Lord of heaven and earth, " replied Susan. "My husband took her, the only living thing left on a wreck off the Spurn Head. "

"Hech, sirs!" exclaimed Mrs. Kennedy, evidently much struck, but stillexercising great self-command. "And when fell this out?"

"Two days after Low Sunday, in the year of grace 1568, " returned Susan. 

"My halidome!" again ejaculated Jean, in a low voice, crossing herself. "And what became of honest Ailie--I mean, " catching herself up, "whatbefell those that went with her?"

"Not one lived, " said Susan, gravely. "The mate of my husband's shiptook the little one from the arms of her nurse, who seemed to have beenleft alone with her by the crew, lashed to the wreck, and to have hadher life freshly beaten out by the winds and waves, for she was stillwarm. I was then lying at Hull, and they brought the babe to me, whilethere was still time to save her life, with God's blessing. "

"And the vessel?" asked Jean. 

"My husband held it to be the Bride of Dunbar, plying between that portand Harfleur. "

"Ay! ay! Blessed St. Bride!" muttered Jean Kennedy, with anawe-stricken look; then, collecting herself, she added, "Were there notokens, save these, about the little one, by which she could be known?"

"There was a gold chain with a cross, and what you call a reliquaryabout her little neck, and a scroll written in cipher among herswaddling bands; but they are laid up at home, at Bridgefield. "

It was a perplexing situation for this simple-hearted and truthfulwoman, and, on the other hand, Jean Kennedy was no less devoted andloyal in her own line, a good and conscientious woman, but shrewder, and, by nature and breeding, far less scrupulous as to absolute truth. 

The one idea that Susan, in her confusion, could keep hold of was thatany admission of knowledge as to who her Cis really was, would be abetrayal of her husband's secret; and on the other hand she saw thatMrs. Kennedy, though most keen to discover everything, and no doubtconvinced that the maiden was her Queen's child, was bent on notdisclosing that fact to the foster-mother. 

She asked anxiously whether Mistress Cicely knew of her being only anadopted child, and Susan replied that they had intended that she nevershould learn that she was of alien birth; but that it had been revealedby the old sailor who had brought her on board the Mastiff, though noone had heard him save young Humfrey and the girl herself, and they hadbeen, so far as she knew, perfectly reserved on the subject. 

Jean Kennedy then inquired how the name of Cicely had been given, andwhether the child had been so baptized by Protestant rites. 

"Wot you who the maid may be, madam?" Susan took courage to ask; butthe Scotswoman would not be disconcerted, and replied, "How suld I ken without a sight of the tokens? Gin I had them, maybe Imight give a guess, but there was mony a leal Scot sairly bestead, wifeand wean and all, in her Majesty's cause that wearie spring. "

Here Cis stirred in her sleep, and both women were at her side in amoment, but she did not wake. 

Jean Kennedy stood gazing at the girl with eagerness that she did notattempt to conceal, studying each feature in detail; but Cis showed inher sleep very little of her royal lineage, which betrayed itself farmore in her gait and bearing than in her features. Susan could nothelp demanding of the nurse whether she saw any resemblance that couldshow the maiden's parentage. 

The old lady gave a kind of Scotch guttural sound expressive ofdisappointment, and said, "I'll no say but I've seen the likebeetle-broo. But we'll waken the bairn with our clavers. I'll awaythe noo. Maister Gorion will see her again ere night, but it were illto break her sleep, the puir lassie!"

Nevertheless, she could not resist bending over and kissing thesleeper, so gently that there was no movement. Then she left the room, and Susan stood with clasped hands. 

"My child! my child! Oh, is it coming on thee? Wilt thou be takenfrom me! Oh, and to what a fate! And to what hands! They will nevernever love thee as we have done! O God, protect her, and be herFather. "

And Susan knelt by the bed in such a paroxysm of grief that herhusband, coming in unshod that he might not disturb the girl, apprehended that she had become seriously worse. 

However, his entrance awoke her, and she found herself much better, andwas inclined to talk, so he sat down on a chest by the bed, and relatedwhat Diccon had told him of the reappearance of the woman with thebasket of spar trinkets. 

"Beads and bracelets, " said Cicely. 

"Ay?" said he. "What knowest thou of them?"

"Only that she spake the words so often; and the Queen, just ere thatdoctor began his speech, asked of me whether she did not sell beads andbracelets. "

"'Tis a password, no doubt, and we must be on our guard, " said Richard, while his wife demanded with whom Diccon had seen her speaking. 

"With Gorion, " returned he. "That was what made the lad suspectsomething, knowing that the chirurgeon can barely speak three sentencesin any tongue but his own, and those are in their barbarous Scotch. Itook the boy with me and inquired here, there, and everywhere thisafternoon, but could find no one who had ever seen or heard of any onelike her. "

"Tell me, Cis, " exclaimed Susan, with a sudden conviction, "was shelike in any fashion to Tibbott the huckster-woman who brought youngBabington into trouble three years agone?"

"Women's heads all run on one notion, " said Richard. "Can there be nosecret agents save poor Cuthbert, whom I believe to be beyond seas?"

"Nay, but hear what saith the child?" asked Susan. 

"This woman was not nearly so old as Tibbott, " said Cis, "nor did shewalk with a staff, nor had she those grizzled black brows that werewont to frighten me. "

"But was she tall?" asked Susan. 

"Oh yes, mother. She was very tall--she came after Diccon and me withlong strides--yet it could never have been Tibbott!"

Susan had reasons for thinking otherwise, but she could not pursue thesubject at that time, as she had to go down to supper with her husband, and privacy was impossible. Even at night, nobody enjoyed extensivequarters, and but for Cicely's accident she would have slept with Dyot, the tirewoman, who had arrived with the baggage, which included apallet bed for them. However, the young lady had been carried to achamber intended for one of Queen Mary's suite; and there it wasdecreed that she should remain for the night, the mother sleeping withher, while the father and son betook themselves to the room previouslyallotted to the family. Only on the excuse of going to take out herhusband's gear from the mails was Susan able to secure a few words withhim, and then by ordering out Diccon, Dyot, and the serving-man. Thenshe could succeed in saying, "Mine husband, all will soon out--MistressKennedy and Master Gorion have seen the brands on the child'sshoulders. It is my belief that she of the 'beads and bracelets' badethe chirurgeon look for them. Else, why should he have thrust himselfin for a hurt that women-folk had far better have tended? Now, thatkinsman of yours knew that poor Cis was none of ours, and gave her ahint of it long ago--that is, if Tibbott were he, and not somethingworse. "

Richard shook his head. "Give a woman a hint of a seminary priest indisguise, and she would take a new-born baby for one. I tell thee Iheard that Cuthbert was safe in Paris. But, be that as it may, I trustthou hast been discreet. "

"So I strove to be, " said Susan. "Mrs. Kennedy questioned me, and Itold her. "

"What?" sharply demanded her husband. 

"Nought but truth, " she answered, "save that I showed no knowledge whothe maid really is, nor let her guess that you had read the scroll. "

"That is well. Frank Talbot was scarce within his duty when he gave methe key, and it were as much as my head were worth to be known to havebeen aware of the matter. " To this Susan could only assent, as theywere interrupted by the serving-man coming to ask directions about thebestowal of the goods. 

She was relieved by this short colloquy, but it was a sad and wakefulnight for her as Cicely slept by her side. Her love was too trulymotherly not to be deeply troubled at the claim of one of differingreligion and nation, and who had so uncertain and perilous a lot inwhich to place her child. There was also the sense that all herdearest, including her eldest son, were involved in the web of intriguewith persons far mightier and more unscrupulous than themselves; andthat, however they might strive to preserve their integrity, it wouldbe very hard to avoid suspicion and danger. 

In this temporary abode, the household of the Queen and of the Earl atetogether, in the great hall, and thus while breaking their fast in themorning Jean Kennedy found opportunity to examine Richard Talbot on allthe circumstances of the wreck of the Bride of Dunbar, and the findingof the babe. She was much more on her guard than the day before, andsaid that she had a shrewd suspicion as to who the babe's parents mightbe, but that she could not be certain without seeing the reliquary andthe scroll. Richard replied that they were at home, but made no offerof sending for them. "Nor will I do so, " said he to his wife, "unlessI am dealt plainly with, and the lady herself asks for them. Thenshould I have no right to detain them. "

M. Gorion would not allow his patient to leave her room that day, andshe had to remain there while Susan was in attendance on the Queen, whodid not appear to her yet to have heard of the discovery, and who wasentering with zest into the routine of the place, where Dr. Jones mightbe regarded as the supreme legislator. 

Each division of the great bath hall was fitted with drying anddressing room, arranged commodiously according to the degree of thosewho were to use them. Royalty, of course, enjoyed a monopoly, andafter the hot bath, which the Queen took immediately after rising, shebreakfasted in her own apartments, and then came forth, according tothe regimen of the place, by playing at Trowle Madame. A board witharches cut in, just big enough to permit the entrance of the balls usedin playing at bowls was placed on the turf at a convenient distancefrom the player. Each arch was numbered, from one to thirteen, but thenumbers were irregularly arranged, and the game consisted in rollingbowls into the holes in succession, each player taking a single turn, and the winner reaching the highest number first, --being, in fact, asort of lawn bagatelle. Dr. Jones recommended it as good to stretchthe rheumatic joints of his patients, and Queen Mary, an adept at allout-of-door games, delighted in it, though she had refused an offer tohave the lawn arranged for it at Sheffield, saying that it would onlyspoil a Buxton delight. She was still too stiff to play herself, butfound infinite amusement in teaching the new-comers the game, and poorSusan, with her thoughts far away, was scarcely so apt a pupil asbefitted a royal mistress, especially as she missed Mrs. Kennedy. 

When she came back, she found that the dame had been sitting with thepatient, and had made herself very agreeable to the girl by drawing outfrom her all she knew of her own story from beginning to end, havingfirst shown that she knew of the wreck of the Bride of Dunbar. 

"And, mother, " said Cis, "she says she is nearly certain that she knowswho my true parents were, and that she could be certain if she saw theswaddling clothes and tokens you had with me. Have you, mother? Inever knew of them. "

"Yes, child, I have. We did not wish to trouble and perturb your mind, little one, while you were content to be our daughter. "

"Ah, mother, I would fain be yours and father's still. They must nottake me from you. But suppose I was some great and noble lord'sdaughter, and had a great inheritance and lordship to give Humfrey!"

"Alas, child! Scottish inheritances are wont to bring more strife thanwealth. "

Nevertheless, Cis went on supposing and building castles that were painand grief to her foreboding auditor. That evening, however, Richardcalled his wife. It was late, but the northern sunset was only justover, and Susan could wander out with him on the greensward in front ofthe Earl's house. 

"So this is the tale we are to be put off with, " he said, "from theQueen herself, ay, herself, and told with such an air of truth that itwould almost make me discredit the scroll. She told me with one of hersweetest smiles how a favourite kinswoman of hers wedded in secret witha faithful follower of hers, of the clan Hepburn. Oh, I assure you itmight have been a ballad sung by a harper for its sadness. Well, thisfellow ventured too far in her service, and had to flee to France tobecome an archer of the guard, while the wife remained and died atLochleven Castle, having given birth to our Cis, whom the Queen in duetime despatched to her father, he being minded to have her bred up in aFrench nunnery, sending her to Dunbar to be there embarked in the Brideof Dunbar. "

"And the father?"

"Oh, forsooth, the father! It cost her as little to dispose of him asof the mother. He was killed in some brawl with the Huguenots; so thatthe poor child is altogether an orphan, beholden to our care, for whichshe thanked me with tears in her eyes, that were more true than mayhapthe poor woman could help. "

"Poor lady, " said Susan. "Yet can it not be sooth indeed?"

"Nay, dame, that may not be. The cipher is not one that would be usedin simply sending a letter to the father. "

"Might not the occasion have been used for corresponding in secret withFrench friends?"

"I tell thee, wife, if I read one word of that letter, I read that thechild was her own, and confided to the Abbess of Soissons! I will readit to thee once more ere I yield it up, that is if I ever do. Wherefore cannot the woman speak truth to me? I would be true andfaithful were I trusted, but to be thus put off with lies makes a manready at once to ride off with the whole to the Queen in council. "

"Think, but think, dear sir, " pleaded Susan, "how the poor lady ispressed, and how much she has to fear on all sides. "

"Ay, because lies have been meat and drink to her, till she cannotspeak a soothfast word nor know an honest man when she sees him. "

"What would she have?"

"That Cis should remain with us as before, and still pass for ourdaughter, till such time as these negotiations are over, and sherecover her kingdom. That is--so far as I see--like not to be tilllatter Lammas--but meantime what sayest thou, Susan? Ah! I knew, anything to keep the child with thee! Well, be it so--though if I hadknown the web we were to be wound into, I'd have sailed for the Indieswith Humfrey long ago!"

CHAPTER XV. 

MOTHER AND CHILD. 

Cicely was well enough the next day to leave her room and come out onthe summer's evening to enjoy the novel spectacle of Trowle Madame, inwhich she burned to participate, so soon as her shoulder should bewell. It was with a foreboding heart that her adopted mother fell withher into the rear of the suite who were attending Queen Mary, as shewent downstairs to walk on the lawn, and sit under a canopy whence shecould watch either that game, or the shooting at the butts which wasbeing carried on a little farther off. 

"So, our bonnie maiden, " said Mary, brightening as she caught sight ofthe young girl, "thou art come forth once more to rejoice mine eyes, asight for sair een, as they say in Scotland, " and she kissed the freshcheeks with a tenderness that gave Susan a strange pang. Then she askedkindly after the hurt, and bade Cis sit at her feet, while she watcheda match in archery between some of the younger attendants, now and thenlaying a caressing hand upon the slender figure. 

"Little one, " she said, "I would fain have thee to share my pillow. Ihave had no young bed-fellow since Bess Pierrepoint left us. Wilt thoustoop to come and cheer the poor old caged bird?"

"Oh, madam, how gladly will I do so if I may!" cried Cicely, delighted. 

"We will take good care of her, Mistress Talbot, " said Mary, "anddeliver her up to you whole and sain in the morning, " and there was aquivering playfulness in her voice. 

"Your Grace is the mistress, " answered Susan, with a sadness not quitecontrolled. 

"Ah! you mock me, madam. Would that I were!" returned the Queen. "Itis my Lord's consent that we must ask. How say you, my Lord, may Ihave this maiden for my warder at night?"

Lord Shrewsbury was far from seeing any objection, and the promise wasgiven that Cis should repair to the Queen's chamber for at least thatnight. She was full of excitement at the prospect. 

"Why look you so sadly at me, sweet mother?" she cried, as Susan madeready her hair, and assisted her in all the arrangements for which hershoulder was still too stiff; "you do not fear that they will hurt myarm?"

"No, truly, my child. They have tender and skilful hands. "

"May be they will tell me the story of my parents, " said Cis; "but youneed never doubt me, mother. Though I were to prove to be ever sogreat a lady, no one could ever be mine own mother like you!"

"Scarcely in love, my child, " said Susan, as she wrapped the littlefigure in a loose gown, and gave her such a kiss as parents seldompermitted themselves, in the fear of "cockering" their children, whichwas considered to be a most reprehensible practice. Nor could sherefrain from closely pressing Cicely's hand as they passed through thecorridor to the Queen's apartments, gave the word to the two yeomen whowere on guard for the night at the head of the stairs, and tapped atthe outmost door of the royal suite of rooms. It was opened by aFrench valet; but Mrs. Kennedy instantly advanced, took the maiden bythe hand, and with a significant smile said: "Gramercy, madam, we willtake unco gude tent of the lassie. A fair gude nicht to ye. " And Mrs. Talbot felt, as she put the little hand into that of the nurse, and sawthe door shut on them, as if she had virtually given up her daughter, and, oh! was it for her good?

Cis was led into the bedchamber, bright with wax tapers, though the skywas not yet dark. She heard a sound as of closing and locking doubledoors, while some one drew back a crimson, gold-edged velvet curtain, which she had seen several times, and which it was whispered concealedthe shrine where Queen Mary performed her devotions. She had justrisen from before it, at the sound of Cis's entrance, and two of herladies, Mary Seaton and Marie de Courcelles, seemed to have beenkneeling with her. She was made ready for bed, with a dark-blue velvetgown corded round her, and her hair, now very gray, braided beneath alittle round cap, but a square of soft cambric drapery had been thrownover her head, so as to form a perfectly graceful veil, and shelter thefeatures that were aging. Indeed, when Queen Mary wore the exquisitesmile that now lit up her face as she held out her arms, no one everpaused to think what those lineaments really were. She held out herarms as Cis advanced bashfully, and said: "Welcome, my sweetbed-fellow, my little Scot--one more loyal subject come to me in mybondage. "

Cis's impulse was to put a knee to the ground and kiss the hands thatreceived her. "Thou art our patient, " continued Mary. "I will seethee in bed ere I settle myself there. " The bed was a tall, large, carved erection, with sweeping green and silver curtains, and a hugebank of lace-bordered pillows. A flight of low steps facilitated theascent; and Cis, passive in this new scene, was made to throw off herdressing-gown and climb up. 

"And now, " said the Queen, "let me see the poor little shoulder thathath suffered so much. "

"My arm is still bound, madam, " said Cis. But she was not listened to;and Mrs. Kennedy, much to her discomfiture, turned back herunder-garment. The marks were, in fact, so placed as to be entirelyout of her own view, and Mrs. Susan had kept them from the knowledge orremark of any one. They were also high enough up to be quite clearfrom the bandages, and thus she was amazed to hear the exclamation, "There! sooth enough. "

"Monsieur Gorion could swear to them instantly. "

"What is it? Oh, what is it, madam?" cried Cis, affrighted; "is thereanything on my back? No plague spot, I hope;" and her eyes grew roundwith terror. 

The Queen laughed. "No plague spot, sweet one, save, perhaps, in theeyes of you Protestants, but to me they are a gladsome sight--a token Inever hoped to see. "

And the bewildered girl felt a pair of soft lips kiss each mark inturn, and then the covering was quickly and caressingly restored, andMary added, "Lie down, my child, and now to bed, to bed, my maids. Patent the lights. " Then, making the sign of the cross, as Cis hadseen poor Antony Babington do, the Queen, just as all the lights saveone were extinguished, was divested of her wrapper and veil, and tookher place beside Cis on the pillows. The two Maries left the chamber, and Jean Kennedy disposed herself on a pallet at the foot of the bed. 

"And so, " said the Queen, in a low voice, tender, but with a sort ofbanter, "she thought she had the plague spot on her little whiteshoulders. Didst thou really not know what marks thou bearest, littleone?"

"No, madam, " said Cis. "Is it what I have felt with my fingers?"

"Listen, child, " said Mary. "Art thou at thine ease; thy poor shoulderresting well? There, then, give me thine hand, and I will tell thee atale. There was a lonely castle in a lake, grim, cold, and northerly;and thither there was brought by angry men a captive woman. They haddealt with her strangely and subtilly; they had laid on her the guiltof the crimes themselves had wrought; and when she clung to the one manwhom at least she thought honest, they had forced and driven her intowedding him, only that all the world might cry out upon her, forsakeher, and deliver her up into those cruel hands. "

There was something irresistibly pathetic in Mary's voice, and themaiden lay gazing at her with swimming eyes. 

"Thou dost pity that poor lady, sweet one? There was little pity forher then! She had looked her last on her lad--bairn; ay, and they hadsaid she had striven to poison him, and they were breeding him up toloathe the very name of his mother; yea, and to hate and persecute theChurch of his father and his mother both. And so it was, that the ladyvowed that if another babe was granted to her, sprung of that laststrange miserable wedlock, these foes of hers should have no part init, nor knowledge of its very existence, but that it should be bred upbeyond their ken--safe out of their reach. Ah! child; good NurseKennedy can best tell thee how the jealous eyes and ears weredisconcerted, and in secrecy and sorrow that birth took place. "

Cis's heart was beating too fast for speech, but there was a tightclose pressure of the hand that Mary had placed within hers. 

"The poor mother, " went on the Queen in a low trembling voice, "dursthave scarce one hour's joy of her first and only daughter, ere thetrusty Gorion took the little one from her, to be nursed in a hut onthe other side of the lake. There, " continued Mary, forgetting thethird person, "I hoped to have joined her, so soon as I was afootagain. The faithful lavender lent me her garments, and I was alreadyin the boat, but the men-at-arms were rude and would have pulled downmy muffler; I raised my hand to protect myself, and it was all toowhite. They had not let me stain it, because the dye would not befit awasherwoman. So there was I dragged back to ward again, and all ourplans overthrown. And it seemed safer and meeter to put my little oneout of reach of all my foes, even if it were far away from her mother'saching heart. Not one more embrace could I be granted, but my goodchaplain Ross--whom the saints rest--baptized her in secret, and Gorionhad set two marks on the soft flesh, which he said could never beblotted out in after years, and then her father's clanswoman, AlisonHepburn, undertook to carry her to France, with a letter of mine boundup in her swathing clothes, committing her to the charge of my goodaunt, the Abbess of Soissons, in utter secrecy, until better daysshould come. Alas! I thought them not so far off. I deemed that were Ionce beyond the clutches of Morton, Ruthven, and the rest, the loyalwould rally once more round my standard, and my crown would be mineown, mine enemies and those of my Church beneath my feet. Little did Iguess that my escape would only be to see them slain and routed, andthat when I threw myself on the hospitality of my cousin, her tendermercies would prove such as I have found them. 'Libera me, Dominie, libera me. '"

Cis began dimly to understand, but she was still too much awed to makeany demonstration, save a convulsive pressure of the Queen's hand, andthe murmuring of the Latin prayer distressed her. 

Presently Mary resumed. "Long, long did I hope my little one wassafely sheltered from all my troubles in the dear old cloisters ofSoissons, and that it was caution in my good aunt the abbess thatprevented my hearing of her; but through my faithful servants, my LordFlemyng, who had been charged to speed her from Scotland, at length letme know that the ship in which she sailed, the Bride of Dunbar, hadbeen never heard of more, and was thought to have been cast away in atempest that raged two days after she quitted Dunbar. And I--I shedsome tears, but I could well believe that the innocent babe had beensafely welcomed among the saints, and I could not grieve that she was, as I thought, spared from the doom that rests upon the race of Stewart. Till one week back, I gave thanks for that child of sorrow as cradledin Paradise. "

Then followed a pause, and then Cis said in a low trembling voice, "Andit was from the wreck of the Bride of Dunbar that I was taken?"

"Thou hast said it, child! My bairn, my bonnie bairn!" and the girlwas absorbed in a passionate embrace and strained convulsively to abosom which heaved with the sobs of tempestuous emotion, and thecaresses were redoubled upon her again and again with increasingfervour that almost frightened her. 

"Speak to me! Speak to me! Let me hear my child's voice. "

"Oh, madam--"

"Call me mother! Never have I heard that sound from my child's lips. Ihave borne two children, two living children, only to be stripped ofboth. Speak, child--let me hear thee. "

Cis contrived to say "Mother, my mother, " but scarcely with effusion. It was all so strange, and she could not help feeling as if Susan werethe mother she knew and was at ease with. All this was much too like adream, from which she longed to awake. And there was Mrs. Kennedy too, rising up and crying quite indignantly--"Mother indeed! Is that allthou hast to say, as though it were a task under the rod, when thou artowned for her own bairn by the fairest and most ill-used queen inChristendom? Out on thee! Have the Southron loons chilled thine heartand made thee no leal to thine ain mother that hath hungered for thee?"

The angry tones, and her sense of her own shortcomings, could only makeCis burst into tears. 

"Hush, hush, nurse! thou shalt not chide my new-found bairn. She willlearn to ken us better in time if they will leave her with us, " saidMary. "There, there; greet not so sair, mine ain. I ask thee not toshare my sorrows and my woes. That Heaven forefend. I ask thee but tocome from time to time and cheer my nights, and lie on my weary bosomto still its ache and yearning, and let me feel that I have indeed achild. "

"Oh, mother, mother!" Cis cried again in a stifled voice, as one whocould not utter her feelings, but not in the cold dry tone that hadcalled forth Mrs. Kennedy's wrath. "Pardon me, I know not--I cannotsay what I would. But oh! I would do anything for--for your Grace. "

"All that I would ask of thee is to hold thy peace and keep ourcounsel. Be Cicely Talbot by day as ever. Only at night be mine--mychild, my Bride, for so wast thou named after our Scottish patroness. It was a relic of her sandals that was hung about thy neck, and hership in which thou didst sail; and lo, she heard and guarded thee, andnot merely saved thee from death, but provided thee a happy joyous homeand well-nurtured childhood. We must render her our thanks, my child. Beata Brigitta, ora pro nobis. "

"It was the good God Almighty who saved me, madam, " said Cis bluntly. 

"Alack! I forgot that yonder good lady could not fail to rear thee inthe outer darkness of her heresy; but thou wilt come back to us, my ainwee thing! Heaven forbid that I should deny Whose Hand it was thatsaved thee, but it was at the blessed Bride's intercession. No doubtshe reserved for me, who had turned to her in my distress, thisprecious consolation! But I will not vex thy little heart with debatethis first night. To be mother and child is enough for us. What artthou pondering?"

"Only, madam, who was it that told your Grace that I was a stranger?"

"The marks, bairnie, the marks, " said Mary. "They told their own taleto good Nurse Jeanie; ay, and to Gorion, whom we blamed for his crueltyin branding my poor little lammie. "

"Ah! but, " said Cicely, "did not yonder woman with the beads andbracelets bid him look?"

If it had been lighter, Cicely would have seen that the Queen was notpleased at the inquiry, but she only heard the answer from Jean's bed, "Hout no, I wad she knew nought of thae brands. How should she?"

"Nay, " said Cicely, "she--no, it was Tibbott the huckster-woman told melong ago that I was not what I seemed, and that I came from thenorth--I cannot understand! Were they the same?"

"The bairn kens too much, " said Jean. "Dinna ye deave her Grace withyour speirings, my lammie. Ye'll have to learn to keep a quiet sough, and to see mickle ye canna understand here. "

"Silence her not, good nurse, " said the Queen, "it imports us to knowthis matter. What saidst thou of Tibbott?"

"She was the woman who got Antony Babington into trouble, " explainedCicely. "I deemed her a witch, for she would hint strange thingsconcerning me, but my father always believed she was a kinsman of his, who was concerned in the Rising of the North, and who, he said, hadseen me brought in to Hull from the wreck. "

"Ay?" said the Queen, as a sign to her to continue. 

"And meseemed, " added Cicely timidly, "that the strange woman atTideswell who talked of beads and bracelets minded me of Tibbott, though she was younger, and had not her grizzled brows; but father saysthat cannot be, for Master Cuthbert Langston is beyond seas at Paris. "

"Soh! that is well, " returned Mary, in a tone of relief. "See, child. That Langston of whom you speak was a true friend of mine. He has donemuch for me under many disguises, and at the time of thy birth he livedas a merchant at Hull, trading with Scotland. Thus it may have becomeknown to him that the babe he had seen rescued from the wreck was onewho had been embarked at Dunbar. But no more doth he know. The secretof thy birth, my poor bairn, was entrusted to none save a few of thoseabout me, and all of those who are still living thou hast already seen. Lord Flemyng, who put thee on board, believed thee the child of JamesHepburn of Lillieburn, the archer, and of my poor Mary Stewart, akinswoman of mine ain; and it was in that belief doubtless that he, orTibbott, as thou call'st him, would have spoken with thee. "

"But the woman at Tideswell, " said Cis, who was gettingbewildered--"Diccon said that she spake to Master Gorion. "

"That did she, and pointed thee out to him. It is true. She isanother faithful friend of mine, and no doubt she had the secret fromhim. But no more questions, child. Enough that we sleep in eachother's arms. "

It was a strange night. Cis was more conscious of wonder, excitement, and a certain exultation, than of actual affection. She had not beenbred up so as to hunger and crave for love. Indeed she had beentreated with more tenderness and indulgence than was usual withpeople's own daughters, and her adopted parents had absorbed herundoubting love and respect. 

Queen Mary's fervent caresses were at least as embarrassing as theywere gratifying, because she did not know what response to make, andthe novelty and wonder of the situation were absolutely distressing. 

They would have been more so but for the Queen's tact. She soon sawthat she was overwhelming the girl, and that time must be given for herto become accustomed to the idea. So, saying tenderly something aboutrest, she lay quietly, leaving Cis, as she supposed, to sleep. This, however, was impossible to the girl, except in snatches which made herhave to prove to herself again and again that it was not all a dream. The last of these wakenings was by daylight, as full as the heavycurtains would admit, and she looked up into a face that was watchingher with such tender wistfulness that it drew from her perforce theword "Mother. "

"Ah! that is the tone with the true ring in it. I thank thee and Ibless thee, my bairn, " said Mary, making over her the sign of thecross, at which the maiden winced as at an incantation. Then sheadded, "My little maid, we must be up and stirring. Mind, no word ofall this. Thou art Cicely Talbot by day, as ever, and only my child, my Bride, mine ain wee thing, my princess by night. Canst keepcounsel?"

"Surely, madam, " said Cis, "I have known for five years that I was afoundling on the wreck, and I never uttered a word. "

Mary smiled. "This is either a very simple child or a very canny one, "she said to Jean Kennedy. "Either she sees no boast in being of royalblood, or she deems that to have the mother she has found is worse thanthe being the nameless foundling. "

"Oh! madam, mother, not so! I meant but that I had held my tongue whenI had something to tell!"

"Let thy secrecy stand thee in good stead, child, " said the Queen. "Remember that did the bruit once get abroad, thou wouldest assuredlybe torn from me, to be mewed up where the English Queen could hinderthee from ever wedding living man. Ay, and it might bring the head ofthy foster-father to the block, if he were thought to have concealedthe matter. I fear me thou art too young for such a weighty secret. "

"I am seventeen years old, madam, " returned Cis, with dignity; "I havekept the other secret since I was twelve. "

"Then thou wilt, I trust, have the wisdom not to take the princess onthee, nor to give any suspicion that we are more to one another thanthe caged bird and the bright linnet that comes to sing on the bars ofher cage. Only, child, thou must get from Master Talbot these tokensthat I hear of. Hast seen them?"

"Never, madam; indeed I knew not of them. "

"I need them not to know thee for mine own, but it is not well thatthey should be in stranger hands. Thou canst say--But hush, we must bemum for the present. "

For it became necessary to admit the Queen's morning draught of spicedmilk, borne in by one of her suite who had to remain uninitiated; andfrom that moment no more confidences could be exchanged, until the timethat Cis had to leave the Queen's chamber to join the rest of thehousehold in the daily prayers offered in the chapel. Her dress andhair had, according to promise, been carefully attended to, but she wasonly finished and completed just in time to join her adopted parents onthe way down the stairs. She knelt in the hall for their blessing--anaction as regular and as mechanical as the morning kiss and greetingnow are between parent and child; but there was something in her facethat made Susan say to herself, "She knows all. "

They could not speak to one another till not only matins but breakfastwere ended, and then--after the somewhat solid meal--the ladies had toput on their out-of-door gear to attend Queen Mary in her dailyexercise. The dress was not much, high summer as it was, only a looseveil over the stiff cap, and a fan in the gloved hand to act asparasol. However the retirement gave Cicely an interval in which tosay, "O mother, she has told me, " and as Susan sat holding out herarms, the adopted child threw herself on her knees, hiding her face onthat bosom where she had found comfort all her life, and where, heremotion at last finding full outlet, she sobbed without knowing why forsome moments, till she started nervously at the entrance of Richard, saying, "The Queen is asking for you both. But how now? Is all told?"

"Ay, " whispered his wife. 

"So! And why these tears? Tell me, my maid, was not she good to thee?Doth she seek to take thee into her own keeping?"

"Oh no, sir, no, " said Cis, still kneeling against the motherly kneeand struggling with her sobs. "No one is to guess. I am to be CicelyTalbot all the same, till better days come to her. "

"The safer and the happier for thee, child. Here are two honest heartsthat will not cast thee off, even if, as I suspect, yonder lady wouldfain be quit of thee. "

"Oh no!" burst from Cicely, then, shocked at having committed theoffence of interrupting him, she added, "Dear sir, I crave your pardon, but, indeed, she is all fondness and love. "

"Then what means this passion?" he asked, looking from one to the other. 

"It means only that the child's senses and spirits are overcome, " saidSusan, "and that she scarce knows how to take this discovery. Is it notso, sweetheart?"

"Oh, sweet mother, yes in sooth. You will ever be mother to me indeed!"

"Well said, little maid!" said Richard. "Thou mightest search theworld over and never hap upon such another. "

"But she oweth duty to the true mother, " said Susan, with her hand onthe girl's neck. 

"We wot well of that, " answered her husband, "and I trow the first isto be secret. "

"Yea, sir, " said Cis, recovering herself, "none save the very few whotended her, the Queen at Lochleven, know who I verily am. Such as wereaware of the babe being put on board ship at Dunbar, thought me thedaughter of a Scottish archer, a Hepburn, and she, the Queen my mother, would, have me pass as such to those who needs must know I am notmyself. "

"Trust her for making a double web when a single one would do, "muttered Richard, but so that the girl could not hear. 

"There is no need for any to know at present, " said Susan hastily, moved perhaps by the same dislike to deception; "but ah, there's thatfortune-telling woman. "

Cis, proud of her secret information, here explained that Tibbott wasindeed Cuthbert Langston, but not the person whose password was "beadsand bracelets, " and that both alike could know no more than the storyof the Scottish archer and his young wife, but they were hereinterrupted by the appearance of Diccon, who had been sent by my Lordhimself to hasten them at the instance of the Queen. Master Richardsent the boy on with his mother, saying he would wait and bring Cis, asshe had still to compose her hair and coif, which had become somewhatdisordered. 

"My maiden, " he said, gravely, "I have somewhat to say unto thee. Thouart in a stranger case than any woman of thy years between the fourseas; nay, it may be in Christendom. It is woeful hard for thee not tobe a traitor through mere lapse of tongue to thine own mother, or elseto thy Queen. So I tell thee this once for all. See as little, hearas little, and, above all, say as little as thou canst. "

"Not to mother?" asked Cis. 

"No, not to her, above all not to me, and, my girl, pray God daily tokeep thee true and loyal, and guard thee and the rest of us fromsnares. Now have with thee. We may tarry no longer!"

All went as usual for the rest of the day, so that the last night waslike a dream, until it became plain that Cicely was again to share theroyal apartment. 

"Ah, I have thirsted for this hour!" said Mary, holding out her armsand drawing her daughter to her bosom. "Thou art a canny lassie, mineain wee thing. None could have guessed from thy bearing that there wasaught betwixt us. "

"In sooth, madam, " said the girl, "it seems that I am two maidens inone--Cis Talbot by day, and Bride of Scotland by night. "

"That is well! Be all Cis Talbot by day. When there is need todissemble, believe in thine own feigning. 'Tis for want of that artthat these clumsy Southrons make themselves but a laughing-stockwhenever they have a secret. "

Cis did not understand the maxim, and submitted in silence to somecaresses before she said, "My father will give your Grace the tokenswhen we return. "

"Thy father, child?"

"I crave your pardon, madam, it comes too trippingly to my tongue thusto term Master Talbot. "

"So much the better. Thy tongue must not lose the trick. I did butfeel a moment's fear lest thou hadst not been guarded enough withyonder sailor man, and had let him infer over much. "

"O, surely, madam, you never meant me to withhold the truth from fatherand mother, " cried Cis, in astonishment and dismay. 

"Tush! silly maid!" said the Queen, really angered. "Father andmother, forsooth! Now shall we have a fresh coil! I should have knownbetter than to have trusted thy word. "

"Never would I have given my word to deceive them, " cried Cis, hotly. 

"Lassie!" exclaimed Jean Kennedy, "ye forget to whom ye speak. "

"Nay, " said Mary, recovering herself, or rather seeing how best topunish, "'tis the poor bairn who will be the sufferer. Our statecannot be worse than it is already, save that I shall lose herpresence, but it pities me to think of her. "

"The secret is safe with them, " repeated Cis. "O madam, none are to betrusted like them. "

"Tell me not, " said the Queen. "The sailor's blundering loyalty willnot suffer him to hold his tongue. I would lay my two lost crowns thathe is down on his honest knees before my Lord craving pardon for havingunwittingly fostered one of the viper brood. Then, via! off goes apost--boots and spurs are no doubt already on--and by and by comesKnollys, or Garey, or Walsingham, to bear off the perilous maiden towalk in Queen Bess's train, and have her ears boxed when her Majesty isout of humour, or when she gets weary of dressing St. Katherine's hair, and weds the man of her choice, she begins to taste of prison walls, and is a captive for the rest of her days. "

Cis was reduced to tears, and assurances that if the Queen would onlybroach the subject to Master Richard, she would perceive that heregarded as sacred, secrets that were not his own; and to show that hemeant no betrayal, she repeated his advice as to seeing, hearing, andsaying as little as possible. 

"Wholesome counsel!" said Mary. "Cheer thee, lassie mine, I willcredit whatever thou wilt of this foster-father of thine until I see itdisproved; and for the good lady his wife, she hath more inward, ifless outward, grace than any dame of the mastiff brood which guards ourprison court! I should have warned thee that they were not exceptedfrom those who may deem thee my poor Mary's child. "

Cicely did not bethink herself that, in point of fact, she had notcommunicated her royal birth to her adopted parents, but that it hadbeen assumed between them, as, indeed, they had not mentioned theirprevious knowledge. Mary presently proceeded--"After all, we may nothave to lay too heavy a burden on their discretion. Better days arecoming. One day shall our faithful lieges open the way to freedom androyalty, and thou shalt have whatever boon thou wouldst ask, even wereit pardon for my Lady Shrewsbury. "

"There is one question I would fain ask, Madam mother: Doth my realfather yet live? The Earl of--"

Jean Kennedy made a sound of indignant warning and consternation, cutting her short in dismay; but the Queen gripped her hand tightly forsome moments, and then said: "'Tis not a thing to speir of me, child, of me, the most woefully deceived and forlorn of ladies. Never have Iseen nor heard from him since the parting at Carbery Hill, when he leftme to bear the brunt! Folk say that he took ship for the north. Believe him dead, child. So were it best for us both; but never namehim to me more. "

Jean Kennedy knew, though the girl did not, what these words conveyed. If Bothwell no longer lived, there would be no need to declare themarriage null and void, and thus sacrifice his daughter's position; butsupposing him to be in existence, Mary had already shown herselfresolved to cancel the very irregular bonds which had united them, --amost easy matter for a member of her Church, since they had beenmarried by a Reformed minister, and Bothwell had a living wife at thetime. Of all this Cicely was absolutely ignorant, and was soon eagerlylistening as the Queen spoke of her hopes of speedy deliverance. "Myson, my Jamie, is working for me!" she said. "Nay, dost not ken what isin view for me?"

"No, madam, my good father, Master Richard, I mean, never tells aughtthat he hears in my Lord's closet. "

"That is to assure me of his discretion, I trow! but this is no secret!No treason against our well-beloved cousin Bess! Oh no! But thybrother, mine ain lad-bairn, hath come to years of manhood, and hathshaken himself free of the fetters of Knox and Morton and Buchanan, andall their clamjamfrie. The Stewart lion hath been too strong for them. The puir laddie hath true men about him, at last, --the Master of Gray, as they call him, and Esme Stewart of Aubigny, a Scot polished as theFrench know how to brighten Scottish steel. Nor will the lad bide thathis mother should pine longer in durance. He yearns for her, and hathwrit to her and to Elizabeth offering her a share in his throne. Poorladdie, what would be outrecuidance in another is but duteousness inhim. What will he say when we bring him a sister as well as a mother?They tell me that he is an unco scholar, but uncouth in his speech andmanners, and how should it be otherwise with no woman near him save myold Lady Mar? We shall have to take him in hand to teach him faircourtesy. "

"Sure he will be an old pupil!" said Cis, "if he be more than two yearsmy elder. "

"Never fear, if we can find a winsome young bride for him, trustmother, wife, and sister for moulding him to kingly bearing. We willmake our home in Stirling or Linlithgow, we two, and leave Holyrood tohim. I have seen too much there ever to thole the sight of thosechambers, far less of the High Street of Edinburgh; but Stirling, bonnie Stirling, ay, I would fain ride a hawking there once more. Methinks a Highland breeze would put life and youth into me again. There's a little chamber opening into mine, where I will bestow thee, my Lady Bride of Scotland, for so long as I may keep thee. Ah! it willnot be for long. They will be seeking thee, my brave courtly faithfulkindred of Lorraine, and Scottish nobles and English lords will vie forthis little hand of thine, where courses the royal blood of bothrealms. "

"So please you, madam, my mother--"

"Eh? What is it? Who is it? I deemed that yonder honourable dame hadkept thee from all the frolics and foibles of the poor old profession. Fear not to tell me, little one. Remember thine own mother hath aheart for such matters. I guess already. C'etait un beau garcon, cepauvre Antoine. "

"Oh no, madam, " exclaimed Cicely. "When the sailor Goatley disclosedthat I was no child of my father's, of Master Richard I mean, and was anameless creature belonging to no one, Humfrey Talbot stood forth andpledged himself to wed me so soon as we were old enough. "

"And what said the squire and dame?"

"That I should then be indeed their daughter. "

"And hath the contract gone no farther?"

"No, madam. He hath been to the North with Captain Frobisher, andsince that to the Western Main, and we look for his return even now. "

"How long is it since this pledge, as thou callest it, was given?"

"Five years next Lammas tide, madam. "

"Was it by ring or token?"

"No, madam. Our mother said we were too young, but Humfrey meant itwith all his heart. "

"Humfrey! That was the urchin who must needs traverse thecorrespondence through the seeming Tibbott, and so got Antony removedfrom about us. A stout lubberly Yorkshire lad, fed on beef andpudding, a true Talbot, a mere English bull-dog who will have lost allthe little breeding he had, while committing spulzie and piracy at seaon his Catholic Majesty's ships. Bah, mon enfant, I am glad of it. Had he been a graceful young courtly page like the poor Antony, itmight have been a little difficult, but a great English carle likethat, whom thou hast not seen for five years--" She made a gesture withher graceful hands as if casting away a piece of thistledown. 

"Humfrey is my very good--my very good brother, madam, " cried Cicely, casting about for words to defend him, and not seizing the mostappropriate. 

"Brother, quotha? Yea, and as good brother he shall be to thee, andwelcome, so long as thou art Cis Talbot by day--but no more, child. Princesses mate not with Yorkshire esquires. When the Lady Bride takesher place in the halls of her forefathers, she will be the property ofScotland, and her hand will be sought by princes. Ah, lassie! let itnot grieve thee. One thing thy mother can tell thee from her ownexperience. There is more bliss in mating with our equals, by thechoice of others, than in following our own wild will. Thou gazest atme in wonder, but verily my happy days were with my gentle youngking--and so will thine be, I pray the saints happier and more enduringthan ever were mine. Nothing has ever lasted with me but captivity, Olibera me. "

And in the murmured repetition the mother fell asleep, and thedaughter, who had slumbered little the night before, could not butlikewise drop into the world of soothing oblivion, though with a dullfeeling of aching and yearning towards the friendly kindly Humfrey, yetwith a certain exultation in the fate that seemed to be carrying her oninevitably beyond his reach. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE PEAK CAVERN. 

It was quite true that at this period Queen Mary had good hope ofliberation in the most satisfactory manner possible--short of beinghailed as English Queen. Negotiations were actually on foot with JamesVI. And Elizabeth for her release. James had written to her with hisown hand, and she had for the first time consented to give him thetitle of King of Scotland. The project of her reigning jointly withhim had been mooted, and each party was showing how enormous acondescension it would be in his or her eyes! Thus there was no greatunlikelihood that there would be a recognition of the Lady Bride, andthat she would take her position as the daughter of a queen. Therefore, when Mary contrived to speak to Master Richard Talbot andhis wife in private, she was able to thank them with graciouscondescension for the care they had bestowed in rearing her daughter, much as if she had voluntarily entrusted the maiden to them, saying shetrusted to be in condition to reward them. 

Mistress Susan's heart swelled high with pain, as though she had beenthanked for her care of Humfrey or Diccon, and her husband answered. "We seek no reward, madam. The damsel herself, while she was ours, wasreward enough. "

"And I must still entreat, that of your goodness you will let herremain yours for a little longer, " said Mary, with a touch of imperiousgrace, "until this treaty is over, and I am free, it is better that shecontinues to pass for your daughter. The child herself has sworn to meby her great gods, " said Mary, smiling with complimentary grace, "thatyou will preserve her secret--nay, she becomes a little fury when Iexpress my fears lest you should have scruples. "

"No, madam, this is no state secret; such as I might not with honourconceal, " returned Richard. 

"There is true English sense!" exclaimed Mary. "I may then count onyour giving my daughter the protection of your name and your home untilI can reclaim her and place her in her true position. Yea, and if yourconcealment should give offence, and bring you under any displeasure ofmy good sister, those who have so saved and tended my daughter willhave the first claim to whatever I can give when restored to mykingdom. "

"We are much beholden for your Grace's favour, " said Richard, somewhatstiffly, "but I trust never to serve any land save mine own. "

"Ah! there is your fierete, " cried Mary. "Happy is my sister to havesubjects with such a point of honour. Happy is my child to have beenbred up by such parents!"

Richard bowed. It was all a man could do at such a speech, and Maryfurther added, "She has told me to what bounds went your goodness toher. It is well that you acted so prudently that the children's heartswere not engaged; for, as we all know but too well royal blood shouldhave no heart. "

"I am quite aware of it, madam, " returned Richard, and there for thetime the conversation ended. The Queen had been most charming, full ofgratitude, and perfectly reasonable in her requests, and yet there wassome flaw in the gratification of both, even while neither thought thedisappointment would go very hard with their son. Richard could neverdivest himself of the instinctive prejudice with which soft wordsinspire men of his nature, and Susan's maternal heart was all in revoltagainst the inevitable, not merely grieving over the wrench to heraffections, but full of forebodings and misgivings as to the futurewelfare of her adopted child. Even if the brightest hopes should befulfilled; the destiny of a Scottish princess did not seem to Southerneyes very brilliant at the best, and whether poor Bride Hepburn mightbe owned as a princess at all was a doubtful matter, since, if herfather lived (and he had certainly been living in 1577 in Norway), boththe Queen and the Scottish people would be agreed in repudiating themarriage. Any way, Susan saw every reason to fear for the happinessand the religion alike of the child to whom she had given a mother'slove. Under her grave, self-contained placid demeanour, perhaps DameSusan was the most dejected of those at Buxton. The captive Queen hadher hopes of freedom and her newly found daughter, who was as yet onlya pleasure, and not an encumbrance to her, the Earl had been assuredthat his wife's slanders had been forgotten. He was secure of hissovereign's favour, and permitted to see the term of his wearyjailorship, and thus there was an unusual liveliness and cheerfulnessabout the whole sojourn at Buxton, where, indeed, there was always moreor less of a holiday time. 

To Cis herself, her nights were like a perpetual fairy tale, and soindeed were all times when she was alone with the initiated, who wereindeed all those original members of her mother's suite who had knownof her birth at Lochleven, people who had kept too many periloussecrets not to be safely entrusted with this one, and whose finishedhabits of caution, in a moment, on the approach of a stranger, wouldchange their manner from the deferential courtesy due to theirprincess, to the good-natured civility of court ladies to little CicelyTalbot. 

Dame Susan had been gratified at first by the young girl's sincereassurances of unchanging affection and allegiance, and, in truth, Cishad clung the most to her with the confidence of a whole life'sdanghterhood, but as the days went on, and every caress and token ofaffection imaginable was lavished upon the maiden, every splendidaugury held out to her of the future, and every story of the pastdetailed the charms of Mary's court life in France, seen through thevista of nearly twenty sadly contrasted years, it was in the verynature of things that Cis should regard the time spent perforce withMistress Talbot much as a petted child views its return to the strictnurse or governess from the delights of the drawing-room. She liked todazzle the homely housewife with the wonderful tales of Frenchgaieties, or the splendid castles in the air she had heard in theQueen's rooms, but she resented the doubt and disapproval theysometimes excited; she was petulant and fractious at any exercise ofauthority from her foster-mother, and once or twice went near to betrayherself by lapsing into a tone towards her which would have broughtdown severe personal chastisement on any real daughter even ofseventeen. It was well that the Countess and her sharp-eyed daughterMary were out of sight, as the sight of such "cockering of a malapertmaiden" would have led to interference that might have brought mattersto extremity. Yet, with all the forbearance thus exercised, Susancould not but feel that the girl's love was being weaned from her; and, after all, how could she complain, since it was by the true mother? Ifonly she could have hoped it was for the dear child's good, it wouldnot have been so hard! But the trial was a bitter one, and not evenher husband guessed how bitter it was. 

The Queen meantime improved daily in health and vigour in the splendidsummer weather. The rheumatism had quitted her, and she daily rode andplayed at Trowle Madame for hours after supper in the long bright Julyevenings. Cis, whose shoulder was quite well, played with greatdelight on the greensward, where one evening she made acquaintance witha young esquire and his sisters from the neighbourhood, who had comewith their father to pay their respects to my Lord Earl, as the head ofall Hallamshire. The Earl, though it was not quite according to therecent stricter rules, ventured to invite them to stay to sup with thehousehold, and afterwards they came out with the rest upon the lawn. 

Cis was walking between the young lad and his sister, laughing andtalking with much animation, for she had not for some time enjoyed thepleasure of free intercourse with any of her fellow-denizens in thehappy land of youth. 

Dame Susan watched her with some uneasiness, and presently saw hertaking them where she herself was privileged to go, but strangers werenever permitted to approach, on the Trowle Madame sward reserved forthe Queen, on which she was even now entering. 

"Cicely!" she called, but the young lady either did not or would nothear, and she was obliged to walk hastily forward, meet the party, andwith courteous excuses turn them back from the forbidden ground. Theysubmitted at once, apologising, but Cis, with a red spot on her cheek, cried, "The Queen would take no offence. "

"That is not the matter in point, Cicely, " said Dame Susan gravely. "Master and Mistress Eyre understand that we are bound to obedience tothe Earl. "

Master Eyre, a well-bred young gentleman, made reply that he well knewthat no discourtesy was intended, but Cis pouted and muttered, evidently to the extreme amazement of Mistress Alice Eyre; and DameSusan, to divert her attention, began to ask about the length of theirride, and the way to their home. 

Cis's ill humour never lasted long, and she suddenly broke in, "Omother, Master Eyre saith there is a marvellous cavern near hisfather's house, all full of pendants from the roof like a minster, andgreat sheeted tables and statues standing up, all grand and ghostly onthe floor, far better than in this Pool's Hole. He says his fatherwill have it lighted up if we will ride over and see it. "

"We are much beholden to Master Eyre, " said Susan, but Cis read refusalin her tone, and began to urge her to consent. 

"It must be as my husband wills, " was the grave answer, and at the sametime, courteously, but very decidedly, she bade the strangers farewell, and made her daughter do the same, though Cis was inclined toresistance, and in a somewhat defiant tone added, "I shall not forgetyour promise, sir. I long to see the cave. "

"Child, child, " entreated Susan, as soon as they were out of hearing, "be on thy guard. Thou wilt betray thyself by such conduct towards me. "

"But, mother, they did so long to see the Queen, and there would havebeen no harm in it. They are well affected, and the young gentleman isa friend of poor Master Babington. "

"Nay, Cis, that is further cause that I should not let them passonward. I marvel not at thee, my maid, but thou and thy mother queenmust bear in mind that while thou passest for our daughter, and hasttrust placed in thee, thou must do nothing to forfeit it or bring thyfa--, Master Richard I mean, into trouble. "

"I meant no harm, " said Cis; rather crossly. 

"Thou didst not, but harm may be done by such as mean it the least. "

"Only, mother, sweet mother, " cried the girl, childlike, set upon herpleasure, "I will be as good as can be. I will transgress in nought ifonly thou wilt get my father to take me to see Master Eyre's cavern. "

She was altogether the home daughter again in her eagerness, entreatingand promising by turns with the eager curiosity of a young girl bent onan expedition, but Richard was not to be prevailed on. He had little orno acquaintance with the Eyre family, and to let them go to the costand trouble of lighting up the cavern for the young lady's amusementwould be like the encouragement of a possible suit, which would havebeen a most inconvenient matter. Richard did not believe the younggentleman had warrant from his father in giving this invitation, and ifhe had, that was the more reason for declining it. The Eyres, thenholding the royal castle of the Peak, were suspected of being secretlyRoman Catholics, and though the Earl could not avoid hospitably biddingthem to supper, the less any Talbot had to do with them the better, andfor the present Cis must be contented to be reckoned as one. 

So she had to put up with her disappointment, and she did not do sowith as good a grace as she would have shown a year ago. Nay, shecarried it to Queen Mary, who at night heard her gorgeous descriptionof the wonders of the cavern, which grew in her estimation inproportion to the difficulty of seeing them, and sympathised with herdisappointment at the denial. 

"Nay, thou shalt not be balked, " said Mary, with the old queenly habitof having her own way. "Prisoner as I am, I will accomplish this. Mydaughter shall have her wish. "

So on the ensuing morning, when the Earl came to pay his respects, Maryassailed him with, "There is a marvellous cavern in these parts, myLord, of which I hear great wonders. "

"Does your grace mean Pool's Hole?"

"Nay, nay, my Lord. Have I not been conducted through it by Dr. Jones, and there writ my name for his delectation? This is, I hear, as apalace compared therewith. "

"The Peak Cavern, Madam!" said Lord Shrewsbury, with the distaste ofmiddle age for underground expeditions, "is four leagues hence, and adark, damp, doleful den, most noxious for your Grace's rheumatism. "

"Have you ever seen it, my Lord?"

"No, verily, " returned his lordship with a shudder. 

"Then you will be edified yourself, my Lord, if you will do me thegrace to escort me thither, " said Mary, with the imperious suavity shewell knew how to adopt. 

"Madam, madam, " cried the unfortunate Earl, "do but consult yourphysicians. They will tell you that all the benefits of the Buxtonwaters will be annulled by an hour in yonder subterranean hole. "

"I have heard of it from several of my suite, " replied Mary, "and theytell me that the work of nature on the lime-droppings is so marvellousthat I shall not rest without a sight of it. Many have been instantwith me to go and behold the wondrous place. "

This was not untrue, but she had never thought of gratifying them inher many previous visits to Buxton. The Earl found himself obligedeither to utter a harsh and unreasonable refusal, or to organise anexpedition which he personally disliked extremely, and moreoverdistrusted, for he did not in the least believe that Queen Mary wouldbe so set upon gratifying her curiosity about stalactites without someulterior motive. He tried to set on Dr. Jones to persuade MessieursGorion and Bourgoin, her medical attendants, that the cave would befatal to her rheumatism, but it so happened that the Peak Cavern wasDr. Jones's favourite lion, the very pride of his heart. Pool's Holewas dear to him, but the Peak Cave was far more precious, and the veryidea of the Queen of Scots honouring it with her presence, and leavingbehind her the flavour of her name, was so exhilarating to the littleman that if the place had been ten times more damp he would havevouched for its salubrity. Moreover, he undertook that fumigations offragrant woods should remove all peril of noxious exhalations, so thatthe Earl was obliged to give his orders that Mr. Eyre should berequested to light up the cave, and heartily did he grumble and pourforth his suspicions and annoyance to his cousin Richard. 

"And I, " said the good sailor, "felt it hard not to be able to tell himthat all was for the freak of a silly damsel. "

Mistress Cicely laughed a little triumphantly. It was something likebeing a Queen's daughter to have been the cause of making my Lordhimself bestir himself against his will. She had her own way, andmight well be good-humoured. "Come, dear sir father, " she said, comingup to him in a coaxing, patronising way, which once would have beenquite alien to them both, "be not angered. You know nobody meanstreason! And, after all, 'tis not I but you that are the cause of allthe turmoil. If you would but have ridden soberly out with your poorlittle Cis, there would have been no coil, but my Lord might have pacedstately and slow up and down the terrace-walk undisturbed. "

"Ah, child, child!" said Susan, vexed, though her husband could nothelp smiling at the arch drollery of the girl's tone and manner, "donot thou learn light mockery of all that should be honoured. "

"I am not bound to honour the Earl, " said Cis, proudly. 

"Hush, hush!" said Richard. "I have allowed thee unchecked too long, maiden. Wert thou ten times what thou art, it would not give thee theright to mock at the gray-haired, highly-trusted noble, the head of thename thou dost bear. "

"And the torment of her whom I am most bound to love, " broke fromCicely petulantly. 

Richard's response to this sally was to rise up, make the young ladythe lowest possible reverence, with extreme and displeased gravity, andthen to quit the room. It brought the girl to her bearings at once. "Oh, mother, mother, how have I displeased him?"

"I trow thou canst not help it, child, " said Susan, sadly; "but it ishard that thou shouldst bring home to us how thine heart and thineobedience are parted from us. "

The maiden was in a passion of tears at once, vowing that she meant nosuch thing, that she loved and obeyed them as much as ever, and that ifonly her father would forgive her she would never wish to go near thecavern. She would beg the Queen to give up the plan at once, if onlySir Richard would be her good father as before. 

Susan looked at her sadly and tenderly, but smiled, and said that whathad been lightly begun could not now be dropped, and that she trustedCis would be happy in the day's enjoyment, and remember to behaveherself as a discreet maiden. "For truly, " said she, "so far fromdiscretion being to be despised by Queen's daughters, the higher theestate the greater the need thereof. "

This little breeze did not prevent Cicely from setting off in highspirits, as she rode near the Queen, who declared that she wanted toenjoy _through_ the merry maiden, and who was herself in a gay andjoyous mood, believing that the term of her captivity was in sight, delighted with her daughter, exhilarated by the fresh breezes and rapidmotion, and so mirthful that she could not help teasing and banteringthe Earl a little, though all in the way of good-humoured grace. 

The ride was long, about eight miles; but though the Peak Castle was aroyal one, the Earl preferred not to enter it, but, according toprevious arrangement, caused the company to dismount in the valley, orrather ravine, which terminates in the cavern, where a repast wasspread on the grass. It was a wonderful place, cool and refreshing, for the huge rocks on either side cast a deep shadow, seldom pierced bythe rays of the sun. Lofty, solemn, and rich in dark reds and purples, rose the walls of rock, here and there softened by tapestry of ivy orprojecting bushes of sycamore, mountain ash, or with fruit alreadyassuming its brilliant tints, and jackdaws flying in and out of theirholes above. Deep beds of rich ferns clothed the lower slopes, andsheets of that delicate flower, the enchanter's nightshade, reared itswhite blossoms down to the bank of a little clear stream that cameflowing from out of the mighty yawning arch of the cavern, while abovethe precipice rose sheer the keep of Peak Castle. 

The banquet was gracefully arranged to suit the scene, and comprised, besides more solid viands, large bowls of milk, with strawberries orcranberries floating in them. Mr. Eyre, the keeper of the castle, andhis daughter did the honours, while his son superintended the lightingand fumigation of the cavern, assisted, if not directed by Dr. Jones, whose short black cloak and gold-headed cane were to be seen almosteverywhere at once. 

Presently clouds of smoke began to issue from the vast archway thatclosed the ravine. "Beware, my maidens, " said the Queen, merrily, "wehave roused the dragon in his den, and we shall see him come forthanon, curling his tail and belching flame. "

"With a marvellous stomach for a dainty maiden or two, " added GilbertCurll, falling into her humour. 

"Hark! Good lack!" cried the Queen, with an affectation of terror, asa most extraordinary noise proceeded from the bowels of the cavern, making Cis start and Marie de Courcelles give a genuine shriek. 

"Your Majesty is pleased to be merry, " said the Earl, ponderously. "Thesound is only the coughing of the torchbearers from the damp whereof Iwarned your Majesty. "

"By my faith, " said Mary, "I believe my Lord Earl himself fears themonster of the cavern, to whom he gives the name of Damp. Dreadnothing, my Lord; the valorous knight Sir Jones is even now in conflictwith the foul worm, as those cries assure me, being in fact caused byhis fumigations. "

The jest was duly received, and in the midst of the laughter, youngEyre came forward, bowing low, and holding his jewelled hat in hishand, while his eyes betrayed that he had recently been sneezingviolently. 

"So please your Majesty, " he said, "the odour hath rolled away, and allis ready if you will vouchsafe to accept my poor guidance. "

"How say you, my Lord?" said Mary. "Will you dare the lair of theconquered foe, or fear you to be pinched with aches and pains by hislurking hobgoblins? If so, we dispense with your attendance. "

"Your Majesty knows that where she goes thither I am bound to attendher, " said the rueful Earl. 

"Even into the abyss!" said Mary. "Valiantly spoken, for have notAriosto and his fellows sung of captive princesses for whom every caveheld an enchanter who could spirit them away into vapour thin as air, and leave their guardians questing in vain for them?"

"Your Majesty jests with edged tools, " sighed the Earl. 

Old Mr. Eyre was too feeble to act as exhibitor of the cave, and hisson was deputed to lead the Queen forward. This was, of course, LordShrewsbury's privilege, but he was in truth beholden to her fingers foraid, as she walked eagerly forward, now and then accepting a littlehelp from John Eyre, but in general sure-footed and exploring eagerlyby the light of the numerous torches held by yeomen in the Eyre livery, one of whom was stationed wherever there was a dangerous pass or afreak of nature worth studying. 

The magnificent vaulted roof grew lower, and presently it becamenecessary to descend a staircase, which led to a deep hollow chamber, shaped like a bell, and echoing like one. A pool of intensely blackwater filled it, reflecting the lights on its surface, that onlyenhanced its darkness, while there moved on a mysterious flat-bottomedboat, breaking them into shimmering sparks, and John Eyre intimatedthat the visitors must lie down flat in it to be ferried one by oneover a space of about fourteen yards. 

"Your Majesty will surely not attempt it, " said the Earl, with ashudder. 

"Wherefore not? It is but a foretaste of Charon's boat!" said Mary, who was one of those people whose spirit of enterprise rises with theoccasion, and she murmured to Mary Seaton the line of Dante--

 "Quando noi fermerem li nostri passi Su la triate riviera a' Acheronte. "

"Will your Majesty enter?" asked John Eyre. "Dr. Jones and somegentlemen wait on the other side to receive you. "

"Some gentlemen?" repeated Mary. "You are sure they are not Minos andRhadamanthus, sir? My obolus is ready; shall I put it in my mouth?"

"Nay, madam, pardon me, " said the Earl, spurred by a miserable sense ofhis duties; "since you will thus venture, far be it from me to let youpass over until I have reached the other aide to see that it is fit foryour Majesty!"

"Even as you will, most devoted cavalier, " said Mary, drawing back; "wewill be content to play the part of the pale ghosts of the unburieddead a little longer. See, Mary, the boat sinks down with him and hismortal flesh! We shall have Charon complaining of him anon. "

"Your Highness gars my flesh grue, " was the answer of her faithful Mary. 

"Ah, ma mie! we have not left all hope behind. We can afford to smileat the doleful knight, ferried o'er on his back, in duteous and loyalsubmission to his task mistress. Child, Cicely, where art thou? Artafraid to dare the black river?"

"No, madam, not with you on the other side, and my father to follow me. "

"Well said. Let the maiden follow next after me. Or mayhap MasterEyre should come next, then the young lady. For you, my ladies, andyou, good sirs, you are free to follow or not, as the fancy strikesyou. So--here is Charon once more--must I lie down?"

"Ay, madam, " said Eyre, "if you would not strike your head againstyonder projecting rock. "

Mary lay down, her cloak drawn about her, and saying, "Now then, forAcheron. Ah! would that it were Lethe!"

"Her Grace saith well, " muttered faithful Jean Kennedy, unversed inclassic lore, "would that we were once more at bonnie Leith. Softthere now, 'tis you that follow her next, my fair mistress. "

Cicely, not without trepidation, obeyed, laid herself flat, and wassoon midway, feeling the passage so grim and awful, that she couldthink of nothing but the dark passages of the grave, and was shudderingall over, when she was helped out on the other side by the Queen's ownhand. 

Some of those in the rear did not seem to be similarly affected, orelse braved their feelings of awe by shouts and songs, which echoedfearfully through the subterranean vaults. Indeed Diccon, followingthe example of one or two young pages and grooms of the Earl's, beganto get so daring and wild in the strange scene, that his father becameanxious, and tarried for him on the other side, in the dread of hiswandering away and getting lost, or falling into some of the fearfuldark rivers that could be heard--not seen--rushing along. By thismeans, Master Richard was entirely separated from Cicely, to whom, before crossing the water, he had been watchfully attending, but heknew her to be with the Queen and her ladies, and considered hernatural timidity the best safeguard against the chief peril of thecave, namely, wandering away. 

Cicely did, however, miss his care, for the Queen could not but beengrossed by her various cicerones and attendants, and it was no one'sespecial business to look after the young girl over the rough descentto the dripping well called Roger Rain's House, and the grandcathedral-like gallery, with splendid pillars of stalagmite, andpendants above. By the time the steps beyond were reached, a toilsomedescent, the Queen had had enough of the expedition, and declined to goany farther, but she good-naturedly yielded to the wish of Master JohnEyre and Dr. Jones, that she would inscribe her name on the farthestcolumn that she had reached. 

There was a little confusion while this was being done, as some of themore enterprising wished to penetrate as far as possible into therecesses of the cave, and these were allowed to pass forward--Dicconand his father among them. In the passing and repassing, Cicelyentirely lost sight of all who had any special care of her, and wentstumbling on alone, weary, frightened, and repenting of the wilfulnesswith which she had urged on the expedition. Each of the other ladieshad some cavalier to help her, but none had fallen to Cicely's lot, andthough, to an active girl, there was no real danger where thetorchbearers lined the way, still there was so much difficulty that shewas a laggard in reaching the likeness of Acheron, and could see nofather near as she laid herself down in Charon's dismal boat, dimlyrejoicing that this time it was to return to the realms of day, and yetfeeling as if she should never reach them. A hand was given to assisther from the boat by one of the torchbearers, a voice strangelyfamiliar was in her ears, saying, "Mistress Cicely!" and she knew theeager eyes, and exclaimed under her breath, "Antony, you here? Inhiding? What have you done?"

"Nothing, " he answered, smiling, and holding her hand, as he helped herforward. "I only put on this garb that I might gaze once more on themost divine and persecuted of queens, and with some hope likewise thatI might win a word with her who deigned once to be my playmate. Lady, Iknow the truth respecting you. "

"Do you in very deed?" demanded Cicely, considerably startled. 

"I know your true name, and that you are none of the mastiff race, "said Antony. 

"Did--did Tibbott tell you, sir?" asked Cicely. 

"You are one of us, " said Antony; "bound by natural allegiance in theland of your birth to this lady. "

"Even so, " said Cis, here becoming secure of what she had beforedoubted, that Babington only knew half the truth he referred to. 

"And you see and speak with her privily, " he added. 

"As Bess Pierrepoint did, " said she. 

These words passed during the ascent, and were much interrupted by thedifficulties of the way, in which Antony rendered such aid that she waseach moment more impelled to trust to him, and relieved to find herselfin such familiar hands. On reaching the summit the light of day couldbe seen glimmering in the extreme distance, and the maiden's heartbounded at the sight of it; but she found herself led somewhat aside, where in a sort of side aisle of the great bell chamber were standingtogether four more of the torch-bearers. 

One of them, a slight man, made a step forward and said, "The Queenhath dropped her kerchief. Mayhap the young gentlewoman will restoreit?"

"She will do more than that!" said Antony, drawing her into the midstof them. "Dost not know her, Langston? She is her sacred Majesty'sown born, true, and faithful subject, the Lady--"

"Hush, my friend; thou art ever over outspoken with thy names, "returned the other, evidently annoyed at Babington's imprudence. 

"I tell thee, she is one of us, " replied Antony impatiently. "How isthe Queen to know of her friends if we name them not to her?"

"Are these her friends?" asked Cicely, looking round on the fivefigures in the leathern coats and yeomen's heavy buskins and shoes, andespecially at the narrow face and keen pale eyes of Langston. 

"Ay, verily, " said one, whom Cicely could see even under his disguiseto be a slender, graceful youth. "By John Eyre's favour have we cometogether here to gaze on the true and lawful mistress of our hearts, the champion of our faith, in her martyrdom. " Then taking the kerchieffrom Langston's hand, Babington kissed it reverently, and tore it intofive pieces, which he divided among himself and his fellows, saying, "This fair mistress shall bear witness to her sacred Majesty thatwe--Antony Babington, Chidiock Tichborne, Cuthbert Langston, JohnCharnock, John Savage--regard her as the sole and lawful Queen ofEngland and Scotland, and that as we have gone for her sake into thelikeness of the valley of the shadow of death, so will we meet deathitself and stain this linen with our best heart's blood rather than notbring her again to freedom and the throne!"

Then with the most solemn oath each enthusiastically kissed the whitetoken, and put it in his breast, but Langston looked with some alarm atthe girl, and said to Babington, "Doth this young lady understand thatyou have put our lives into her hands?"

"She knows! she knows! I answer for her with my life, " said Antony. 

"Let her then swear to utter no word of what she has seen save to theQueen, " said Langston, and Cicely detected a glitter in that pale eye, and with a horrified leap of thought, recollected how easy it would beto drag her away into one of those black pools, beyond all ken. 

"Oh save me, Antony!" she cried clinging to his arm. 

"No one shall touch you. I will guard you with my life!" exclaimed theimpulsive young man, feeling for the sword that was not there. 

"Who spoke of hurting the foolish wench?" growled Savage; but Tichbornesaid, "No one would hurt you, madam; but it is due to us all that youshould give us your word of honour not to disclose what has passed, save to our only true mistress. "

"Oh yes! yes!" cried Cicely hastily, scarcely knowing what passed herlips, and only anxious to escape from that gleaming eye of Langston, which had twice before filled her with a nameless sense of thenecessity of terrified obedience. "Oh! let me go. I hear my father'svoice. "

She sprang forward with a cry between joy and terror, and darted up toRichard Talbot, while Savage, the man who looked most entirely unlike adisguised gentleman, stepped forward, and in a rough, north countrydialect, averred that the young gentlewoman had lost her way. 

"Poor maid, " said kind Richard, gathering the two trembling littlehands into one of his own broad ones. "How was it? Thanks, goodfellow, " and he dropped a broad piece into Savage's palm; "thou hastdone good service. What, Cis, child, art quaking?"

"Hast seen any hobgoblins, Cis?" said Diccon, at her other side. "I'msure I heard them laugh. "

"Whist, Dick, " said his father, putting a strong arm round the girl'swaist. "See, my wench, yonder is the goodly light of day. We shallsoon be there. "

With all his fatherly kindness, he helped the agitated girl up theremaining ascent, as the lovely piece of blue sky between theretreating rocks grew wider, and the archway higher above them. Cisfelt that infinite repose and reliance that none else could give, yetthe repose was disturbed by the pang of recollection that the secretlaid on her was their first severance. It was unjust to his kindness;strange, doubtful, nay grisly, to her foreboding mind, and she shiveredalike from that and the chill of the damp cavern, and then he drew hercloak more closely about her, and halted to ask for the flask of winewhich one of the adventurous spirits had brought, that QueenElizabeth's health might be drunk by her true subjects in the bowels ofthe earth. The wine was, of course, exhausted; but Dr. Jones bustledforward with some cordial waters which he had provided in case ofanyone being struck with the chill of the cave, and Cicely was made toswallow some. 

By this time she had been missed, and the little party were met by someservants sent by the Earl at the instance of the much-alarmed Queen toinquire for her. A little farther on came Mistress Talbot, in muchanxiety and distress, though as Diccon ran forward to meet her, and shesaw Cicely on her husband's arm, she resumed her calm and staiddemeanour, and when assured that the maiden had suffered no damage, shemade no special demonstrations of joy or affection. Indeed, such wouldhave been deemed unbecoming in the presence of strangers, anddisrespectful to the Queen and the Earl, who were not far off. 

Mary, on the other hand, started up, held out her arms, received thetruant with such vehement kisses, as might almost have betrayed theirreal relationship, and then reproached her, with all sorts of endearingterms, for having so terrified them all; nor would she let the girl gofrom her side, and kept her hand in her own, Diccon meanwhile hadsucceeded in securing his father's attention, which had been whollygiven to Cicely till she was placed in the women's hands. "Father, " hesaid, "I wish that one of the knaves with the torches who found our Ciswas the woman with the beads and bracelets, ay, and Tibbott, too. "

"Belike, belike, my son, " said Richard. "There are folk who can takeas many forms as a barnacle goose. Keep thou a sharp eye as thefellows pass out, and pull me by the cloak if thou seest him. "

Of course he was not seen, and Richard, who was growing more and morecautious about bringing vague or half-proved suspicions before hisLord, decided to be silent and to watch, though he sighed to his wifethat the poor child would soon be in the web. 

Cis had not failed to recognise that same identity, and to feel ahalf-realised conviction that the Queen had not chosen to confide toher that the two female disguises both belonged to Langston. Yet thecontrast between Mary's endearments and the restrained manner of Susanso impelled her towards the veritable mother, that the compunction asto the concealment she had at first experienced passed away, and herheart felt that its obligations were towards her veritable and mostloving parent. She told the Queen the whole story at night, to Mary'sgreat delight. She said she was sure her little one had something onher mind, she had so little to say of her adventure, and the next day alittle privy council was contrived, in which Cicely was summoned againto tell her tale. The ladies declared they had always hoped much fromtheir darling page, in whom they had kept up the true faith, but SirAndrew Melville shook his head and said: "I'd misdoot ony plot wherethe little finger of him was. What garred the silly loon call in theyoung leddy ere he kenned whether she wad keep counsel?"

CHAPTER XVII. 

THE EBBING WELL. 

Cicely's thirst for adventures had received a check, but the Queen, being particularly well and in good spirits, and trusting that thiswould be her last visit to Buxton, was inclined to enterprise, andthere were long rides and hawking expeditions on the moors. 

The last of these, ere leaving Buxton, brought the party to the hamletof Barton Clough, where a loose horseshoe of the Earl's caused a haltat a little wayside smithy. Mary, always friendly and free-spoken, asked for a draught of water, and entered into conversation with thesmith's rosy-cheeked wife who brought it to her, and said it was sureto be good and pure for the stream came from the Ebbing and FlowingWell, and she pointed up a steep path. Then, on a further question, she proceeded, "Has her ladyship never heard of the Ebbing Well thatshows whether true love is soothfast?"

"How so?" asked the Queen. "How precious such a test might be. Itwould save many a maiden a broken heart, only that the poor fools wouldne'er trust it. "

"I have heard of it, " said the Earl, "and Dr. Jones would demonstrateto your Grace that it is but a superstition of the vulgar regarding anatural phenomenon. "

"Yea, my Lord, " said the smith, looking up from the horse's foot; "'tisthe trade of yonder philosophers to gainsay whatever honest folkbelieved before them. They'll deny next that hens lay eggs, or blightrots wheat. My good wife speaks but plain truth, and we have seen ito'er and o'er again. "

"What have you seen, good man?" asked Mary eagerly, and ready answerwas made by the couple, who had acquired some cultivation of speech andmanners by their wayside occupation, and likewise as cicerones to thespring. 

"Seen, quoth the lady?" said the smith. "Why, he that is a true manand hath a true maid can quaff a draught as deep as his gullet canhold--or she that is true and hath a true love--but let one who hath aflaw in the metal, on the one side or t'other, stoop to drink, and thewater shrinks away so as there's not the moistening of a lip. "

"Ay: the ladies may laugh, " added his wife, "but 'tis soothfast for allthat. "

"Hast proved it, good dame?" asked the Queen archly, for the pair werestill young and well-looking enough to be jested with. 

"Ay! have we not, madam?" said the dame. "Was not my man yonder, Rob, the tinker's son, whom my father and brethren, the smiths down yonderat Buxton, thought but scorn of, but we'd taken a sup together at theEbbing Well, and it played neither of us false, so we held out against'em all, and when they saw there was no help for it, they gave Bob thesecond best anvil and bellows for my portion, and here we be. "

"Living witnesses to the Well, " said the Queen merrily. "How say you, my Lord? I would fain see this marvel. Master Curll, will you try theventure?"

"I fear it not, madam, " said the secretary, looking at the blushingBarbara. 

Objections did not fail to arise from the Earl as to the difficultiesof the path and the lateness of the hour but Bob Smith, perhapswilfully, discovered another of my Lord's horseshoes to be in aperilous state, and his good wife, Dame Emmott, offered to conduct theladies by so good a path that they might think themselves on theQueen's Walk at Buxton itself. 

Lord Shrewsbury, finding himself a prisoner, was obliged to yieldcompliance, and leaving Sir Andrew Melville, with the grooms andfalconers, in charge of the horses, the Queen, the Earl, Cicely, MarySeaton, Barbara Mowbray, the two secretaries, and Richard Talbot andyoung Diccon, started on the walk, together with Dr. Bourgoin, herphysician, who was eager to investigate the curiosity, and make it asubject of debate with Dr. Jones. 

The path was a beautiful one, through rocks and brushwood, mountain ashbushes showing their coral berries amid their feathery leaves, goldenand white stars of stonecrop studding every coign of vantage, and inmore level spots the waxy bell-heather beginning to come into blossom. Still it was rather over praise to call it as smooth as thecarefully-levelled and much-trodden Queen's path at Buxton, consideringthat it ascended steeply all the way, and made the solemn, much-enduring Earl pant for breath; but the Queen, her rheumatics forthe time entirely in abeyance, bounded on with the mountain steplearned in early childhood, and closely followed the brisk Emmott. Thelast ascent was a steep pull, taking away the disposition to speak, andat its summit Mary stood still holding out one hand, with a finger ofthe other on her lips as a sign of silence to the rest of the suite andto Emmott, who stood flushed and angered; for what she esteemed herlawful province seemed to have been invaded from the other side of thecountry. 

They were on the side of the descent from the moorlands connected withthe Peak, on a small esplanade in the midst of which lay a deep clearpool, with nine small springs or fountains discharging themselves, under fern and wild rose or honeysuckle, into its basin. Steps bad beencut in the rock leading to the verge of the pool, and on the lowest ofthese, with his back to the new-comers, was kneeling a young man, hisbrown head bare, his short cloak laid aside, so that his well-knit formcould be seen; the sword and spurs that clanked against the rock, aswell as the whole fashion and texture of his riding-dress, showing himto be a gentleman. 

"We shall see the venture made, " whispered Mary to her daughter, who, in virtue of youth and lightness of foot, had kept close behind her. Grasping the girl's arm and smiling, she heard the young man's voicecry aloud to the echoes of the rock, "Cis!" then stoop forward andplunge face and head into the clear translucent water. 

"Good luck to a true lover!" smiled the Queen. "What! starting, sillymaid? Cisses are plenty in these parts as rowan berries. "

"Nay, but--" gasped Cicely, for at that moment the young man, risingfrom his knees, his face still shining with the water, looked up at hisunsuspected spectators. An expression of astonishment and ecstasylighted up his honest sunburnt countenance as Master Richard, who hadjust succeeded in dragging the portly Earl up the steep path, met hisgaze. He threw up his arms, made apparently but one bound, and waskneeling at the captain's feet, embracing his knees. 

"My son! Humfrey! Thyself!" cried Richard. "See! see what presencewe are in. "

"Your blessing, father, first, " cried Humfrey, "ere I can see aughtelse. "

And as Richard quickly and thankfully laid his hand on the brow, somuch fairer than the face, and then held his son for one moment in aclose embrace, with an exchange of the kiss that was not then only aforeign fashion. Queen and Earl said to one another with a sigh, thathappy was the household where the son had no eyes for any save hisfather. 

Mary, however, must have found it hard to continue her smiles when, after due but hurried obeisance to her and to his feudal chief, Humfreyturned to the little figure beside her, all smiling with startledshyness, and in one moment seemed to swallow it up in a hugeoverpowering embrace, fraternal in the eyes of almost all thespectators, but not by any means so to those of Mary, especially afterthe name she had heard. Diccon's greeting was the next, and was notquite so visibly rapturous on the part of the elder brother, whoexplained that he had arrived at Sheffield yesterday, and finding noone to welcome him but little Edward, had set forth for Buxton almostwith daylight, and having found himself obliged to rest his horse, hehad turned aside to---. And here he recollected just in time that Ciswas in every one's eyes save his father's, his own sister, and lamelyconcluded "to take a draught of water, " blushing under his brown skinas he spoke. Poor fellow! the Queen, even while she wished him in thefarthest West Indian isle, could not help understanding that strangedoubt and dread that come over the mind at the last moment before alonged-for meeting, and which had made even the bold young sailor gladto rally his hopes by this divination. Fortunately she thought onlyherself and one or two of the foremost had heard the name he gave, aswas proved by the Earl's good-humoured laugh, as he said, "A draught, quotha? We understand that, young sir. And who may thisyour true love be?"

"That I hope soon to make known to your Lordship, " returned Humfrey, with a readiness which he certainly did not possess before his voyage. 

The ceremony was still to be fulfilled, and the smith's wife calledthem to order by saying, "Good luck to the young gentleman. He is astranger here, or he would have known he should have come up by ourpath! Will you try the well, your Grace?"

"Nay, nay, good woman, my time for such toys is over!" said the Queensmiling, "but moved by such an example, here are others to make theventure, Master Curll is burning for it, I see. "

"I fear no such trial, an't please your Grace, " said Curll, bowing, with a bright defiance of the water, and exchanging a confident smilewith the blushing Mistress Barbara--then kneeling by the well, anduttering her name aloud ere stooping to drink. He too succeeded inobtaining a full draught, and came up triumphantly. 

"The water is a flatterer!" said the Earl. "It favours all. "

The French secretary, Monsieur Nau, here came forward and took hisplace on the steps. No one heard, but every one knew the word he spokewas "Bessie, " for Elizabeth Pierrepoint had long been the object of hisaffections. No doubt he hoped that he should obtain some encouragementfrom the water, even while he gave a little laugh of affectedincredulity as though only complying with a form to amuse the Queen. Down he went on his knees, bending over the pool, when behold he couldnot reach it! The streams that fed it were no longer issuing from therock, the water was subsiding rapidly. The farther he stooped, themore it retreated, till he had almost fallen over, and the guidescreamed out a note of warning, "Have a care, sir! If the water fleesyou, flee it will, and ye'll not mend matters by drowning yourself. "

How he was to be drowned by water that fled from him was not clear, butwith a muttered malediction he arose and glanced round as if he thoughtthe mortification a trick on the part of the higher powers, since theEarl did not think him a match for the Countess's grandchild, and theQueen had made it known to him that she considered Bess Pierrepoint tohave too much of her grandmother's conditions to be likely to be a goodwife. There was a laugh too, scarce controlled by some of the lesswell-mannered of the suite, especially as the Earl, wishing to punishhis presumption, loudly set the example. 

There was a pause, as the discomfited secretary came back, and theguide exclaimed, "Come, my masters, be not daunted! Will none of youcome on? Hath none of you faith in your love? Oh, fie!"

"We are married men, good women, " said Richard, hoping to put an end tothe scene, "and thus can laugh at your well. "

"But will not these pretty ladies try it? It speaks as sooth to lassas to lad. "

"I am ready, " said Barbara Mowbray, as Curll gave her his hand to boundlightly down the steps. And to the general amazement, no sooner had"Gilbert" echoed from her lips than the fountains again burst forth, the water rose, and she had no difficulty in reaching it, while no onecould help bursting forth in applause. Her Gilbert fervently kissedthe hand she gave him to aid her steps up the slope, and Dame Emmott, in triumphant congratulation, scanned them over and exclaimed, "Ay, trust the well for knowing true sweetheart and true maid. Come younext, fair mistress?" Poor Mary Seaton shook her head, with a lookthat the kindly woman understood, and she turned towards Cicely, whohad a girl's unthinking impulse of curiosity, and had already put herhand into Humfrey's, when his father exclaimed, "Nay, nay, the maid isyet too young!" and the Queen added, "Come back, thou silly little one, these tests be not for babes like thee. "

She was forced to be obedient, but she pouted a little as she wasabsolutely held fast by Richard Talbot's strong hand. Humfrey wasdisappointed too; but all was bright with him just then, and as theparty turned to make the descent, he said to her, "It matters not, little Cis! I'm sure of thee with the water or without, and after all, thou couldst but have whispered my name, till my father lets us speakall out!"

They were too much hemmed in by other people for a private word, and alittle mischievous banter was going on with Sir Andrew Melville, whowas supposed to have a grave elderly courtship with Mistress Kennedy. Humfrey was left in the absolute bliss of ignorance, while the oldhabit and instinct of joy and gladness in his presence reasserteditself in Cis, so that, as he handed her down the rocks, she answeredin the old tone all his inquiries about his mother, and all else thatconcerned them at home, Diccon meantime risking his limbs by scramblingoutside the path, to keep abreast of his brother, and to put in hisword whenever he could. 

On reaching the smithy, Humfrey had to go round another way to fetchhis horse, and could hardly hope to come up with the rest before theyreached Buxton. His brother was spared to go with him, but his fatherwas too important a part of the escort to be spared. So Cicely rodenear the Queen, and heard no more except the Earl's version of Dr. Jones's explanation of the intermitting spring. They reached home onlyjust in time to prepare for supper, and the two youths appeared almostsimultaneously, so that Mistress Talbot, sitting at her needle on thebroad terrace in front of the Earl's lodge, beheld to her amazement anddelight the figure that, grown and altered as it was, she recognised inan instant. In another second Humfrey had sprung from his horse, rushed up the steps, he knew not how, and the Queen, with tearstrembling in her eyes was saying, "Ah, Melville! see how sons meettheir mothers!"

The great clock was striking seven, a preposterously late hour forsupper, and etiquette was stronger than sentiment or perplexity. Everyone hastened to assume an evening toilette, for a riding-dress wouldhave been an insult to the Earl, and the bell soon clanged to call themdown to their places in the hall. Even Humfrey had brought in hiscloak-bag wherewithal to make himself presentable, and soon appeared, awell-knit and active figure, in a plain dark blue jerkin, with whiteslashes, and long hose knitted by his mother's dainty fingers, andwell-preserved shoes with blue rosettes, and a flat blue velvet cap, with an exquisite black and sapphire feather in it fastened by acurious brooch. His hair was so short that its naturally strong curlcould hardly be seen, his ruddy sunburnt face could hardly be calledhandsome, but it was full of frankness and intelligence, and beamingwith honest joy, and close to him moved little Diccon, hardly able torepress his ecstasy within company bounds, and letting it find vent inodd little gestures, wriggling with his body, playing tunes on hisknee, or making dancing-steps with his feet. 

Lord Shrewsbury welcomed his young kinsman as one who had grown from amere boy into a sturdy and effective supporter. He made the new-comersit near him, and asked many questions, so that Humfrey was the chiefspeaker all supper time, with here and there a note from his father, the only person who had made the same voyage. All heard with eagerinterest of the voyage, the weeds in the Gulf Stream, the strange birdsand fishes, of Walter Raleigh's Virginian colony and its ill success, of the half-starved men whom Sir Richard Grenville had found only tooready to leave Roanoake, of dark-skinned Indians, of chases of Spanishships, of the Peak of Teneriffe rising white from the waves, ofphosphorescent seas, of storms, and of shark-catching. 

Supper over, the audience again gathered round the young traveller, aperfect fountain of various and wonderful information to those who hadfor the most part never seen a book of travels. He narrated simply andwell, without his boyish shy embarrassment and awkwardness, andlikewise, as his father alone could judge, without boasting, though, ifto no one else, to Diccon and Cis, listening with wide open eyes, heseemed a hero of heroes. In the midst of his narration a message camethat the Queen of Scots requested the presence of Mistress Cicely. Humfrey stared in discomfiture, and asked when she would return. 

"Not to-night, " faltered the girl, and the mother added, for thebenefit of the bystanders, "For lack of other ladies of the household, much service hath of late fallen to Cicely and myself, and she sharesthe Queen's chamber. "

Humfrey had to submit to exchange good-nights with Cicely, and she madeher way less willingly than usual to the apartments of the Queen, whowas being made ready for her bed. "Here comes our truant, " sheexclaimed as the maiden entered. "I sent to rescue thee from thewestern seafarer who had clawed thee in his tarry clutch. Thou didstact the sister's part passing well. I hear my Lord and all his meinehave been sitting, open-mouthed, hearkening to his tales of savages andcannibals. "

"O madam, he told us of such lovely isles, " said Cis. "The sea, hesaid, is blue, bluer than we can conceive, with white waves of dazzlingsurf, breaking on islands fringed with white shells and coral, and withpalms, their tops like the biggest ferns in the brake, and laden withred golden fruit as big as goose eggs. And the birds! O madam, mymother, the birds! They are small, small as our butterflies andbeetles, and they hang hovering and quivering over a flower so thatHumfrey thought they were moths, for he saw nothing but a whizzing anda whirring till he smote the pretty thing dead, and then he said that Ishould have wept for pity, for it was a little bird with a long bill, and a breast that shines red in one light, purple in another, andflame-coloured in a third. He has brought home the little skin andfeathers of it for me. "

"Thou hast supped full of travellers' tales, my simple child. "

"Yea, madam, but my Lord listened, and made Humfrey sit beside him, andmade much of him--my Lord himself! I would fain bring him to you, madam. It is so wondrous to hear him tell of the Red Men with crownsof feathers and belts of beads. Such gentle savages they be, and theirchiefs as courteous and stately as any of our princes, and yet thosecruel Spaniards make them slaves and force them to dig in mines, sothat they die and perish under their hands. "

"And better so than that they should not come to the knowledge of thefaith, " said Mary. 

"I forgot that your Grace loves the Spaniards, " said Cis, much in thetone in which she might have spoken of a taste in her Grace forspiders, adders, or any other noxious animal. 

"One day my child will grow out of her little heretic prejudices, andlearn to love her mother's staunch friends, the champions of HolyChurch, and the representatives of true knighthood in these degeneratedays. Ah, child! couldst thou but see a true Spanish caballero, oragain, could I but show thee my noble cousin of Guise, then wouldstthou know how to rate these gross clownish English mastiffs who nowturn thy silly little brain. Ah, that thou couldst once meet a trueprince!"

"The well, " murmured Cicely. 

"Tush, child, " said the Queen, amused. "What of that? Thy name is notCis, is it? 'Tis only the slough that serves thee for the nonce. Thegood youth will find himself linked to some homely, housewifely Cis indue time, when the Princess Bride is queening it in France or Austria, and will own that the well was wiser than he. "

Poor Cis! If her inmost heart declared Humfrey Talbot to be princeenough for her, she durst not entertain the sentiment, not knowingwhether it were unworthy, and while Marie de Courcelles read aloud aFrench legend of a saint to soothe the Queen to sleep, she lay longingafter the more sympathetic mother, and wondering what was passing inthe hall. 

Richard Talbot had communed with his wife's eyes, and made up his mindthat Humfrey should know the full truth before the Queen should enjoinhis being put off with the story of the parentage she had invented forBride Hepburn; and while some of the gentlemen followed their habit ofsitting late over the wine cup, he craved their leave to have his sonto himself a little while, and took him out in the summer twilight onthe greensward, going through the guards, for whom he, as the gentlemanwarder, had the password of the night. In compliment to the expeditionof the day it had been made "True love and the Flowing Well. " Itsounded agreeable in Humfrey's ears; he repeated it again, and thenadded "Little Cis! she hath come to woman's estate, and she hath caughtsome of the captive lady's pretty tricks of the head and hands. Howlong hath she been so thick with her?"

"Since this journey. I have to speak with thee, my son. "

"I wait your pleasure, sir, " said Humfrey, and as his father paused amoment ere communicating his strange tidings, he rendered the matterless easy by saying, "I guess your purpose. If I may at once wed mylittle Cis I will send word to Sir John Norreys that I am not for thisexpedition to the Low Countries, though there is good and manly work tobe done there, and I have the offer of a command, but I gave not myword till I knew your will, and whether we might wed at once. "

"Thou hast much to hear, my son. "

"Nay, surely no one has come between!" exclaimed Humfrey. "Methoughtshe was less frank and more coy than of old. If that sneaking traitorBabington hath been making up to her I will slit his false gullet forhim. "

"Hush, hush, Humfrey! thy seafaring boasts skill not here. No _man_hath come between thee and yonder poor maid. "

"Poor! You mean not that she is sickly. Were she so, I would so tendher that she should be well for mere tenderness. But no, she was thevery image of health. No man, said you, father? Then it is a woman. Ah! my Lady Countess is it, bent on making her match her own way? Sir, you are too good and upright to let a tyrannous dame like that severbetween us, though she be near of kin to us. My mother might scrupleto cross her, but you have seen the world, sir. "

"My lad, you are right in that it is a woman who stands between you andCis, but it is not the Countess. None would have the right to do so, save the maiden's own mother. "

"Her mother! You have discovered her lineage! Can she have oughtagainst me?--I, your son, sir, of the Talbot blood, and not illendowed?"

"Alack, son, the Talbot may be a good dog but the lioness will scarceesteem him her mate. Riddles apart, it is proved beyond question thatour little maid is of birth as high as it is unhappy. Thou canst besecret, I know, Humfrey, and thou must be silent as the grave, for ittouches my honour and the poor child's liberty. "

"Who is she, then?" demanded Humfrey sharply. 

His father pointed to the Queen's window. Humfrey stared at him, andmuttered an ejaculation, then exclaimed, "How and when was this known?"

Richard went over the facts, giving as few names as possible, while hisson stood looking down and drawing lines with the point of his sword. 

"I hoped, " ended the father, "that these five years' absence might havemade thee forget thy childish inclination;" and as Humfrey, withoutraising his face, emphatically shook his head, he went on to add-- "So, my dear son, meseemeth that there is no remedy, but that, for her peaceand thine own, thou shouldest accept this offer of brave Norreys, andby the time the campaign is ended, they may be both safe in Scotland, out of reach of vexing thy heart, my poor boy. "

"Is it so sure that her royal lineage will be owned?" muttered Humfrey. "Out on me for saying so! But sure this lady hath made light enough ofher wedlock with yonder villain. "

"Even so, but that was when she deemed its offspring safe beneath thewaves. I fear me that, however our poor damsel be regarded, she willbe treated as a mere bait and tool. If not bestowed on some foreignprince (and there hath been talk of dukes and archdukes), she may serveto tickle the pride of some Scottish thief, such as was her father. "

"Sir! sir! how can you speak patiently of such profanation and cruelty?Papist butchers and Scottish thieves, for the child of your hearth!Were it not better that I stole her safely away and wedded her insecret, so that at least she might have an honest husband?"

"Nay, his honesty would scarce be thus manifest, " said Richard, "evenif the maid would consent, which I think she would not. Her head istoo full of her new greatness to have room for thee, my poor lad. Bestthat thou shouldest face the truth. And, verily, what is it but herduty to obey her mother, her true and veritable mother, Humfrey? It isbut making her ease harder, and adding to her griefs, to strive toawaken any inclination she may have had for thee; and therefore it isthat I counsel thee, nay, I might command thee, to absent thyself whileit is still needful that she remain with us, passing for our daughter. "

Humfrey still traced lines with his sword in the dust. He had alwaysbeen a strong-willed though an obedient and honourable boy, and hisfather felt that these five years had made a man of him, whom, in spiteof mediaeval obedience, it was not easy to dispose of arbitrarily. 

"There's no haste, " he muttered. "Norreys will not go till my Lord ofLeicester's commission be made out. It is five years since I was athome. "

"My son, thou knowest that I would not send thee from me willingly. Ihad not done so ere now, but that it was well for thee to know theworld and men, and Sheffield is a mere nest of intrigue and falsehood, where even if one keeps one's integrity, it is hard to be believed. But for my Lord, thy mother, and my poor folk, I would gladly go withthee to strike honest downright blows at a foe I could see and feel, rather than be nothing better than a warder, and be driven distractedwith women's tongues. Why, they have even set division between my Lordand his son Gilbert, who was ever the dearest to him. Young as he is, methinks Diccon would be better away with thee than where the very airsmells of plots and lies. "

"I trow the Queen of Scots will not be here much longer, " said Humfrey. "Men say in London that Sir Ralf Sadler is even now setting forth totake charge of her, and send my Lord to London. "

"We have had such hopes too often, my son, " said Richard. "Nay, shehath left us more than once, but always to fall back upon Sheffieldlike a weight to the ground. But she is full of hope in her son, nowthat he is come of age, and hath put to death her great foe, the Earlof Morton. "

"The poor lady might as well put her faith in--in a jelly-fish, " saidHumfrey, falling on a comparison perfectly appreciated by the oldsailor. 

"Heh? She will get naught but stings. How knowest thou?"

"Why, do none know here that King James is in the hands of him theycall the Master of Gray?"

"Queen Mary puts in him her chief hope. "

"Then she hath indeed grasped a jelly-fish. Know you not, father, those proud and gay ones, with rose-coloured bladders and long bluebeards--blue as the azure of a herald's coat?"

"Ay, marry I do. I remember when I was a lad, in my first voyage, laying hold on one. I warrant you I danced about till I was nearlyoverboard, and my arm was as big as two for three days later. Is thefellow of that sort? The false Scot. "

"Look you, father, I met in London that same Johnstone who was one ofthis lady's gentlemen at one time. You remember him. He breakfastedat Bridgefield once or twice ere the watch became more strict. "

"Yea, I remember him. He was an honest fellow for a Scot. "

"When he made out that I was the little lad he remembered, he was verycourteous, and desired his commendations to you and to my mother. Hehad been in Scotland, and had come south in the train of this rogue, Gray. I took him to see the old Pelican, and we had a breakfast aboardthere. He asked much after his poor Queen, whom he loves as much asever, and when he saw I was a man he could trust, your true son, hesaid that he saw less hope for her than ever in Scotland--her friendshave been slain or exiled, and the young generation that has grown uphave learned to dread her like an incarnation of the scarlet one ofBabylon. Their preachers would hail her as Satan loosed on them, andthe nobles dread nothing so much as being made to disgorge the lands ofthe Crown and the Church, on which they are battening. As to her son, he was fain enough to break forth from one set of tutors, and themessages of France and Spain tickled his fancy--but he is nought. Heis crammed with scholarship, and not without a shrewd apprehension;but, with respect be it spoken, more the stuff that court fools aremade of than kings. It may be, as a learned man told Johnstone, thatthe shock the Queen suffered when the brutes put Davy to death beforeher eyes, three months ere his birth, hath damaged his constitution, for he is at the mercy of whosoever chooses to lead him, and hath nowill of his own. This Master of Gray was at first inclined to theQueen's party, thinking more might be got by a reversal of all things, but now he finds the king's men so strong in the saddle, and theQueen's French kindred like to be too busy at home to aid her, whatdoth he do, but list to our Queen's offers, and this ambassage of his, which hath a colour of being for Queen Mary's release, is verily tomake terms with my Lord Treasurer and Sir Francis Walsingham for thepension he is to have for keeping his king in the same mind. "

"Turning a son against a mother! I marvel that honourable counsellorscan bring themselves to the like. "

"Policy, sir, policy, " said Humfrey. "And this Gray maketh a fine showof chivalry and honour, insomuch that Sir Philip Sidney himself hathdesired his friendship; but, you see, the poor lady is as far fromfreedom as she was when first she came to Sheffield. "

"She is very far from believing it, poor dame. I am sorry for her, Humfrey, more sorry than I ever thought I could be, now I have seenmore of her. My Lord himself says he never knew her break a promise. How gracious she is there is no telling. "

"That we always knew, " said Humfrey, looking somewhat amazed, that hishonoured father should have fallen under the spell of the "sirenbetween the cold earth and moon. "

"Yes, gracious, and of a wondrous constancy of mind, and evenness oftemper, " said Richard. "Now that thy mother and I have watched hermore closely, we can testify that, weary, worn, and sick of body and ofheart as she is, she never letteth a bitter or a chiding word pass herlips towards her servants. She hath nothing to lose by it. Theirfidelity is proven. They would stand by her to the last, use them asshe would, but assuredly their love must be doubly bound up in her whenthey see how she regardeth them before herself. Let what will be saidof her, son Humfrey, I shall always maintain that I never saw woman, save thine own good mother, of such evenness of condition, andsweetness of consideration for all about her, ay, and patience inadversity, such as, Heaven forbid, thy mother should ever know. "

"Amen, and verily amen, " said Humfrey. "Deem you then that she hathnot worked her own woe?"

"Nay, lad, what saith the Scripture, 'Judge not, and ye shall not bejudged'? How should I know what hath passed seventeen years back inScotland?"

"Ay, but for present plots and intrigues, judge you her a true woman?"

"Humfrey, thou hadst once a fox in a cage. When it found it vain todash against the bars, rememberest thou how it scratched away the earthin the rear, and then sat over the hole it had made, lest we should seeit?"

"The fox, say you, sir? Then you cannot call her ought but false. "

"They tell me, " said Sir Richard, "that ever since an Italian namedMachiavel wrote his Book of the Prince, statecraft hath been craftindeed, and princes suck in deceit with the very air they breathe. Ay, boy, it is what chiefly vexes me in the whole. I cannot doubt that sheis never so happy as when there is a plot or scheme toward, not merelyfor her own freedom, but the utter overthrow of our own graciousSovereign, who, if she hath kept this lady in durance, hath shieldedher from her own bloodthirsty subjects. And for dissembling, I neversaw her equal. Yet she, as thy mother tells me, is a pious and devoutwoman, who bears her troubles thus cheerfully and patiently, becauseshe deems them a martyrdom for her religion. Ay, all women are riddles, they say, but this one the most of all!"

"Thinkest thou that she hath tampered with--with that poor maiden'sfaith?" asked Humfrey huskily. 

"I trow not yet, my son, " replied Richard; "Cis is as open as ever tothy mother, for I cannot believe she hath yet learnt to dissemble, andI greatly suspect that the Queen, hoping to return to Scotland, may bewilling to keep her a Protestant, the better to win favour with herbrother and the lords of his council; but if he be such a cur as thousayest, all hope of honourable release is at an end. So thou seest, Humfrey, how it lies, and how, in my judgment, to remain here is but towring thine own heart, and bring the wench and thyself to sore straits. I lay not my commands on thee, a man grown, but such is my opinion onthe matter. "

"I will not disobey you, father, " said Humfrey, "but suffer me toconsider the matter. "

CHAPTER XVIII. 

CIS OR SISTER. 

 Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale. 

 (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell. )

Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling asshe said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul. Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been. "

She spoke with the tenderness of farewell to the spot which had alwaysbeen the pleasantest abode of the various places of durance which hadbeen hers in England. Each year she had hoped would be her last ofsuch visits, but on this occasion everything seemed to point to a closeto the present state of things, since not only were the negotiationswith Scotland apparently prosperous, but Lord Shrewsbury had obtainedan absolute promise from Elizabeth that she would at all events relievehim from his onerous and expensive charge. Thus there was generalcheerfulness, as the baggage was bestowed in carts and on beasts ofburthen, and Mary, as she stood finishing her inscription on thewindow, smiled sweetly and graciously on Mistress Talbot, and gave herjoy of the arrival of her towardly and hopeful son, adding, "Wesurprised him at the well! May his Cis, who is yet to be found, Itrow, reward his lealty!"

That was all the notice Mary deigned to take of the former relationsbetween her daughter and young Talbot. She did not choose again to begfor secrecy when she was sure to hear that she had been forestalled, and she was too consummate a judge of character not to have learntthat, though she might despise the dogged, simple straightforwardnessof Richard and Susan Talbot, their honour was perfectly trustworthy. She was able for the present to keep her daughter almost entirely toherself, since, on the return to Sheffield, the former state of thingswas resumed. The Bridgefield family was still quartered in theManor-house, and Mistress Talbot continued to be, as it were, LadyWarder to the captive in the place of the Countess, who obstinatelyrefused to return while Mary was still in her husband's keeping. Cicely, as Mary's acknowledged favourite, was almost always in herapartments, except at the meals of the whole company of Shrewsburykinsfolk and retainers, when her place was always far removed from thatof Humfrey. In truth, if ever an effort might have obtained a fewseconds of private conversation, a strong sense of embarrassment andperplexity made the two young people fly apart rather than cometogether. They knew not what they wished. Humfrey might in his secretsoul long for a token that Cis remembered his faithful affection, andyet he knew that to elicit one might do her life-long injury. So, however he might crave for word or look when out of sight of her, anhonourable reluctance always withheld him from seeking any such sign inthe short intervals when he could have tried to go beneath the surface. On the other hand, this apparent indifference piqued her pride, andmade her stiff, cold, and almost disdainful whenever there was anyapproach between them. Her vanity might be flattered by the knowledgethat she was beyond his reach; but it would have been still moregratified could she have discovered any symptoms of pining andlanguishing after her. She might peep at him from under her eyelashesin chapel and in hall; but in the former place his gaze always seemedto be on the minister, in the latter he showed no signs of flagging asa trencher companion. Both mothers thought her marvellously discreet;but neither beheld the strange tumult in her heart, where were surgingpride, vanity, ambition, and wounded affection. 

In a few days, Sir Ralf Sadler and his son-in-law Mr. Somer arrived atSheffield in order to take the charge of the prisoner whilst Shrewsburywent to London. The conferences and consultations were endless, andharassing, and it was finally decided that the Earl should escort herto Wingfield, and, leaving her there under charge of Sadler, shouldproceed to London. She made formal application for Mistress CicelyTalbot to accompany her as one of her suite, and her supposed parentscould not but give their consent, but six gentlewomen had been alreadyenumerated, and the authorities would not consent to her taking anymore ladies with her, and decreed that Mistress Cicely must remain athome. 

"This unkindness has made the parting from this place less joyous thanI looked for, " said Mary, "but courage, ma mignonne. Soon shall I sendfor thee to Scotland, and there shalt thou burst thine husk, and showthyself in thy true colours;" and turning to Susan, "Madam, I mustcommit my treasure to her who has so long watched over her. "

"Your Grace knows that she is no less my treasure, " said Susan. 

"I should have known it well, " returned the Queen, "from the innocenceand guilelessness of the damsel. None save such a mother as MistressTalbot could have made her what she is. Credit me, madam, I havelooked well into her heart, and found nought to undo there. You havebred her up better than her poor mother could have done, and I gladlyentrust her once more to your care, assured that your well-tried honourwill keep her in mind of what she is, and to what she may be called. "

"She shall remember it, madam, " said Susan. 

"When I am a Queen once more, " said Mary, "all I can give will seem toopoor a meed for what you have been to my child. Even as Queen ofScotland or England itself, my power would be small in comparison withmy will. My gratitude, however, no bounds can limit out to me. "

And with tears of tenderness and thankfulness she kissed the cheeks andlips of good Mistress Talbot, who could not but likewise weep for themother thus compelled to part with her child. 

The night was partly spent in caresses and promises of the brilliantreception preparing in Scotland, with auguries of the splendid marriagein store, with a Prince of Lorraine, or even with an Archduke. 

Cis was still young enough to dream of such a lot as an opening to afairy land of princely glories. If her mother knew better, she stilllooked tenderly back on her beau pays de France with that halo ofbrightness which is formed only in childhood and youth. Moreover, itmight be desirable to enhance such aspiration as might best secure theyoung princess from anything derogatory to her real rank, while she wasstrongly warned against betraying it, and especially against anyassumption of dignity should she ever hear of her mother's release, reception, and recognition in Scotland. For whatever might be thematernal longings, it would be needful to feel the way and prepare theground for the acknowledgment of Bothwell's daughter in Scotland, whilethe knowledge of her existence in England would almost surely lead toher being detained as a hostage. She likewise warned the maiden neverto regard any letter or billet from her as fully read till it had beenheld--without witnesses--to the fire. 

Of Humfrey Talbot, Queen Mary scorned to say anything, or to utter asyllable that she thought a daughter of Scotland needed a warningagainst a petty English sailor. Indeed, she had confidence that theyouth's parents would view the attachment as quite as undesirable forhim as for the young princess, and would guard against it for his sakeas much as for hers. 

The true parting took place ere the household was astir. Afterwards, Mary, fully equipped for travelling, in a dark cloth riding-dress andhood, came across to the great hall of the Manor-house, and there satwhile each one of the attendants filed in procession, as it were, before her. To each lady she presented some small token wrought by herown hands. To each gentleman she also gave some trinket, such as theelaborate dress of the time permitted, and to each serving man or maida piece of money. Of each one she gravely but gently besought pardonfor all the displeasures or offences she might have caused them, and asthey replied, kissing her hand, many of them with tears, she returned akiss on the brow to each woman and an entreaty to be remembered intheir prayers, and a like request, with a pressure of the hand, to eachman or boy. 

It must have been a tedious ceremony, and yet to every one it seemed asif Mary put her whole heart into it, and to any to whom she owedspecial thanks they were freely paid. 

The whole was only over by an hour before noon. Then she partook of amanchet and a cup of wine, drinking, with liquid eyes, to the healthand prosperity of her good host, and to the restoration of his familypeace, which she had so sorely, though unwittingly, disturbed. 

Then she let him hand her out, once more kissing Susan Talbot and Cis, who was weeping bitterly, and whispering to the latter, "Not over muchgrief, ma petite; not more than may befit, ma mignonne. "

Lord Shrewsbury lifted her on her horse, and, with him on one side andSir Ralf Sadler on the other, she rode down the long avenue on her wayto Wingfield. 

The Bridgefield family had already made their arrangements, and theirhorses were waiting for them amid the jubilations of Diccon and Ned. The Queen had given each of them a fair jewel, with special thanks tothem for being good brothers to her dear Cis. "As if one wanted thanksfor being good to one's own sister, " said Ned, thrusting the delicatelittle ruby brooch on his mother to be taken care of till his days offoppery should set in, and he would need it for cap and plume. 

"Come, Cis, we are going home at last, " said Diccon. "What! thou artnot breaking thine heart over yonder Scottish lady--when we are goinghome, home, I say, and have got rid of watch and ward for ever?Hurrah!" and he threw up his cap, and was joined in the shout by morethan one of the youngsters around, for Richard and most of the elderswere escorting the Queen out of the park, and Mistress Susan had beensummoned on some question of household stuff. Cis, however, stoodleaning against the balustrade, over which she had leant for the lastglance exchanged with her mother, her face hidden in her hands andkerchief, weeping bitterly, feeling as if all the glory and excitementof the last few weeks had vanished as a dream and left her to thedreary dulness of common life, as little insignificant Cis Talbot again. 

It was Humfrey who first came near, almost timidly touched her hand, and said, "Cheer up. It is but for a little while, mayhap. She willsend for thee. Come, here is thine old palfrey--poor old Dapple. Letme put thee on him, and for this brief time let us feign that all is asit was, and thou art my little sister once more. "

"I know not which is truth and which is dreaming, " said Cis, waking upthrough her tears, but resigning her hand to him, and letting him lifther to her seat on the old pony which had been the playfellow of both. If it had been an effort to Humfrey to prolong the word Cis intosister, he was rewarded for it. It gave the key-note to theirintercourse, and set her at ease with him; and the idea that herpresent rustication was but a comedy instead of a reality was consolingin her present frame of mind. Mistress Susan, surrounded withimportunate inquirers as to household matters, and unable to escapefrom them, could only see that Humfrey had taken charge of the maiden, and trusted to his honour and his tact. This was, however, only thebeginning of a weary and perplexing time. Nothing could restore Cis toher old place in the Bridgefield household, or make her look upon itstasks, cares, and joys as she had done only a few short months ago. Her share in them could only be acting, and she was too artless andsimple to play a part. Most frequently she was listless, dull, andpining, so much inclined to despise and neglect the ordinary householdoccupations which befitted the daughter of the family, that her adoptedmother was forced, for the sake of her incognito, to rouse, and oftento scold her when any witnesses were present who would have thoughtMrs. Talbot's toleration of such conduct in a daughter suspicious andunnatural. 

Such reproofs were dangerous in another way, for Humfrey could not bearto hear them, and was driven nearly to the verge of disrespect andperilous approaches to implying that Cis was no ordinary person to besharply reproved when she sat musing and sighing instead of sewingDiccon's shirts. 

Even the father himself could not well brook to hear the girl blamed, and both he and Humfrey could not help treating her with a kind ofdeference that made the younger brothers gape and wonder what had cometo Humfrey on his travels "to make him treat our Cis as a bornprincess. "

"You irreverent varlets, " said Humfrey, "you have yet to learn thatevery woman ought to be treated as a born princess. "

"By cock and pie, " said spoilt Ned, "that beats all! One's own sister!"

Whereupon Humfrey had the opportunity of venting a little of hisvexation by thrashing his brother for his oath, while sharp Dicconinnocently asked if men never swore by anything when at sea, andthereby nearly got another castigation for irreverent mocking of hiselder brother's discipline. 

At other times the girl's natural activity and high spirits gained theupper hand, and she would abandon herself without reserve to the oldhomely delights of Bridgefield. At the apple gathering, she wasrunning about, screaming with joy, and pelting the boys with apples, more as she had done at thirteen than at seventeen, and when called toorder she inconsistently pleaded, "Ah, mother! it is for the last time. Do but let me have my swing!" putting on a wistful and caressing look, which Susan did not withstand when the only companions were the threebrothers, since Humfrey had much of her own unselfishness andself-command, resulting in a discretion that was seldom at fault. 

And that discretion made him decide at a fortnight's end that hisfather had been right, and that it would be better for him to absenthimself from where he could do no good, but only added to the generalperplexity, and involved himself in the temptation of betraying theaffection he knew to be hopeless. 

Before, however, it was possible to fit out either Diccon or the fourmen who were anxious to go under the leadership of Master Humfrey ofBridgefield, the Earl and Countess of Shrewsbury were returning fullyreconciled. Queen Elizabeth had made the Cavendishes ask pardon ontheir knees of the Earl for their slanders; and he, in his joy, hadfreely forgiven all. Gilbert Talbot and his wife had shared in thegeneral reconciliation. His elder brother's death had made him theheir apparent, and all were coming home again, including the littleLady Arbell, once more to fill the Castle and the Manor-house, and torenew the free hospitable life of a great feudal chief, or of theQueen's old courtier, with doors wide open, and no ward or suspicion. 

Richard rejoiced that his sons, before going abroad, should witness thereturn to the old times which had been at an end before they couldremember Sheffield distinctly. The whole family were drawn up as usualto receive them, when the Earl and Countess arrived first of all at theManor-house. 

The Countess looked smaller, thinner, older, perhaps a trifle moreshrewish, but she had evidently suffered much, and was very glad tohave recovered her husband and her home. 

"So, Susan Talbot, " was her salutation, "you have thriven, it seems. You have been playing the part of hostess, I hear. "

"Only so far as might serve his Lordship, madam. "

"And the wench, there, what call you her? Ay, Cicely. I hear theScottish Queen hath been cockering her up and making her her bedfellow, till she hath spoilt her for a reasonable maiden. Is it so? She looksit. "

"I trust not, madam, " said Susan. 

"She grows a strapping wench, and we must find her a good husband tocurb her pride. I have a young man already in my eye for her. "

"So please your Ladyship, we do not think of marrying her as yet, "returned Susan, in consternation. 

"Tilly vally, Susan Talbot, tell me not such folly as that. Why, themaid is over seventeen at the very least! Save for all the coil thisScottish woman and her crew have made, I should have seen her wellmated a year ago. "

Here was a satisfactory prospect for Mistress Susan, bred as she hadbeen to unquestioning submission to the Countess. There was no more tobe said on that occasion, as the great lady passed on to bestow hernotice on others of her little court. 

Humfrey meantime had been warmly greeted by the younger men of thesuite, and one of them handed him a letter which filled him witheagerness. It was from an old shipmate, who wrote, not withoutsanction, to inform him that Sir Francis Drake was fitting out anexpedition, with the full consent of the Queen, to make a descent uponthe Spaniards, and that there was no doubt that if he presented himselfat Plymouth, he would obtain either the command, or at any rate thelieutenancy, of one of the numerous ships which were to becommissioned. Humfrey was before all else a sailor. He had made noengagement to Sir John Norreys, and many of the persons engaged on thisexpedition were already known to him. It was believed that the attackwas to be upon Spain itself, and the notion filled him with ardour andexcitement that almost drove Cicely out of his mind, as he laid theproposal before his father. 

Richard was scarcely less excited. "You young lads are in luck, " hesaid. "I sailed for years and never had more than a chance brush withthe Don; never the chance of bearding him on his own shores!"

"Come with us, then, father, " entreated Humfrey. "Sir Francis would beoverjoyed to see you. You would get the choicest ship to your share. "

"Nay, nay, my boy, tempt me not; I cannot leave your mother to meet allthe coils that may fall in her way! No; I'm too old. I've lost my sealegs. I leave thee to win the fame, son Humfrey!"

The decision was thus made, and Humfrey and Diccon were to starttogether for London first, and then for Plymouth, the second day aftera great festival for the wedding of the little Alethea, daughter ofGilbert, Lord Talbot--still of very tender age--to the young heir ofArundel. The Talbot family had been precluded from holding festivalfor full fourteen years, or indeed from entertaining any guests, savethe Commissioners sent down to confer from time to time with thecaptive Queen, so that it was no wonder that they were in the highestpossible spirits at their release, and determined to take the firstopportunity of exercising the gorgeous hospitality of the Tudor times. 

Posts went out, riding round all the neighbourhood with invitations. The halls were swept and adorned with the best suit of hangings. Allthe gentlemen, young and old, all the keepers and verdurers, were putin requisition to slaughter all the game, quadruped and biped, thatfell in their way, the village women and children were turned loose onthe blackberries, cranberries, and bilberries, and all the ladies andserving-women were called on to concoct pasties of many stories high, subtilties of wonderful curiosity, sweetmeats and comfits, cakes andmarchpanes worthy of Camacho's wedding, or to deck the halls with greenboughs, and weave garlands of heather and red berries. 

Cis absolutely insisted, so that the heads of the household gave way, on riding out with Richard and Humfrey when they had a buck to markdown in Rivelin Chase. And she set her heart on going out to gathercranberries in the park, flinging herself about with petulantirritation when Dame Susan showed herself unwilling to permit aproceeding which was thought scarcely becoming in any well-born damselof the period. "Ah, child, child! thou wilt have to bear worserestraints than these, " she said, "if ever thou comest to thygreatness. "

Cis made no answer, but threw herself into a chair and pouted. 

The next morning she did not present herself at the usual hour; butjust as the good mother was about to go in quest of her to her chamber, a clear voice came singing up the valley--

 "Berries to sell! berries to sell! Berries fresh from moorland fell!"

And there stood a girl in peasant dress, with short petticoats, stoutshoes soaked in dew, a round face under black brows, and cheeks glowingin morning freshness; and a boy swung the other handle of the basketoverflowing with purple berries. 

It was but a shallow disguise betrayed by the two roguish faces, andthe good mother was so pleased to see Cis smile merrily again, that shedid not scold over the escapade. 

Yet the inconsistent girl hotly refused to go up to the castle and helpto make pastry for her mother's bitter and malicious foe, and SirRichard shook his head and said she was in the right on't, and shouldnot be compelled. So Susan found herself making lame excuses, whichdid not avert a sharp lecture from the Countess on the cockering of herdaughter. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

THE CLASH OF SWORDS. 

Festivals in the middle ages were conducted by day rather than bynight, and it was a bright noonday sun that shone upon the great hallat Sheffield, bedecked with rich tapestry around the dais, where thefloor was further spread with Eastern carpets. Below, the garniture ofthe walls was of green boughs, interspersed between stag's antlers, andthe floor was strewn, in ancient fashion, with the fragrant rush. 

All the tables, however, were spread with pure white napery, thedifference being only in texture, but the higher table rejoiced in thewonderful extravagance of silver plates, while the lower had onlytrenchers. As to knives, each guest brought his or her own, and forkswere not yet, but bread, in long fingers of crust, was provided to alarge amount to supply the want. Splendid salt-cellars, towering aslandmarks to the various degrees of guests, tankards, gilt and parcelgilt or shining with silver, perfectly swarmed along the board, and themeanest of the guests present drank from silver-rimmed cups of horn, while for the very greatest were reserved the tall, slender, opalVenice glasses, recently purchased by the Countess in London. 

The pies, the glory of Yorkshire, surpassed themselves. The youngbride and bridegroom had the felicity of contemplating one whose crustwas elevated into the altar of Hymen, with their own selves unitedthereat, attended by numerous Cupids, made chiefly in paste and sugar, and with little wings from the feathers of the many slaughtered fowlwithin. As to the jellies, the devices and the subtilties, the penrefuses to describe them! It will be enough to say that the weddingitself was the least part of the entertainment. It was gone throughwith very few spectators in the early morning, and the guests onlyassembled afterwards to this mighty dinner at a somewhat earlier hourthan they would now to a wedding breakfast. The sewer marshalled allthe guests in pairs according to their rank, having gone through theroll with his mistress, just as the lady of the house or heraide-de-camp pairs the guests and puts cards in their plates in moderntimes. Every one was there who had any connection with the Earl; andCis, though flashes of recollection of her true claims would comeacross her now and then, was unable to keep from being eager about herfirst gaiety. Perhaps the strange life she had led at Buxton, as itreceded in the distance, became more and more unreal and shadowy, andshe was growing back into the simple Cicely she had always believedherself. It was with perfectly girlish natural pleasure that shedonned the delicate sky-blue farthingale, embroidered with white liliesby the skilful hands of the captive Queen, and the daintily-fashionedlittle cap of Flanders lace, and practised the pretty dancing stepswhich the Queen had amused herself with teaching her long ere they knewthey were mother and daughter. 

As Talbots, the Bridgefield family were spectators of the wedding, after which, one by one, the seneschal paired them off. Richard wascalled away first, then a huge old Yorkshire knight came and bore awayMrs. Susan, and after an interval, during which the young peopleentertained hopes of keeping together in enviable obscurity, thefollowing summons to the board was heard in a loud voice--

"Master Antony Babington, Esquire, of Dethick; Mistress Cicely Talbot, of Bridgefield. "

Humfrey's brow grew dark with disappointment, but cleared into afriendly greeting, as there advanced a tall, slender gentleman, of thewell-known fair, pink and white colouring, and yellow hair, apparelledpoint device in dark green velvet, with a full delicately crimped ruff, bowing low as he extended his hand to take that of the young lady, exchanging at the same time a friendly greeting with his old comrade, before leading Cis to her place. 

On the whole, she was pleased. Tete-a-tetes with Humfrey weredreadfully embarrassing, and she felt life so flat without hernocturnal romance that she was very glad to have some one who wouldcare to talk to her of the Queen. In point of fact, such conversationwas prohibited. In the former days, when there had been much moreintercourse between the Earl's household and the neighbourhood, regularcautions had been given to every member of it not to discuss theprisoner or make any communication about her habits. The youngergeneration who had grown up in the time of the closer captivity hadnever been instructed in these laws, for the simple reason that theyhardly saw any one. Antony and Cicely were likewise most comfortablyisolated, for she was flanked by a young esquire, who had no eyes norears save for the fair widow of sixteen whom he had just led in, andAntony, by a fat and deaf lady, whose only interest was in tasting asmany varieties of good cheer as she could, and trying to discover howand of what they were compounded. Knowing Mistress Cicely to be amember of the family, she once or twice referred the question to heracross Antony, but getting very little satisfaction, she gave up theyoung lady as a bad specimen of housewifery, and was forced to becontent with her own inductions. 

There was plenty of time for Antony to begin with, "Are there as manyconies as ever in the chase?" and to begin on a discussion of all thememories connected with the free days of childhood, the blackberry andbilberry gatherings, the hide-and-seek in the rocks and heather, theconsternation when little Dick was lost, the audacious comedy with theunsuspected spectators, and all the hundred and one recollections, lessmemorable perhaps, but no less delightful to both. It was only thusgradually that they approached their recent encounter in the CastletonCavern, and Antony explained how he had burnt to see his dear Queen andmistress once again, and that his friends, Tichborne and the rest, wereready to kiss every footstep she had taken, and almost worshipped himand John Eyre for contriving this mode of letting them behold thehitherto unknown object of their veneration. 

All that passionate, chivalrous devotion, which in Sidney, Spenser, andmany more attached itself to then-great Gloriana, had in these youngmen, all either secretly or openly reconciled to Rome, found its objectin that rival in whom Edmund Spenser only beheld his false Duessa orsnowy Florimel. And, indeed, romance had in her a congenial heroine, who needed little self-blinding so to appear. Her beauty needed noillusion to be credited. Even at her age, now over forty, the glimpsethey had had in the fitful torchlight of the cavern had been ravishing, and had confirmed all they had ever heard of her witching loveliness;nor did they recollect how that very obscurity might have assisted it. 

To their convictions, she was the only legitimate sovereign in theisland, a confessor for their beloved Church, a captive princess andbeauty driven from her throne, and kept in durance by a usurper. Thusevery generous feeling was enlisted in her cause, with nothing tocounterbalance them save the English hatred of the Spaniard, with whomher cause was inextricably linked; a dread of what might be inflictedon the country in the triumph of her party; and in some, a strangeinconsistent personal loyalty to Elizabeth; but all these they wereinstructed to believe mere temptations and delusions that ought to bebrushed aside as cobwebs. 

Antony's Puritan tutor at Cambridge had, as Richard Talbot hadforeboded, done little but add to his detestation of the Reformation, and he had since fallen in with several of the seminary priests whowere circulating in England. Some were devoted and pious men, who atthe utmost risk went from house to house to confirm the faith andconstancy of the old families of their own communion. The saintlymartyr spirit of one of these, whom Antony met in the house of akinsman of his mother, had so wrought on him as to bring him heart andsoul back to his mother's profession, in which he had been secretlynurtured in early childhood, and which had received additionalconfirmation at Sheffield, where Queen Mary and her ladies had alwaysshown that they regarded him as one of themselves, sure to return tothem when he was his own master. It was not, however, of this that hespoke to Cis, but whatever she ventured to tell him of the Queen waslistened to with delight as an extreme favour, which set her tongue offwith all the eager pleasure of a girl, telling what she alone can tell. 

All through the banquet they talked, for Babington had much to ask ofall the members of the household whom he had known. And after thefeast was over and the hall was cleared for dancing, Antony was still, by etiquette, her partner for the evening. The young bride andbridegroom had first to perform a stately pavise before the wholeassembly in the centre of the floor, in which, poor young things, theyacquitted themselves much as if they were in the dancing-master'shands. Then her father led out his mother, and vice verse. Thebridegroom had no grandparents, but the stately Earl handed forth hislittle active wiry Countess, bowing over her with a grand stiffdevotion as genuine and earnest as at their wedding twenty yearspreviously, for the reconciliation had been complete, and had restoredall her ascendency over him. Theirs, as Mistress Susan exultinglyagreed with a Hardwicke kinsman not seen for many years, was thegrandest and most featly of all the performances. All the time eachpair were performing, the others were awaiting their turn, the ladiesin rows on benches or settles, the gentlemen sometimes standing beforethem, sometimes sitting on cushions or steps at their feet, sometimeshanding them comfits of sugar or dried fruits. 

The number of gentlemen was greatly in excess, so that Humfrey had nosuch agreeable occupation, but had to stand in a herd among other youngmen, watching with no gratified eye Antony Babington, in a gracefulattitude at Cicely's feet, while she conversed with him with untiringanimation. 

Humfrey was not the only one to remark them. Lady Shrewsbury noddedonce or twice to herself as one who had discovered what she sought, andthe next morning a mandate arrived at Bridgefield that Master Richardand his wife should come to speak with my Lady Countess. 

Richard and his son were out of reach, having joined a party of theguests who had gone out hunting. Susan had to go alone, for she wishedto keep Cicely as much as possible out of her Ladyship's sight, so sheleft the girl in charge of her keys, so that if father brought home anyof the hunters to the midday meal, tankards and glasses might not belacking. 

The Countess's summons was to her own bower, a sort of dressing-room, within her great state bed-room, and with a small glazed window lookingdown into the great hall where her ladies sat at work, whence she couldon occasion call down orders or directions or reproofs. Susan had knownwhat it was to stand in dread of such a window at Chatsworth orHardwicke, whence shrill shrieks of objurgation, followed sometimes bysuch missiles as pincushions, shoes, or combs. However the window wasnow closed, and my Lady sat in her arm-chair, as on a throne, a stoolbeing set, to which she motioned her kinswoman. 

"So! Susan Talbot, " she said, "I have sent for you to do you a goodturn, for you are mine own kinswoman of the Hardwicke blood, and haveever been reasonably humble and dutiful towards me and my Lord. "

Mrs. Talbot did not by any means view this speech as the insult itwould in these days appear to a lady of her birth and position, butaccepted it as the compliment it was intended to be. 

"Thus, " continued Lady Shrewsbury, "I have always cast about how tomarry that daughter of yours fitly. It would have been done ere now, had not that Scottish woman's tongue made mischief between me and myLord, but I am come home to rule my own house now, and mine own bloodhave the first claim on me. "

The alarm always excited by a summons to speak with my Lady Countessbegan to acquire definite form, and Susan made answer, "Your Ladyshipis very good, but I doubt me whether my husband desires to bestowCicely in marriage as yet. "

"He hath surely received no marriage proposals for her without myknowledge or my Lord's, " said Bess of Hardwicke, who was prepared tostrain all feudal claims to the uttermost. 

"No, madam, but--"

"Tell me not that you or he have the presumption to think that my sonWilliam Cavendish or even Edward Talbot will ever cast an eye on a mereportionless country maid, not comely, nor even like the Hardwickes orthe Talbots. If I thought so for a moment, never shouldst thou darkenthese doors again, thou ungrateful, treacherous woman. "

"Neither of us ever had the thought, far less the wish, " said Susanmost sincerely. 

"Well, thou wast ever a simple woman, Susan Talbot, " said the greatlady, thereby meaning truthful, "so I will e'en take thy word for it, the more readily that I made contracts for both the lads when I was atcourt. As to Dick Talbot not being fain to bestow her, I trow that isbecause ye have spent too much on your long-legged sons to be able tolay down a portion for her, though she be your only daughter. Anan?"

For though this was quite true, Susan feeling that it was not the wholetruth, made but faint response. However, the Countess went on, expecting to overpower her with gratitude. "The gentleman I mean iswilling to take her in her smock, and moreover his wardship andmarriage were granted to my Lord by her Majesty. Thou knowest whom Imean. "

She wanted to hear a guess, and Susan actually foreboded the truth, butwas too full of dismay and perplexity to do anything but shake her headas one puzzled. 

"What think'st thou of Mr. Babington?" triumphantly exclaimed theCountess. 

"Mr. Babington!" returned Susan. "But he is no longer a ward!"

"No. We had granted his marriage to a little niece of my LordTreasurer's, but she died ere coming to age. Then Tom Ratcliffe's wifewould have him for her daughter, a mere babe. But for that thou andthine husband have done good service while evil tongues kept me absent, and because the wench comes of our own blood, we are willing to bestowher upon him, he showing himself willing and content, as bents a ladbred in our own household. "

"Madam, we are much beholden to you and my Lord, but sure Mr. Babingtonis more inclined to the old faith. "

"Tush, woman, what of that? Thou mayst say the same of half ourNorthern youth! They think it grand to dabble with seminary priests inhiding, and talk big about their conscience and the like, but whenthey've seen a neighbour or two pay down a heavy fine for recusancy, they think better of it, and a good wife settles their brains to jog tochurch to hear the parson with the rest of them. "

"I fear me Cis is over young to settle any one's mind, " said Susan. 

"She is seventeen if she is a day, " said my Lady, "and I was a weddedwife ere I saw my teens. Moreover, I will say for thee, Susan, thatthou hast bred the girl as becomes one trained in my household, andunless she have been spoiled by resort to the Scottish woman, she islike to make the lad a moderately good wife, having seen nought of theunthrifty modes of the fine court dames, who queen it with standingruffs a foot high, and coloured with turmeric, so please you, but whoknow no more how to bake a marchpane, or roll puff paste, than yondermessan dog!"

"She is a good girl, " said Susan, "but--"

"What has the foolish wife to object now?" said the Countess. "I tellyou I marked them both last eve, and though I seldom turn my mind tosuch follies, I saw the plain tokens of love in every look and gestureof the young springald. Nay, 'twas his countenance that put it into mymind, for I am even too good-natured--over good-natured, Susan Talbot. How now, " at some sound below, springing to the little window andflinging it back, "you lazy idle wenches--what are you doing there? Ismy work to stand still while you are toying with yon vile whelp? He istangling the yarn, don't you see, thou purblind Jane Dacre, with noeyes but for ogling. There! there! Round the leg of the chair, don'tyou see!" and down flew a shoe, which made the poor dog howl, and hismistress catch him up. "Put him down! put him down this instant!Thomas! Davy! Here, hang him up, I say, " cried this over good-naturedlady, interspersing her commands with a volley of sixteenth centuryBillingsgate, and ending by declaring that nothing fared well withouther, and hurrying off to pounce down on the luckless damsels who hadlet their dog play with the embroidery yarn destined to emblazon thetapestry of Chatsworth with the achievements of Juno. The good naturewas so far veritable that when she found little harm done, and hadvented her wrath in strong language and boxes on the ear, she wouldforget her sentence upon the poor little greyhound, which Mrs. JaneDacre had hastily conveyed out of sight during her transit downstairs. Susan was thus, to her great relief, released for the present, forguests came in before my Lady had fully completed her objurgations onher ladies, the hour of noon was nigh at hand, sounds in the courtbetokened the return of the huntsmen, and Susan effected her escape toher own sober old palfrey--glad that she would at least be able to takecounsel with her husband on this most inconvenient proposition. 

He came out to meet her at the court door, having just dismounted, andshe knew by his face that she had not to give him the firstintelligence of the difficulty in which they stood. 

My Lord had himself spoken to him, like my Lady expecting him to beenchanted at the prospect of so good a match for hisslenderly-portioned daughter, for Dethick was a fair estate, and theBabington family, though not ennobled, fully equal to a younger branchof the Talbots. However, Richard had had a less uncomfortable taskthan his wife, since the Earl was many degrees more reasonable than theCountess. He had shown himself somewhat offended at not meeting morealacrity in the acceptance of his proposal, when Richard had objectedon account of the young gentleman's Popish proclivities; but boldlydeclared that he was quite certain that the stripling had been entirelycured. 

This point of the narrative had just been reached when it wasinterrupted by a scream, and Cicely came flying into the hall, crying, "O father, father, stop them! Humfrey and Mr. Babington! They arekilling one another. "

"Where?" exclaimed Richard, catching up his sword. 

"In the Pleasance, father! Oh, stop them! They will slay one another!They had their swords!" and as the father was already gone, she threwherself into the mother's arms, hid her face and sobbed with fright asscarce became a princess for whom swords were for the first timecrossed. "Fear not! Father will stop them, " said the mother, withconfidence she could only keep up outwardly by the inward cry, "Godprotect my boy. Father will come ere they can hurt one another. "

"But how came it about?" she added, as with an arm round the tremblinggirl, she moved anxiously forward to know the issue. 

"Oh! I know not. 'Twas Humfrey fell on him. Hark!"

"'Tis father's voice, " said Susan. "Thank God! I know by the sound noharm is done! But how was it, child?"

Cis told with more coherence now, but the tears in her eyes and colourdeepening: "I was taking in Humfrey's kerchiefs from the bleaching onthe grass, when Master Babington--he had brought me a plume ofpheasant's feathers from the hunting, and he began. O mother, is itsooth? He said my Lord had sent him. "

"That is true, my child, but you know we have no choice but to refusethee. "

"Ay, mother, and Antony knows. "

"Not thy true birth, child?"

"Not that, but the other story. So he began to say that if I werefavourable--Mother, do men always do like that?" Hiding her faceagainst the trusty breast, "And when I drew back, and said I could notand would not hearken to such folly--"

"That was well, dear child. "

"He would have it that I should have to hear him, and he went down onhis knee, and snatched at my hand. And therewith came a great howl ofrage like an angry lion, and Humfrey bounded right over the sweetbrierfence, and cried out, 'Off, fellow! No Papist traitor knave shallmeddle with her. ' And then Antony gave him back the lie for callinghim traitor, and they drew their swords, and I ran away to call father, but oh! mother, I heard them clash!" and she shuddered again. 

"See, " said Susan, as they had reached the corner of a thick screen ofyew-trees, "all is safe. There they stand, and father between themspeaking to them. No, we will not go nearer, since we know that it iswell with them. Men deal with each other better out of women'searshot. Ah, see, there they are giving one another their hands. Allis over now. "

"Humfrey stands tall, grave, and stiff! He is only doing it becausefather bids him, " said Cicely. "Antony is much more willing. "

"Poor Humfrey! he knows better than Antony how vain any hope must be ofmy silly little princess, " said Susan, with a sigh for her boy. "Comein, child, and set these locks in order. The hour of noon hath longbeen over, and father hath not yet dined. "

So they flitted out of sight as Richard and his son turned from theplace of encounter, the former saying, "Son Humfrey, I had deemed theea wiser man. "

"Sir, how could a man brook seeing that fellow on his knee to her? Isit not enough to be debarred from my sweet princess myself, but I mustsee her beset by a Papist and traitor, fostered and encouraged too?"

"And thou couldst not rest secure in the utter impossibility of herbeing given to him? He is as much out of reach of her as thou art. "

"He has secured my Lord and my Lady on his side!" growled Humfrey. 

"My Lord is not an Amurath, nor my Lady either, " said Richard, shortly. "As long as I pass for her father I have power to dispose of her, and Iam not going to give another woman's daughter away without her consent. "

"Yet the fellow may have her ear, " said Humfrey. "I know him to bepopishly inclined, and there is a web of those Romish priests all overthe island, whereof this Queen holds the strands in her fingers, captive though she be. I should not wonder if she had devised thisfellow's suit. "

"This is the very madness of jealousy, Humfrey, " said his father. "Thewhole matter was, as thy mother and thy Lord have both told me, simplya device of my Lady Countess's own brain. "

"Babington took to it wondrous naturally, " muttered Humfrey. 

"That may be; but as for the lady at Wingfield, her talk to our poormaid hath been all of archdukes and dukes. She is far too haughty tothink for a moment of giving her daughter to a mere Derbyshire esquire, not even of noble blood. You may trust her for that. "

This pacified Humfrey for a little while, especially as the bell wasclanging for the meal which had been unusually deferred, and he had tohurry away to remove certain marks, which were happily the result ofthe sweetbrier weapons instead of that of Babington. 

That a little blood had been shed was shown by the state of his swordpoint, but Antony had disclaimed being hurt when the master of thehouse came up, and in the heat of the rebuke the father and son hadhardly noticed that he had thrown a kerchief round his left hand ere hemoved away. 

Before dinner was over, word was brought in from the door that MasterWill Cavendish wanted to speak to Master Humfrey. The ladies' heartswere in their mouths, as it were, lest it should be to deliver acartel, and they looked to the father to interfere, but he sat still, contenting himself with saying, as his son craved license to quit theboard, "Use discretion as well as honour. "

They were glad that the next minute Humfrey came back to call hisfather to the door, where Will Cavendish sat on horseback. He had comeby desire of Babington, who had fully intended that the encountershould be kept secret, but some servant must have been aware of iteither from the garden or the park, and the Countess had got wind ofit. She had summoned Babington to her presence, before the castlebarber had finished dealing with the cut in his hand, and the messengerreported that "my Lady was in one of her raging fits, " and talked ofthrowing young Humfrey into a dungeon, if not having him hung for hisinsolence. 

Babington, who had talked to his friends of a slip with hishunting-knife while disembowelling a deer, was forced to tell the factin haste to Cavendish, the nearest at hand, begging him to hurry downand advise Humfrey to set forth at once if he did not wish his journeyto be unpleasantly delayed. 

"My Lord is unwilling to cross my mother at the present, " said youngCavendish with half a smile; "and though it be not likely that muchharm should come of the matter, yet if she laid hands on Humfrey at thepresent moment, there might be hindrance and vexation, so it may bewell for him to set forth, in case Tony be unable to persuade my Ladythat it is nought. "

Will Cavendish had been a friendly comrade of both Humfrey and Antonyin their boyish days, and his warning was fully to be trusted. 

"I know not why I should creep off as though I had done aught that wasevil, " said Humfrey, drawing himself up. 

"Well, " said Will, "my Lord is always wroth at brawling with swordsamongst us, and he might--my mother egging him on--lay you by the heelsin the strong room for a week or so. Nay, for my part, methinks 'twasa strange requital of poor Babington's suit to your sister! Had shebeen your love instead of your sister there might have been plainerexcuse, but sure you wot not of aught against Tony to warrant suchheat. "

"He was importuning her when she would have none of him, " said Humfrey, feeling the perplexity he had drawn on himself. 

"Will says well, " added the father, feeling that it by all meansbehoved them all to avert inquiry into the cause of Humfrey's passion, since neither Cicely's birth nor Antony's perilous inclinations couldbe pleaded. "To be detained a week or two might hinder thy voyage. Sowe will speed thee on thy way instantly. "

"Tell me not where he halts for the night, " said Cavendishsignificantly. "Fare thee well, Humfrey. I would return ere I ammissed. I trust thou wilt have made the Spaniard's ships smoke, andweighted thy pouch with his dollars, before we see thee again. "

"Fare thee well, Will, and thank thee kindly, " returned Humfrey, asthey wrung each other's hands. "And tell Antony that I thank himheartily for his thought, and owe him a good turn. "

"That is well, my son, " said Richard, as Cavendish rode out of thecourt. "Babington is both hot and weak-headed, and I fear me is in thetoils of the Scottish lady; but he would never do aught that he held asdisloyal by a comrade. I wish I could say the same of him anent theQueen. "

"And you will guard her from him, sir?" earnestly said Humfrey. 

"As I would from--I would have said Frenchman or Spaniard, but, poormaid, that may only be her hap, if her mother should come to her throneagain;" and as Humfrey shrugged his shoulders at the improbability, "But we must see thee off, my boy. Poor mother! this hurries theparting for her. So best, mayhap. "

It was hastily arranged that Humfrey should ride off at once, and tryto overtake a squire who had been at the festival, and had invited himto turn a little out of his road and spend a day or two at his housewhen leaving home. Humfrey had then declined, but hospitality in thosedays was elastic, and he had no doubt of a welcome. His father wouldbring Diccon and his baggage to join him there the next day. 

Thus there were only a very few minutes for adieux, and, as Richard hadfelt, this was best for all, even the anxious mother. Cicely ran aboutwith the rest in the stress of preparation, until Humfrey, hurryingupstairs, met her coming down with a packet of his lace cuffs in herhands. 

He caught the hand on the balusters, and cried, "My princess, myprincess, and art thou doing this for me?"

"Thou hast learnt fine compliments, Humfrey, " said Cis, trying to doher part with quivering lips. 

"Ah, Cis! thou knowest but too well what hath taught me no fine wordsbut plain truth. Fear me not, I know what is due to thee. Cis, wenever used to believe the tales and ballads that told of knightsworshipping princesses beyond their reach, without a hope of more thana look--not even daring to wish for more; Cis, it is very truth. Bethou where thou wilt, with whom thou wilt, there will be one ready toserve thee to the uttermost, and never ask aught--aught but suchremembrance as may befit the brother of thy childhood--"

"Mistress Cis, " screamed one of the maids, "madam is waiting for thosecuffs. "

Cis ran down, but the squeeze and kiss on the hand remained, as itwere, imprinted on it, far more than the last kiss of all, which hegave, as both knew and felt, to support his character as a brotherbefore the assembled household. 

CHAPTER XX. 

WINGFIELD MANOR. 

The drawing of swords was not regarded as a heinous offence inElizabethan days. It was not likely, under ordinary circumstances, toresult in murder, and was looked on much as boxing is, or was recently, in public schools, as an evidence of high spirit, and a means ofworking off ill-blood. 

Lady Shrewsbury was, however, much incensed at such a presumptuousreception of the suitor whom she had backed with her would-be despoticinfluence; and in spite of Babington's making extremely light of it, and declaring that he had himself been too forward in his suit, and theyoung lady's apparent fright had made her brother interfere overhastily for her protection, four yeomen were despatched by her Ladyshipwith orders instantly to bring back Master Humfrey Talbot to answer forhimself. 

They were met by Mr. Talbot with the sober reply that Master Humfreywas already set forth on his journey. The men, having no orders, neverthought of pursuing him, and after a short interval Richard thought itexpedient to proceed to the Manor-house to explain matters. 

The Countess swooped upon him in one of her ungovernable furies--one ofthose of which even Gilbert Talbot avoided writing the particulars tohis father--abusing his whole household in general, and his son inparticular, in the most outrageous manner, for thus receiving thefavour she had done to their beggarly, ill-favoured, ill-nurtureddaughter. Richard stood still and grave, his hat in his hand, asunmoved and tranquil as if he had been breasting a stiff breeze on thedeck of his ship, with good sea-room and confidence in all his tackle, never even attempting to open his lips, but looking at the Countesswith a steady gaze which somehow disconcerted her, for she demandedwherefore he stared at her like one of his clumsy hinds. 

"Because her Ladyship does not know what she is saying, " he replied. 

"Darest thou! Thou traitor, thou viper, thou unhanged rascal, thoumire under my feet, thou blot on the house! Darest thou beard me--me?"screamed my Lady. "Darest thou--I say--"

If the sailor had looked one whit less calm and resolute, my Lady wouldhave had her clenched fist on his ear, or her talons in his beard, buthe was like a rock against which the billows expended themselves, andafter more of the tempest than need stain these pages, she deigned todemand what he meant or had to say for his son. 

"Solely this, madam, that my son had never even heard of Babington'ssuit, far less that he had your Ladyship's good-will. He found himkneeling to Cicely in the garden, and the girl, distressed and dismayedat his importunity. There were hot words and drawn blades. That wasthe whole. I parted them and saw them join hands. "

"So saith Master Babington. He is willing to overlook the insult, sowill I and my Lord, if you will atone for it by instantly consenting tothis espousal. "

"That, madam, I cannot do. "

She let him say no more, and the storm had begun to rage again, whenBabington took advantage of an interval to take breath, and said, "Ithank you, madam, and pray you peace. If a little space be vouchsafedme, I trust to show this worthy gentleman cause wherefore he should nolonger withhold his fair damsel from me. "

"Indeed!" said the Countess. "Art thou so confident? I marvel whatbetter backer thou wouldst have than me! So conceited of themselvesare young men now-a-days, they think, forsooth, their own merits andgraces should go farther in mating them than the word and will of theirbetters. There, you may go! I wash my hands of the matter. One is asingrate as the other. "

Both gentlemen accepted this amiable dismissal, each hoping that theCountess might indeed have washed her hands of their affairs. On hisdeparture Richard was summoned into the closet of the Earl, who hadcarefully kept out of the way during the uproar, only trusting not tobe appealed to. "My good cousin, " he asked, "what means this broilbetween the lads? Hath Babington spoken sooth?"

"He hath spoken well and more generously than, mayhap, I thought hewould have done, " said Richard. 

"Ay; you have judged the poor youth somewhat hardly, as if the folly ofpagedom never were outgrown, " said the Earl. "I put him undergovernorship such as to drive out of his silly pate all the wiles thathe was fed upon here. You will see him prove himself an honestProtestant and good subject yet, and be glad enough to give him yourdaughter. So he was too hot a lover for Master Humfrey's notions, eh?"said my Lord, laughing a little. "The varlet! He was over prompt toprotect his sister, yet 'twas a fault on the right side, and I am sorrythere was such a noise about it that he should have gone withoutleave-takings. "

"He will be glad to hear of your Lordship's goodness. I shall go afterhim to-morrow and take his mails and little Diccon to him. "

"That is well, " said the Earl. "And give him this, with his kinsman'sgood wishes that he may win ten times more from the Don, " pushingtowards Richard a packet of twenty broad gold pieces, stamped withQueen Bess in all her glory; and then, after receiving due thanks forthe gift, which was meant half as friendly feudal patronage from thehead of the family, half as a contribution to the royal service, theEarl added, "I would crave of thee, Richard, to extend thy journey toWingfield. Here are some accounts of which I could not sooner get theitems, to be discharged between me and the lady there--and I would fainsend thee as the man whom I can most entirely trust. I will give theea pass, and a letter to Sadler, bidding him admit thee to her presence, since there are matters here which can sooner be discharged by one wordof mouth than by many weary lines of writing. "

Good Master Richard's conscience had little occasion to wince, yet hecould not but feel somewhat guilty when this opportune commission wasgiven to him, since the Earl gave it unaware of his secretunderstanding with the captive. He accepted it, however, withouthesitation, since he was certainly not going to make a mischievous useof it, and bent all his mind to understand the complicated accountsthat he was to lay before the Queen or her comptroller of the household. 

He had still another interview to undergo with Antony Babington, whoovertook him on his way home through the crackling leaves that strewedthe avenue, as the October twilight fell. His recent conduct towardsHumfrey gave him a certain right to friendly attention, though, as thefrank-hearted mariner said to himself, it was hard that a plain man, who never told a lie, nor willingly had a concealment of his own, should be involved in a many-sided secret like this, a sort of web, where there was no knowing whether straining the wrong strand might notamount to a betrayal, all because he had rescued an infant, and not atonce proclaimed her an alien. 

"Sir, " said Antony, "if my impatience to accost the maiden we wot of, when I saw her alone, had not misled me, I should have sought you firstto tell you that no man knows better than I that my Lady Countess'sgood will is not what is wanting to forward my suit. "

"Knowing then that it is not in my power or right to dispose of her, thine ardent wooing was out of place, " said Richard. 

"I own it, sir, though had I but had time I should have let the maidenknow that I sought her subject to other approval, which I trust toobtain so as to satisfy you. "

"Young man, " said Richard, "listen to friendly counsel, and meddle notin perilous matters. I ask thee not whether Dethick hath any commercewith Wingfield; but I warn thee earnestly to eschew beginning againthat which caused the trouble of thy childhood. Thou mayst do itinnocently, seeking the consent of the lady to this courtship of thine;but I tell thee, as one who knows more of the matter than thou canst, that thou wilt only meet with disappointment. "

"Hath the Queen other schemes for her?" asked Babington, anxiously; andRichard, thinking of the vista of possible archdukes, replied that shehad; but that he was not free to speak, though he replied toBabington's half-uttered question that his son Humfrey was by no meansintended. 

"Ah!" cried Antony, "you give me hope, sir. I will do her such servicethat she shall refuse me nothing! Sir! do you mock me!" he added, witha fierce change of note. 

"My poor lad, I could not but laugh to think what a simple plotter youare, and what fine service you will render if thou utterest thy vows tothe very last person who should hear them! Credit me, thou wast nevermade for privy schemes and conspiracies, and a Queen who can only beserved by such, is no mistress for thee. Thou wilt but run thine ownneck into the noose, and belike that of others. "

"That will I never do, " quoth Antony. "I may peril myself, but noothers. "

"Then the more you keep out of secrets the better. Thou art tooopen-hearted and unguarded for them! So speaks thy well-wisher, Antony, whose friendship thou hast won by thine honourable conducttowards my rash boy; though I tell thee plainly, the maiden is not forthee, whether as Scottish or English, Cis or Bride. "

So they parted at the gate of the park, the younger man full of hopeand confidence, the elder full of pitying misgiving. 

He was too kind-hearted not to let Cicely know that he should see hermother, or to refuse to take a billet for her, --a little formal notenecessarily silent on the matter at issue, since it had to be laidbefore the Earl, who smiled at the scrupulous precaution, and let itpass. 

Thus the good father parted with Humfrey and Diccon, rejoicing in hisheart that they would fight with open foes, instead of struggling withthe meshes of perplexity, which beset all concerned with Queen Mary, and then he turned his horse's head towards Wingfield Manor, a grandold castellated mansion of the Talbots, considered by some to exceleven Sheffield. It stood high, on ground falling very steeply from thewalls on three sides, and on the south well fortified, court withincourt, and each with a deep-arched and portcullised gateway, withloopholed turrets on either side, a porter's lodge, and yeomen guards. 

Mr. Talbot had to give his name and quality, and show his pass, at eachof these gates, though they were still guarded by Shrewsbury retainers, with the talbot on their sleeves. He was, however, received with therespect and courtesy due to a trusted kinsman of their lord; and SirRalf Sadler, a thin, elderly, careworn statesman, came to greet him atthe door of the hall, and would only have been glad could he haveremained a week, instead of for the single night he wished to spend atWingfield. 

Sadler was one of Mary's most gentle and courteous warders, and hespoke of her with much kindness, regretting that her health had againbegun to suffer from the approach of winter, and far more fromdisappointment. 

The negotiation with Scotland on her behalf was now known to have beenabortive. James had fallen into the hands of the faction most hostileto her, and though his mother still clung with desperate hope to thetrust that he, at least, was labouring on her behalf, no one elsebelieved that he cared for anything but his own security, and even shehad been forced to perceive that her liberation was again adjourned. 

"And what think you was her thought when she found that road closedup?" said Sir Ralf. "Why, for her people! Her gentlewoman, Mrs. Mowbray, hath, it seems, been long betrothed. "

"Ay, to Gilbert Curll, the long-backed Scotch Secretary. They were tobe wed at Stirling so soon as she arrived there again. "

"Yea; but when she read the letter that overthrew her hopes, what didshe say but that 'her servants must not grow gray-headed with waitingtill she was set free'! So she would have me make the case known toSir Parson, and we had them married in the parish church two dayssince, they being both good Protestants. "

"There is no doubt that her kindness of heart is true, " said Richard. "The poor folk at Sheffield and Ecclesfield will miss her plentifulalmsgiving. "

"Some say it ought to be hindered, for that it is but a purchasing offriends to her cause, " said Sadler; "but I have not the heart to checkit, and what could these of the meaner sort do to our Queen'sprejudice? I take care that nothing goes among them that could hide abillet, and that none of her people have private speech with them, sono harm can ensue from her bounty. "

A message here came that the Queen was ready to admit Mr. Talbot, andRichard found himself in her presence chamber, a larger and finer roomthan that in the lodge at Sheffield, and with splendid tapestryhangings and plenishings; but the windows all looked into the innerquadrangle, instead of on the expanse of park, and thus, as Mary said, she felt more entirely the prisoner. This, however, was notperceptible at the time, for the autumn evening had closed in; therewere two large fires burning, one at each end of the room, and talltapestry-covered screens and high-backed settles were arranged so as toexclude the draughts around the hearth, where Mary reclined on acouch-like chair. She looked ill, and though she brightened with hersweet smile to welcome her guest, there were dark circles round hereyes, and an air of dejection in her whole appearance. She held outher hand graciously, as Richard approached, closely followed by hishost; he put his knee to the ground and kissed it, as she said, "Youmust pardon me, Mr. Talbot, for discourtesy, if I am less agile thanwhen we were at Buxton. You see my old foe lies in wait to plague mewith aches and pains so soon as the year declines. "

"I am sorry to see your Grace thus, " returned Richard, standing on thestep. 

"The while I am glad to see you thus well, sir. And how does the goodlady, your wife, and my sweet playfellow, your daughter?"

"Well, madam, I thank your Grace, and Cicely has presumed to send abillet by mine hand. "

"Ah! the dear bairnie, " and all the Queen's consummate art could notrepress the smile of gladness and the movement of eager joy with whichshe held out her hand for it, so that Richard regretted its extremebrevity and unsatisfying nature, and Mary, recollecting herself in asecond, added, smiling at Sadler, "Mr. Talbot knows how a poor prisonermust love the pretty playfellows that are lent to her for a time. "

Sir Ralf's presence hindered any more intimate conversation, andRichard had certainly committed a solecism in giving Cicely's letterthe precedence over the Earl's. The Queen, however, had recalled hercaution, and inquired for the health of the Lord and Lady, and, with acertain sarcasm on her lips, trusted that the peace of the family wascomplete, and that they were once more setting Hallamshire the exampleof living together as household doves. 

Her hazel eyes meantime archly scanned the face of Richard, who couldnot quite forget the very undovelike treatment he had received, thoughhe could and did sturdily aver that "my Lord and my Lady were perfectlyreconciled, and seemed most happy in their reunion. "

"Well-a-day, let us trust that there will be no further disturbances totheir harmony, " said Mary, "a prayer I may utter most sincerely. Is thelittle Arbell come back with them?"

"Yea, madam. "

"And is she installed in my former rooms, with the canopy over hercradle to befit her strain of royalty?"

"I think not, madam. Meseems that my Lady Countess hath seen reason tobe heedful on that score. My young lady hath come back with a gravegouvernante, who makes her read her primer and sew her seam, and savethat she sat next my Lady at the wedding feast there is littledifference made between her and the other grandchildren. "

The Queen then inquired into the circumstances of the weddingfestivities with the interest of one to whom most of the parties weremore or less known, and who seldom had the treat of a little femininegossip. She asked who had been "her little Cis's partner, " and whenshe heard of Babington, she said, "Ah ha, then, the poor youth has madehis peace with my Lord?"

"Certes, madam, he is regarded with high favour by both my Lord and myLady, " said Richard, heartily wishing himself rid of his host. 

"I rejoice to hear it, " said Mary; "I was afraid that his childishknight-errantry towards the captive dame had damaged the poorstripling's prospects for ever. He is our neighbour here, and Ibelieve Sir Ralf regards him as somewhat perilous. "

"Nay, madam, if my Lord of Shrewsbury be satisfied with him, so surelyought I to be, " said Sir Ralf. 

Nothing more of importance passed that night. The packet of accountswas handed over to Sir Andrew Melville, and the two gentlemen dismissedwith gracious good-nights. 

Richard Talbot was entirely trusted, and when the next morning afterprayers, breakfast, and a turn among the stables, it was intimated thatthe Queen was ready to see him anent my Lord's business, Sir RalfSadler, who had his week's report to write to the Council, requestedthat his presence might be dispensed with, and thus Mr. Talbot wasushered into the Queen's closet without any witnesses to theirinterview save Sir Andrew Melville and Marie de Courcelles. The Queenwas seated in a large chair, leaning against cushions, and evidently ina good deal of pain, but, as Richard made his obeisance, her eyes shoneas she quoted two lines from an old Scotch ballad--

 "'Madame, how does my gay goss hawk? Madame, how does my doo?'

Now can I hear what I hunger for!"

"My gay gosshawk, madam, is flown to join Sir Francis Drake atPlymouth, and taken his little brother with him. I come now fromspeeding them as far as Derby. "

"Ah! you must not ask me to pray for success to them, my goodsir, --only that there may be a time when nations may be no moredivided, and I fear me we shall not live to see it. And my doo--mylittle Cis, did she weep as became a sister for the bold laddies?"

"She wept many tears, madam, but we are sore perplexed by a matter thatI must lay before your Grace. My Lady Countess is hotly bent on amatch between the maiden and young Babington. "

"Babington!" exclaimed the Queen, with the lioness sparkle in her eye. "You refused the fellow of course?"

"Flatly, madam, but your Grace knows that it is ill making the Countessaccept a denial of her will. "

Mary laughed "Ah ha! methought, sir, you looked somewhat as if you hadhad a recent taste of my Lord of Shrewsbury's dove. But you are a manto hold your own sturdy will, Master Richard, let Lord or Lady say whatthey choose. "

"I trust so, madam, I am master of mine own house, and, as I shouldcertainly not give mine own daughter to Babington, so shall I guardyour Grace's. "

"You would not give the child to him if she were your own?"

"No, madam. "

"And wherefore not? Because he is too much inclined to the poorprisoner and her faith? Is it so, sir?"

"Your Grace speaks the truth in part, " said Richard, and then witheffort added, "and likewise, madam, with your pardon, I would say thatthough I verily believe it is nobleness of heart and spirit thatinclines poor Antony to espouse your Grace's cause, there is to my minda shallowness and indiscretion about his nature, even when most inearnest, such as would make me loath to commit any woman, or anysecret, to his charge. "

"You are an honest man, Mr. Talbot, " said Mary; "I am glad my poor maidis in your charge. Tell me, is this suit on his part made to yourdaughter or to the Scottish orphan?"

"To the Scottish orphan, madam. Thus much he knows, though by whatmeans I cannot tell, unless it be through that kinsman of mine, who, asI told your Grace, saw the babe the night I brought her in. "

"Doubtless, " responded Mary. "Take care he neither knows more, norhints what he doth know to the Countess. "

"So far as I can, I will, madam, " said Richard, "but his tongue is noteasy to silence; I marvel that he hath not let the secret ooze outalready. "

"Proving him to have more discretion than you gave him credit for, mygood sir, " said the Queen, smiling. "Refuse him, however, staunchly, grounding your refusal, if it so please you, on the very causes forwhich I should accept him, were the lassie verily what he deems her, myward and kinswoman. Nor do you accede to him, whatever word or tokenhe may declare that he brings from me, unless it bear this mark, " andshe hastily traced a peculiar-twisted form of M. "You know it?" sheasked. 

"I have seen it, madam, " said Richard, gravely, for he knew it as theletter which had been traced on the child's shoulders. 

"Ah, good Master Richard, " she said, with a sweet and wistfulexpression, looking up to his face in pleading, and changing to thefamiliar pronoun, "thou likest not my charge, and I know that it ishard on an upright man like thee to have all this dissembling thrust onthee, but what can a poor captive mother do but strive to save herchild from an unworthy lot, or from captivity like her own? I ask theeto say nought, that is all, and to shelter the maid, who hath been asthine own daughter, yet a little longer. Thou wilt not deny me, forher sake. "

"Madam, I deny nothing that a Christian man and my Queen's faithfulservant may in honour do. Your Grace has the right to choose your owndaughter's lot, and with her I will deal as you direct me. But, madam, were it not well to bethink yourself whether it be not a perilous and acruel policy to hold out a bait to nourish hope in order to bind toyour service a foolish though a generous youth, whose devotion may, after all, work you and himself more ill than good?"

Mary looked a good deal struck, and waved back her two attendants, whowere both startled and offended at what Marie de Courcelles describedas the Englishman's brutal boldness. 

"Silence, dear friends, " said she. "Would that I had always hadcounsellors who would deal with me with such honour anddisinterestedness. Then should I not be here. "

However, she then turned her attention to the accounts, where SirAndrew Melville was ready to question and debate every item set down byShrewsbury's steward; while his mistress showed herself liberal andopen-handed. Indeed she had considerable command of money from herFrench dowry, the proceeds of which were, in spite of the troubles ofthe League, regularly paid to her, and no doubt served her well inmaintaining the correspondence which, throughout her captivity, eludedthe vigilance of her keepers. On taking leave of her, which RichardTalbot did before joining his host at the mid-day meal, she reiteratedher thanks for his care of her daughter, and her charges to let nopersuasion induce him to consent to Babington's overtures, adding thatshe hoped soon to obtain permission to have the maiden amongst herauthorised attendants. She gave him a billet, loosely tied with blackfloss silk and unsealed, so that if needful, Sadler and Shrewsburymight both inspect the tender, playful, messages she wrote to her"mignonne, " and which she took care should not outrun those which shehad often addressed to Bessie Pierrepoint. 

Cicely was a little disappointed when she first opened the letter, butere long she bethought herself of the directions she had received tohold such notes to the fire, and accordingly she watched, waiting eventill the next day before she could have free and solitary access toeither of the two fires in the house, those in the hall and in thekitchen. 

At last, while the master was out farming, Ned at school, and themistress and all her maids engaged in the unsavoury occupation ofmaking candles, by repeated dipping of rushes into a caldron of meltedfat, after the winter's salting, she escaped under pretext of attendingto the hall fire, and kneeling beside the glowing embers, she held thepaper over it, and soon saw pale yellow characters appear and deepeninto a sort of brown or green, in which she read, "My little jewel mustshare the ring with none less precious. Yet be not amazed ifcommendations as from me be brought thee. Jewels are sometimes usefulto dazzle the eyes of those who shall never possess them. Thereforeseem not cold nor over coy, so as to take away all hope. It may bemuch for my service. Thou art discreet, and thy good guardians willhinder all from going too far. It might be well that he should deemthee and me inclined to what they oppose. Be secret. Keep thine owncounsel, and let them not even guess what thou hast here read. So farethee well, with my longing, yearning blessing. "

Cicely hastily hid the letter in the large housewifely pocket attachedto her girdle, feeling excited and important at having a real secretunguessed by any one, and yet experiencing some of the reluctancenatural to the pupil of Susan Talbot at the notion of acting a parttowards Babington. She really liked him, and her heart warmed to himas a true friend of her much-injured mother, so that it seemed the morecruel to delude him with false hopes. Yet here was she asked to do areal service to her mother!

Poor Cis, she knelt gazing perplexed into the embers, now and thentouching a stick to make them glow, till Nat, the chief of "the oldblue bottles of serving-men, " came in to lay the cloth for dinner, exclaiming, "So, Mistress Cis! Madam doth cocker thee truly, lettingthee dream over the coals, till thy face be as red as my Lady's newfarthingale, while she is toiling away like a very scullion. "

CHAPTER XXI. 

A TANGLE. 

It was a rainy November afternoon. Dinner was over, the great woodfire had been made up, and Mistress Talbot was presiding over thewomenfolk of her household and their tasks with needle and distaff. Shehad laid hands on her unwilling son Edward to show his father how wellhe could read the piece de resistance of the family, Fabyan'sChronicle; and the boy, with an elbow firmly planted on either side ofthe great folio, was floundering through the miseries of King Stephen'stime; while Mr. Talbot, after smoothing the head of his largest houndfor some minutes, had leant back in his chair and dropped asleep. Cicely's hand tardily drew out her thread, her spindle scarcelybalanced itself on the floor, and her maiden meditation was in aninactive sort of way occupied with the sense of dulness after thesummer excitements, and wonder whether her greatness were all a dream, and anything would happen to recall her once more to be a princess. The kitten at her feet took the spindle for a lazily moving creature, and thought herself fascinating it, so she stared hard, with only anoccasional whisk of the end of her striped tail; and Mistress Susan wasonly kept awake by her anxiety to adapt Diccon's last year's jerkin toNed's use. 

Suddenly the dogs outside bayed, the dogs inside pricked their ears, Ned joyfully halted, his father uttered the unconscious falsehood, "I'mnot asleep, lad, go on, " then woke up as horses' feet were heard; Neddashed out into the porch, and was in time to hold the horse of one ofthe two gentlemen, who, with cloaks over their heads, had ridden up tothe door. He helped them off with their cloaks in the porch, exchanging greetings with William Cavendish and Antony Babington. 

"Will Mrs. Talbot pardon our riding-boots?" said the former. "We haveonly come down from the Manor-house, and we rode mostly on the grass. "

Their excuses were accepted, though Susan had rather Master William hadbrought any other companion. However, on such an afternoon, almost anyvariety was welcome, especially to the younger folk, and room was madefor them in the circle, and according to the hospitality of the time, acup of canary fetched for each to warm him after the ride, whileanother was brought to the master of the house to pledge them in--arelic of the barbarous ages, when such a security was needed that thebeverage was not poisoned. 

Will Cavendish then explained that a post had come that morning to hisstepfather from Wingfield, having been joined on the way by Babington(people always preferred travelling in companies for security's sake), and that, as there was a packet from Sir Ralf Sadler for MasterRichard, he had brought it down, accompanied by his friend, who wasanxious to pay his devoirs to the ladies, and though Will spoke to themother, he smiled and nodded comprehension at the daughter, who blushedfuriously, and set her spindle to twirl and leap so violently, as tomake the kitten believe the creature had taken fright, and was going toescape. On she dashed with a sudden spring, involving herself and itin the flax. The old watch-dog roused himself with a growl to keeporder. Cicely flung herself on the cat, Antony hurried to the rescueto help her disentangle it, and received a fierce scratch for hispains, which made him start back, while Mrs. Talbot put in her word. "Ah, Master Babington, it is ill meddling with a cat in the toils, specially for men folk! Here, Cis, hold her fast and I will soon haveher free. Still, Tib!"

Cicely's cheeks were of a still deeper colour as she held fast themischievous favourite, while the good mother untwisted the flax fromits little claws and supple limbs, while it winked, twisted its headabout sentimentally, purred, and altogether wore an air of injuredinnocence and forgiveness. 

"I am afraid, air, you receive nothing but damage at our house, " saidMrs. Talbot politely. "Hast drawn blood? Oh fie! thou ill-manneredTib! Will you have a tuft from a beaver to stop the blood?"

"Thanks, madam, no, it is a small scratch. I would, I would that Icould face truer perils for this lady's sake!"

"That I hope you will not, sir, " said Richard, in a serious tone, whichconveyed a meaning to the ears of the initiated, though Will Cavendishonly laughed, and said, "Our kinsman takes it gravely! It was in the days of our grandfathersthat ladies could throw a glove among the lions, and bid a knight fetchit out for her love. "

"It has not needed a lion to defeat Mr. Babington, " observed Ned, looking up from his book with a sober twinkle in his eye, which setthem all laughing, though his father declared that he ought to have hisears boxed for a malapert varlet. 

Will Cavendish declared that the least the fair damsel could do for herknight-errant was to bind up his wounds, but Cis was too shy to showany disposition so to do, and it was Mrs. Talbot who salved the scratchfor him. She had a feeling for the motherless youth, upon whom sheforeboded that a fatal game might be played. 

When quiet was restored, Mr. Talbot craved license from his guests, andopened the packet. There was a letter for Mistress Cicely Talbot inQueen Mary's well-known beautiful hand, which Antony followed witheager eyes, and a low gasp of "Ah! favoured maiden, " making the goodmother, who overheard it, say to herself, "Methinks his love is chieflyfor the maid as something appertaining to the Queen, though he wots nothow nearly. His heart is most for the Queen herself, poor lad. "

The maiden did not show any great haste to open the letter, being awarethat the true gist of it could only be discovered in private, and herfather was studying his own likewise in silence. It was from Sir RalfSadler to request that Mistress Cicely might be permitted to become aregular member of the household. There was now a vacancy since, thoughMrs. Curll was nearly as much about the Queen as ever, it was as thesecretary's wife, not as one of the maiden attendants; and Sir Ralfwrote that he wished the more to profit by the opportunity, as he mightsoon be displaced by some one not of a temper greatly to consider theprisoner's wishes. Moreover, he said the poor lady was ill at ease, and much dejected at the tenor of her late letters from Scotland, andthat she had said repeatedly that nothing would do her good but thepresence of her pretty playfellow. Sir Ralf added assurances that hewould watch over the maiden like his own daughter, and would take theutmost care of the faith and good order of all within his household. Curll also wrote by order of his mistress a formal application for theyoung lady, to which Mary had added in her own hand, "I thank the goodMaster Richard and Mrs. Susan beforehand, for I know they will not denyme. "

Refusal was, of course, impossible to a mother who had every right toclaim her own child; and there was nothing to be done but to fix thetime for setting off: and Cicely, who had by this time read her ownletter, or at least all that was on the surface, looked up tremulous, with a strange frightened gladness, and said, "Mother, she needs me. "

"I shall shortly be returning home, " said Antony, "and shall muchrejoice if I may be one of the party who will escort this fair maiden. "

"I shall take my daughter myself on a pillion, sir, " said Richard, shortly. 

"Then, sir, I may tell my Lord that you purpose to grant this request, "said Will Cavendish, who had expected at least some time to be askedfor deliberation, and knew his mother would expect her permission to berequested. 

"I may not choose but do so, " replied Richard; and then, thinking hemight have said too much, he added, "It were sheer cruelty to deny anysolace to the poor lady. "

"Sick and in prison, and balked by her only son, " added Susan, "one'sheart cannot but ache for her. "

"Let not Mr. Secretary Walsingham hear you say so, good madam, " saidCavendish, smiling. "In London they think of her solely as a kind ofmalicious fury shut up in a cage, and there were those who lookedaskance at me when I declared that she was a gentlewoman of greatsweetness and kindness of demeanour. I believe myself they will notrest till they have her blood!"

Cis and Susan cried out with horror, and Babington with stammeringwrath demanded whether she was to be assassinated in the Spanishfashion, or on what pretext a charge could be brought against her. "Well, " Cavendish answered, "as the saying is, give her rope enough, and she will hang herself. Indeed, there's no doubt but that shetampered enough with Throckmorton's plot to have been convicted ofmisprision of treason, and so she would have been, but that her mostsacred Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, would have no charge made against her. 

"Treason from one sovereign to another, that is new law!" saidBabington. 

"So to speak, " said Richard; "but if she claim to be heiress to thecrown, she must also be a subject. Heaven forefend that she shouldcome to the throne!"

To which all except Cis and Babington uttered a hearty amen, while apicture arose before the girl of herself standing beside her royalmother robed in velvet and ermine on the throne, and of the faces ofLady Shrewsbury and her daughter as they recognised her, and werepardoned. 

Cavendish presently took his leave, and carried the unwilling Babingtonoff with him, rightly divining that the family would wish to make theirarrangements alone. To Richard's relief, Babington had brought him noprivate message, and to Cicely's disappointment, there was no additionin sympathetic ink to her letter, though she scorched the paper brownin trying to bring one out. The Scottish Queen was much too wary towaste and risk her secret expedients without necessity. 

To Richard and Susan this was the real resignation of theirfoster-child into the hands of her own parent. It was true that shewould still bear their name, and pass for their daughter, but thatwould be only so long as it might suit her mother's convenience; andinstead of seeing her every day, and enjoying her full confidence (sofar as they knew), she would be out of reach, and given up toinfluences, both moral and religious, which they deeply distrusted;also to a fate looming in the future with all the dark uncertainty thatbrooded over all connected with Tudor or Stewart royalty. 

How much good Susan wept and prayed that night, only her pillow knew, not even her husband; and there was no particular comfort when my LadyCountess descended on her in the first interval of fine weather, fullof wrath at not having been consulted, and discharging it in all sortsof predictions as to Cis's future. No honest and loyal husband wouldhave her, after being turned loose in such company; she would becorrupted in morals and manners, and a disgrace to the Talbots; shewould be perverted in faith, become a Papist, and die in a nunnerybeyond sea; or she would be led into plots and have her head cut off;or pressed to death by the peine forte et dure. 

Susan had nothing to say to all this, but that her husband thought itright, and then had a little vigorous advice on her own score againsttamely submitting to any man, a weakness which certainly could not belaid to the charge of the termagant of Hardwicke. 

Cicely herself was glad to go. She loved her mother with a romanticenthusiastic affection, missed her engaging caresses, and felt herBridgefield home eminently dull, flat, and even severe, especiallysince she had lost the excitement of Humfrey's presence, and likewiseher companion Diccon. So she made her preparations with a joyfulalacrity, which secretly pained her good foster-parents, and made Susanalmost ready to reproach her with ingratitude. 

They lectured her, after the fashion of the time, on the need of neverforgetting her duty to her God in her affection to her mother, Susantrusting that she would never let herself be led away to the Romishfaith, and Richard warning her strongly against untruth and falsehood, though she must be exposed to cruel perplexities as to the right-- "Butif thou be true to man, thou wilt be true to God, " he said. "If thoube false to man, thou wilt soon be false to thy God likewise. "

"We will pray for thee, child, " said Susan. "Do thou pray earnestlyfor thyself that thou mayest ever see the right. "

"My queen mother is a right pious woman. She is ever praying andreading holy books, " said Cis. "Mother Susan, I marvel you, who knowher, can speak thus. "

"Nay, child, I would not lessen thy love and duty to her, poor soul, but it is not even piety in a mother that can keep a maiden fromtemptation. I blame not her in warning thee. "

Richard himself escorted the damsel to her new home. There was nopreventing their being joined by Babington, who, being well acquaintedwith the road, and being also known as a gentleman of good estate, wasable to do much to make their journey easy to them, and secure goodaccommodation for them at the inns, though Mr. Talbot entirely baffledhis attempts to make them his guests, and insisted on bearing a fullshare of the reckoning. Neither did Cicely fulfil her mother'scommission to show herself inclined to accept his attentions. If shehad been under contrary orders, there would have been some excitementin going as far as she durst, but the only effect on her wasembarrassment, and she treated Antony with the same shy stiffness shehad shown to Humfrey, during the earlier part of his residence at home. Besides, she clung more and more to her adopted father, who, now thatthey were away from home and he was about to part with her, treated herwith a tender, chivalrous deference, most winning in itself, and makingher feel herself no longer a child. 

Arriving at last at Wingfield, Sir Ralf Sadler had hardly greeted thembefore a messenger was sent to summon the young lady to the presence ofthe Queen of Scots. Her welcome amounted to ecstasy. The Queen rosefrom her cushioned invalid chair as the bright young face appeared atthe door, held out her arms, gathered her into them, and, covering herwith kisses, called her by all sorts of tender names in French andScottish. 

"O ma mie, my lassie, ma fille, mine ain wee thing, how sweet to haveone bairn who is mine, mine ain, whom they have not robbed me of, forthy brother, ah, thy brother, he hath forsaken me! He is made of thefalse Darnley stuff, and compacted by Knox and Buchanan and the rest, and he will not stand a blast of Queen Elizabeth's wrath for the poormother that bore him. Ay, he hath betrayed me, and deluded me, mychild; he hath sold me once more to the English loons! I am set fasterin prison than ever, the iron entereth into my soul. Thou art butdaughter to a captive queen, who looks to thee to be her one bairn, onecomfort and solace. "

Cicely responded by caresses, and indeed felt herself more than everbefore the actual daughter, as she heard with indignation of James'sdesertion of his mother's cause; but Mary, whatever she said herself, would not brook to hear her speak severely of him. "The poor laddie, "she said, "he was no better than a prisoner among those dour Scotslords, " and she described in graphic terms some of her own experiencesof royalty in Scotland. 

The other ladies all welcomed the newcomer as the best medicine both tothe spirit and body of their Queen. She was regularly enrolled amongthe Queen's maidens, and shared their meals. Mary dined and suppedalone, sixteen dishes being served to her, both on "fish and fleshdays, " and the reversion of these as well as a provision of their owncame to the higher table of her attendants, where Cicely ranked withthe two Maries, Jean Kennedy, and Sir Andrew Melville. There was asecond table, at which ate the two secretaries, Mrs. Curll, andElizabeth Curll, Gilbert's sister, a most faithful attendant on theQueen. As before, she shared the Queen's chamber, and there it wasthat Mary asked her, "Well, mignonne, and how fares it with thineardent suitor? Didst say that he rode with thee?"

"As far as the Manor gates, madam. "

"And what said he? Was he very pressing?"

"Nay, madam, I was ever with my father--Mr. Talbot. "

"And he keeps the poor youth at arm's length. Thine other swain, thesailor, his son, is gone off once more to rob the Spaniards, is henot?--so there is the more open field. "

"Ay! but not till he had taught Antony a lesson. "

The Queen made Cis tell the story of the encounter, at which she wasmuch amused. "So my princess, even unknown, can make hearts beat andswords ring for her. Well done! thou art worthy to be one of the maidsin Perceforest or Amadis de Gaul, who are bred in obscurity, and setall the knights a sparring together. Tourneys are gone out since mypoor gude-father perished by mischance at one, or we would set theealoft to be contended for. "

"O madame mere, it made me greatly afraid, and poor Humfrey had to gooff without leave-taking, my Lady Countess was so wrathful. "

"So my Lady Countess is playing our game, is she! Backing Babingtonand banishing Talbot? Ha, ha, " and Mary again laughed with a merrimentthat rejoiced the faithful ears of Jean Kennedy, under her bedclothes, but somewhat vexed Cicely. "Indeed, madam mother, " she said, "if Imust wed under my degree, I had rather it were Humfrey than AntonyBabington. "

"I tell thee, simple child, thou shall wed neither. A woman does notwed every man to whom she gives a smile and a nod. So long as thoubear'st the name of this Talbot, he is a good watch-dog to hinderBabington from winning thee: but if my Lady Countess choose to send theswain here, favoured by her to pay his court to thee, why then, shegives us the best chance we have had for many a long day of holdingintercourse with our friends without, and a hope of thee will bind himthe more closely. "

"He is all yours, heart and soul, already, madam. "

"I know it, child, but men are men, and no chains are so strong as canbe forged by a lady's lip and eye, if she do it cunningly. So said mybelle mere in France, and well do I believe it. Why, if one of thesour-visaged reformers who haunt this place chanced to have a daughterwith sweetness enough to temper the acidity, the youth might bethrowing up his cap the next hour for Queen Bess and the Reformation, unless we can tie him down with a silken cable while he is in the mind. "

"Yea, madam, you who are beautiful and winsome, you can do such things, I am homely and awkward. "

"Mort de ma vie, child! the beauty of the best of us is in the man'seyes who looks at us. 'Tis true, thou hast more of the Border lassiethan the princess. The likeness of some ewe-milking, cheese-makingsonsie Hepburn hath descended to thee, and hath been fostered bycountry breeding. But thou hast by nature the turn of the neck, andthe tread that belong to our Lorraine blood, the blood of Charlemagne, and now that I have thee altogether, see if I train thee not so as tobring out the princess that is in thee; and so, good-night, my bairnie, my sweet child; I shall sleep to-night, now that I have thy warm freshyoung cheek beside mine. Thou art life to me, my little one. "

CHAPTER XXII. 

TUTBURY

James VI. Again cruelly tore his mother's heart and dashed her hopes byan unfeeling letter, in which he declared her incapable of beingtreated with, since she was a prisoner and deposed. The notunreasonable expectation, that his manhood might reverse theproceedings wrought in his name in his infancy, was frustrated. Marycould no longer believe that he was constrained by a faction, butperceived clearly that he merely considered her as a rival, whoseliberation would endanger his throne, and that whatever scruples hemight once have entertained had given way to English gold and Scottishintimidation. 

"The more simple was I to look for any other in the son of Darnley andthe pupil of Buchanan, " said she, "but a mother's heart is slow to giveup her trust. "

"And is there now no hope?" asked Cicely. 

"Hope, child? Dum spiro, spero. The hope of coming forth honourablyto him and to Elizabeth is at an end. There is another mode of comingforth, " she added with a glittering eye, "a mode which shall make themrue that they have driven patience to extremity. "

"By force of arms? Oh, madam!" cried Cicely. 

"And wherefore not? My noble kinsman, Guise, is the paramount ruler inFrance, and will soon have crushed the heretics there; Parma istriumphant in the Low Countries, and has only to tread out the lastremnants of faction with his iron boot. They wait only the call, whichmy motherly weakness has delayed, to bring their hosts to avenge mywrongs, and restore this island to the true faith. Then thou, child, wilt be my heiress. We will give thee to one who will worthily bearthe sceptre, and make thee blessed at home. The Austrians make goodhusbands, I am told. Matthias or Albert would be a noble mate forthee; only thou must be trained to more princely bearing, my littlehome-bred lassie. "

In spite--nay, perhaps, in consequence--of these anticipations, anentire change began for Cicely. It was as if all the romance of herprincely station had died out and the reality had set in. Her freedomwas at an end. As one of the suite of the Queen of Scots, she was asmuch a prisoner as the rest; whereas before, both at Buxton andSheffield, she had been like a dog or kitten admitted to be petted andplayed with, but living another life elsewhere, while now there wasnothing to relieve the weariness and monotony of the restraint. 

Nor was the petting what it was at first. Mary was far from being inthe almost frolicsome mood which had possessed her at Buxton; her hopesand spirits had sunk to the lowest pitch, and though she had anadmirably sweet and considerate temper, and was scarcely ever fretfulor unreasonable with her attendants, still depression, illness, andanxiety could not but tell on her mode of dealing with hersurroundings. Sometimes she gave way entirely, and declared she shouldwaste away and perish in her captivity, and that she only broughtmisery and destruction on all who tried to befriend her; or, again, that she knew that Burghley and Walsingham were determined to have herblood. 

It was in these moments that Cicely loved her most warmly, for caressesand endearments soothed her, and the grateful affection which receivedthem would be very sweet. Or in a higher tone, she would trust that, if she were to perish, she might be a martyr and confessor for herChurch, though, as she owned, the sacrifice would be stained by many asin; and she betook herself to the devotions which then touched herdaughter more than in any other respect. 

More often, however, her indomitable spirit resorted to fresh schemes, and chafed fiercely and hotly at thought of her wrongs; and this madeher the more critical of all that displeased her in Cicely. 

Much that had been treated as charming and amusing when Cicely was herplaything and her visitor was now treated as unbecoming Englishrusticity. The Princess Bride must speak French and Italian, perhapsLatin; and the girl, whose literary education had stopped short whenshe ceased to attend Master Sniggius's school, was made to study herCicero once more with the almoner, who was now a French priest named DePreaux, while Queen Mary herself heard her read French, and, thoughalways good-natured, was excruciated by her pronunciation. 

Moreover, Mary was too admirable a needlewoman not to wish to make herdaughter the same; whereas Cicely's turn had always been for thedepartment of housewifery, and she could make a castle in pastry farbetter than in tapestry; but where Queen Mary had a whole service ofcooks and pantlers of her own, this accomplishment was uncalled for, and was in fact considered undignified. She had to sit still and learnall the embroidery stitches and lace-making arts brought by Mary fromthe Court of France, till her eyes grew weary, her heart faint, and heryoung limbs ached for the freedom of Bridgefield Pleasaunce andSheffield Park. 

Her mother sometimes saw her weariness, and would try to enliven her bysetting her to dance, but here poor Cicely's untaught movements weresure to incur reproof; and even if they had been far more satisfactoryto the beholders, what refreshment were they in comparison withgathering cranberries in the park, or holding a basket for Ned in theapple-tree? Mrs. Kennedy made no scruple of scolding her roundly forfretting in a month over what the Queen had borne for full eighteenyears. 

"Ah!" said poor Cicely, "but she had always been a queen, and was usedto being mewed up close!"

And if this was the case at Wingfield, how much more was it so atTutbury, whither Mary was removed in January. The space was farsmaller, and the rooms were cold and damp; there was much less outlet, the atmosphere was unwholesome, and the furniture insufficient. Marywas in bed with rheumatism almost from the time of her arrival, but sheseemed thus to become the more vigilant over her daughter, anddistressed by her shortcomings. If the Queen did not take exercise, the suite were not supposed to require any, and indeed it was neverdesired by her elder ladies, but to the country maiden it was absolutepunishment to be thus shut up day after day. Neither Sir Ralf Sadlernor his colleague, Mr. Somer, had brought a wife to share the charge, so that there was none of the neutral ground afforded by intercoursewith the ladies of the Talbot family, and at first the only varietyCicely ever had was the attendance at chapel on the other side of thecourt. 

It was remarkable that Mary discouraged all proselytising towards theProtestants of her train, and even forbore to make any open attempt onher daughter's faith. "Cela viendra, " she said to Marie de Courcelles. "The sermons of M. Le Pasteur will do more to convert her to our sidethan a hundred controversial arguments of our excellent Abbe; and whenthe good time comes, one High Mass will be enough to win her over. "

"Alas! when shall we ever again assist at the Holy Sacrifice in all itsglory!" sighed the lady. 

"Ah, my good Courcelles! of what have you not deprived yourself for me!Sacrifice, ah! truly you share it! But for the child, it would giveneedless offence and difficulty were she to embrace our holy faith atpresent. She is simple and impetuous, and has not yet sufficientlyoutgrown the rude straightforward breeding of the good housewife, MadamSusan, not to rush into open confession of her faith, and then! oh thefracas! The wicked wolves would have stolen a precious lamb from M. LePasteur's fold! Master Richard would be sent for! Our restraint wouldbe the closer! Moreover, even when the moment of freedom strikes, whoknows that to find her of their own religion may not win us favour withthe English?"

So, from whatever motive, Cis remained unmolested in her religion, saveby the weariness of the controversial sermons, during which the younglady contrived to abstract her mind pretty completely. If in goodspirits she would construct airy castles for her Archduke; ifdispirited, she yearned with a homesick feeling for Bridgefield andMrs. Talbot. There was something in the firm sober wisdom and steadykindness of that good lady which inspired a sense of confidence, forwhich no caresses nor brilliant auguries could compensate. 

Weary and cramped she was to the point of having a feverish attack, andon one slightly delirious night she fretted piteously after "mother, "and shook off the Queen's hand, entreating that "mother, real mother, "would come. Mary was much pained, and declared that if the child werenot better the next day she should have a messenger sent to summon Mrs. Talbot. However, she was better in the morning; and the Queen, who hadbeen making strong representations of the unhealthiness and otherinconveniences of Tutbury, received a promise that she should changeher abode as soon as Chartley, a house belonging to the young Earl ofEssex, could be prepared for her. 

The giving away large alms had always been one of her greatsolaces--not that she was often permitted any personal contact with thepoor: only to sit at a window watching them as they flocked into thecourt, to be relieved by her servants under supervision from someofficer of her warders, so as to hinder any surreptitious communicationfrom passing between them. Sometimes, however, the poor would accosther or her suite as she rode out; and she had a great compassion forthem, deprived, as she said, of the alms of the religious houses, andflogged or branded if hunger forced them into beggary. On a finespring day Sir Ralf Sadler invited the ladies out to a hawking party onthe banks of the Dove, with the little sparrow hawks, whose prey wasspecially larks. Pity for the beautiful soaring songster, or for theyoung ones that might be starved in their nests, if the parent birdswere killed, had not then been thought of. A gallop on the moors, though they were strangely dull, gray, and stony, was always the bestremedy for the Queen's ailments; and the party got into the saddlegaily, and joyously followed the chase, thinking only of the dexterityand beauty of the flight of pursuer and pursued, instead of the deadlyterror and cruel death to which they condemned the created creature, the very proverb for joyousness. 

It was during the halt which followed the slaughter of one of thelarks, and the reclaiming of the hawk, that Cicely strayed a littleaway from the rest of the party to gather some golden willow catkinsand sprays of white sloe thorn wherewith to adorn a beaupot that mightcheer the dull rooms at Tutbury. 

She had jumped down from her pony for the purpose, and was culling thebranch, when from the copsewood that clothed the gorge of the river aragged woman, with a hood tied over her head, came forward withoutstretched hand asking for alms. 

"Yon may have something from the Queen anon, Goody, when I can get backto her, " said Cis, not much liking the looks or the voice of the woman. 

"And have you nothing to cross the poor woman's hand with, fairmistress?" returned the beggar. "She brought you fair fortune once;how know you but she can bring you more?"

And Cicely recognised the person who had haunted her at Sheffield, Tideswell, and Buxton, and whom she had heard pronounced to be no womanat all. 

"I need no fortune of your bringing, " she said proudly, and trying toget nearer the rest of the party, heartily wishing she was on, not off, her little rough pony. 

"My young lady is proud, " said her tormentor, fixing on her the littlepale eyes she so much disliked. "She is not one of the maidens whowould thank one who can make or mar her life, and cast spells that canhelp her to a princely husband or leave her to a prison. "

"Let go, " said Cicely, as she saw a retaining hand laid on her pony'sbridle; "I will not be beset thus. "

"And this is your gratitude to her who helped you to lie in a queen'sbosom; ay, and who could aid you to rise higher or fall lower?"

"I owe nothing to you, " said Cicely, too angry to think of prudence. "Let me go!"

There was a laugh, and not a woman's laugh. "You owe nothing, quoth mymistress? Not to one who saw you, a drenched babe, brought in from thewreck, and who gave the sign which has raised you to your presenthonours? Beware!"

By this time, however, the conversation had attracted notice, andseveral riders were coming towards them. 

There was an immediate change of voice from the threatening tone to thebeggar's whine; but the words were--"I must have my reward ere I speakout. "

"What is this? A masterful beggar wife besetting Mistress Talbot, "said Mr. Somer, who came first. 

"I had naught to give her, " said Cicely. 

"She should have the lash for thus frightening you, " said Somer. "Yonder lady is too good to such vagabonds, and they come about us inswarms. Stand back, woman, or it may be the worse for you. Let mehelp you to your horse, Mistress Cicely. "

Instead of obeying, the seeming woman, to gain time perhaps, began astory of woe; and Mr. Somer, being anxious to remount the young lady, did not immediately stop it, so that before Cis was in her saddle theQueen had ridden up, with Sir Ralf Sadler a little behind her. Therewere thus a few seconds free, in which the stranger sprang to theQueen's bridle and said a few hasty words almost inaudibly, and as Cisthought, in French; but they were answered aloud in English--"My goodwoman, I know all that you can tell me, and more, of this young lady'sfortune. Here are such alms as are mine to give; but hold your peace, and quit us now. "

Sir Ralf Sadler and his son-in-law both looked suspicious at thisinterview, and bade one of the grooms ride after the woman and see whatbecame of her, but the fellow soon lost right of her in the brokenground by the river-side. 

When the party reached home, there was an anxious consultation of theinner circle of confidantes over Cicely's story. Neither she nor theQueen had the least doubt that the stranger was Cuthbert Langston, whohad been employed as an agent of hers for many years past; hisinsignificant stature and colourless features eminently fitting him forit. No concealment was made now that he was the messenger with thebeads and bracelets, which were explained to refer to some ivory beadswhich had been once placed among some spare purchased by the Queen, andwhich Jean had recognised as part of a rosary belonging to poor AlisonHepburn, the nurse who had carried the babe from Lochleven. This hadopened the way to the recovery of her daughter. Mary and Sir AndrewMelville had always held him to be devotedly faithful, but there hadcertainly been something of greed, and something of menace in hislanguage which excited anxiety. Cicely was sure that his expressionsconveyed that he really knew her royal birth, and meant to threaten herwith the consequences, but the few who had known it were absolutelypersuaded that this was impossible, and believed that he could onlysurmise that she was of more importance than an archer's daughter. 

He had told the Queen in French that he was in great need, and expecteda reward for his discretion respecting what he had brought her. Andwhen he perceived the danger of being overheard, he had changed it intoa pleading, "I did but tell the fair young lady that I could cast aspell that would bring her some good fortune. Would her Grace hear it?"

"So, " said Mary, "I could but answer him as I did, Sadler and Somerbeing both nigh. I gave him my purse, with all there was therein. Howmuch was it, Andrew?"

"Five golden pieces, besides groats and testers, madam, " replied SirAndrew. 

"If he come again, he must have more, if it can be contrived withoutsuspicion, " said the Queen. "I fear me he may become troublesome if heguess somewhat, and have to be paid to hold his tongue. "

"I dread worse than that, " said Melville, apart to Jean Kennedy; "therewas a scunner in his een that I mislikit, as though her Grace hadoffended him. And if the lust of the penny-fee hath possessed him, 'tis but who can bid the highest, to have him fast body and soul. Those lads! those lads! I've seen a mony of them. They'll begin forpure love of the Queen and of Holy Church, but ye see, 'tis lying andfalsehood and disguise that is needed, and one way or other they get soin love with it, that they come at last to lie to us as well as to theother side, and then none kens where to have them! Cuthbert has beenover to that weary Paris, and once a man goes there, he leaves histruth and honour behind him, and ye kenna whether he be serving you, orQueen Elizabeth, or the deil himsel'. I wish I could stop that loon'sthrapple, or else wot how much he kens anent our Lady Bride. "

CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE LOVE TOKEN. 

"Yonder woman came to tell this young lady's fortune, " said Sir Ralf, afew days later. "Did she guess what I, an old man, have to bode forher!" and he smiled at the Queen. "Here is a token I was entreated bya young gentleman to deliver to this young lady, with his humble suitthat he may pay his devoirs to her to-morrow, your Grace permitting. "

"I knew not, " said Mary, "that my women had license to receivevisitors. "

"Assuredly not, as a rule, but this young gentleman, Mr. Babington ofDethick, has my Lord and Lady of Shrewsbury's special commendation. "

"I knew the young man, " said Mary, with perfectly acted heedlessness. "He was my Lady Shrewsbury's page in his boyhood. I should have noobjection to receive him. "

"That, madam, may not be, " returned Sadler. "I am sorry to say it iscontrary to the orders of the council, but if Mr. And Mrs. Curll, andthe fair Mistress Cicely, will do me the honour to dine with meto-morrow in the hall, we may bring about the auspicious meeting myLady desires. "

Cicely's first impulse had been to pout and say she wanted none of Mr. Babington's tokens, nor his company; but her mother's eye held herback, and besides any sort of change of scene, or any new face, couldnot but be delightful, so there was a certain leap of the young heartwhen the invitation was accepted for her; and she let Sir Ralf put thetoken into her hand, and a choice one it was. Everybody pressed tolook at it, while she stood blushing, coy and unwilling to display thesmall egg-shaped watch of the kind recently invented at Nuremberg. SirRalf observed that the young lady showed a comely shamefastmaidenliness, and therewith bowed himself out of the room. 

Cicely laughed with impatient scorn. "Well spoken, reverend seignior, "she said, as she found herself alone with the Queen. "I wish my LadyCountess would leave me alone. I am none of hers. "

"Nay, mademoiselle, be not thus disdainful, " said the Queen, in a gaytone of banter; "give me here this poor token that thou dost sodespise, when many a maiden would be distraught with delight andgratitude. Let me see it, I say. "

And as Cicely, restraining with difficulty an impatient, uncourtlygesture, placed the watch in her hand, her delicate deft fingers openedthe case, disregarding both the face and the place for inserting thekey; but dealing with a spring, which revealed that the case wasdouble, and that between the two thin plates of silver which formed it, was inserted a tiny piece of the thinnest paper, written from corner tocorner with the smallest characters in cipher. Mary laughed joyouslyand triumphantly as she held it up. "There, mignonne! What sayestthou to thy token now? This is the first secret news I have had fromthe outer world since we came to this weary Tutbury. And oh! theexquisite jest that my Lady and Sir Ralf Sadler should be the bearers!I always knew some good would come of that suitor of thine! Thou mustnot flout him, my fair lady, nor scowl at him so with thy beetle brows. "

"It seems but hard to lure him on with false hopes, " said Cicely, gravely. 

"Hoots, lassie, " as Dame Jean would say, "'tis but joy and delight tomen to be thus tickled. 'Tis the greatest kindness we can do them thusto amuse them, " said Mary, drawing up her head with the consciousfascination of the serpent of old Nile, and toying the while with theciphered letter, in eagerness, and yet dread, of what it might contain. 

Such things were not easy to make out, even to those who had the key, and Mary, unwilling to trust it out of her own hands, leant over it, spelling it out for many minutes, but at last broke forth into a clearringing burst of girlish laughter and clasped her hands together, "Mignonne, mignonne, it is too rare a jest to hold back. Deem not thatyour Highness stands first here! Oh no! 'Tis a letter from Bernardode Mendoza with a proposition for whose hand thinkest thou? For thispoor old captive hand! For mine, maiden. Ay, and from whom? From hisExcellency, the Prince of Parma, Lieutenant of the Netherlands. Anonwill he be here with 30, 000 picked men and the Spanish fleet; and thenI shall ride once again at the head of my brave men, hear trumpetsbray, and see banners fly! We will begin to work our banner at once, child, and let Sir Ralf think it is a bed-quilt for her sacred Majesty, Elizabeth. Thou look'st dismayed, little maiden. "

"Spanish ships and men, madam, ah! and how would it be with myfather--Mr. And Mrs. Talbot, I mean?"

"Not a hair of their heads shall be touched, child. We will send downa chosen troop to protect them, with Babington at its head if thouwilt. But, " added the Queen, recollecting herself, and perceiving thatshe had startled and even shocked her daughter, "it is not to beto-morrow, nor for many a weary month. All that is here demanded iswhether, all being well, he might look for my hand as his guerdon. Shall I propose thine instead?"

"O madam, he is an old man and full of gout!"

"Well! we will not pull caps for him just yet. And see, thou must besecret as the grave, child, or thou wilt ruin thy mother. I ought notto have told thee, but the surprise was too much for me, and thou canstkeep a secret. Leave me now, child, and send me Monsieur Nau. "

The next time any converse was held between mother and daughter, QueenMary said, "Will it grieve thee much, my lassie, to return thisbauble, on the plea of thy duty to the good couple at Bridgefield?"

After all Cicely had become so fond of the curious and ingenious eggthat she was rather sorry to part with it, and there was a littledismal resignation in her answer, "I will do your bidding, madam. "

"Thou shalt have a better. I will write to Chateauneuf for thechoicest that Paris can furnish, " said Mary, "but seest thou, noneother mode is so safe for conveying an answer to this suitor of mine!Nay, little one, do not fear. He is not at hand, and if he be sogout-ridden and stern as I have heard, we will find some way to contenthim and make him do the service without giving thee a stepfather, eventhough he be grandson to an emperor. "

There was something perplexing and distressing to Cis in this suddenmood of exultation at such a suitor. However, Parma's proposal mightmean liberty and a recovered throne, and who could wonder at the joythat even the faintest gleam of light afforded to one whose captivityhad lasted longer than Cicely's young life?--and then once more therewas an alternation of feeling at the last moment, when Cicely, dressedin her best, came to receive instructions. 

"I ken not, I ken not, " said Mary, speaking the Scottish tongue, towhich she recurred in her moments of deepest feeling, "I ought not tolet it go. I ought to tell the noble Prince to have naught to do witha being like me. 'Tis not only the jettatura wherewith the QueenMother used to reproach me. Men need but bear me good will, and miseryovertakes them. Death is the best that befalls them! The gentlehusband of my girlhood--then the frantic Chastelar, my poor, poor goodDavie, Darnley, Bothwell, Geordie Douglas, young Willie, and againNorfolk, and the noble and knightly Don John! One spark of love anddevotion to the wretched Mary, and all is over with them! Give me backthat paper, child, and warn Babington against ever dreaming of aid to awretch like me. I will perish alone! It is enough! I will drag downno more generous spirits in the whirlpool around me. "

"Madam! madam!" exclaimed De Preaux the almoner, who was standing, "this is not like your noble self. Have you endured so much to befainthearted when the end is near, and you are made a smooth andpolished instrument, welded in the fire, for the triumph of the Churchover her enemies?"

"Ah, Father!" said the Queen, "how should not my heart fail me when Ithink of the many high spirits who have fallen for my sake? Ay, andwhen I look out on yonder peaceful vales and happy homesteads, andthink of them ravaged by those furious Spaniards and Italians, whom mybrother of Anjou himself called very fiends!"

"Fiends are the tools of Divine wrath, " returned Preaux. "Look at theprofaned sanctuaries and outraged convents on which these proud Englishhave waxen fat, and say whether a heavy retribution be not due to them. "

"Ah, father! I may be weak, but I never loved persecution. KingFrancis and I were dragged to behold the executions at Amboise. Thatwas enough for us. His gentle spirit never recovered it, and I--I seetheir contorted visages and forms still in my restless nights; and ifthe Spanish dogs should deal with England as with Haarlem or Antwerp, and all through me!--Oh! I should be happier dying within these walls!"

"Nay, madam, as Queen you would have the reins in your own hand: youcould exercise what wholesome severity or well-tempered leniency youchose, " urged the almoner; "it were ill requiting the favour of thesaints who have opened this door to you at last to turn aside now interror at the phantasy that long weariness of spirit hath conjured upbefore you. "

So Mary rallied herself, and in five minutes more was as eager ingiving her directions to Cicely and to the Curlls as though her hearthad not recently failed her. 

Cis was to go forth with her chaperons, not by any means enjoying themessage to Babington, and yet unable to help being very glad to escapefor ever so short a time from the dull prison apartments. There mightbe no great faith in her powers of diplomacy, but as it was probablethat Babington would have more opportunity of conversing with her thanwith the Curlls, she was charged to attend heedfully to whatever hemight say. 

Sir Ralf's son-in-law, Mr. Somer, was sent to escort the trio to thehall at the hour of noon; and there, pacing the ample chamber, whilethe board at the upper end was being laid, were Sir Ralf Sadler and hisguest Mr. Babington. Antony was dressed in green velvet slashed withprimrose satin, setting off his good mien to the greatest advantage, and he came up with suppressed but rapturous eagerness, bowing low toMrs. Curll and the secretary, but falling on his knee to kiss the handof the dark-browed girl. Her recent courtly training made her muchless rustically awkward than she would have been a few months before, but she was extremely stiff, and held her head as though her ruff werebuckram, as she began her lesson. "Sir, I am greatly beholden to youfor this token, but if it be not sent with the knowledge and consent ofmy honoured father and mother I may not accept of it. "

"Alas! that you will say so, fair mistress, " said Antony, but he wasprobably prepared for this rejection, for he did not seem utterlyoverwhelmed by it. 

"The young lady exercises a wise discretion, " said Sir Ralf Sadler toMrs. Curll. "If I had known that mine old friend Mr. Talbot ofBridgefield was unfavourable to the suit, I would not have harbouredthe young spark, but when he brought my Lady Countess's commendation, Ithought all was well. "

Barbara Curll had her cue, namely, to occupy Sir Ralf so as to leavethe young people to themselves, so she drew him off to tell him inconfidence a long and not particularly veracious story of theobjections of the Talbots to Antony Babington; whilst her husbandengaged the attention of Mr. Somer, and there was a space in which, asAntony took back the watch, he was able to inquire "Was the egg-shellopened?"

"Ay, " said Cis, blushing furiously and against her will, "the egg wassucked and replenished. "

"Take consolation, " said Antony, and as some one came near them, "Dutyand discretion shall, I trust, both be satisfied when I next sun myselfin the light of those lovely eyes. " Then, as the coast became moreclear, "You are about shortly to move. Chartley is preparing for you. "

"So we are told. "

"There are others preparing, " said Antony, bending over her, holdingher hand, and apparently making love to her with all his might. "Tellme, lady, who hath charge of the Queen's buttery? Is it faithful oldHalbert as at Sheffield?"

"It is, " replied Cis. 

"Then let him look well at the bottom of each barrel of beer suppliedfor the use of her household. There is an honest man, a brewer, atBurton, whom Paulett will employ, who will provide that letters be sentto and fro. Gifford and Langston, who are both of these parts, knowhim well. " Cis started at the name. "Do you trust Langston then?" sheasked. 

"Wholly! Why, he is the keenest and ablest of all. Have you not seenhim and had speech with him in many strange shapes? He can change hisvoice, and whine like any beggar wife. "

"Yea, " said Cis, "but the Queen and Sir Andrew doubted a little if hemeant not threats last time we met. "

"All put on--excellent dissembling to beguile the keepers. He told meall, " said Antony, "and how he had to scare thee and change tonesuddenly. Why, he it is who laid this same egg, and will receive it. There is a sworn band, as you know already, who will let her know ourplans, and be at her commands through that means. Then, when we havedone service approaching to be worthy of her, then it may be that Ishall have earned at least a look or sign. "

"Alas! sir, " said Cicely, "how can I give you false hopes?" For herhonest heart burnt to tell the poor fellow that she would in case ofhis success be farther removed from him than ever. 

"What would be false now shall be true then. I will wring love fromthee by my deeds for her whom we both alike love, and then wilt thou bemine own, my true Bride!"

By this time other guests had arrived, and the dinner was ready. Babington was, in deference to the Countess, allowed to sit next to hislady-love. She found he had been at Sheffield, and had visitedBridgefield, vainly endeavouring to obtain sanction to his addressesfrom her adopted parents. He saw how her eyes brightened and heard howher voice quivered with eagerness to hear of what still seemed home toher, and he was pleased to feel himself gratifying her by telling herhow Mrs. Talbot looked, and how Brown Dumpling had been turned out inthe Park, and Mr. Talbot had taken a new horse, which Ned had insistedon calling "Fulvius, " from its colour, for Ned was such a scholar thathe was to be sent to study at Cambridge. Then he would have wanderedoff to little Lady Arbell's being put under Master Sniggius's tuition, but Cicely would bring him back to Bridgefield, and to Ned's brothers. 

No, the boasted expedition to Spain had not begun yet. Sir FrancisDrake was lingering about Plymouth, digging a ditch, it was said, tobring water from Dartmoor. He would never get license to attack KingPhilip on his own shores. The Queen knew better than to give it. Humfrey and Diccon would get no better sport than robbing a ship or twoon the way to the Netherlands. Antony, for his part, could not seethat piracy on the high seas was fit work for a gentleman. 

"A gentleman loves to serve his queen and country in all places, " saidCicely. 

"Ah!" said Antony, with a long breath, as though making a discovery, "sits the wind in that quarter?"

"Antony, " exclaimed she, in her eagerness calling him by the familiarname of childhood, "you are in error. I declare most solemnly that itis quite another matter that stands in your way. "

"And you will not tell me wherefore you are thus cruel?"

"I cannot, sir. You will understand in time that what you call crueltyis true kindness. "

This was the gist of the interview. All the rest only repeated it inone form or another; and when Cis returned, it was with a saddenedheart, for she could not but perceive that Antony was well-nigh crazed, not so much with love of her, as with the contemplation of the wrongsof the Church and the Queen, whom he regarded with equally passionatedevotion, and with burning zeal and indignation to avenge theirsufferings, and restore them to their pristine glory. He did, indeed, love her, as he professed to have done from infancy, but as if she wereto be his own personal portion of the reward. Indeed there wasmagnanimity enough in the youth almost to lose the individual hope inthe dazzle of the great victory for which he was willing to devote hisown life and happiness in the true spirit of a crusader. Cicely didnot fully or consciously realise all this, but she had such a glimpseof it as to give her a guilty feeling in concealing from him the wholetruth, which would have shown how fallacious were the hopes that hermother did not scruple, for her own purposes, to encourage. PoorCicely! she had not had royal training enough to look on all subjectsas simply pawns on the monarch's chess-board; and she was so evidentlyunhappy over Babington's courtship, and so little disposed to enjoy herfirst feminine triumph, that the Queen declared that Nature haddesigned her for the convent she had so narrowly missed; and, valuableas was the intelligence she had brought, she was never trusted with thecontents of the correspondence. On the removal of Mary to Chartley thebarrel with the false bottom came into use, but the secretaries Nau andCurll alone knew in full what was there conveyed. Little more was saidto Cicely of Babington. 

However, it was a relief when, before the end of this summer, Cicelyheard of his marriage to a young lady selected by the Earl. She hopedit would make him forget his dangerous inclination to herself; but yetthere was a little lurking vanity which believed that it had beenrather a marriage for property's than for love's sake. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

A LIONESS AT BAY. 

It was in the middle of the summer of 1586 that Humfrey and his youngbrother Richard, in broad grass hats and long feathers, foundthemselves again in London, Diccon looking considerably taller andleaner than when he went away. For when, after many months' delay, thenaval expedition had taken place, he had been laid low with feverduring the attack on Florida by Sir Francis Drake's little fleet; andthe return to England had been only just in time to save his life. Though Humfrey had set forth merely as a lieutenant, he had returned incommand of a vessel, and stood in high repute for good discipline, readiness of resource, and personal exploits. His ship had, however, suffered so severely as to be scarcely seaworthy when the fleet arrivedin Plymouth harbour; and Sir Francis, finding it necessary to put herinto dock and dismiss her crew, had chosen the young Captain Talbot toride to London with his despatches to her Majesty. 

The commission might well delight the brothers, who were burning tohear of home, and to know how it fared with Cicely, having beenabsolutely without intelligence ever since they had sailed fromPlymouth in January, since which they had plundered the Spaniard bothat home and in the West Indies, but had had no letters. 

They rode post into London, taking their last change of horses atKensington, on a fine June evening, when the sun was mounting high uponthe steeple of St. Paul's, and speeding through the fields in hopes ofbeing able to reach the Strand in time for supper at Lord Shrewsbury'smansion, which, even in the absence of my Lord, was always a harbourfor all of the name of Talbot. Nor, indeed, was it safe to be outafter dark, for the neighbourhood of the city was full of roisterers ofall sorts, if not of highwaymen and cutpurses, who might come innumbers too large even for the two young gentlemen and the twoservants, who remained out of the four volunteers from Bridgefield. 

They were just passing Westminster where the Abbey, Hall, and St. Stephen's Chapel, and their precincts, stood up in their venerable butunstained beauty among the fields and fine trees, and some of theWestminster boys, flat-capped, gowned, and yellow-stockinged, ran outwith the cry that always flattered Diccon, not to say Humfrey, thoughhe tried to be superior to it, "Mariners! mariners from the WesternMain! Hurrah for gallant Drake! Down with the Don!" For the tokensof the sea, in the form of clothes and weapons, were well known andhighly esteemed. 

Two or three gentlemen who were walking along the road turned andlooked up, and the young sailors recognised in a moment a home face. There was an exclamation on either side of "Antony Babington!" and"Humfrey Talbot!" and a ready clasp of the hand in right of oldcompanionship. 

"Welcome home!" exclaimed Antony. "Is all well with you?"

"Royally well, " returned Humfrey. "Know'st thou aught of our fatherand mother?"

"All was well with them when last I heard, " said Antony. 

"And Cis--my sister I mean?" said Diccon, putting, in hisunconsciousness, the very question Humfrey was burning to ask. 

"She is still with the Queen of Scots, at Chartley, " replied Babington. 

"Chartley, where is that? It is a new place for her captivity. "

"'Tis a house of my Lord of Essex, not far from Lichfield, " returnedAntony. "They sent her thither this spring, after they had well-nighslain her with the damp and wretched lodgings they provided at Tutbury. "

"Who? Not our Cis?" asked Diccon. 

"Nay, " said Antony, "it hurt not her vigorous youth--but I meant thelong-suffering princess. "

"Hath Sir Ralf Sadler still the charge of her?" inquired Humfrey. 

"No, indeed. He was too gentle a jailer for the Council. They havegiven her Sir Amias Paulett, a mere Puritan and Leicestrian, who is ashard as the nether millstone, and well-nigh as dull, " said Babington, with a little significant chuckle, which perhaps alarmed one of hiscompanions, a small slight man with a slight halt, clad in black like alawyer. "Mr. Babington, " he said, "pardon me for interrupting you, butwe shall make Mr. Gage tarry supper for us. "

"Nay, Mr. Langston, " said Babington, who was in high spirits, "theseare kinsmen of your own, sons of Mr. Richard Talbot of Bridgefield, towhom you have often told me you were akin. "

Mr. Langston was thus compelled to come forward, shake hands with theyoung travellers, welcome them home, and desire to be commended totheir worthy parents; and Babington, in the exuberance of his welcome, named his other two companions--Mr. Tichborne, a fine, handsome, graceful, and somewhat melancholy young man; Captain Fortescue, abearded moustached bravo, in the height of the fashion, a long plume inhis Spanish hat, and his short gray cloak glittering with silver lace. Humfrey returned their salute, but was as glad as they evidently werewhen they got Babington away with them, and left the brothers to pursuetheir way, after inviting them to come and see him at his lodgings asearly as possible. 

"It is before supper, " said Diccon, sagely, "or I should say MasterAntony had been acquainted with some good canary. "

"More likely he is uplifted with some fancy of his own. It may be onlywith the meeting of me after our encounter, " said Humfrey. "He is abrave fellow and kindly, but never did craft so want ballast as doesthat pate of his!"

"Humfrey, " said his brother, riding nearer to him, "did he not callthat fellow in black, Langston?"

"Ay, Cuthbert Langston. I have heard of him. No good comrade for hisweak brain. "

"Humfrey, it is so, though father would not credit me. I knew his haltand his eye--just like the venomous little snake that was the death, ofpoor Foster. He is the same with the witch woman Tibbott, ay, and withher with the beads and bracelets, who beset Cis and me at Buxton. "

Young Diccon had proved himself on the voyage to have an unerring eyefor recognition, and his brother gave a low whistle. "I fear me thenMaster Antony may be running himself into trouble. "

"See, they turn in mounting the steps to the upper fence of yonderhouse with the deep carved balcony. Another has joined them! I likenot his looks. He is like one of those hardened cavaliers from theNetherlands. "

"Ay! who seem to have left pity and conscience behind them there, " saidHumfrey, looking anxiously up at the fine old gabled house with itsprojecting timbered front, and doubting inwardly whether it would bewise to act on his old playfellow's invitation, yet with an almost sicklonging to know on what terms the youth stood with Cicely. 

In another quarter of an hour they were at the gateway of ShrewsburyHouse, where the porter proved to be one of the Sheffield retainers, and admitted them joyfully. My Lord Earl was in Yorkshire, he said, but my Lord and Lady Talbot were at home, and would be fain to seethem, and there too was Master William Cavendish. 

They were handed on into the courtyard, where servants ran to taketheir horses, and as the news ran that Master Richard's sons hadarrived from the Indies, Will Cavendish came running down the hallsteps to embrace them in his glee, while Lord Talbot came to the doorof the hall to welcome them. These great London houses, which had notquite lost their names of hostels or inns, did really serve as freelodgings to all members of the family who might visit town, and aboveall such travellers as these, bringing news of grand nationalachievements. 

Very soon after Gilbert's accession to the heirship, quarrels had begunbetween his wife and her mother the Countess. 

Lord Talbot had much of his father's stately grace, and his wife was afinished lady. They heartily welcomed the two lads who had grown fromboys to men. My lady smilingly excused the riding-gear, and as soon asthe dust of travel had been removed they were seated at the board, andcalled on to tell of the gallant deeds in which they had taken part, whilst they heard in exchange of Lord Leicester's doings in theNetherlands, and the splendid exploits of the Stanleys at Zutphen. 

Lord Talbot promised to take Humfrey to Richmond the next day, to bepresented to her Majesty, so soon as he should be equipped, so as notto lose his character of mariner, but still not to affront hersensibilities by aught of uncourtly or unstudied in his apparel. 

They confirmed what Babington had said of the Queen of Scots' changesof residence and of keepers. As to Cicely, they had been lately solittle at Sheffield that they had almost forgotten her, but theythought that if she were still at Chartley, there could be no objectionto her brothers having an interview with her on their way home, if theychose to go out of their road for it. 

Humfrey mentioned his meeting with Babington in Westminster, and LordTalbot made some inquiries as to his companions, adding that there werestrange stories and suspicions afloat, and that he feared that theyoung man was disaffected and was consorting with Popish recusants. Diccon's tongue was on the alert with his observation, but at a signfrom his brother, who did not wish to get Babington into trouble, hewas silent. Cavendish, however, laughed and said he was for ever inMr. Secretary's house, and even had a room there. 

Very early the next morning the body servant of his Lordship was inattendance with a barber and the fashionable tailor of the Court, andin good time Humfrey and Diccon were arrayed in such garments as werejudged to suit the Queen's taste, and to become the character of youngmariners from the West. Humfrey had a dainty jewel of shell-work fromthe spoils of Carthagena, entrusted to him by Drake to present to theQueen as a foretaste of what was to come. Lady Talbot greatly admiredits novelty and beauty, and thought the Queen would be enchanted withit, giving him a pretty little perfumed box to present it in. 

Lord Talbot, well pleased to introduce his spirited young cousins, tookthem in his boat to Richmond, which they reached just as the eveningcoolness came on. They were told that her Majesty was walking in thePark, and thither, so soon as the ruffs had been adjusted and the freshSpanish gloves drawn on, they resorted. 

The Queen walked freely there without guards--without even swords beingworn by the gentlemen in attendance--loving as she did to display herconfidence in her people. No precautions were taken, but they wereallowed to gather together on the greensward to watch her, as among thebeautiful shady trees she paced along. 

The eyes of the two youths were eagerly directed towards her, as theyfollowed Lord Talbot. Was she not indeed the cynosure of all therealm? Did she not hold the heart of every loyal Englishman by aninvisible rein? Was not her favour their dream and their reward? Shewas a little in advance of her suite. Her hair, of that light sandytint which is slow to whiten, was built up in curls under a rich stiffcoif, covered with silver lace, and lifted high at the temples. Fromthis a light gauze veil hung round her shoulders and over her splendidstanding ruff, which stood up like the erected neck ornaments of somebirds, opening in front, and showing the lesser ruff or frillencircling her throat, and terminating a lace tucker within her low-cutboddice. Rich necklaces, the jewel of the Garter, and a wholeconstellation of brilliants, decorated her bosom, and the boddice ofher blue satin dress and its sleeves were laced with seed pearls. Thewaist, a very slender one, was encircled with a gold cord and heavytassels, the farthingale spread out its magnificent proportions, and arichly embroidered white satin petticoat showed itself in front, butdid not conceal the active, well-shaped feet. There was somethingextraordinarily majestic in her whole bearing, especially the poise ofher head, which made the spectator never perceive how small her statureactually was. Her face and complexion, too, were of the cast on whichtime is slow to make an impression, being always pale and fair, withkeen and delicately-cut features; so that her admirers had quite asmuch reason to be dazzled as when she was half her present age; nay, perhaps more, for the habit of command had added to the regality whichreally was her principal beauty. Sir Christopher Hatton, with ahandsome but very small face at the top of a very tall and portlyframe, dressed in the extreme of foppery, came behind her, and then abevy of ladies and gentlemen. 

As the Talbots approached, she was moving slowly on, unusually erecteven for her, and her face composed to severe majesty, like that of ajudge, the tawny eyes with a strange gleam in them fixed on some one inthe throng on the grass near at hand. Lord Talbot advanced with a bowso low that he swept the ground with his plume, and while the twoyouths followed his example, Diccon's quick eye noted that she glancedfor one rapid second at their weapons, then continued her steady gaze, never withdrawing it even to receive Lord Talbot's salutation as heknelt before her, though she said, "We greet you well, my good lord. Are not we well guarded, not having one man with a sword near me?"

"Here are three good swords, madam, " returned he, "mine own, and thoseof my two young kinsmen, whom I venture to present to your Majesty, asthey bear greetings from your trusty servant, Sir Francis Drake. "

While he spoke there had been a by-play unperceived by him, or by thesomewhat slow and tardy Hatton. A touch from Diccon had made Humfreyfollow the direction of the Queen's eye, and they saw it was fixed on afigure in a loose cloak strangely resembling that which they had seenon the stair of the house Babington had entered. They also saw acertain quailing and cowering of the form, and a scowl on the shaggyred eyebrows, and Irish features, and Humfrey at once edged himself soas to come between the fellow and the Queen, though he was ready toexpect a pistol shot in his back, but better thus, was his thought, than that it should strike her, --and both laid their hands on theirswords. 

"How now!" said Hatton, "young men, you are over prompt. Her Majestyneeds no swords. You are out of rank. Fall in and do your obeisance. "

Something in the Queen's relaxed gaze told Humfrey that the peril wasover, and that he might kneel as Talbot named him, explaining hislineage as Elizabeth always wished to have done. A sort of tremorpassed over her, but she instantly recalled her attention. "FromDrake!" she said, in her clear, somewhat shrill voice. "So, younggentleman, you have been with the pirate who outruns our orders, andfills our brother of Spain with malice such that he would have our lifeby fair or foul means. "

"That shall he never do while your Grace has English watch-dogs toguard you, " returned Talbot. 

"The Talbot is a trusty hound by water or by land, " said Elizabeth, surveying the goodly proportion of the elder brother. "Whelps of agood litter, though yonder lad be somewhat long and lean. Well, andhow fares Sir Francis? Let him make his will, for the Spaniards oneday will have his blood. "

"I have letters and a token from him for your Grace, " said Humfrey. 

"Come then in, " said the Queen. "We will see it in the bower, and hearwhat thou wouldst say. "

A bower, or small summer-house, stood at the end of the path, and hereshe took her way, seating herself on a kind of rustic throne evidentlyintended for her, and there receiving from Humfrey the letter and thegift, and asking some questions about the voyage; but she seemedpreoccupied and anxious, and did not show the enthusiastic approbationof her sailors' exploits which the young men expected. After glancingover it, she bade them carry the letter to Mr. Secretary Walsingham thenext day; nor did she bid the party remain to supper; but as soon ashalf a dozen of her gentlemen pensioners, who had been summoned by herorders, came up, she rose to return to the palace. 

CHAPTER XXV. 

PAUL'S WALK. 

Will Cavendish, who was in training for a statesman, and acted as asecretary to Sir Francis Walsingham, advised that the letters should becarried to him at once that same evening, as he would be in attendanceon the Queen the next morning, and she would inquire for them. 

The great man's house was not far off, and he walked thither withHumfrey, who told him what he had seen, and asked whether it ought notat once to be reported to Walsingham. 

Will whistled. "They are driving it very close, " he said. "Humfrey;old comrade, thy brains were always more of the order fit to face atough breeze than to meddle with Court plots. Credit me, there iscause for what amazed thee. The Queen and her Council know what theyare about. Risk a little, and put an end to all the plottings forever! That's the word. "

"Risk even the Queen's life?"

Will Cavendish looked sapient, and replied, "We of the Council Boardknow many a thing that looks passing strange. "

Mr. Secretary Walsingham's town house was, like Lord Talbot's, builtround a court, across which Cavendish led the way, with the assured airof one used to the service, and at home there. The hall was throngedwith people waiting, but Cavendish passed it, opened a little wicket, and admitted his friends into a small anteroom, where he bade themremain, while he announced them to Sir Francis. 

He disappeared, shutting a door behind him, and after a moment'sinterval another person, with a brown cloak round him, came hastily andstealthily across to the door. He had let down the cloak which muffledhis chin, not expecting the presence of any one, and there was amoment's start as he was conscious of the young men standing there. Hepassed through the door instantly, but not before Humfrey had had timeto recognise in him no other than Cuthbert Langston, almost the lastperson he would have looked for at Sir Francis Walsingham's. Directlyafterwards Cavendish returned. 

"Sir Francis could not see Captain Talbot, and prayed him to excusehim, and send in the letter. "

"It can't be helped, " said Cavendish, with his youthful airs ofpatronage. "He would gladly have spoken with you when I told him ofyou, but that Maude is just come on business that may not tarry. Soyou must e'en entrust your packet to me. "

"Maude, " repeated Humfrey, "Was that man's name Maude? I should havedared be sworn that he was my father's kinsman, Cuthbert Langston. "

"Very like, " said Will, "I would dare be sworn to nothing concerninghim, but that he is one of the greatest and most useful villainsunhung. "

So saying, Will Cavendish disappeared with the letters. He probablyhad had a caution administered to him, for when he returned he wasevidently swelling with the consciousness of a State secret, which hewould not on any account betray, yet of the existence of which hedesired to make his old comrade aware. 

Humfrey asked whether he had told Mr. Secretary of the man in RichmondPark. 

"Never fear! he knows it, " returned the budding statesman. "Why, lookyou, a man like Sir Francis has ten thousand means of intelligence thata simple mariner like you would never guess at. I thought it strangemyself when I came first into business of State, but he hath eyes andears everywhere, like the Queen's gown in her picture. Men of thePrivy Council, you see, must despise none, for the lewdest and meanestrogues oft prove those who can do the best service, just as thebandy-legged cur will turn the spit, or unearth the fox when yourgallant hound can do nought but bay outside. "

"Is this Maude, or Langston, such a cur?"

Cavendish gave his head a shake that expressed unutterable things, saying: "Your kinsman, said you? I trust not on the Talbot side of thehouse?"

"No. On his mother's side. I wondered the more to see him here as hegot that halt in the Rising of the North, and on the wrong side, andhath ever been reckoned a concealed Papist. "

"Ay, ay. Dost not see, mine honest Humfrey, that's the very point thatfits him for our purpose?"

"You mean that he is a double traitor and informer. "

"We do not use such hard words in the Privy Council Board as you do ondeck, my good friend, " said Cavendish. "We have our secretintelligencers, you see, all in the Queen's service. Foul and dirtywork, but you can't dig out a fox without soiling of fingers, and ifthere be those that take kindly to the work, why, e'en let them do it. "

"Then there is a plot?"

"Content you, Humfrey! You'll hear enough of it anon. A most foul, bloody, and horrible plot, quite enough to hang every soul that hasmeddled in it, and yet safe to do no harm--like poor Hal's blunderbuss, which would never go off, except when it burst, and blew him to pieces. "

Will felt that he had said quite enough to impress Humfrey with a senseof his statecraft and importance, and was not sorry for an interruptionbefore he should have said anything dangerous. It was from FrankPierrepoint, who had been Diccon's schoolmate, and was enchanted to seehim. Humfrey was to stay one day longer in town in case Walsinghamshould wish to see him, and to show Diccon something of London, whichthey had missed on their way to Plymouth. 

St. Paul's Cathedral was even then the sight that all Englishmen wereexpected to have seen, and the brothers took their way thither, accompanied by Frank Pierrepoint, who took their guidance on his hands. Had the lads seen the place at the opening of the century they wouldhave thought it a piteous spectacle, for desecration and sacrilege hadrioted there unchecked, the magnificent peal of bells had been gambledaway at a single throw of the dice, the library had been utterlydestroyed, the magnificent plate melted up, and what covetousfanaticism had spared had been further ravaged by a terrible fire. Atthis time Bishop Bancroft had done his utmost towards reparation, andthe old spire had been replaced by a wooden one; but there was much ofruin and decay visible all around, where stood the famous octagonbuilding called Paul's Cross, where outdoor sermons were preached tolisteners of all ranks. This was of wood, and was kept in moderatelygood repair. Beyond, the nave of the Cathedral stretched its length, the greatest in England. Two sets of doors immediately opposite to oneanother on the north and south sides had rendered it a thoroughfare invery early times, in spite of the endeavours of the clergy; and at thistime "Duke Humfrey's Walk, " from the tomb of Duke Humfrey Stafford, asthe twelve grand Norman bays of this unrivalled nave were called, wasthe prime place for the humours of London; and it may be feared thatthis, rather than the architecture, was the chief idea in the minds ofthe youths, as a babel of strange sounds fell on their ears, "a stillroar like a humming of bees, " as it was described by a contemporary, or, as Humfrey said, like the sea in a great hollow cave. A cluster ofchoir-boys were watching at the door to fall on any one entering withspurs on, to levy their spur money, and one gentleman, whom they hadthus attacked, was endeavouring to save his purse by calling on theyoungest boy to sing his gamut. 

Near at hand was a pillar, round which stood a set of men, some rough, some knavish-looking, with the blue coats, badges, short swords, andbucklers carried by serving-men. They were waiting to be hired, as ifin a statute fair, and two or three loud-voiced bargains were going on. In the middle aisle, gentlemen in all the glory of plumed hats, jewelled ears, ruffed necks, Spanish cloaks, silken jerkins, velvethose, and be-rosed shoes, were marching up and down, someattitudinising to show their graces, some discussing the news of theday, for "Paul's Walk" was the Bond Street, the Row, the Tattersall's, the Club of London. Twelve scriveners had their tables to act asletter-writers, and sometimes as legal advisers, and great amusementmight be had by those who chose to stand listening to the blunderingdirections of their clients. In the side aisles, horse-dealing, merchants' exchanges, everything imaginable in the way of traffic wasgoing on. Disreputable-looking men, who there were in sanctuary fromtheir creditors, there lurked around Humfrey Stafford's tomb; and youngPierrepoint's warning to guard their purses was evidently not wasted, for a country fellow, who had just lost his, was loudly demandingjustice, and getting jeered at for his simplicity in expecting torecover it. 

"Seest thou this?" said a voice close to Humfrey, and he found a handon his arm, and Babington, in the handsome equipment of one of theloungers, close to him. 

"A sorry sight, that would grieve my good mother, " returned Humfrey. 

"My Mother, the Church, is grieved, " responded Antony. "This is whatyou have brought us to, for your so-called religion, " he added, ignorant or oblivious that these desecrations had been quite asshocking before the Reformation. "All will soon be changed, however, "he added. 

"Sir Thomas Gresham's New Exchange has cleared off some of the traffic, they say, " returned Humfrey. 

"Pshaw!" said Antony; "I meant no such folly. That were cleansing onestone while the whole house is foul with shame. No. There shall be aswift vengeance on these desecrators. The purifier shall come again, and the glory and the beauty of the true Faith shall be here as of old, when our fathers bowed before the Holy Rood, instead of tearing itdown. " His eye glanced with an enthusiasm which Humfrey thoughtsomewhat wild, and he said, "Whist! these are not things to be thusspoken of. "

"All is safe, " said Babington, drawing him within shelter of thechantry of Sir John Beauchamp's tomb. "Never heed Diccon--Pierrepointcan guide him, " and Humfrey saw their figures, apparently absorbed inlistening to the bidding for a horse. "I have things of moment to sayto thee, Humfrey Talbot. We have been old comrades, and had thatchildish emulation which turns to love in manhood in the face ofperils. "

Humfrey, recollecting how they had parted, held out his hand inrecognition of the friendliness. 

"I would fain save thee, " said Babington. "Heretic and rival as thouart, I cannot but love thee, and I would have thee die, if die thoumust, in honourable fight by sea or land, rather than be overtaken bythe doom that will fall on all who are persecuting our true and lawfulconfessor and sovereign. "

"Gramercy for thy good will, Tony, " said Humfrey, looking anxiously tosee whether his old companion was in his right mind, yet rememberingwhat had been said of plots. 

"Thou deem'st me raving, " said Antony, smiling at the perplexedcountenance before him, "but thou wilt see too late that I speak sooth, when the armies of the Church avenge the Name that has been profanedamong you!"

"The Spaniards, I suppose you mean, " said Humfrey coolly. "You must befar gone indeed to hope to see those fiends turned loose on thispeaceful land, but by God's blessing we have kept them aloof before, Itrust we may again. "

"You talk of God's blessing. Look at His House, " said Babington. 

"He is more like to bless honest men who fight for their Queen, theirhomes and hearths, than traitors who would bring in slaughterers andbutchers to work their will!"

"His glory is worked through judgment, and thus must it begin!"returned the young man. "But I would save thee, Humfrey, " he added. "Go thou back to Plymouth, and be warned to hold aloof from that prisonwhere the keepers will meet their fit doom! and the captive will be setfree. Thou dost not believe, " he added. "See here, " and drawing intothe most sheltered part of the chantry, he produced from his bosom apicture in the miniature style of the period, containing six heads, among which his own was plainly to be recognised, and likewise a facewhich Humfrey felt as if he should never forget, that which he had seenin Richmond Park, quailing beneath the Queen's eye. Round the picturewas the motto--

 "Hi mihi sunt comites quos ipsa pericula jungunt. "

"I tell thee, Humfrey, thou wilt hear--if thou dost live to hear--ofthese six as having wrought the greatest deed of our times!"

"May it only be a deed an honest man need not be ashamed of, " saidHumfrey, not at all convinced of his friend's sanity. 

"Ashamed of!" exclaimed Babington. "It is blest, I tell thee, blest byholy men, blest by the noble and suffering woman who will thus bedelivered from her martyrdom. "

"Babington, if thou talkest thus, it will be my duty to have thee putin ward, " said Humfrey. 

Antony laughed, and there was a triumphant ring very like insanity inhis laughter. Humfrey, with a moment's idea that to hint that theconspiracy was known would blast it at once, if it were real, said, "Isee not Cuthbert Langston among your six. Know you, I saw him onlyyestereven going into Secretary Walsingham's privy chamber. "

"Was he so?" answered Babington. "Ha! ha! he holds them all in playtill the great stroke be struck! Why! am not I myself in Walsingham'sconfidence? He thinketh that he is about to send me to France to watchthe League. Ha! ha!"

Here Humfrey's other companions turned back in search of him; Babingtonvanished in the crowd, he hardly knew how, and he was left inperplexity and extreme difficulty as to what was his duty as friend oras subject. If Babington were sane, there must be a conspiracy forkilling the Queen, bringing in the Spaniards and liberating Mary, andhe had expressly spoken of having had the latter lady's sanction, whilethe sight of the fellow in Richmond Park gave a colour of probabilityto the guess. Yet the imprudence and absurdity of having portraitstaken of six assassins before the blow was struck seemed to contradictall the rest. On the other hand, Cavendish had spoken of having allthe meshes of the web in the hands of the Council; and Langston orMaude seemed to be trusted by both parties. 

Humfrey decided to feel his way with Will Cavendish, and that eveningspoke of having met Babington and having serious doubts whether he werein his right mind. Cavendish laughed, "Poor wretch! I could pityhim, " he said, "though his plans be wicked enough to merit nocompassion. Nay, never fear, Humfrey. All were overthrown, did Ispeak openly. Nay, to utter one word would ruin me for ever. 'Tisquite sufficient to say that he and his fellows are only at large tillMr. Secretary sees fit, that so his grip may be the more sure. "

Humfrey saw he was to be treated with no confidence, and this made himthe more free to act. There were many recusant gentlemen in theneighbourhood of Chartley, and an assault and fight there were notimprobable, if, as Cavendish hinted, there was a purpose of letting thetraitors implicate themselves in the largest numbers and as fatally aspossible. On the other hand, Babington's hot head might only fancy hehad authority from the Queen for his projects. If, through Cicely, hecould convey the information to Mary, it might save her from evenappearing to be cognisant of these wild schemes, whatever they mightbe, and to hint that they were known was the surest way to preventtheir taking effect. Any way, Humfrey's heart was at Chartley, andevery warning he had received made him doubly anxious to be there inperson, to be Cicely's guardian in case of whatever danger mightthreaten her. He blessed the fiction which still represented him asher brother, and which must open a way for him to see her, but heresolved not to take Diccon thither, and parted with him when the roadsdiverged towards Lichfield, sending to his father a letter which Dicconwas to deliver only into his own hand, with full details of all he hadseen and heard, and his motives for repairing to Chartley. 

"Shall I see my little Cis?" thought he. "And even if she play theprincess to me, how will she meet me? She scorned me even when she wasat home. How will it be now when she has been for well-nigh a year inthis Queen's training? Ah! she will be taught to despise me! Heigh ho!At least she may be in need of a true heart and strong arm to guardher, and they shall not fail her. "

Will Cavendish, in the plenitude of the official importance with whichhe liked to dazzle his old playfellow, had offered him a pass tofacilitate his entrance, and he found reason to be glad that he hadaccepted it, for there was a guard at the gate of Chartley Park, and hewas detained there while his letter was sent up for inspection to SirAmias Paulett, who had for the last few months acted as warder to theQueen. 

However, a friendly message came back, inviting him to ride up. Thehouse--though called a castle--had been rebuilt in hospitable domesticstyle, and looked much less like a prison than Sheffield Lodge, but atevery enclosure stood yeomen who challenged the passers-by, as thoughthis were a time of alarm. However, at the hall-door itself stood SirAmias Paulett, a thin, narrow-browed, anxious-looking man, with thestiffest of ruffs, over which hung a scanty yellow beard. 

"Welcome, sir, " he said, with a nervous anxious distressed manner. "Welcome, most welcome. You will pardon any discourtesy, sir, butthese are evil times. The son, I think, of good Master Richard Talbotof Bridgefield? Ay, I would not for worlds have shown any lack ofhospitality to one of his family. It is no want of respect, sir. No;nor of my Lord's house; but these are ill days, and with my charge, sir--if Heaven itself keep not the house--who knows what may chance orwhat may be laid on me?"

"I understand, " said Humfrey, smiling. "I was bred close to Sheffield, and hardly knew what 'twas to live beyond watch and ward. "

"Yea!" said Paulett, shaking his head. "You come of a loyal house, sir; but even the good Earl was less exercised than I am in the chargeof this same lady. But I am glad, glad to see you, sir. And you wouldsee your sister, sir? A modest young lady, and not indevout, though Ihave sometimes seen her sleep at sermon. It is well that the poormaiden should see some one well affected, for she sitteth in the verygate of Babylon; and with respect, sir, I marvel that a woman, so godlyas Mistress Talbot of Bridgefield is reported to be, should suffer it. However, I do my poor best, under Heaven, to hinder the faithful of thehousehold from being tainted. I have removed Preaux, who is well knownto be a Popish priest in disguise, and thus he can spread no more ofhis errors. Moreover, my chaplain, Master Blunden, with other godlymen, preaches three times a week against Romish errors, and all areenforced to attend. May their ears be opened to the truth! I am aboutto attend this lady on a ride in the Park, sir. It might--if she bewilling--be arranged that your sister, Mistress Talbot, should spendthe time in your company, and methinks the lady will thereto agree, forshe is ever ready to show a certain carnal and worldly complaisance tothe wishes of her attendants, and I have observed that she greatlyaffects the damsel, more, I fear, than may be for the eternal welfareof the maiden's soul. "

CHAPTER XXVI. 

IN THE WEB. 

It was a beautiful bright summer day, and Queen Mary and some of hertrain were preparing for their ride. The Queen was in high spirits, and that wonderful and changeful countenance of hers was beaming withanticipation and hope, while her demeanour was altogether delightful toevery one who approached her. She was adding some last instructions toNau, who was writing a letter for her to the French ambassador, andCicely stood by her, holding her little dog in a leash, and lookingsomewhat anxious and wistful. There was more going on round the girlthan she was allowed to understand, and it made her anxious and uneasy. She knew that the correspondence through the brewer was activelycarried on, but she was not informed of what passed. Only she wasaware that some crisis must be expected, for her mother was ceaselesslyrestless and full of expectation. She had put all her jewels andvaluables into as small a compass as possible, and talked more thanever of her plans for giving her daughter either to the ArchdukeMatthias, or to some great noble, as if the English crown were alreadywithin her grasp. Anxious, curious, and feeling injured by the want ofconfidence, yet not daring to complain, Cicely felt almost fretful ather mother's buoyancy, but she had been taught a good many lessons inthe past year, and one of them was that she might indeed be caressed, but that she must show neither humour nor will of her own, and theleast presumption in inquiry or criticism was promptly quashed. 

There was a knock at the door, and the usher announced that Sir AmiasPaulett prayed to speak with her Grace. Her eye glanced round with therapid emotion of one doubtful whether it were for weal or woe, yet withundaunted spirit to meet either, and as she granted her permission, Cisheard her whisper to Nau, "A rider came up even now! 'Tis the tidings!Are the Catholics of Derby in the saddle? Are the ships on the coast?"

In came the tall old man with a stiff reverence: "Madam, your Grace'shorses attend you, and I have tidings"--(Mary startedforward)--"tidings for this young lady, Mistress Cicely Talbot. Herbrother is arrived from the Spanish Main, and requests permission tosee and speak with her. "

Radiance flashed out on Cicely's countenance as excitement faded onthat of her mother: "Humfrey! O madam! let me go to him!" sheentreated, with a spring of joy and clasped hands. 

Mary was far too kind-hearted to refuse, besides to have done so wouldhave excited suspicion at a perilous moment, and the arrangement SirAmias proposed was quickly made. Mary Seaton was to attend the Queenin Cicely's stead, and she was allowed to hurry downstairs, and onlyone warning was possible:

"Go then, poor child, take thine holiday, only bear in mind what andwho thou art. "

Yet the words had scarce died on her ears before she was oblivious ofall save that it was a familial home figure who stood at the bottom ofthe stairs, one of the faces she trusted most in all the world whichbeamed out upon her, the hands which she knew would guard her througheverything were stretched out to her, the lips with veritable love inthem kissed the cheeks she did not withhold. Sir Amias stood by andgave the kindest smile she had seen from him, quite changing hispinched features, and he proposed to the two young people to go andwalk in the garden together, letting them out into the square walledgarden, very formal, but very bright and gay, and with a pleached alleyto shelter them from the sun. 

"Good old gentleman!" exclaimed Humfrey, holding the maiden's hand inhis. "It is a shame to win such pleasure by feigning. "

"As for that, " sighed Cis, "I never know what is sooth here, and whatam I save a living lie myself? O Humfrey! I am so weary of it all. "

"Ah I would that I could bear thee home with me, " he said, littleprepared for this reception. 

"Would that thou couldst! O that I were indeed thy sister, or that thewriting in my swaddling bands had been washed out!--Nay, " catching backher words, "I meant not that! I would not but belong to the dear Ladyhere. She says I comfort her more than any of them, and oh! sheis--she is, there is no telling how sweet and how noble. It was onlythat the sight of thee awoke the yearning to be at home with mother andwith father. Forget my folly, Humfrey. "

"I cannot soon forget that Bridgefield seems to thee thy true home, " hesaid, putting strong restraint on himself to say and do no more, whilehis heart throbbed with a violence unawakened by storm or Spaniard. 

"Tell me of them all, " she said. "I have heard naught of them since weleft Tutbury, where at least we were in my Lord's house, and the dearold silver dog was on every sleeve. Ah! there he is, the trusty rogue. "

And snatching up Humfrey's hat, which was fastened with a brooch of hiscrest in the fashion of the day, she kissed the familiar token. Then, however, she blushed and drew herself up, remembering the caution notto forget who she was, and with an assumption of more formal dignity, she said, "And how fares it with the good Mrs. Talbot?"

"Well, when I last heard, " said Humfrey, "but I have not been at home. I only know what Will Cavendish and my Lord Talbot told me. I sentDiccon on to Bridgefield, and came out of the way to see you, lady, " heconcluded, with the same regard to actual circumstances that she hadshown. 

"Oh, that was good!" she whispered, and they both seemed to feel acertain safety in avoiding personal subjects. Humfrey had the historyof his voyage to narrate--to tell of little Diccon's gallant doings, and to exalt Sir Francis Drake's skill and bravery, and at last to letit ooze out, under Cis's eager questioning, that when his captain haddied of fever on the Hispaniola coast, and they had been overtaken by atornado, Sir Francis had declared that it was Humfrey's skill andsteadfastness which had saved the ship and crew. 

"And it was that tornado, " he said, "which stemmed the fever, and savedlittle Diccon's life. Oh! when he lay moaning below, then was the timeto long for my mother. "

Time sped on till the great hall clock made Cicely look up and say shefeared that the riders would soon return, and then Humfrey knew that hemust make sure to speak the words of warning he came to utter. Hetold, in haste, of his message to Queen Elizabeth, and of his beingsent on to Secretary Walsingham, adding, "But I saw not the great man, for he was closeted--with whom think you? No other than CuthbertLangston, whom Cavendish called by another name. It amazed me themore, because I had two days before met him in Westminster with AntonyBabington, who presented him to me by his own name. "

"Saw you Antony Babington?" asked Cis, raising her eyes to his face, but looking uneasy. 

"Twice, at Westminster, and again in Paul's Walk. Had you seen himsince you have been here?"

"Not here, but at Tutbury. He came once, and I was invited to dine inthe hall, because he brought recommendations from the Countess. " Therewas a pause, and then, as if she had begun to take in the import ofHumfrey's words, she added, "What said you? That Mr. Langston wasgoing between him and Mr. Secretary?"

"Not exactly that, " and Humfrey repeated with more detail what he hadseen of Langston, forbearing to ask any questions which Cicely mightnot be able to answer with honour; but they had been too much togetherin childhood not to catch one another's meaning with half a hint, andshe said, "I see why you came here, Humfrey. It was good and true andkind, befitting you. I will tell the Queen. If Langston be in it, there is sure to be treachery. But, indeed, I know nothing orwell-nigh nothing. "

"I am glad of it, " fervently exclaimed Humfrey. 

"No; I only know that she has high hopes, and thinks that the term ofher captivity is well-nigh over. But it is Madame de Courcelles whomshe trusts, not me, " said Cicely, a little hurt. 

"So is it much better for thee to know as little as possible, " saidHumfrey, growing intimate in tone again in spite of himself. "She hathnot changed thee much, Cis, only thou art more grave and womanly, ay, and thou art taller, yea, and thinner, and paler, as I fear me thoumayest well be. "

"Ah, Humfrey, 'tis a poor joy to be a princess in prison! And yet Ishame me that I long to be away. Oh no, I would not. Mistress Seatonand Mrs. Curll and the rest might be free, yet they have borne thisdurance patiently all these years--and I think--I think she loves me alittle, and oh! she is hardly used. Humfrey, what think'st thou thatMr. Langston meant? I wot now for certain that it was he who twicecame to beset us, as Tibbott the huckster, and with the beads andbracelets! They all deem him a true friend to my Queen. "

"So doth Babington, " said Humfrey, curtly. 

"Ah!" she said, with a little terrified sound of conviction, thenadded, "What thought you of Master Babington?"

"That he is half-crazed, " said Humfrey. 

"We may say no more, " said Cis, seeing a servant advancing from thehouse to tell her that the riders were returning. "Shall I see youagain, Humfrey?"

"If Sir Amias should invite me to lie here to-night, and remainto-morrow, since it will be Sunday. "

"At least I shall see you in the morning, ere you depart, " she said, aswith unwilling yet prompt steps she returned to the house, Humfreyfeeling that she was indeed his little Cis, yet that some change hadcome over her, not so much altering her, as developing the capabilitieshe had always seen. 

For herself, poor child, her feelings were in a strange turmoil, morethan usually conscious of that dual existence which had tormented herever since she had been made aware of her true birth. Moreover, shehad a sense of impending danger and evil, and, by force of contrast, the frank, open-hearted manner of Humfrey made her the more sensible ofbeing kept in the dark as to serious matters, while outwardly made apet and plaything by her mother, "just like Bijou, " as she said toherself. 

"So, little one, " said Queen Mary, as she returned, "thou hast beenrevelling once more in tidings of Sheffield! How long will it take meto polish away the dulness of thy clownish contact?"

"Humphrey does not come from home, madam, but from London. Madam, letme tell you in your ear--"

Mary's eye instantly took the terrified alert expression which had comefrom many a shock and alarm. "What is it, child?" she asked, however, in a voice of affected merriment. "I wager it is that he has found histrue Cis. Nay, whisper it to me, if it touch thy silly little heart sodeeply. "

Cicely knelt down, the Queen bending over her, while she murmured inher ear, "He saw Cuthbert Langston, by a feigned name, admitted to Mr. Secretary Walsingham's privy chamber. "

She felt the violent start this information caused, but the command ofvoice and countenance was perfect. 

"What of that, mignonne?" she said. "What knoweth he of this Langston, as thou callest him?"

"He is my--no--his father's kinsman, madam, and is known to be but aplotter. Oh, surely, he is not in your secrets, madam, my mother, after that day at Tutbury?"

"Alack, my lassie, Gifford or Babington answered for him, " said theQueen, "and he kens more than I could desire. But this Humfrey ofthine! How came he to blunder out such tidings to thee?"

"It was no blunder, madam. He came here of purpose. "

"Sure, " exclaimed Mary, "it were too good to hope that he hath becomewell affected. He--a sailor of Drake's, a son of Master Richard! HathBabington won him over; or is it for thy sake, child? For I bestowedno pains to cast smiles to him at Sheffield, even had he come in myway. "

"I think, madam, " said Cicely, "that he is too loyal-hearted to bearthe sight of treachery without a word of warning. "

"Is he so? Then he is the first of his nation who hath been of such amind! Nay, mignonne, deny not thy conquest. This is thy work. "

"I deny not that--that I am beloved by Humfrey, " said Cicely, "for Ihave known it all my life; but that goes for naught in what he deems itright to do. "

"There spoke so truly Mistress Susan's scholar that thou makest melaugh in spite of myself and all the rest. Hold him fast, my maiden;think what thou wilt of his service, and leave me now, and sendMelville and Curll to me. "

Cicely went away full of that undefined discomfort experienced bygenerous young spirits when their elders, more worldly-wise (orfoolish), fail even to comprehend the purity or loftiness of motivewhich they themselves thoroughly believe. Yet, though she hadinfinitely more faith in Humfrey's affection than she had in that ofBabington, she had not by any means the same dread of being used tobait the hook for him, partly because she knew his integrity too wellto expect to shake it, and partly because he was perfectly aware of herreal birth, and could not be gulled with such delusive hopes as poorAntony might once have been. 

Humfrey meantime was made very welcome by Sir Amias Paulett, whoinsisted on his spending the next day, Sunday, at Chartley, and madehim understand that he was absolutely welcome, as having a strong arm, stout heart, and clear brain used to command. "Trusty aid do I need, "said poor Sir Amias, "if ever man lacked an arm of flesh. The Councilis putting more on me than ever man had to bear, in an open place likethis, hard to be defended, and they will not increase the guard lestthey should give the alarm, forsooth!"

"What is it that you apprehend?" inquired Humfrey. 

"There's enough to apprehend when all the hot-headed Papists ofStafford and Derbyshire are waiting the signal to fire the outhousesand carry off this lady under cover of the confusion. Mr. Secretaryswears they will not stir till the signal be given, and that it neverwill; but such sort of fellows are like enough to mistake the sign, andthe stress may come through their dillydallying to make all sure asthey say, and then, if there be any mischance, I shall be the one tobear the blame. Ay, if it be their own work!" he added, speaking tohimself, "Murder under trust! That would serve as an answer to foreignprinces, and my head would have to pay for it, however welcome it mightbe! So, good Mr. Talbot, supposing any alarm should arise, keep youclose to the person of this lady, for there be those who would make thefray a colour for taking her life, under pretext of hindering her frombeing carried off. "

It was no wonder that a warder in such circumstances looked harassedand perplexed, and showed himself glad of being joined by any ally whomhe could trust. In truth, harsh and narrow as he was, Paulett was toogood and religious a man for the task that had been thrust on him, where loyal obedience, sense of expediency, and even religiousfanaticism, were all in opposition to the primary principles of truth, mercy, and honour. He was, besides, in constant anxiety, living as hedid between plot and counterplot, and with the certainty thatemissaries of the Council surrounded him who would have no scruple intaking Mary's life, and leaving him to bear the blame, when Elizabethwould have to explain the deed to the other sovereigns of Europe. Hedisclosed almost all this to Humfrey, whose frank, trustworthyexpression seemed to move him to unusual confidence. 

At supper-time another person appeared, whom Humfrey thought he hadonce seen at Sheffield--a thin, yellow-haired and bearded man, muchmarked with smallpox, in the black dress of a lawyer, who sat above thehousehold servants, though below the salt. Paulett once drank to himwith a certain air of patronage, calling him Master Phillipps, a namethat came as a revelation to Humfrey. Phillipps was the decipherer whohad, he knew, been employed to interpret Queen Mary's letters after theNorfolk plot. Were there, then, fresh letters of that unfortunate ladyin his hands, or were any to be searched for and captured?

CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE CASTLE WELL. 

 "What vantage or what thing Gett'st thou thus for to sting, Thou false and flatt'ring liar? Thy tongue doth hurt, it's seen No less than arrows keen Or hot consuming fire. "

So sang the congregation in the chapel at Chartley, in the strains ofSternhold and Hopkins, while Humfrey Talbot could not forbear from amisgiving whether these falsehoods were entirely on the side to whichthey were thus liberally attributed. Opposite to him stood Cicely, inher dainty Sunday farthingale of white, embroidered with violet buds, and a green and violet boddice to match, holding herself with thatunconscious royal bearing which had always distinguished her, but withan expression of care and anxiety drawing her dark brows nearertogether as she bent over her book. 

She knew that her mother had left her bed with the earliest peep ofsummer dawn, and had met the two secretaries in her cabinet. Therethey were busy for hours, and she had only returned to her bed just asthe household began to bestir itself. 

"My child, " she said to Cicely, "I am about to put my life into thykeeping and that of this Talbot lad. If what he saith of this Langstonbe sooth, I am again betrayed, fool that I was to expect aught else. My life is spent in being betrayed. The fellow hath been a go-betweenin all that hath passed between Babington and me. If he hath uttered itto Walsingham, all is over with our hopes, and the window in whosesunlight I have been basking is closed for ever! But something may yetbe saved. Something? What do I say?--The letters I hold here wouldgive colour for taking my life, ay, and Babington's and Curll's, andmany more. I trusted to have burnt them, but in this summer time thereis no coming by fire or candle without suspicion, and if I tore themthey might be pieced together, nay, and with addition. They must becarried forth and made away with beyond the ken of Paulett and hisspies. Now, this lad hath some bowels of compassion and generousindignation. Thou wilt see him again, alone and unsuspected, ere hedeparts. Thou must deal with him to bear this packet away, and when heis far out of reach to drop it into the most glowing fire, or thedeepest pool he can find. Tell him it may concern thy life and liberty, and he will do it, but be not simple enough to say ought of Babington. "

"He would be as like to do it for Babington as for any other, " said Cis. 

The Queen smiled and said, "Nineteen years old, and know thus little ofmen. "

"I know Humfrey at least, " said Cis. 

"Then deal with him after thy best knowledge, to make him convey awaythis perilous matter ere a search come upon us. Do it we must, maiden, not for thy poor mother's sake alone, but for that of many a faithfulspirit outside, and above all of poor Curll. Think of our Barbara!Would that I could have sent her out of reach of our alarms and shocks, but Paulett is bent on penning us together like silly birds in the net. Still proofs will be wanting if thou canst get this youth to destroythis packet unseen. Tell him that I know his parents' son too well tooffer him any meed save the prayers and blessings of a poor captive, orto fear that he would yield it for the largest reward Elizabeth'scoffers could yield. "

"It shall be done, madam, " said Cicely. But there was a strong purposein her mind that Humfrey should not be implicated in the matter. 

When after dinner Sir Amias Paulett made his daily visit of inspectionto the Queen, she begged that the young Talbots might be permittedanother walk in the garden; and when he replied that he did not approveof worldly pastime on the Sabbath, she pleaded the celebrated exampleof John Knox finding Calvin playing at bowls on a Sunday afternoon atGeneva, and thus absolutely prevailed on him to let them take a shortwalk together in brotherly love, while the rest of the household wascollected in the hall to be catechised by the chaplain. 

So out they went together, but to Humfrey's surprise, Cicely walked onhardly speaking to him, so that he fancied at first that she must havehad a lecture on her demeanour to him. She took him along the broadterrace beside the bowling-green, through some yew-tree walks to astone wall, and a gate which proved to be locked. She looked muchdisappointed, but scanning the wall with her eye, said, "We have scaledwalls together before now, and higher than this. Humfrey, I cannottell you why, but I must go over here. "

The wall was overgrown with stout branches of ivy, and though theSunday farthingale was not very appropriate for climbing, Cicely'sactive feet and Humfrey's strong arm carried her safely to where shecould jump down on the other side, into a sort of wilderness wherethorn and apple trees grew among green mounds, heaps of stones andbroken walls, the ruins of some old outbuilding of the former castle. There was only a certain trembling eagerness about her, none of themirthful exultation that the recurrence of such an escapade with herold companion would naturally have excited, and all she said was, "Stand here, Humfrey; an you love me, follow me not. I will returnanon. "

With stealthy stop she disappeared behind a mound covered by a thicketof brambles, but Humfrey was much too anxious for her safety not tomove quietly onwards. He saw her kneeling by one of those blackyawning holes, often to be found in ruins, intent upon fastening asmall packet to a stone; he understood all in a moment, and drew backfar enough to secure that no one molested her. There was something inthis reticence of hers that touched him greatly; it showed so entirelythat she had learnt the lesson of loyalty which his father's influencehad impressed, and likewise one of self-dependence. What was right forher to do for her mother and Queen might not be right for him, as anEnglishman, to aid and abet; and small as the deed seemed in itself, her thus silently taking it on herself rather than perplex him with it, added a certain esteem and respect to the affection he had always hadfor her. 

She came back to him with bounding steps, as if with a lightened heart, and as he asked her what this strange place was, she explained thathere were said to be the ruins of the former castle, and that beyondlay the ground where sometimes the party shot at the butts. A littledog of Mary Seaton's had been lost the last time of their archery, andit was feared that he had fallen down the old well to which Cis nowconducted Humfrey. There was a sound--long, hollow, reverberating, when Humfrey threw a stone down, and when Cecily asked him, in anawestruck voice, whether he thought anything thrown there would ever beheard of more, he could well say that he believed not. 

She breathed freely, but they were out of bounds, and had to scrambleback, which they did undetected, and with much more mirth than thefirst time. Cicely was young enough to be glad to throw off heranxieties and forget them. She did not want to talk over the plots sheonly guessed at; which were not to her exciting mysteries, but gloomyterrors into which she feared to look. Nor was she free to say much toHumfrey of what she knew. Indeed the rebound, and the satisfaction ofhaving fulfilled her commission, had raised Cicely's spirits, so thatshe was altogether the bright childish companion Humfrey had known herbefore he went to sea, or royalty had revealed itself to her; and SirAmias Paulett would hardly have thought them solemn and serious enoughfor an edifying Sunday talk could he have heard them laughing overHumfrey's adventures on board ship, or her troubles in learning todance in a high and disposed manner. She came in so glowing and happythat the Queen smiled and sighed, and called her her little milkmaid, commending her highly, however, for having disposed of the dangerousparcel unknown (as she believed) to her companion. "The fewer who haveto keep counsel, the sickerer it is, " she said. 

Humfrey meantime joined the rest of the household, and comportedhimself at the evening sermon with such exemplary discretion asentirely to win the heart of Sir Amias Paulett, who thought himlistening to Mr. Blunden's oft-divided headings, while he was in factrevolving on what pretext he could remain to protect Cicely. TheKnight gave him that pretext, when he spoke of departing early onMonday morning, offering him, or rather praying him to accept, thecommand of the guards, whose former captain had been dismissed asuntrustworthy. Sir Amias undertook that a special messenger should besent to take a letter to Bridgefield, explaining Humfrey's delay, andasking permission from his parents to undertake the charge, since itwas at this very crisis that he was especially in need of God-fearingmen of full integrity. Then moved to confidence, the old gentlemandisclosed that not only was he in fear of an attack on the house fromthe Roman Catholic gentry in the neighbourhood, which was to take placeas soon as Parma's ships were seen on the coast, but that he dreadedhis own servants being tampered with by some whom he would not mentionto take the life of the prisoner secretly. 

"It hath been mooted to me, " he said, lowering his voice to a whisper, "that to take such a deed on me would be good service to the Queen andto religion, but I cast the thought from me. It can be nought but adeadly sin--accursed of God--and were I to consent, I should be thefirst to be accused. "

"It would be no better than the King of Spain himself, " exclaimedHumfrey. 

"Even so, young man, and right glad am I to find one who thinks withme. For the other practices, they are none of mine, and is it notwritten 'In the same pit which they laid privily is their foot taken'?"

"Then there are other practices?"

"Ask me no questions, Mr. Talbot. All will be known soon enough. Becontent that I will lay nothing on you inconsistent with the honour ofa Christian man, knowing that you will serve the Queen faithfully. "

Humfrey gave his word, resolving that he would warn Cicely to reckonhenceforth on nothing on his part that did not befit a man in charge. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

HUNTING DOWN THE DEER

Humfrey had been sworn in of the service of the Queen, and had been putin charge of the guard mustered at Chartley for about ten days, duringwhich he seldom saw Cicely, and wondered much not to have heard fromhome: when a stag-hunt was arranged to take place at the neighbouringpark of Tickhill or Tixall, belonging to Sir Walter Ashton. 

The chase always invigorated Queen Mary, and she came down in cheerfulspirits, with Cicely and Mary Seaton as her attendants, and with thetwo secretaries, Nau and Curll, heading the other attendants. 

"Now, " she said to Cicely, "shall I see this swain, or this brother ofthine, who hath done us such good service, and I promise you there willbe more in my greeting than will meet Sir Amias's ear. "

But to Cicely's disappointment Humfrey was not among the horsemenmustered at the door to attend and guard the Queen. 

"My little maid's eye is seeking for her brother, " said Mary, as SirAmias advanced to assist her to her horse. 

"He hath another charge which will keep him at home, " replied Paulett, somewhat gruffly, and they rode on. 

It was a beautiful day in early August, the trees in full foliage, thefields seen here and there through them assuming their amber harvesttints, the twin spires of Lichfield rising in the distance, the parkand forest ground through which the little hunting-party rode rich withpurple heather, illuminated here and there with a bright yellow spikeor star, and the rapid motion of her brisk palfrey animated the Queen. She began to hope that Humfrey had after all brought a false alarm, andthat either he had been mistaken or that Langston was deceiving theCouncil itself, and though Sir Amias Paulett's close proximity held hersilent, those who knew her best saw that her indomitably buoyantspirits were rising, and she hummed to herself the refrain of a gayFrench hunting-song, with the more zest perhaps that her warder heldhimself trebly upright, stiff and solemn under it, as one who thoughtsuch lively times equally unbefitting a lady, a queen, and a captive. So at least Cis imagined as she watched them, little guessing thatthere might be deeper reasons of compassion and something likecompunction to add to the gravity of the old knight's face. 

As they came in sight of the gate of Tickhill Park, they became awareof a company whose steel caps and shouldered arquebuses did not looklike those of huntsmen. Mary bounded in her saddle, she looked roundat her little suite with a glance of exultation in her eye, which saidas plainly as words, "My brave friends, the hour has come!" and shequickened her steed, expecting, no doubt, that she might have tooutride Sir Amias in order to join them. 

One gentleman came forward from the rest. He held a parchment in hishand, and as soon as he was alongside of the Queen thus read:--

"Mary, late Queen of Scots and Queen Dowager of France, I, ThomasGorges, attaint thee of high treason and of compassing the life of ourmost Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth, in company with AntonyBabington, John Ballard, Chidiock Tichborne, Robert Barnwell, andothers. "

Mary held up her hands, and raised her eyes to Heaven, and a protestwas on her lips, but Gorges cut it short with, "It skills not denyingit, madam. The proofs are in our hands. I have orders to conduct youto Tickhill, while seals are put on your effects. "

"That there may be proofs of your own making, " said the Queen, withdignity. "I have experience of that mode of judgment. So, Sir AmiasPaulett, the chase you lured me to was truly of a poor hunted doe whomyou think you have run down at last. A worthy chase indeed, and oflong continuance!"

"I do but obey my orders, madam, " said Paulett, gloomily. 

"Oh ay, and so does the sleuth-hound, " said Mary. 

"Your Grace must be pleased to ride on with me, " said Mr. Gorges, laying his hand on her bridle. 

"What are you doing with those gentlemen?" cried Mary, sharply reiningin her horse, as she saw Nau and Curll surrounded by the armed men. 

"They will be dealt with after her Majesty's pleasure, " returnedPaulett. 

Mary dropped her rein and threw up her hands with a gesture of despair, but as Gorges was leading her away, she turned on her saddle, andraised her voice to call out, "Farewell, my true and faithful servants!Betide what may, your mistress will remember you in her prayers. Curll, we will take care of your wife. "

And she waved her hand to them as they were made, with a strong guard, to ride off in the direction of Lichfield. All the way to Tickhill, whither she was conducted with Gorges and Paulett on either side of herhorse, Cis could hear her pleading for consideration for poor BarbaraCurll, for whose sake she forgot her own dignity and became a suppliant. 

Sir Walter Ashton, a dull heavy-looking country gentleman of burly formand ruddy countenance, stood at his door, and somewhat clownishlyoffered his services to hand her from her horse. 

She submitted passively till she had reached the upper chamber whichhad been prepared for her, and there, turning on the three gentlemen, demanded the meaning of this treatment. 

"You will soon know, madam, " said Paulett. "I am sorry that thus itshould be. "

"Thus!" repeated Mary, scornfully. "What means this?"

"It means, madam, " said Gorges, a ruder man of less feeling even thanPaulett, "that your practices with recusants and seminary priests havebeen detected. The traitors are in the Counter, and will shortly bebrought to judgment for the evil purposes which have been frustrated bythe mercy of Heaven. "

"It is well if treason against my good sister's person have beendetected and frustrated, " said Mary; "but how doth that concern me?"

"That, madam, the papers at Chartley will show, " returned Gorges. "Meantime you will remain here, till her Majesty's pleasure be known. "

"Where, then, are my women and my servants?" inquired the Queen. 

"Your Grace will be attended by the servants of Sir Walter Ashton. "

"Gentlemen, this is not seemly, " said Mary, the colour coming hotlyinto her face. "I know it is not the will of my cousin, the Queen ofEngland, that I should remain here without any woman to attend me, norany change of garments. You are exceeding your commission, and sheshall hear of it. "

Sir Amias Paulett here laid his hand on Gorges' arm, and afterexchanging a few words with him, said--

"Madam, this young lady, Mistress Talbot, being simple, and of a loyalhouse, may remain with you for the present. For the rest, seals areput on all your effects at Chartley, and nothing can be removed fromthence, but what is needful will be supplied by my Lady Ashton. I bidyour Grace farewell, craving your pardon for what may have been hastyin this. "

Mary stood in the centre of the floor, full of her own peculiar injureddignity, not answering, but making a low ironical reverence. MarySeaton fell on her knees, clung to the Queen's dress, and declared thatwhile she lived, she would not leave her mistress. 

"Endure this also, ma mie, " said the Queen, in French. "Give them noexcuse for using violence. They would not scruple--" and as ademonstration to hinder French-speaking was made by the gentlemen, "Fear not for me, I shall not be alone. "

"I understand your Grace and obey, " said Mary Seaton, rising, with acertain bitterness in her tone, which made Mary say-- "Ah! why mustjealousy mar the fondest affection? Remember, it is their choice, notmine, my Seaton, friend of my youth. Bear my loving greetings to all. And take care of poor Barbara!"

"Madam, there must be no private messages, " said Paulett. 

"I send no messages save what you yourself may hear, sir, " replied theQueen. "My greetings to my faithful servants, and my entreaty that allcare and tenderness may be shown to Mrs. Curll. "

"I will bear them, madam, " said the knight, "and so I commend you toGod's keeping, praying that He may send you repentance. Believe me, madam, I am sorry that this has been put upon me. "

To this Mary only replied by a gesture of dismissal. The threegentlemen drew back, a key grated in the lock, and the mother anddaughter were left alone. 

To Cicely it was a terrible hopeless sound, and even to her mother itwas a lower depth of wretchedness. She had been practically a captivefor nearly twenty years. She had been insulted, watched, guarded, coerced, but never in this manner locked up before. 

She clasped her hands together, dropped on her knees at the table thatstood by her, and hid her face. So she continued till she was rousedby the sound of Cicely's sobs. Frightened and oppressed, and new toall terror and sorrow, the girl had followed her example in kneeling, but the very attempt to pray brought on a fit of weeping, and theendeavour to restrain what might disturb the Queen only rendered thesobs more choking and strangling, till at last Mary heard, and comingtowards her, sat down on the floor, gathered her into her arms, andkissing her forehead, said, "Poor bairnie, and did she weep for hermother? Have the sorrows of her house come on her?"

"O mother, I could not help it! I meant to have comforted you, " saidCicely, between her sobs. 

"And so thou dost, my child. Unwittingly they have left me that whichwas most precious to me. "

There was consolation in the fondness of the loving embrace, at leastto such sorrows as those of the maiden; and Queen Mary had aninalienable power of charming the will and affections of those incontact with her, so that insensibly there came into Cicely's heart asense that, so far from weeping, she should rejoice at being the onecreature left to console her mother. 

"And, " she said by and by, looking up with a smile, "they must go tothe bottom of the old well to find anything. "

"Hush, lassie. Never speak above thy breath in a prison till thouknow'st whether walls have ears. And, apropos, let us examine whatsort of a prison they have given us this time. "

So saying Mary rose, and leaning on her daughter's arm, proceeded toexplore her new abode. Like her apartment at the Lodge, it was at thetop of the house, a fashion not uncommon when it was desirable to makethe lower regions defensible; but, whereas she had always hitherto beenplaced in the castles of the highest nobility, she was now in that of acountry knight of no great wealth or refinement, and, moreover, takenby surprise. 

So the plenishing was of the simplest. The walls were covered withtapestry so faded that the pattern could hardly be detected. Thehearth yawned dark and dull, and by it stood one chair with amoth-eaten cushion. A heavy oaken table and two forms were in themiddle of the room, and there was the dreary, fusty smell of want ofhabitation. The Queen, whose instincts for fresh air were always adistress to her ladies, sprang to the mullioned window, but the heavylattice defied all her efforts. 

"Let us see the rest of our dominions, " she said, turning to a door, which led to a still more gloomy bedroom, where the only articles offurniture were a great carved bed, with curtains of some undefined darkcolour, and an oaken chest. The window was a mere slit, and even moreimpracticable than that of the outer room. However, this did not seemto horrify Mary so much as it did her daughter. "They cannot mean tokeep us here long, " she said; "perhaps only for the day, while theymake their search--their unsuccessful search--thanks to--we know whom, little one. "

"I hope so! How could we sleep there?" said Cicely, looking with ashudder at the bed. 

"Tush! I have seen worse in Scotland, mignonne, ay and when I waswelcomed as liege lady, not as a captive. I have slept in a box like acoffin with one side open, and I have likewise slept on a plaidie onthe braw purple blossoms of freshly pulled heather! Nay, the verythought makes this chamber doubly mouldy and stifling! Let the oldknight beware. If he open not his window I shall break it! Soft. Herehe comes. "

Sir Walter Ashton appeared, louting low, looking half-dogged, half-sheepish, and escorting two heavy-footed, blue-coated serving-men, who proceeded to lay the cloth, which at least had the merit of beingperfectly clean and white. Two more brought in covered silver dishes, one of which contained a Yorkshire pudding, the other a piece ofroast-beef, apparently calculated to satisfy five hungry men. A flagonof sack, a tankard of ale, a dish of apples, and a large loaf of bread, completed the meal; at which the Queen and Cicely, accustomed daily toa first table of sixteen dishes and a second of nine, compounded by herGrace's own French cooks and pantlers, looked with a certain amuseddismay, as Sir Walter, standing by the table, produced a dagger from asheath at his belt, and took up with it first a mouthful of thepudding, then cut off a corner of the beef, finished off some of thebread, and having swallowed these, as well as a draught of each of theliquors, said, "Good and sound meats, not tampered with, as I herebytestify. You take us suddenly, madam; but I thank Heaven, none everfound us unprovided. Will it please you to fall to? Your woman caneat after you. "

Mary's courtesy was unfailing, and though she felt all a Frenchwoman'sdisgust at the roast-beef of old England, she said, "We are too closecompanions not to eat together, and I fear she will be the besttrencher comrade, for, sir, I am a woman sick and sorrowful, and havelittle stomach for meat. "

As Sir Walter carved a huge red piece from the ribs, she could not helpshrinking back from it, so that he said with some affront, "You neednot be queasy, madam, it was cut from a home-fed bullock, only killedthree days since, and as prime a beast as any in Stafford. "

"Ah! yea, sir. It is not the fault of the beef, but of my feebleness. Mistress Talbot will do it reason. But I, methinks I could eat betterwere the windows opened. "

But Sir Walter replied that these windows were not of the new-fangledsort, made to open, that honest men might get rheums, and foolish maidsprate therefrom. So there was no hope in that direction. He reallyseemed to be less ungracious than utterly clownish, dull, and untaught, and extremely shy and embarrassed with his prisoner. 

Cicely poured out some wine, and persuaded her to dip some bread in, which, with an apple, was all she could taste. However, the fare, though less nicely served than by good Mrs. Susan, was not so alien toCicely, and she was of an age and constitution to be made hungry byanxiety and trouble, so that--encouraged by the Queen whenever shewould have desisted--she ended by demolishing a reasonable amount. 

Sir Walter stood all the time, looking on moodily and stolidly, withhis cap in his hand. The Queen tried to talk to him, and makeinquiries of him, but he had probably steeled himself to herblandishments, for nothing but gruff monosyllables could be extractedfrom him, except when he finally asked what she would be pleased tohave for supper. 

"Mine own cook and pantler have hitherto provided for me. They wouldsave your household the charge, sir, " said Mary, "and I would be atcharges for them. "

"Madam, I can bear the charge in the Queen's service. Your black guardare under ward. And if not, no French jackanapes shall ever brew hismesses in my kitchen! Command honest English fare, madam, and if itbe within my compass, you shall have it. No one shall be stinted inWalter Ashton's house; but I'll not away with any of your outlandishkickshaws. Come, what say you to eggs and bacon, madam?"

"As you will, sir, " replied Mary, listlessly. And Sir Walter, openingthe door, shouted to his serving-man, who speedily removed the meal, hegoing last and making his clumsy reverence at the door, which he lockedbehind him. 

"So, " said Mary, "I descend! I have had the statesman, the earl, thecourtly knight, the pedantic Huguenot, for my warders. Now am I cometo the clown. Soon will it be the dungeon and the headsman. "

"O dear madam mother, speak not thus, " cried Cicely. "Remember theycan find nothing against you. "

"They can make what they cannot find, my poor child. If they thirstfor my blood, it will cost them little to forge a plea. Ah, lassie!there have been times when nothing but my cousin Elizabeth'sconscience, or her pity, stood between me and doom. If she be broughtto think that I have compassed her death, why then there is naught forit but to lay my head on the same pillow as Norfolk and More and holyFisher, and many another beside. Well, be it so! I shall die a martyrfor the Holy Church, and thus may I atone by God's mercy for my manysins! Yea, I offer myself a sacrifice, " she said, folding her handsand looking upward with a light on her face. "O do Thou accept it, andlet my sufferings purge away my many misdeeds, and render it a pure andacceptable offering unto Thee. Child, child, " she added, turning toCicely, "would that thou wert of my faith, then couldst thou pray forme. "

"O mother, mother, I can do that. I do pray for thee. "

And hand in hand with tears often rising, they knelt while Maryrepeated in broken voice the Miserere. 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE SEARCH. 

Humfrey had been much disappointed, when, instead of joining the hunt, Sir Amias Paulett bade him undertake the instruction of half a dozenextremely awkward peasants, who had been called in to increase theguard, but who did not know how to shoulder, load, or fire an arquebus, had no command of their own limbs, and, if put to stand sentry, wouldquite innocently loll in the nearest corner, and go to sleep. However, he reflected that if he were resident in the same house as Cicely hecould not expect opportunities to be daily made for their meeting, andhe addressed himself with all his might to the endeavour to teach hisawkward squad to stand upright for five minutes together. Sturdyfellows as they were, he had not been able to hinder them from loppingover in all directions, when horses were heard approaching. Every manof them, regardless of discipline, lumbered off to stare, and Humfrey, after shouting at them in vain, and wishing he had them all on boardship, gave up the endeavour to recall them, and followed their example, repairing to the hall-door, when he found Sir Amias Paulettdismounting, together with a clerkly-looking personage, attended byWill Cavendish. Mary Seaton was being assisted from her horse, evidently in great grief; and others of the personal attendants of Marywere there, but neither herself, Cicely, nor the Secretaries. 

Before he had time to ask questions, his old companion came up to him. "You here still, Humfrey? Well. You have come in for the outburst ofthe train you scented out when you were with us in London, though Icould not then speak explicitly. "

"What mean you? Where is Cicely? Where is the Queen of Scots?" askedHumfrey anxiously. 

Sir Amias Paulett heard him, and replied, "Your sister is safe, MasterTalbot, and with the Queen of Scots at Tixall Castle. We permitted herattendance, as being young, simple, and loyal; she is less like toserve for plots than her elders in that lady's service. "

Sir Annas strode on, conducting with him his guest, whom Cavendishexplained to be Mr. Wade, sworn by her Majesty's Council to takepossession of Queen Mary's effects, and there make search for evidenceof the conspiracy. Cavendish followed, and Humfrey took leave to dothe same. 

The doors of the Queen's apartment were opened at the summons of SirAmias Paulett, and Sir Andrew Melville, Mistress Kennedy, Marie deCourcelles, and the rest, stood anxiously demanding what was become oftheir Queen. They were briefly and harshly told that her foul andabominable plots and conspiracies against the life of the Queen, andthe peace of the Kingdom, had been brought to light, and that she wasunder secure ward. 

Jean Kennedy demanded to be taken to her at once, but Paulett replied, "That must not be, madam. We have strict commands to keep her secludedfrom all. "

Marie de Courcelles screamed aloud and wrung her hands, crying, "If yehave slain her, only tell us quickly!" Sir Andrew Melville gravelyprotested against such a barbarous insult to a Queen of Scotland andFrance, and was answered, "No queen, sir, but a State criminal, as weshall presently show. "

Here Barbara Curll pressed forward, asking wildly for her husband; andWade replying, with brutal brevity, that he was taken to London to beexamined for his practices before the Council, the poor lady, wellknowing that examination often meant torture, fell back in a swoon. 

"We shall do nothing with all these women crying and standing about, "said Wade impatiently; "have them all away, while we put seals on theeffects. "

"Nay, sirs, " said Jean Kennedy. "Suffer me first to send her Gracesome changes of garments. "

"I tell thee, woman, " said Wade, "our orders are precise! Not so muchas a kerchief is to be taken from these chambers till search hath beenmade. We know what practices may lurk in the smallest rag. "

"It is barbarous! It is atrocious! The King of France shall hear ofit, " shrieked Marie de Courcelles. 

"The King of France has enough to do to take care of himself, my goodlady, " returned Wade, with a sneer. 

"Sir, " said Jean Kennedy, with more dignity, turning to Sir AmiasPaulett, "I cannot believe that it can be by the orders of the Queen ofEngland, herself a woman, that my mistress, her cousin, should bedeprived of all attendance, and even of a change of linen. Suchunseemly commands can never have been issued from herself. "

"She is not without attendance, " replied the knight, "the little Talbotwench is with her, and for the rest, Sir Walter and Lady Ashton haveorders to supply her needs during her stay among them. She is treatedwith all honour, and is lodged in the best chambers, " he added, consolingly. 

"We must dally no longer, " called out Wade. "Have away all this thronginto ward, Sir Amias. We can do nothing with them here. "

There was no help for it. Sir Andrew Melville did indeed pause toenter his protest, but that, of course, went for nothing with theCommissioners, and Humfrey was ordered to conduct them to the uppergallery, there to await further orders. It was a long passage, in thehighly pointed roof, with small chambers on either side which could beused when there was a press of guests. There was a steep stair, as theonly access, and it could be easily guarded, so Sir Amias directedHumfrey to post a couple of men at the foot, and to visit and relievethem from time to time. 

It was a sad procession that climbed up those narrow stairs, of thosefaithful followers who were separated from their Queen for the firsttime. The servants of lower rank were merely watched in their kitchen, and not allowed to go beyond its courtyard, but were permitted to cookfor and wait on the others, and bring them such needful furniture aswas required. 

Humfrey was very sorry for them, having had some acquaintance with themall his life, and he was dismayed to find himself, instead of watchingover Cicely, separated from her and made a jailer against his will. And when he returned to the Queen's apartments, he found Cavendishholding a taper, while Paulett and Wade were vigorously affixing cords, fastened at each end by huge red seals bearing the royal arms, to everyreceptacle, and rudely plucking back the curtains that veiled the ivorycrucifix. Sir Amias's zeal would have "plucked down the idol, " as hesaid, but Wade restrained him by reminding him that all injury ordamage was forbidden. 

Not till all was sealed, and a guard had been stationed at the doors, would the Commissioners taste any dinner, and then their conversationwas brief and guarded, so that Humfrey could discover little. He did, indeed, catch the name of Babington in connection with the "Counterprison, " and a glance of inquiry to Cavendish, with a nod in return, showed him that his suspicions were correct, but he learnt little ornothing more till the two, together with Phillipps, drew together inthe deep window, with wine, apples, and pears on the ledge before them, for a private discussion. Humfrey went away to see that the sentriesat the staircase were relieved, and to secure that a sufficient mealfor the unfortunate captives in the upper stories had been allowed topass. Will Cavendish went with him. He had known these ladies andgentlemen far more intimately than Humfrey had done, and allowed thatit was harsh measure that they suffered for their fidelity to theirnative sovereign. 

"No harm will come to them in the end, " he said, "but what can we do?That very faithfulness would lead them to traverse our purposes did wenot shut them up closely out of reach of meddling, and there is noother place where it can be done. "

"And what are these same purposes?" asked Humfrey, as, having fulfilledhis commission, the two young men strolled out into the garden andthrew themselves on the grass, close to a large mulberry-tree, whoseluscious fruit dropped round, and hung within easy reach. 

"To trace out all the coils of as villainous and bloodthirsty a plot asever was hatched in a traitor's brain, " said Will; "but they littleknew that we overlooked their designs the whole time. Thou wastmystified in London, honest Humfrey, I saw it plainly; but I might notthen speak out, " he added, with all his official self-importance. 

"And poor Tony hath brought himself within compass of the law?"

"Verily you may say so. But Tony Babington always was a fool, and awrong-headed fool, who was sure to ruin himself sooner or later. Youremember the decoy for the wild-fowl? Well, never was silly duck orgoose so ready to swim into the nets as was he!"

"He always loved this Queen, yea, and the old faith. "

"He sucked in the poison with his mother's milk, you may say. Mrs. Babington was naught but a concealed Papist, and, coming from her, itcost nothing to this Queen to beguile him when he was a mere lad, andmake him do her errands, as you know full well. Then what must my LordEarl do but send him to that bitter Puritan at Cambridge, who turnedhim all the more that way, out of very contradiction. My Lord thoughthim cured of his Popish inclinations, and never guessed they had onlyled him among those who taught him to dissemble. "

"And that not over well, " said Humfrey. "My father never trusted him. "

"And would not give him your sister. Yea, but the counterfeit was goodenough for my Lord who sees nothing but what is before his nose, andfor my mother who sees nothing but what she _will_ see. Well, he hadfallen in with those who deem this same Mary our only lawful Queen, andwould fain set her on the throne to bring back fire and faggot by theSpanish sword among us. "

"I deemed him well-nigh demented with brooding over her troubles andthose of his church. "

"Demented in verity. His folly was surpassing. He put his faith in arecusant priest--one John Ballard--who goes ruffling about as CaptainFortescue in velvet hose and a silver-laced cloak. "

"Ha!"

"Hast seen him?"

"Ay, in company with Babington, on the day I came to London, passingthrough Westminster. "

"Very like. Their chief place of meeting was at a house at Westminsterbelonging to a fellow named Gage. We took some of them there. Well, this Ballard teaches poor Antony, by way of gospel truth, that 'tis themere duty of a good Catholic to slay the enemies of the church, andthat he who kills our gracious Queen, whom God defend, will do theholiest deed; just as they gulled the fellow, who murdered the Princeof Orange, and then died in torments, deeming himself a holy martyr. "

"But it was not Babington whom I saw at Richmond. "

"Hold, I am coming to that. Let me tell you the Queen bore it in mind, and asked after you. Well, Babington has a number of friends, ashot-brained and fanatical as himself, and when once he had swallowedthe notion of privily murdering the Queen, he got so enamoured of it, that he swore in five more to aid him in the enterprise, and then whatmust they do but have all their portraits taken in one picture with aLatin motto around them. What! Thou hast seen it?"

"He showed it to me in Paul's Walk, and said I should hear of them, andI thought one of them marvellously like the fellow I had seen inRichmond Park. "

"So thought her Majesty. But more of that anon. On the self-same dayas the Queen was to be slain by these sacrilegious wretches, anotherband was to fall on this place, free the lady and proclaim her, whilethe Prince of Parma landed from the Netherlands and brought fire andsword with him. "

"And Antony would have brought this upon us?" said Humfrey, still slowto believe it of his old comrade. 

"All for the true religion's sake, " said Cavendish. "They were ringingbells and giving thanks, for the discovery and baffling thereof, whenwe came down from London. "

"As well they might, " said Humfrey. "But how was it detected andoverthrown? Was it through Langston?"

"Ah, ha! we had had the strings in our hands all along. Why, Langston, as thou namest him, though we call him Maude, and a master spy calledGifford, have kept us warned thoroughly of every stage in the business. Maude even contrived to borrow the picture under colour of getting itblessed by the Pope's agent, and lent it to Mr. Secretary Walsingham, by whom it was privily shown to the Queen. Thereby she recognised therogue Barnwell, an Irishman it seems, when she was walking in the Parkat Richmond with only her women and Sir Christopher Hatton, who isbetter at dancing than at fighting. Not a sign did she give, but shekept him in check with her royal eye, so that he durst not so much asdraw his pistol from his cloak; but she owned afterwards to my LadyNorris that she could have kissed you when you came between, and allthe more, when you caught her meaning and followed her biddingsilently. You will hear of it again, Humps. "

"However that may be, it is a noble thing to have seen such courage ina woman and a queen. But how could they let it go so near? I couldshudder now to think of the risk to her person!"

"There goes more to policy than you yet wot of, " said Will, in hispatronising tone. "In truth, Barnwell had started off unknown to hiscomrades, hoping to have the glory of the achievement all to himself byforestalling them, or else Mr. Secretary would have been warned in timeto secure the Queen. "

"But wherefore leave these traitors at large to work mischief?"

"See you not, you simple Humfrey, that, as I said methinks some timesince, it is well sometimes to give a rogue rope enough and he willhang himself? Close the trap too soon, and you miss the biggest rat ofall. So we waited until the prey seemed shy and about to escape. Babington had, it seems, suspected Maude or Langston, or whatever youcall him, and had ridden out of town, hiding in St. John's Wood withsome of his fellows, till they were starved out, and trying to creepinto some outbuildings at Harrow, were there taken, and brought intoLondon the morning we came away. Ballard, the blackest villain of all, is likewise in ward, and here we are to complete our evidence. "

"Nay, throughout all you have said, I have heard nothing to explainthis morning's work. "

Will laughed outright. "And so you think all this would have been donewithout a word from their liege lady, the princess they all wanted todeliver from captivity! No, no, sir! 'Twas thus. There's an honestman at Burton, a brewer, who sends beer week by week for this house, and very good ale it is, as I can testify. I wish I had a tankard ofit here to qualify these mulberries. This same brewer is instructed byGifford, whose uncle lives in these parts, to fit a false bottom to oneof his barrels, wherein is a box fitted for the receipt of letters andparcels. Then by some means, through Langston I believe, Babington andGifford made known to the Queen of Scots and the French ambassador thathere was a sure way of sending and receiving letters. The Queen'sbutler, old Hannibal, was to look in the bottom of the barrel with theyellow hoop, and one Barnes, a familiar of Gifford and Babington, undertook the freight at the other end. The ambassador, M. DeChateauneuf, seemed to doubt at first, and sent a single letter by wayof experiment, and that having been duly delivered and answered, thebait was swallowed, and not a week has gone by but letters have comeand gone from hence, all being first opened, copied, and deciphered byworthy Mr. Phillipps, and every word of them laid before the Council. "

"Hum! We should not have reckoned that fair play when we went toMaster Sniggius's, " observed Humfrey, as he heard his companion's toneof exultation. 

"Fair play is a jewel that will not pass current in statecraft, "responded Cavendish. "Moreover, that the plotter should be plottedagainst is surely only his desert. But thou art a mere sailor, myTalbot, and these subtilties of policy are not for thee. "

"For the which Heaven be praised!" said Humfrey. "Yet having, as yousay, read all these letters by the way, I see not wherefore ye are comedown to seek for more. "

Will here imitated the Lord Treasurer's nod as well as in him lay, notperhaps himself knowing the darker recesses of this same plot. He didknow so much as that every stage in it had been revealed to Walsinghamand Burghley as it proceeded. He did not know that the entire schemehad been hatched, not by a blind and fanatical partisan of Mary's, doing evil that what he supposed to be good, might come, but by Giffordand Morgan, Walsingham's agents, for the express purpose of causingMary totally to ruin herself, and to compel Elizabeth to put her todeath, and that the unhappy Babington and his friends were thusrecklessly sacrificed. The assassin had even been permitted to appearin Elizabeth's presence in order to terrify her into the convictionthat her life could only be secured by Mary's death. They, too, didevil that good might come, thinking Mary's death alone could ensurethem from Pope and Spaniard; but surely they descended into a lowerdepth of iniquity than did their victims. 

Will himself was not certain what was wanted among the Queen's papers, unless it might be the actual letters, from Babington, copies of whichhad been given by Phillips to the Council, so he only looked sagacious;and Humfrey thought of the Castle Well, and felt the satisfaction thereis in seeing a hunted creature escape. He asked, however, aboutCuthbert Langston, saying, "He is--worse luck, as you may haveheard--akin to my father, who always pitied him as misguided, butthought him as sincere in his folly as ever was this unlucky Babington. "

"So he seems to have been till of late. He hovered about in sundrydisguises, as you know, much to the torment of us all; but finally heseems to have taken some umbrage at the lady, thinking she flouted hisservices, or did not pay him high enough for them, and Gifford boughthim over easily enough; but he goes with us by the name of Maude, andthe best of it is that the poor fools thought he was hoodwinking us allthe time. They never dreamt that we saw through them like glass. Babington was himself with Mr. Secretary only last week, offering to goto France on business for him--the traitor! Hark! there are more soundsof horse hoofs. Who comes now, I marvel!"

This was soon answered by a serving-man, who hurried out to tellHumfrey that his father was arrived, and in a few moments the young manwas blessed and embraced by the good Richard, while Diccon stood by, considerably repaired in flesh and colour by his brief stay under hismother's care. 

Mr. Richard Talbot was heartily welcomed by Sir Amias Paulett, whoregretted that his daughter was out of reach, but did not make anyoffer of facilitating their meeting. 

Richard explained that he was on his way to London on behalf of theEarl. Reports and letters, not very clear, had reached Sheffield ofyoung Babington being engaged in a most horrible conspiracy against theQueen and country, and my Lord and my Lady, who still preserved a greatkindness for their former ward, could hardly believe it, and had senttheir useful and trustworthy kinsman to learn the truth, and to findout whether any amount of fine or forfeiture would avail to save hislife. 

Sir Amias thought it would be a fruitless errand, and so did Richardhimself, when he had heard as much of the history as it suited Paulettand Wade to tell, and though they esteemed and trusted him, they didnot care to go beneath that outer surface of the plot which was fillingall London with fury. 

When, having finished their after-dinner repose, they repaired to makefarther search, taking Cavendish to assist, they somewhat reluctantlythought it due to Mr. Talbot to invite his presence, but he declined. He and his son had much to say to one another, he observed, and notlong to say it in. 

"Besides, " he added, when he found himself alone with Humfrey, havingdespatched Diccon on some errand to the stables, "'tis a sorry sight tosee all the poor Lady's dainty hoards turned out by strangers. If itmust be, it must, but it would irk me to be an idle gazer thereon. "

"I would only, " said Humfrey, "be assured that they would not light onthe proofs of Cicely's birth. "

"Thou mayst be at rest on that score, my son. The Lady saw them, ownedthem, and bade thy mother keep them, saying ours were safer hands thanhers. Thy mother was sore grieved, Humfrey, when she saw thee not; butshe sends thee her blessing, and saith thou dost right to stay andwatch over poor little Cis. "

"It were well if I were watching over her, " said Humfrey, "but she ismewed up at Tixall, and I am only keeping guard over poor MistressSeaton and the rest. "

"Thou hast seen her?"

"Yea, and she was far more our own sweet maid than when she came backto us at Bridgefield. "

And Humfrey told his father all he had to tell of what he had seen andheard since he had been at Chartley. His adventures in London hadalready been made known by Diccon. Mr. Talbot was aghast, perhaps mostof all at finding that his cousin Cuthbert was a double traitor. Fromthe Roman Catholic point of view, there had been no treason in hisformer machinations on behalf of Mary, if she were in his eyes hisrightful sovereign, but the betrayal of confidence reposed in him wasso horrible that the good Master Richard refused to believe it, till hehad heard the proofs again and again, and then he exclaimed, "That such a Judas should ever call cousin with us!"

There could be little hope, as both agreed, of saving the unfortunatevictims; but Richard was all the more bent on fulfilling LordShrewsbury's orders, and doing his utmost for Babington. As toHumfrey, it would be better that he should remain where he was, so thatCicely might have some protector near her in case of any suddendispersion of Mary's suite. 

"Poor maiden!" said her foster-father, "she is in a manner ours, and wecannot but watch over her; but after all, I doubt me whether it had notbeen better for her and for us, if the waves had beaten the little lifeout of her ere I carried her home. "

"She hath been the joy of my life, " said Humfrey, low and hoarsely. 

"And I fear me she will be the sorrow of it. Not by her fault, poorwench, but what hope canst thou have, my son?"

"None, sir, " said Humfrey, "except of giving up all if I can so defendher from aught. " He spoke in a quiet matter-of-fact way that made hisfather look with some inquiry at his grave settled face, quite calm, asif saying nothing new, but expressing a long-formed quiet purpose. 

Nor, though Humfrey was his eldest son and heir, did Richard Talbot tryto cross it. 

He asked whether he might see Cicely before going on to London, but SirAmias said that in that case she would not be allowed to return to theQueen, and that to have had any intercourse with the prisoners mightoverthrow all his designs in London, and he therefore only left withHumfrey his commendations to her, with a pot of fresh honey and alavender-scented set of kerchiefs from Mistress Susan. 

CHAPTER XXX. 

TETE-A-TETE. 

During that close imprisonment at Tixall Cicely learnt to know hermother both in her strength and weakness. They were quite alone;except that Sir Walter Ashton daily came to perform the office oftaster and carver at their meals, and on the first evening his wifedragged herself upstairs to superintend the arrangement of theirbedroom, and to supply them with toilette requisites according to herown very limited notions and possessions. The Dame was a very homely, hard-featured lady, deaf, and extremely fat and heavy, one of the olduncultivated rustic gentry who had lagged far behind the generalcivilisation of the country, and regarded all refinements as effeminateFrench vanities. She believed, likewise, all that was said againstQueen Mary, whom she looked on as barely restrained from plunging adagger into Elizabeth's heart, and letting Parma's hell-hounds looseupon Tixall. To have such a guest imposed on her was no smallgrievance, and nothing but her husband's absolute mandate could haveinduced her to come up with the maids who brought sheets for the bed, pillows, and the like needments. Mary tried to make her requests asmoderate as necessity would permit; but when they had been shouted intoher ears by one of the maids, she shook her head at most of them, asarticles unknown to her. Nor did she ever appear again. Thearrangement of the bed-chamber was performed by two maidservants, theKnight himself meanwhile standing a grim sentinel over the two ladiesin the outer apartment to hinder their holding any communicationthrough the servants. All requests had to be made to him, and on thefirst morning Mary made a most urgent one for writing materials, books, and either needlework or spinning. 

Pen and ink had been expressly forbidden, the only book in the housewas a thumbed and torn primer, but Dame Joan, after much grumbling atfine ladies' whims, vouchsafed to send up a distaff, some wool, a pieceof unbleached linen, and a skein of white thread. 

Queen Mary executed therewith an exquisite piece of embroidery, whichhaving escaped Dame Joan's first impulse to burn it on the spot, remained for many years the show and the wonder of Tixall. Save forthis employment, she said she should have gone mad in her utteruncertainty about her own fate, or that of those involved with her. Toask questions of Ashton was like asking them of a post. He would giveher no notion whether her servants were at Chartley or not, whetherthey were at large or in confinement, far less as to who was accused ofthe plot, and what had been discovered. All that could be said for himwas that his churlishness was passive and according to his ideas ofduty. He was a very reluctant and uncomfortable jailer, but he neverinsulted, nor wilfully ill-used his unfortunate captive. 

Thus Mary was left to dwell on the little she knew, namely, thatBabington and his fellows were arrested, and that she was supposed tobe implicated; but there her knowledge ceased, except that Humfrey'swarning convinced her that Cuthbert Langston had been at least one ofthe traitors. He had no doubt been offended and disappointed at thatmeeting during the hawking at Tutbury. 

"Yet I need scarcely seek the why or the wherefore, " she said. "I havespent my life in a world of treachery. No sooner do I take a step onground that seems ever so firm, than it proves a quicksand. They willswallow me at last. "

Daily--more than daily--did she and Cicely go over together thathurried conversation on the moor, and try to guess whether Langstonintended to hint at Cicely's real birth. He had certainly notdisclosed her secret as yet, or Paulett would never have selected heras sprung of a loyal house, but he might guess at the truth, and bewaiting for an opportunity to sell it dearly to those who would regardher as possessed of dangerous pretensions. 

And far more anxiously did the Queen recur to examining Cicely on whatshe had gathered from Humfrey. This was in fact nothing, for he hadbeen on his guard against either telling or hearing anythinginconsistent with loyalty to the English Queen, and thus had avoidedconversation on these subjects. 

Nor did the Queen communicate much. Cicely never understood clearlywhat she dreaded, what she expected to be found among her papers, orwhat had been in the packet thrown into the well. The girl did notdare to ask direct questions, and the Queen always turned off indirectinquiries, or else assured her that she was still a simple happy child, and that it was better for her own sake that she should know nothing, then caressed her, and fondly pitied her for not being admitted to hermother's confidence, but said piteously that she knew not what thesecrets of Queens and captives were, not like those of Mistress Susanabout the goose to be dressed, or the crimson hose to be knitted for asurprise to her good husband. 

But Cicely could see that she expected the worst, and believed in a setpurpose to shed her blood, and she spent much time in devotion, thoughsorely distressed by the absence of all those appliances which herChurch had taught her to rest upon. And these prayers, which oftenbegan with floods of tears, so that Cicely drew away into the windowwith her distaff in order not to seem to watch them, ended withrendering her serene and calm, with a look of high resignation, ashaving offered herself as a sacrifice and martyr for her Church. 

And yet was it wholly as a Roman Catholic that she had been hated, intrigued against, and deposed in her own kingdom? Was it simply as aRoman Catholic that she was, as she said, the subject of a more cruelplot than that of which she was accused?

Mysterious woman that she was, she was never more mysterious than toher daughter in those seventeen days that they were shut up together!It did not so much strike Cicely at the time, when she was carriedalong with all her mother's impulses and emotions, without reflectingon them, but when in after times she thought over all that then hadpassed, she felt how little she had understood. 

They suffered a good deal from the heat and closeness of the rooms, forMary was like a modern Englishwoman in her craving for free air, andthese were the dog-days. They had contrived by the help of a diamondthat the Queen carried about with her, after the fashion of the time, to extract a pane or two from the lattices so ingeniously that themaster of the house never found it out. And as their two apartmentslooked out different ways, they avoided the full sunshine, for they hadneither curtains nor blinds to their windows, by moving from one to theother; but still the closeness was very oppressive, and in the heat ofthe day, just after dinner, they could do nothing but lie on the table, while the Queen told stories of her old life in France, till sometimesthey both went to sleep. Most of her dainty needlework was done in thelong light mornings, for she hardly slept at all in the hot nights. Cis scarcely saw her in bed, for she prayed long after the maiden hadfallen asleep, and was up with the light and embroidering by the window. 

She only now began to urge Cicely to believe as she did, and to joinher Church, taking blame to herself for never having attempted it moreseriously. She told of the oneness and the glory of Roman Catholicismas she had seen it in France, held out its promises and professions, and dwelt on the comfort of the intercession of the Blessed Virgin andthe Saints; assuring Cicely that there was nothing but sacrilege, confusion, and cruelty on the other side. 

Sometimes the maiden was much moved by the tender manner and persuasivewords, and she really had so much affection and admiration for hermother as to be willing to do all that she wished, and to believe herthe ablest and most clear-sighted of human beings; but whenever Marywas not actually talking to her, there was a curious swaying back ofthe pendulum in her mind to the conviction that what Master Richard andMistress Susan believed must be the right thing, that led totrustworthy goodness. She had an enthusiastic love for the Queen, buther faith and trust were in them and in Humfrey, and she could seereligious matters from their point of view better than from that of hermother. 

So, though the Queen often felt herself carrying her daughter along, she always found that there had been a slipping back to the oldstandpoint every time she began again. She was considering with someanxiety of the young maiden's future. 

"Could I but send thee to my good sister, the Duchess of Lorraine, shewould see thee well and royally married, " she said. "Then couldst thoube known by thine own name, and rank as Princess of Scotland. If I canonly see my Courcelles again, she would take thee safely and proveall--and thy hand will be precious to many. It may yet bring back thetrue faith to England, when my brave cousin of Guise has put down theBearnese, and when the poor stumbling-block here is taken away. "

"Oh speak not of that, dear madam, my mother. "

"I must speak, child. I must think how it will be with thee, somarvellously saved, and restored to be my comfort. I must provide forthy safety and honour. Happily the saints guarded me from evermentioning thee in my letters, so that there is no fear that Elizabethshould lay hands on thee, unless Langston should have spoken--the whichcan hardly be. But if all be broken up here, I must find thee adwelling with my kindred worthy of thy birth. "

"Mr. And Mrs. Talbot would take me home, " murmured Cicely. 

"Girl! After all the training I have bestowed on thee, is it possiblethat thou wouldst fain go back to make cheeses and brew small beer withthose Yorkshire boors, rather than reign a princess? I thought thyheart was nobler. "

Cicely hung her head ashamed. "I was very happy there, " she said inexcuse. 

"Happy--ay, with the milkmaid's bliss. There may be fewer sorrows insuch a life as that--just as those comely kine of Ashton's that I seegrazing in the park have fewer sorrows than human creatures. But whatknow they of our joys, or what know the commonalty of the joy ofruling, calling brave men one's own, riding before one's men in thefield, wielding counsels of State, winning the love of thousands? Nay, nay, I will not believe it of my child, unless 'tis the base Borderblood that is in her which speaks. "

Cicely was somewhat overborne by being thus accused of meanness oftastes, when she had heard the Queen talk enviously of that same homelylife which now she despised so heartily. She faltered in excuse, "Methought, madam, you would be glad to think there was one lovingshelter ever open to me. "

"Loving! Ah! I see what it is, " said the Queen, in a tone of disgust. "It is the sailor loon that has overthrown it all. A couple of walksin the garden with him, and the silly maid is ready to throw over allnobler thoughts. "

"Madam, he spoke no such word to me. "

"'Twas the infection, child--only the infection. "

"Madam, I pray you--"

"Whist, child. Thou wilt be a perilous bride for any commoner, and letthat thought, if no other, keep thee from lowering thine eyes to suchas he. Were I and thy brother taken out of the way, none would standbetween thee and both thrones! What would English or Scots say to findthee a household Joan, wedded to one of Drake's rude pirate fellows? Itell thee it would be the worse for him. They have made it treason towed royal blood without Elizabeth's consent. No, no, for his sake, aswell as thine own, thou must promise me never thus to debase thy royallineage. "

"Mother; neither he nor I have thought or spoken of such a matter sincewe knew how it was with me. 

"And you give me your word?"

"Yea, madam, " said Cicely, who had really never entertained the idea ofmarrying Humfrey, implicit as was her trust in him as a brother andprotector. 

"That is well. And so soon as I am restored to my poor servants, if Iever am, I will take measures for sending the French remnant to theirown land; nor shall my Courcelles quit thee till she hath seen theesafe in the keeping of Madame de Lorraine or of Queen Louise, who isherself a kinswoman of ours, and, they say, is piety and gentlenessitself. "

"As you will, madam, " said Cicely, her heart sinking at the thought ofthe strange new world before her, but perceiving that she must not bethe means of bringing Humfrey into trouble and danger. 

Perhaps she felt this the more from seeing how acutely her mothersuffered at times from sorrow for those involved in her disaster. Shegave Babington and his companions, as well as Nau and Curll, up forlost, as the natural consequence of having befriended her; and sheblamed herself remorsefully, after the long experience of the fatalconsequences of meddling in her affairs, for having entered intocorrespondence with the bright enthusiastic boy whom she remembered, and having lured him without doubt to his death. 

"Alack! alack!" she said, "and yet such is liberty, that I shouldforget all I have gone through, and do the like again, if the doorseemed opened to me. At least there is this comfort, cruel child, thylittle heart was not set on him, gracious and handsome though hewere--and thy mother's most devoted knight! Ah! poor youth, it wringsmy soul to think of him. But at least he is a Catholic, his soul willbe safe, and I will have hundreds of masses sung for him. Oh that Iknew how it goes with them! This torture of silent suspense is themost cruel of all. "

Mary paced the room with impatient misery, and in such a round theweary hours dragged by, only mitigated by one welcome thunderstorm, forseventeen days, whose summer length made them seem the more endless. Cicely, who had never before in her life been shut up in the house somany hours, was pale, listless, and even fretful towards the Queen, whobore with her petulance so tenderly as more than once to make her weepbitterly for very shame. After one of these fits of tears, Marypleaded earnestly with Sir Walter Ashton for permission for the maidento take a turn in the garden every day, but though the good gentleman'scomplexion bore testimony that he lived in the fresh air, he did notbelieve in its efficacy; he said he had no orders, and could do nothingwithout warrant. But that evening at supper, the serving-maid broughtup a large brew of herbs, dark and nauseous, which Dame Ashton had sentas good for the young lady's megrim. 

"Will you taste it, sir?" asked the Queen of Sir Walter, with a revivalof her lively humour. 

"The foul fiend have me if a drop comes within my lips, " muttered theknight. "I am not bound to taste for a tirewoman!" he added, leavingit in doubt whether his objection arose from distaste to his lady'smesses, or from pride; and he presently said, perhaps half-ashamed ofhimself, and willing to cast the blame on the other side, "It was kindly meant of my good dame, and if you choose to flout at, rather than benefit by it, that is no affair of mine. "

He left the potion, and Cicely disposed of it by small instalments atthe windows; and a laugh over the evident horror it excited in themaster, did the captives at least as much good as the camomile, centaury, wormwood, and other ingredients of the bowl. 

Happily it was only two days later that Sir Walter announced that hiscustody of the Queen was over, and Sir Amias Paulett was come for her. There was little preparation to make, for the two ladies had worn theirriding-dresses all the time; but on reaching the great door, where SirAmias, attended by Humfrey, was awaiting them, they were astonished tosee a whole troop on horseback, all armed with head-pieces, swords andpistols, to the number of a hundred and forty. 

"Wherefore is this little army raised?" she asked. 

"It is by order of the Queen, " replied Ashton, with his accustomedsurly manner, "and need enough in the time of such treasons!"

The Queen turned to him with tears on her cheeks. "Good gentlemen, "she said, "I am not witting of anything against the Queen. Am I to betaken to the Tower?"

"No, madam, back to Chartley, " replied Sir Amias. 

"I knew they would never let me see my cousin, " sighed the Queen. "Sir, " as Paulett placed her on her horse, "of your pity tell mewhether I shall find all my poor servants there. "

"Yea, madam, save Mr. Nau and Mr. Curll, who are answering forthemselves and for you. Moreover, Curll's wife was delivered two dayssince. "

This intelligence filled Mary with more anxiety than she chose tomanifest to her unsympathising surroundings; Cis meanwhile had beenassisted to mount by Humfrey, who told her that Mrs. Curll was thoughtto be doing well, but that there were fears for the babe. It wasimpossible to exchange many words, for they were immediately behind theQueen and her two warders, and Humfrey could only tell her that hisfather had been at Chartley, and had gone on to London; but there wasinexpressible relief in hearing the sound of his voice, and knowing shehad some one to think for her and protect her. The promise she hadmade to the Queen only seemed to make him more entirely her brother byputting that other love out of the question. 

There was a sad sight at the gate, --a whole multitude ofwretched-looking beggars, and poor of all ages and degrees of misery, who all held out their hands and raised one cry of "Alms, alms, gracious Lady, alms, for the love of heaven!"

Mary looked round on them with tearful eyes, and exclaimed, "Alack, good folk, I have nothing to give you! I am as much a beggar asyourselves!"

The escort dispersed them roughly, Paulett assuring her that they werenothing but "a sort of idle folk, " who were only encouraged in lazinessby her bounty, which was very possibly true of a certain proportion ofthem, but it had been a sore grief to her that since CuthbertLangston's last approach in disguise she had been prevented from givingalms. 

In due time Chartley was reached, and the first thing the Queen did ondismounting was to hurry to visit poor Barbara Curll, who had--on herincreasing illness--been removed to one of the guest-chambers, wherethe Queen now found her, still in much distress about her husband, whowas in close imprisonment in Walsingham's house, and had not beenallowed to send her any kind of message; and in still more immediateanxiety about her new-born infant, who did not look at all as if itslittle life would last many hours. 

She lifted up her languid eyelids, and scarcely smiled when the Queendeclared, "See, Barbara, I am come back again to you, to nurse you andmy god-daughter into health to receive your husband again. Nay, haveno fears for him. They cannot hurt him. He has done nothing, and is aScottish subject beside. My son shall write to claim him, " shedeclared with such an assumed air of confidence that a shade of hopecrossed the pale face, and the fear for her child became the morepressing of the two griefs. 

"We will christen her at once, " said Mary, turning to the nearestattendant. "Bear a request from me to Sir Amias that his chaplain maycome at once and baptize my god-child. "

Sir Amias was waiting in the gallery in very ill-humour at the Queen'sdelay, which kept his supper waiting. Moreover, his party had a strongdislike to private baptism, holding that the important point was thepublic covenant made by responsible persons, and the notion of thesponsorship of a Roman Catholic likewise shocked him. So he madeungracious answer that he would have no baptism save in church beforethe congregation, with true Protestant gossips. 

"So saith he?" exclaimed Mary, when the reply was reported to her. "Nay, my poor little one, thou shalt not be shut out of the Kingdom ofHeaven for his churlishness. " And taking the infant on her knee, shedipped her hand in the bowl of water that had been prepared for thechaplain, and baptized it by her own name of Mary. 

The existing Prayer-book had been made expressly to forbid lay baptismand baptism by women, at the special desire of the reformers, and SirAmias was proportionately horrified, and told her it was an offence forthe Archbishop's court. 

"Very like, " said Mary. "Your Protestant courts love to slay both bodyand soul. Will it please you to open my own chambers to me, sir?"

Sir Amias handed the key to one of her servants but she motioned himaside. 

"Those who put me forth must admit me, " she said. 

The door was opened by one of the gentlemen of the household, and theyentered. Every repository had been ransacked, every cabinet stood openand empty, every drawer had been pulled out. Wearing apparel and thelike remained, but even this showed signs of having been tossed overand roughly rearranged by masculine fingers. 

Mary stood in the midst of the room, which had a strange air ofdesolation, an angry light in her eyes, and her hands clasped tightlyone into the other. Paulett attempted some expression of regret forthe disarray, pleading his orders. 

"It needs not excuse, sir, " said Mary, "I understand to whom I owe thisinsult. There are two things that your Queen can never take fromme--royal blood and the Catholic faith. One day some of you will besorry for what you have now put upon me! I would be alone, sir, " andshe proudly motioned him to the door, with a haughty gesture, showingher still fully Queen in her own apartments. Paulett obeyed, and whenhe was gone, the Queen seemed to abandon the command over herself shehad preserved all this time. She threw herself into Jean Kennedy'sarms, and wept freely and piteously, while the good lady, rejoicing atheart to have recovered "her bairn, " fondled and soothed her with softScottish epithets, as though the worn woman had been a child again. "Yea, nurse, mine own nurse, I am come back to thee; for a littlewhile--only a little while, nurse, for they will have my blood, and oh!I would it were ended, for I am aweary of it all. "

Jean and Elizabeth Curll tried to cheer and console her, alarmed atthis unwonted depression, but she only said, "Get me to bed, nurse, Iam sair forfaughten. "

She was altogether broken down by the long suspense, the hardships andthe imprisonment she had undergone, and she kept her bed for severaldays, hardly speaking, but apparently reposing in the relief affordedby the recovered care and companionship of her much-loved attendants. 

There she was when Paulett came to demand the keys of the caskets whereher treasure was kept. Melville had refused to yield them, and all theQueen said was, "Robbery is to be added to the rest, " a sentence whichgreatly stung the knight, but he actually seized all the coin that hefound, including what belonged to Nau and Curll, and, only retainingenough for present expenses, sent the rest off to London. 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

EVIDENCE. 

In the meantime the two Richard Talbots, father and son, had safelyarrived in London, and had been made welcome at the house of theirnoble kinsman. 

Nau and Curll, they heard, were in Walsingham's house, subjected toclose examination; Babington and all his comrades were in the Tower. The Council was continually sitting to deliberate over the fate of thelatter unhappy men, of whose guilt there was no doubt; and neither LordTalbot nor Will Cavendish thought there was any possibility of MasterRichard gaining permission to plead how the unfortunate Babington hadbeen worked on and deceived. After the sentence should be pronounced, Cavendish thought that the request of the Earl of Shrewsbury mightprevail to obtain permission for an interview between the prisoner andone commissioned by his former guardian. Will was daily attending SirFrancis Walsingham as his clerk, and was not by any means unwilling torelate anything he had been able to learn. 

Queen Elizabeth was, it seemed, greatly agitated and distressed. Theshock to her nerves on the day when she had so bravely overawedBarnwell with the power of her eye had been such as not to be easilysurmounted. She was restless and full of anxiety, continually startingat every sound, and beginning letters to the Queen of Scots which werenever finished. She had more than once inquired after the brave sailoryouths who had come so opportunely to her rescue; and Lord Talbotthought it would be well to present Diccon and his father to her, andaccordingly took them with him to Greenwich Palace, where they had thebenefit of looking on as loyal subjects, while her Majesty, in royalfashion, dined in public, to the sound of drums, trumpets, fifes, andstringed instruments. But though dressed with her usual elaboratecare, she looked older, paler, thinner, and more haggard than whenDiccon had seen her three weeks previously, and neither her eye normouth had the same steadiness. She did not eat with relish, but almostas if she were forcing herself, lest any lack of appetite might beobserved and commented upon, and her looks continually wandered asthough in search of some lurking enemy; for in truth no woman, nor maneither, could easily forget the suggestion which had recently beenbrought to her knowledge, that an assassin might "lurk in her galleryand stab her with his dagger, or if she should walk in her garden, hemight shoot her with his dagg, or if she should walk abroad to take theair, he might assault her with his arming sword and make sure work. "Even though the enemies were safe in prison, she knew not but thatdagger, dagg, or arming sword might still be ready for her, and shebelieved that any fatal charge openly made against Mary at the trialmight drive her friends to desperation and lead to the use of dagg ordagger. She was more unhinged than ever before, and commanded herselfwith difficulty when going through all the scenes of her public life asusual. 

The Talbots soon felt her keen eye on them, and a look of recognitionpassed over her face as she saw Diccon. As soon as the meal was over, and the table of trestles removed, she sent a page to command LordTalbot to present them to her. 

"So, sir, " she said, as Richard the elder knelt before her, "you arethe father of two brave sons, whom you have bred up to do good service;but I only see one of them here. Where is the elder?"

"So please your Majesty, Sir Amias Paulett desired to retain him atChartley to assist in guarding the Queen of Scots. "

"It is well. Paulett knows a trusty lad when he sees him. And so doI. I would have the youths both for my gentlemen pensioners--the elderwhen he can be spared from his charge, this stripling at once. "

"We are much beholden to your Majesty, " said Richard, bending his headthe lower as he knelt on one knee; for such an appointment gave bothtraining and recommendation to young country gentlemen, and was muchsought after. 

"Methinks, " said Elizabeth, who had the royal faculty of rememberingfaces, "you have yourself so served us, Mr. Talbot?"

"I was for three years in the band of your Majesty's sister, QueenMary, " said Richard, "but I quitted it on her death to serve at sea, and I have since been in charge at Sheffield, under my Lord ofShrewsbury. "

"We have heard that he hath found you a faithful servant, " said theQueen, "yea, so well affected as even to have refused your daughter inmarriage to this same Babington. Is this true?"

"It is, so please your Majesty. "

"And it was because you already perceived his villainy?"

"There were many causes, Madam, " said Richard, catching at the chanceof saying a word for the unhappy lad, "but it was not so much villainythat I perceived in him as a nature that might be easily practised uponby worse men than himself. "

"Not so much a villain ready made as the stuff villains are made of, "said the Queen, satisfied with her own repartee. 

"So please your Majesty, the metal that in good hands becomes a bravesword, in evil ones becomes a treacherous dagger. "

"Well said, Master Captain, and therefore, we must destroy alike thedagger and the hands that perverted it. "

"Yet, " ventured Richard, "the dagger attempered by your Majesty'sclemency might yet do noble service. "

Elizabeth, however, broke out fiercely with one of her wonted oaths. 

"How now? Thou wouldst not plead for the rascal! I would have you toknow that to crave pardon for such a fellow is well-nigh treason initself. You have license to leave us, sir. "

"I should scarce have brought you, Richard, " said Lord Talbot, as soonas they had left the presence chamber, "had I known you would ventureon such folly. Know you not how incensed she is? Naught but yourproved loyalty and my father's could have borne you off this time, andit would be small marvel to me if the lad's appointment were forgotten. "

"I could not choose but run the risk, " said Richard. "What else came Ito London for?"

"Well, " said his cousin, "you are a brave man, Richard Talbot. I knowthose who had rather scale a Spanish fortress than face Queen Elizabethin her wrath. Her tongue is sharper than even my stepdame's, though itdoth not run on so long. "

Lord Talbot was not quite easy when that evening a gentleman, clad inrich scarlet and gold, and armed to the teeth, presented himself atShrewsbury House and inquired for Mr. Talbot of Bridgefield. However, it proved to be the officer of the troop of gentlemen pensioners cometo enroll Diccon, tell him the requirements, and arrange when he shouldjoin in a capacity something like that of an esquire to one of theseniors of the troop. Humfrey was likewise inquired for, but it wasthought better on all accounts that he should continue in his presentsituation, since it was especially needful to have trustworthy personsat Chartley in the existing crisis. Master Richard was well satisfiedto find that his son's immediate superior would be a gentleman of agood Yorkshire family, whose father was known to him, and who promisedto have a care of Master Richard the younger, and preserve him, as faras possible, from the perils of dicing, drinking, and running into badcompany. 

Launching a son in this manner and equipping him for service was ananxious task for a father, while day after day the trial was deferred, the examinations being secretly carried on before the Council till, asCavendish explained, what was important should be disclosed. 

Of course this implied what should be fatal to Queen Mary. The priestBallard was racked, but he was a man of great determination, andnothing was elicited from him. The other prisoners, and Nau and Curll, were questioned again and again under threats and promises before theCouncil, and the letters that had been copied on their transit throughthe beer barrels were read and made the subject ofcross-examination--still all in private, for, as Cavendish said, "perilous stuff to the Queen's Majesty might come out. "

He allowed, however, day after day, that though there was quite enoughto be fatal to Ballard, Babington, Savage, and Barnwell, whatever elsewas wanting was not forthcoming. At last, however, Cavendish returnedfull of a certain exultation: "We have it, " he said, --"a most undoubtedtreasonable letter, which will catch her between the shoulders and thehead. "

He spoke to Lord Talbot and Richard, who were standing together in awindow, and who knew only too well who was referred to, and what theexpression signified. On a further query from his step-brother, Cavendish explained that it was a long letter, dated July 16, arrangingin detail the plan for "the Lady's" own rescue from Chartley at themoment of the landing of the Spaniards, and likewise showing her privyto the design of the six gentlemen against the life of the Queen, anddesiring to know their names. Nau had, he said, verified the cipher asone used in the correspondence, and Babington, when it was shown tohim, had declared that it had been given to him in the street by astranger serving-man in a blue coat, and that it had removed all doubtfrom his mind, as it was an answer to a letter of his, a copy of whichhad been produced, but not the letter itself. 

"Which we have not found, " said Cavendish. 

"Not for all that search of yours at Chartley?" said Richard. "Methought it was thorough enough!"

"The Lady must have been marvellously prudent as to the keeping ofletters, " said Will, "or else she must have received some warning; forthere is absolutely naught to be found in her repositories that willserve our purpose. "

"Our purpose!" repeated Richard, as he recollected many littlekindnesses that William Cavendish when a boy had received from theprisoner at Sheffield. 

"Yea, Master Richard, " he returned, unabashed. "It is absolutelyneedful that we should openly prove this woman to be what we know herto be in secret. Her Majesty's life will never be safe for a momentwhile she lives; and what would become of us all did she overlive theQueen!"

"Well, Will, for all your mighty word _we_, you are but the pen in Mr. Secretary's hand, so there is no need to argue the matter with you, "said Richard. 

The speech considerably nettled Master William, especially as it madeLord Talbot laugh. 

"Father!" said Diccon afterwards, "Humfrey tried to warn Mr. Babingtonthat we had seen this Langston, who hath as many metamorphoses as therebe in Ovidius Naso, coming privily forth from Sir Francis Walsingham'scloset, but he would not listen, and declared that Langston was holdingMr. Secretary in play. "

"Deceiving and being deceived, " sighed his father. "That is ever theway, my son! Remember that if thou playest false, other men will playfalser with thee and bring thee to thy ruin. I would not leave theehere save that the gentlemen pensioners are a more honest and manlysort of folk than yonder gentlemen with their state craft, wherein theythrow over all truth and honour as well as mercy. "

This conversation took place as the father and son were making theirway to a house in Westminster, where Antony Babington's wife was withher mother, Lady Ratcliffe. It had been a match made by LadyShrewsbury, and it was part of Richard's commission to see and conferwith the family. It was not a satisfactory interview. The wife was adull childish little thing, not yet sixteen; and though she cried, shehad plainly never lived in any real sympathy or companionship with herhusband, who had left her with her parents, while leading the life ofmingled amusement and intrigue which had brought him to his presentstate; and the mother, a hard-featured woman, evidently thought herselfcheated and ill used. She railed at Babington and at my Lady Countessby turns; at the one for his ruinous courses and neglect of herdaughter, at the other for having cozened her into giving her poorchild to a treacherous Papist, who would be attainted in blood, andthus bring her poor daughter and grandchild to poverty. The old ladyreally seemed to have lost all pity for her son-in-law in indignationon her daughter's account, and to care infinitely less for the savingof his life than for the saving of his estate. Nor did the young wifeherself appear to possess much real affection for poor Antony, of whomshe had seen very little. There must have been great faults on hisside; yet certainly Richard felt that there was some excuse for him inthe mother-in-law, and that if the unfortunate young man could havemarried Cicely his lot might have been different. Yet the good Captainfelt all the more that if Cis had been his own he still would neverhave given her to Babington. 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

WESTMINSTER HALL. 

Beneath the noble roof of Westminster Hall, with the morning sunstreaming in high aloft, at seven in the morning of the 14th ofSeptember, the Court met for the trial of Antony Babington and hisconfederates. The Talbot name and recommendation obtained readyadmission, and Lord Talbot, Richard, and his son formed one small partytogether with William Cavendish, who had his tablets, on which to takenotes for the use of his superior, Walsingham, who was, however, one ofthe Commissioners. 

There they sat, those supreme judges, the three Chief-Justices in theirscarlet robes of office forming the centre of the group, which alsonumbered Lords Cobham and Buckhurst, Sir Francis Knollys, SirChristopher Hatton, and most of the chief law officers of the Crown. 

"Is Mr. Secretary Walsingham one of the judges here?" asked Diccon. "Methought he had been in the place of the accuser. "

"Peace, boy, and listen, " said his father; "these things pass mycomprehension. "

Nevertheless Richard had determined that if the course of the trialshould offer the least opportunity, he would come forward and plead hisformer knowledge of young Babington as a rash and weak-headed youth, easily played upon by designing persons, but likely to take to heartsuch a lesson as this, and become a true and loyal subject. If hecould obtain any sort of mitigation for the poor youth, it would beworth the risk. 

The seven conspirators were brought in, and Richard could hardly keep arush of tears from his eyes at the sight of those fine, high-spiritedyoung men, especially Antony Babington, the playfellow of his ownchildren. 

Antony was carefully dressed in his favourite colour, dark green, hishair and beard trimmed, and his demeanour calm and resigned. The firewas gone from his blue eye, and his bright complexion had faded, butthere was an air of dignity about him such as he had never worn before. His eyes, as he took his place, wandered round the vast assembly, andrested at length on Mr. Talbot, as though deriving encouragement andsupport from the look that met his. Next to him was another young manwith the same look of birth and breeding, namely Chidiock Tichborne;but John Savage, an older man, had the reckless bearing of thebrutalised soldiery of the Netherlandish wars. Robert Barnwell, withhis red, shaggy brows and Irish physiognomy, was at once recognised byDiccon. Donne and Salisbury followed; and the seventh conspirator, John Ballard, was carried in a chair. Even Diccon's quick eye couldhardly have detected the ruffling, swaggering, richly-clad CaptainFortescue in this tonsured man in priestly garb, deadly pale, andunable to stand, from the effects of torture, yet with undaunted, penetrating eyes, all unsubdued. 

After the proclamation, Oyez, Oyez, and the command to keep silence, Sandys, the Clerk of the Crown, began the proceedings. "John Ballard, Antony Babington, John Savage, Robert Barnwell, Chidiock Tichborne, Henry Donne, Thomas Salisbury, hold up your hands and answer. " Theindictment was then read at great length, charging them with conspiringto slay the Queen, to deliver Mary, Queen of Scots, from custody, tostir up rebellion, to bring the Spaniards to invade England, and tochange the religion of the country. The question was first put toBallard, Was he guilty of these treasons or not guilty?

Ballard's reply was, "That I procured the delivery of the Queen ofScots, I am guilty; and that I went about to alter the religion, I amguilty; but that I intended to slay her Majesty, I am not guilty. "

"Not with his own hand, " muttered Cavendish, "but for the rest--"

"Pity that what is so bravely spoken should be false, " thought Richard, "yet it may be to leave the way open to defence. "

Sandys, however, insisted that he must plead to the whole indictment, and Anderson, the Chief-Justice of Common Pleas, declared that he mustdeny the whole generally, or confess it generally; while Hatton put in, "Ballard, under thine own hand are all things confessed, therefore nowit is much vanity to stand vaingloriously in denying it. "

"Then, sir, I confess I am guilty, " he said, with great calmness, though it was the resignation of all hope. 

The same question was then put to Babington. He, with "a mildcountenance, sober gesture, " and all his natural grace, stood up andspoke, saying "that the time for concealment was past, and that he wasready to avow how from his earliest infancy he had believed England tohave fallen from the true religion, and had trusted to see it restoredthereto. Moreover, he had ever a deep love and compassion for theQueen of Scots. Some, " he said, "who are yet at large, and who are yetas deep in the matter as I--"

"Gifford, Morgan, and another, " whispered Cavendish significantly. 

"Have they escaped?" asked Diccon. 

"So 'tis said. "

"The decoy ducks, " thought Richard. 

Babington was explaining that these men had proposed to him a greatenterprise for the rescue and restoration of the Queen of Scots, andthe re-establishment of the Catholic religion in England by the swordof the Prince of Parma. A body of gentlemen were to attack Chartley, free Mary, and proclaim her Queen, and at the same time Queen Elizabethwas to be put to death by some speedy and skilful method. 

"My Lords, " he said, "I swear that all that was in me cried out againstthe wickedness of thus privily slaying her Majesty. "

Some muttered, "The villain! he lies, " but the kindly Richard sighedinaudibly, "True, poor lad! Thou must have given thy conscience overto strange keepers to be thus led astray. "

And Babington went on to say that they had brought this gentleman, Father Ballard, who had wrought with him to prove that his scrupleswere weak, carnal, and ungodly, and that it would be a meritorious deedin the sight of Heaven thus to remove the heretic usurper. 

Here the judges sternly bade him not to blaspheme, and he replied, withthat "soberness and good grace" which seems to have struck all thebeholders, that he craved patience and pardon, meaning only to explainhow he had been led to the madness which he now repented, understandinghimself to have been in grievous error, though not for the sake of anytemporal reward; but being blinded to the guilt, and assured that thedeed was both lawful and meritorious. He thus had been brought todestruction through the persuasions of this Ballard. 

"A very fit author for so bad a fact, " responded Hatton. 

"Very true, sir, " said Babington; "for from so bad a ground neverproceed any better fruits. He it was who persuaded me to kill theQueen, and to commit the other treasons, whereof I confess myselfguilty. "

Savage pleaded guilty at once, with the reckless hardihood of a soldieraccustomed to look on death as the fortune of war. 

Barnwell denied any intention of killing the Queen (much to Diccon'ssurprise), but pleaded guilty to the rest. Donne said that on beingtold of the plot he had prayed that whatever was most to the honour andglory of Heaven might be done, and being pushed hard by Hatton, turnedthis into a confession of being guilty. Salisbury declared that he hadalways protested against killing the Queen, and that he would not havedone so for a kingdom, but of the rest he was guilty. Tichborne showedthat but for an accidental lameness he would have been at his home inHampshire, but he could not deny his knowledge of the treason. 

All having pleaded guilty, no trial was permitted, such as would havebrought out the different degrees of guilt, which varied in all theseven. 

A long speech was, however, made by the counsel for the Crown, detailing the plot as it had been arranged for the public knowledge, and reading aloud a letter from Babington to Queen Mary, describing hisplans both for her rescue and the assassination, saying, "he hadappointed six noble gentlemen for the despatch of the wickedcompetitor. "

Richard caught a look of astonishment on the unhappy young man's face, but it passed into hopeless despondency, and the speech went on todescribe the picture of the conspirators and its strange motto, concluding with an accusation that they meant to sack London, burn theships, and "cloy the ordnance. "

A shudder of horror went through the assembly, and perhaps few exceptRichard Talbot felt that the examination of the prisoners ought to havebeen public. The form, however, was gone through of asking whetherthey had cause to render wherefore they should not be condemned to die. 

The first to speak was Ballard. His eyes glanced round with anindomitable expression of scorn and indignation, which, as Dicconwhispered, he could have felt to his very backbone. It was like thatof a trapped and maimed lion, as the man sat in his chair with crushedand racked limbs, but with a spirit untamed in its defiance. 

"Cause, my Lords?" he replied. "The cause I have to render will notavail here, but it may avail before another Judgment-seat, where thequestion will be, who used the weapons of treason, not merely againstwhom they were employed. Inquiry hath not been made here who subornedthe priest, Dr. Gifford, to fetch me over from Paris, that we mighttogether overcome the scruples of these young men, and lead themforward in a scheme for the promotion of the true religion and theright and lawful succession. No question hath here been put in opencourt, who framed the conspiracy, nor for what purpose. No, my Lords;it would baffle the end you would bring about, yea, and blot thereputation of some who stand in high places, if it came to light thatthe plot was devised, not by the Catholics who were to be theinstruments thereof, nor by the Lady in whose favour all was to bedone, --not by these, the mere victims, but by him who by a triumph ofpolicy thus sent forth his tempters to enclose them all within hisnet--above all the persecuted Lady whom all true Catholics own as theonly lawful sovereign within these realms. Such schemes, when theysucceed, are termed policy. My Lords, I confess that by the justice ofEngland we have been guilty of treason against Queen Elizabeth; but bythe eternal law of the justice of God, we have suffered treachery farexceeding that for which we are about to die. "

"I marvel that they let the fellow speak so far, " was Cavendish'scomment. 

"Nay, but is it so?" asked Diccon with startled eyes. 

"Hush! you have yet to learn statecraft, " returned his friend. 

His father's monitory hand only just saved the boy from bursting outwith something that would have rather astonished Westminster Hall, andcaused him to be taken out by the ushers. It is not wonderful that noreport of the priest's speech has been preserved. 

The name of Antony Babington was then called. Probably he had been toomuch absorbed in the misery of his position to pay attention to thepreceding speech, for his reply was quite independent of it. He prayedthe Lords to believe, and to represent to her Majesty, that he hadreceived with horror the suggestion of compassing her death, and hadonly been brought to believe it a terrible necessity by the persuasionsof this Ballard. 

On this Hatton broke forth in indignant compassion, --"O Ballard!Ballard! what hast thou done? A sort of brave youth, otherwise endowedwith good gifts, by thy inducement hast thou brought to their utterdestruction and confusion!"

This apparently gave some hope to Babington, for he answered--"Yes, Iprotest that, before I met this Ballard, I never meant nor intended forto kill the Queen; but by his persuasions I was induced to believe thatshe being excommunicate it was lawful to murder her. "

For the first time Ballard betrayed any pain. "Yes, Mr. Babington, " hesaid, "lay all the blame upon me; but I wish the shedding of my bloodmight be the saving of your life. Howbeit, say what you will, I willsay no more. "

"He is the bravest of them all!" was Diccon's comment. 

"Wot you that he was once our spy?" returned Cavendish with a sneer;while Sir Christopher, with the satisfaction of a little nature inuttering reproaches, returned--"Nay, Ballard, you must say more andshall say more, for you must not commit treasons and then huddle themup. Is this your Religio Catholica? Nay, rather it is Diabolica. "

Ballard scorned to answer this, and the Clerk passed on to Savage, whoretained his soldierly fatalism, and only shook his head. Barnwellagain denied any purpose of injuring the Queen, and when Hatton spokeof his appearance in Richmond Park, he said all had been for consciencesake. So said Henry Donne, but with far more piety and dignity, adding, "fiat voluntas Dei;" and Thomas Salisbury was the only one whomade any entreaty for pardon. 

Speeches followed from the Attorney-General, and from Sir ChristopherHatton, and then the Lord Chief Justice Anderson pronounced theterrible sentence. 

Richard Talbot sat with his head bowed between his hands. His son hadbegun listening with wide-stretched eyes and mouth, as boyhood hearkensto the dreadful, and with the hardness of an unmerciful time, too aptto confound pity with weakness; but when his eye fell on the man he hadfollowed about as an elder playmate, and realised all it conveyed, hischeek blanched, his jaw fell, and he hardly knew how his father got himout of the court. 

There was clearly no hope. The form of the trial was such as to leaveno chance of escape from the utmost penalty. No witnesses had beenexamined, no degrees of guilt acknowledged, no palliations admitted. Perhaps men who would have brought the Spanish havoc on their nativecountry, and have murdered their sovereign, were beyond the pale ofcompassion. All London clearly thought so; and yet, as Richard Talbotdwelt on their tones and looks, and remembered how they had beendeluded and tempted, and made to believe their deed meritorious, hecould not but feel exceeding pity for the four younger men. Ballard, Savage, and Barnwell might be justly doomed; even Babington had, by hisown admission, entertained a fearfully evil design; but the other threehad evidently dipped far less deeply into the plot, and Tichborne hadonly concealed it out of friendship. Yet the ruthless judgmentcondemned all alike! And why? To justify a yet more cruel blow! Nowonder honest Richard Talbot felt sick at heart. 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

IN THE TOWER. 

"Here is a letter from Mr. Secretary to the Lieutenant of the Tower, Master Richard, bidding him admit you to speech of Babington, " saidWill Cavendish. "He was loath to give it, and nothing but my LordShrewsbury's interest would have done it, on my oath that you are aprudent and discreet man, who hath been conversant in these matters formany years. "

"Yea, and that long before you were, Master Will, " said Richard, alwaysa little entertained by the young gentleman's airs of patronage. "However, I am beholden to you. "

"That you may be, for you are the only person who hath obtainedadmission to the prisoners. "

"Not even their wives?"

"Mrs. Tichborne is in the country--so best for her--and Mrs. Babingtonhath never demanded it. I trow there is not love enough between themto make them seek such a meeting. It was one of my mother's matches. Mistress Cicely would have cleaved to him more closely, though I amglad you saw through the fellow too well to give her to him. She wouldbe a landless widow, whereas this Ratcliffe wife has a fair portion forher child. "

"Then Dethick will be forfeited?"

"Ay. They say the Queen hath promised it to Raleigh. "

"And there is no hope of mercy?"

"Not a tittle for any man of them! Nay, so far from it, her Majestyasked if there were no worse nor more extraordinary mode of death forthem. "

"I should not have thought it of her. "

"Her Majesty hath been affrighted, Master Richard, sorely affrighted, though she put so bold a face upon it, and there is nothing a woman, who prides herself on her courage, can so little pardon. "

So Richard, sad at heart, took boat and ascended the Thames for hismelancholy visit. The gateway was guarded by a stalwart yeoman, halbert in hand, who detained him while the officer of the guard wascalled. On showing the letter from Sir Francis Walsingham, Mr. Talbotwas conducted by this personage across the first paved court to thelodgings of the Lieutenant under so close a guard that he felt as if hewere about to be incarcerated himself, and was there kept waiting in asort of guard-room while the letter was delivered. 

Presently the Lieutenant, Sir Owen Hopton, a well-bred courteousknight, appeared and saluted him with apologies for his detention andall these precautions, saying that the orders were to keep a closeguard and to hinder all communication from without, so that nothingshort of this letter would have obtained entrance for the bearer, whomhe further required to set down his name and designation in full. Then, after asking how long the visitor wished to remain with theprisoners--for Tichborne and Babington were quartered together--hecalled a warder and committed Mr. Talbot to his guidance, to remain fortwo hours locked up in the cell. 

"Sir, " added Sir Owen, "it is superfluous to tell you that on comingout, you must either give me your word of honour that you conveynothing from the prisoners, or else submit to be searched. "

Richard smiled, and observed that men were wont to trust his word ofhonour, to which the knight heartily replied that he was sure of it, and he then followed the warder up stone stairs and along vaultedpassages, where the clang of their footsteps made his heart sink. Theprisoners were in the White Tower, the central body of the grimbuilding, and the warder, after unlocking the door, announced, with nounnecessary rudeness, but rather as if he were glad of any comfort tohis charges, "Here, sirs, is a gentleman to visit you. "

They had both risen at the sound of the key turning in the lock, andAntony Babington's face lighted up as he exclaimed, "Mr. Talbot! Iknew you would come if it were possible. "

"I come by my Lord's desire, " replied Richard, the close wringing ofhis hand expressing feeling to which he durst not give way in words. 

He took in at the moment that the room, though stern and strong, wasnot squalid. It was lighted fully by a window, iron-barred, but notsmall, and according to custom, the prisoners had been permitted tofurnish, at their own expense, sufficient garniture for comfort, and asboth were wealthy men, they were fairly provided, and they were notfettered. Both looked paler than when Richard had seen them inWestminster Hall two days previously. Antony was as usual neatlyarrayed, with well-trimmed hair and beard, but Tichborne's hungneglected, and there was a hollow, haggard look about his eyes, as ifof dismay at his approaching fate. Neither was, however, forgetful ofcourtesy, and as Babington presented Mr. Talbot to his friend, thegreeting and welcome would have befitted the halls of Dethick orTichborne. 

"Sirs, " said the young man, with a sad smile irradiating for a momentthe restless despair of his countenance, "it is not by choice that I aman intruder on your privacy; I will abstract myself so far as ispossible. "

"I have no secrets from my Chidiock, " cried Babington. 

"But Mr. Talbot may, " replied his friend, "therefore I will only firstinquire whether he can tell us aught of the royal lady for whose sakewe suffer. They have asked us many questions, but answered none. "

Richard was able to reply that after the seclusion at Tixall she hadbeen brought back to Chartley, and there was no difference in themanner of her custody, moreover, that she had recovered from her attackof illness, tidings he had just received in a letter from Humfrey. Hedid not feel it needful to inflict a pang on the men who were to die intwo days' time by letting them know that she was to be immediatelybrought to trial on the evidence extracted from them. On hearing thather captivity was not straitened, both looked relieved, and Tichborne, thanking him, lay down on his own bed, turned his face to the wall, anddrew the covering over his head. 

"Ah!" sighed Babington, "is there no hope for him--he who has donenaught but guard too faithfully my unhappy secret? Is he to die forhis faith and honour?"

"Alas, Antony! I am forbidden to give thee hope for any. Of that wemust not speak. The time is short enough for what needs to be spoken. "

"I knew that there was none for myself, " said Antony, "but for thosewhom--" There was a gesture from Tichborne as if he could not bearthis, and he went on, "Yea, there is a matter on which I must needsspeak to you, sir. The young lady--where is she?"--he spoke earnestly, and lowering his voice as he bent his head. 

"She is still at Chartley. "

"That is well. But, sir, she must be guarded. I fear me there is onewho is aware of her parentage. "

"The Scottish archer?"

"No, the truth. "

"You knew it?"

"Not when I made my suit to her, or I should never have dared to liftmy eyes so far. "

"I suppose your knowledge came from Langston, " said Richard, moreperturbed than amazed at the disclosure. 

"Even so. Yet I am not certain whether he knows or only guesses; butat any rate be on your guard for her sake. He has proved himself sounspeakable a villain that none can guess what he will do next. He--heit is above all--yea, above even Gifford and Ballard, who has broughtus to this pass. "

He was becoming fiercely agitated, but putting a force upon himselfsaid, "Have patience, good Mr. Talbot, of your kindness, and I willtell you all, that you may understand the coilings of the serpent wholed me hither, and if possible save her from them. "

Antony then explained that so soon as he had become his own master hehad followed the inclinations which led him to the church of his motherand of Queen Mary, the two beings he had always regarded with the mostfervent affection and love. His mother's kindred had brought him incontact with the Roman Catholic priests who circulated in England, atthe utmost peril of their lives, to keep up the faith of the gentry, and in many cases to intrigue for Queen Mary. Among these plotters hefell in with Cuthbert Langston, a Jesuit of the third order, though nota priest, and one of the most active agents in corresponding with QueenMary. His small stature, colourless complexion, and insignificantfeatures, rendered him almost a blank block, capable of assuming anyvariety of disguise. He also knew several languages, could imitatedifferent dialects, and counterfeit male and female voices so that veryfew could detect him. He had soon made himself known to Babington asthe huckster Tibbott of days gone by, and had then disclosed to himthat Cicely was certainly not the daughter of her supposed parents, telling of her rescue from the wreck, and hinting that her rank wasexalted, and that he knew secrets respecting her which he was about tomake known to the Queen of Scots. With this purpose among others, Langston had adopted the disguise of the woman selling spars with thepassword "Beads and Bracelets, " and being well known as an agent ofcorrespondence to the suite of the captive Queen, he had been able todirect Gorion's attention to the maiden, and to let him know that shewas the same with the infant who had been put on board the Bride ofDunbar at Dunbar. 

How much more did Langston guess? He had told Babington the storycurrent among the outer circle of Mary's followers of the maiden beingthe daughter of the Scotch archer, and had taught him her true name, encouraging too, his aspirations towards her during the time of hiscourtship. Babington believed Langston to have been at that time stilla sincere partizan of Queen Mary, but all along to have entertained asuspicion that there was a closer relationship between Bride Hepburnand the Queen than was avowed, though to Babington himself he had onlygiven mysterious hints. 

But towards the end of the captivity at Tutbury, he had made somefurther discovery, which confirmed his suspicions, and had led toanother attempt to accost Cicely, and to make the Queen aware of hisknowledge, perhaps in order to verify it, or it might be to gain powerover her, a reward for the introduction, or to extort bribes tosecrecy. For looking back, Antony could now perceive that by this timea certain greed of lucre had set in upon the man, who had obtainedlarge sums of secret service money from himself; and avarice, togetherwith the rebuff he had received from the Queen, had doubtless renderedhim accessible to the temptations of the arch-plotters Gifford andMorgan. Richard could believe this, for the knowledge had been forcedon him that there were an incredible number of intriguers at that time, spies and conspirators, often in the pay of both parties, impartiallybetraying the one to the other, and sometimes, through miscalculation, meeting the fate they richly deserved. Many a man who had begunenthusiastically to work in underground ways for what he thought therighteous cause, became so enamoured of the undermining process, andthe gold there to be picked up, that from a wrong-headed partizan hebecame a traitor--often a double-faced one--and would work secretly inthe interest of whichever cause would pay him best. 

Poor Babington had been far too youthfully simple to guess what he nowperceived, that he had been made the mere tool and instrument of thesetraitors. He had been instructed in Gifford's arrangement with theBurton brewer for conveying letters to Mary at Chartley, and had beenmade the means of informing her of it by means of his interview withCicely, when he had brought the letter in the watch. The letter hadbeen conveyed to him by Langston, the watch had been his own device. It was after this meeting, of which Richard now heard for the firsttime, that Langston had fully told his belief respecting the true birthof Bride Hepburn, and assured Babington that there was no hope of hiswedding her, though the Queen might allow him to delude himself withthe idea of her favour in order to bind him to her service. 

It was then that Babington consented to Lady Shrewsbury's new matchwith the well-endowed Eleanor Ratcliffe. If he could not have Cicely, he cared not whom he had. He had been leading a wild and extravagantlife about town, when (as poor Tichborne afterwards said on thescaffold) the flourishing estate of Babington and Tichborne was thetalk of Fleet Street and the Strand, and he had also many calls forsecret service money, so that all his thought was to have more to spendin the service of Queen Mary and her daughter. 

"Oh, sir! I have been as one distraught all this past year, " he said. "How often since I have been shut up here, and I have seen how I havebeen duped and gulled, have your words come back to me, that to enteron crooked ways was the way to destruction for myself and others, andthat I might only be serving worse men than myself! And yet they werepriests who misled me!"

"Even in your own religion there are many priests who would withholdyou from such crimes, " said Richard. 

"There are! I know it! I have spoken with them. They say no priestcan put aside the eternal laws of God's justice. So these others, Chidiock here, Donne and Salisbury, always cried out against theslaying of the Queen, though--wretch that I was--and gulled by Ballardand Savage, I deemed the exploit so noble and praiseworthy that I evenjoined Tichborne with me in that accursed portraiture! Yea, you maywell deem me mad, but it was Gifford who encouraged me in having itmade, no doubt to assure our ruin. Oh, Mr. Talbot! was ever man socruelly deceived as me?"

"It is only too true, Antony. My heart is full of rage and indignationwhen I think thereof. And yet, my poor lad, what concerns thee most isto lay aside all such thoughts as may not tend to repentance beforeGod. "

"I know it, I know it, sir. All the more that we shall die without thelast sacraments. Commend us to the prayers of our Queen, sir, and ofher. But to proceed with what imports you to know for her sake, whileI have space to speak. "

He proceeded to tell how, between dissipation and intrigue, he hadlived in a perpetual state of excitement, going backwards and forwardsbetween London and Lichfield to attend to the correspondence with QueenMary and the Spanish ambassador in France, and to arrange the detailsof the plot; always being worked up to the highest pitch by Gifford andBallard, while Langston continued to be the great assistant in all thecorrespondence. All the time Sir Francis Walsingham, who was reallyaware of all, if not the prime mover in the intrigue, appearedperfectly unsuspicious; often received Babington at his house, anddiscussed a plan of sending him on a commission to France, while inpoint of fact every letter that travelled in the Burton barrels wasdeciphered by Phillipps, and laid before the Secretary before beingread by the proper owners. In none of these, however, as Babingtoncould assure Mr. Talbot, had Cicely been mentioned, --the only danger toher was through Langston. 

Things had come to a climax in July, when Babington had been urged toobtain from Mary such definite approbation of his plans as mightsatisfy his confederates, and had in consequence written the letter andobtained the answer, copies of which had been read to him at hisprivate examination, and which certainly contained fatal matter to bothhim and the Queen. 

They had no doubt been called forth with that intent, and a doubt hadbegun to arise in the victim's mind whether the last reply had beenreally the Queen's own. It had been delivered to him in the street, not by the usual channel, but by a blue-coated serving-man. Two orthree days later Humfrey had told him of Langston's interview withWalsingham, which he had at the time laughed to scorn, thinking himselfable to penetrate any disguise of that Proteus, and likewise believingthat he was blinding Walsingham. 

He first took alarm a few days after Humfrey's departure, and wrote toQueen Mary to warn her, convinced that the traitor must be Langston. Ballard became himself suspected, and after lurking about in variousdisguises was arrested in Babington's own lodgings. To disarmsuspicion, Antony went to Walsingham to talk about the French Mission, and tried to resume his usual habits, but in a tavern, he became awarethat Langston, under some fresh shape, was watching him, and hastilythrowing down the reckoning, he fled without his cloak or sword toGage's house at Westminster, where he took horse, hid himself in St. John's Wood, and finally was taken, half starved, in an outhouse atHarrow, belonging to a farmer, whose mercy involved him in the likedoom. 

This was the substance of the story told by the unfortunate young manto Richard Talbot, whom he owned as the best and wisest friend he hadever had--going back to the warnings twice given, that no cause isserved by departing from the right; no kingdom safely won byworshipping the devil: "And sure I did worship him when I let myself beled by Gifford, " he said. 

His chief anxiety was not for his wife and her child, who he said wouldbe well taken care of by the Ratcliffe family, and who, alas! had neverwon his heart. In fact he was relieved that he was not permitted tosee the young thing, even had she wished it; it could do no good toeither of them, though he had written a letter, which she was todeliver, for the Queen, commending her to her Majesty's mercy. 

His love had been for Cicely, and even that had never been, as Richardsaw, such purifying, restraining, self-sacrificing affection as wasHumfrey's. It was half romance, half a sort of offshoot from his onegreat and absorbing passion of devotion to the Queen of Scots, whichwas still as strong as ever. He entrusted Richard with his humblestcommendations to her, and strove to rest in the belief that as many aconspirator before--such as Norfolk, Throckmorton, Parry--had perishedon her behalf while she remained untouched, that so it might again be, since surely, if she were to be tried, he would have been kept alive asa witness. The peculiar custom of the time in State prosecutions ofhanging the witnesses before the trial had not occurred to him. 

But how would it be with Cicely? "Is what this fellow guessed the verytruth?" he asked. 

Richard made a sign of affirmation, saying, "Is it only a guess on hispart?"

Babington believed the man stopped short of absolute certainty, thoughhe had declared himself to have reason to believe that a child musthave been born to the captive queen at Lochleven; and if so, where elsecould she be? Was he waiting for clear proof to make the secret knownto the Council? Did he intend to make profit of it and obtain in thepoor girl a subject for further intrigue? Was he withheld byconsideration for Richard Talbot, for whom Babington declared that ifsuch a villain could be believed in any respect, he had much familyregard and deep gratitude, since Richard had stood his friend when allhis family had cast him off in much resentment at his change of purposeand opinion. 

At any rate he had in his power Cicely's welfare and liberty, if notthe lives of her adopted parents, since in the present juncture ofaffairs, and of universal suspicion, the concealment of the existenceof one who stood so near the throne might easily be represented as hightreason. Where was he?

No one knew. For appearance sake, Gifford had fled beyond seas, happily only to fall into a prison of the Duke of Guise: and they musthope that Langston might have followed the same course. Meantime, Richard could but go on as before, Cicely being now in her own mother'shands. The avowal of her identity must remain for the present as mightbe determined by her who had the right to decide. 

"I would I could feel hope for any I leave behind me, " said poorAntony. "I trow you will not bear the maiden my message, for you willdeem it a sin that I have loved her, and only her, to the last, thoughI have been false to that love as to all else beside. Tell Humfrey howI long that I had been like him, though he too must love on withouthope. "

He sent warm greetings to good Mistress Susan Talbot and craved herprayers. He had one other care, namely to commend to Mr. Talbot an oldbody servant, Harry Gillingham by name, who had attended on him in hisboyhood at Sheffield, and had been with him all his life, beingadmitted even now, under supervision from the warders, to wait on himwhen dressing and at his meals. The poor man was broken-hearted, andso near desperation that his master wished much to get him out ofLondon before the execution. So, as Mr. Talbot meant to sail for Hullby the next day's tide in the Mastiff, he promised to take the poorfellow with him back to Bridgefield. 

All this had taken much time. Antony did not seem disposed to gofarther into his own feelings in the brief space that remained, but hetook up a paper from the table, and indicating Tichborne, who stillaffected sleep, he asked whether it was fit that a man, who could writethus, should die for a plot against which he had always protested. Richard read these touching lines:--

 My prime of youth is but a frost of care, My feast of joy is but a dish of pain, My crop of corn is but a field of tares, And all my goods is but vain hope of gain. The day is fled, and yet I saw no sun; And now I live, and now my life is done. 

 My spring is past, and yet it hath not sprung; The fruit is dead, and yet the leaves are green; My youth is past, and yet I am but young; I saw the world, and yet I was not seen. My thread is cut, and yet it is not spun; And now I live, and now my life is done. 

 I sought for death, and found it in the wombe; I lookt for life, and yet it was a shade; I trode the ground, and knew it was my tombe, And now I dye, and now I am but made. The glass is full, and yet my glass is run; And now I live, and now my life is done. 

Little used to poetry, these lines made the good man's eyes fill withtears as he looked at the two goodly young men about to be cut off soearly--one indeed guilty, but the victim of an iniquitous act ofdeliberate treachery. 

He asked if Mr. Tichborne wished to entrust to him aught that could bedone by word of mouth, and a few commissions were given to him. ThenAntony bethought him of thanks to Lord and Lady Shrewsbury for all theyhad done for him, and above all for sending Mr. Talbot; and a messageto ask pardon for having so belied the loyal education they had givenhim. The divided religion of the country had been his bane: hismother's charge secretly to follow her faith had been the beginning, and then had followed the charms of stratagem on behalf of Queen Mary. 

Perhaps, after all, his death, as a repentant man still single minded, saved him from lapsing into the double vileness of the veteranintriguers whose prey he had been. 

"I commend me to the Mercy Master Who sees my heart, " he said. 

Herewith the warder returned, and at his request summoned Gillingham, asturdy grizzled fellow, looking grim with grief. Babington told him ofthe arrangement made, and that he was to leave London early in themorning with Mr. Talbot, but the man immediately dropped on his kneesand swore a solemn oath that nothing should induce him to leave theplace while his master breathed. 

"Thou foolish knave, " said Antony, "thou canst do me no good, and wiltbut make thyself a more piteous wretch than thou art already. Why, 'tisfor love of thee that I would have thee spared the sight. "

"Am I a babe to be spared?" growled the man. And all that he could beinduced to promise was that he would repair to Bridgefield as soon asall was over--"Unless, " said he, "I meet one of those accursed rogues, and then a halter would be sweet, if I had first had my will of them. "

"Hush, Harry, or Master Warder will be locking thee up next, " saidAntony. 

And then came the farewell. It was at last a long, speechless, sorrowful embrace; and then Antony, slipping from it to his knees, said--"Bless me! Oh bless me: thou who hast been mine only truefriend. Bless me as a father!"

"May God in Heaven bless thee!" said Richard, solemnly laying his handon his head. "May He, Who knoweth how thou hast been led astray, pardon thee! May He, Who hath felt the agonies and shame of the Cross, redeem thee, and suffer thee not for any pains of death to fall fromHim!"

He was glad to hear afterwards, when broken-hearted Gillingham joinedhim, that the last words heard from Antony Babington's lipswere--"Parce mihi, Domine JESU!"

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

FOTHERINGHAY. 

"Is this my last journey?" said Queen Mary, with a strange, sad smile, as she took her seat in the heavy lumbering coach which had beenappointed for her conveyance from Chartley, her rheumatism having setin too severely to permit her to ride. 

"Say not so; your Grace has weathered many a storm before, " said Mariede Courcelles. "This one will also pass over. "

"Ah, my good Marie, never before have I felt this foreboding andsinking of the heart. I have always hoped before, but I have exhaustedthe casket of Pandora. Even hope is flown!"

Jean Kennedy tried to say something of "Darkest before dawn. "

"The dawn, it may be, of the eternal day, " said the Queen. "Nay, myfriends, the most welcome tidings that could greet me would be that myweary bondage was over for ever, and that I should wreck no moregallant hearts. What, mignonne, art thou weeping? There will befreedom again for thee when that day comes. "

"O madam, I want not freedom at such a price!" And yet Cicely hadnever recovered her looks since those seventeen days at Tickhill. Shestill looked white and thin, and her dark eyebrows lay in a heavy line, seldom lifted by the merry looks and smiles that used to flash over herface. Life had begun to press its weight upon her, and day after day, as Humfrey watched her across the chapel, and exchanged a word or twowith her while crossing the yard, had he grieved at her altered mien;and vexed himself with wondering whether she had after all lovedBabington, and were mourning for him. 

Truly, even without the passion of love, there had been much to shockand appal a young heart in the fate of the playfellow of her childhood, the suitor of her youth. It was the first death among those she hadknown intimately, and even her small knowledge of the cause made herfeel miserable and almost guilty, for had not poor Antony plotted forher mother, and had not she been held out to him as a delusiveinducement? Moreover, she felt the burden of a deep, pitying love andadmiration not wholly joined with perfect trust and reliance. She hadbeen from the first startled by untruths and concealments. There wasmystery all round her, and the future was dark. There were terribleforebodings for her mother; and if she looked beyond for herself, onlyuncertainty and fear of being commanded to follow Marie de Courcellesto a foreign court, perhaps to a convent; while she yearned with analmost sick longing for home and kind Mrs. Talbot's motherly tendernessand trustworthiness, and the very renunciation of Humfrey that she hadspoken so easily, had made her aware of his full worth, and wakened inher a longing for the right to rest on his stout arm and faithfulheart. To look across at him and know him near often seemed her bestsupport, and was she to be cut off from him for ever? The devotions ofthe Queen, though she had been deprived of her almoner had been muchincreased of late as one preparing for death; and with them wereassociated all her household of the Roman Catholic faith, leaving outCicely and the two Mrs. Curlls. The long oft-repeated Latin orisons, such as the penitential Psalms, would certainly have been wearisome tothe girl, but it gave her a pang to be pointedly excluded as one whohad no part nor lot with her mother. Perhaps this was done bycalculation, in order to incline her to embrace her mother's faith; andthe time was not spent very pleasantly, as she had nothing butneedlework to occupy her, and no society save that of the sistersCurll. Barbara's spirits were greatly depressed by the loss of herinfant and anxiety for her husband. His evidence might be life ordeath to the Queen, and his betrayal of her confidence, or his beingtortured for his fidelity, were terrible alternatives for his wife'simagination. It was hard to say whether she were more sorry or gladwhen, on leaving Chartley, she was forbidden to continue her attendanceon the Queen, and set free to follow him to London. The poor lady knewnothing, and dreaded everything. She could not help discussing heranxieties when alone with Cicely, thus rendering perceptible more andmore of the ramifications of plot and intrigue--past and present--atwhich she herself only guessed a part. Assuredly the finding herself aprincess, and sharing the captivity of a queen, had not proved so likea chapter of the Morte d'Arthur as it had seemed to Cicely at Buxton. 

It was as unlike as was riding a white palfrey through a forest, guidedby knights in armour, to the being packed with all the ladies into aheavy jolting conveyance, guarded before and behind by armed servantsand yeomen, among whom Humfrey's form could only now and then bedetected. 

The Queen had chosen her seat where she could best look out from thescant amount of window. She gazed at the harvest-fields full ofsheaves, the orchards laden with ruddy apples, the trees assuming theirautumn tints, with lingering eyes, as of one who foreboded that thesesights of earth were passing from her. 

Two nights were spent on the road, one at Leicester; and on the fourthday, the captain in charge of the castle for the governor Sir WilliamFitzwilliam, who had come to escort and receive her, came to thecarriage window and bade her look up. "This is Periho Lane, " he said, "whence your Grace may have the first sight of the poor house which isto have the honour of receiving you. "

"Perio! I perish, " repeated Mary; "an ominous road. "

The place showed itself to be of immense strength. The hollow soundcaused by rolling over a drawbridge was twice heard, and the carriagecrossed two courts before stopping at the foot of a broad flight ofstone steps, where stood Sir William Fitzwilliam and Sir Amias Paulettready to hand out the Queen. 

A few stone steps were mounted, then an enormous hall had to betraversed. The little procession had formed in pairs, and Humfrey wasable to give his hand to Cicely and walk with her along the vast space, on which many windows emblazoned with coats of arms shed theirlight--the western ones full of the bright September sunshine. One ofthese, emblazoned with the royal shield in crimson mantlings, cast ablood-red stain on the white stone pavement. Mary, who was walkingfirst, holding by the arm of Sir Andrew Melville, paused, shuddered, pointed, and said, "See, Andrew, there will my blood be shed. "

"Madam, madam! speak not thus. By the help of the saints you will yetwin through your troubles. "

"Ay, Andrew, but only by one fate;" and she looked upwards. 

Her faithful followers could not but notice that there was no eagerassurance that no ill was intended her, such as they had often heardfrom Shrewsbury and Sadler. 

Cicely looked at Humfrey with widely-opened eyes, and the half-breathedquestion, "What does it mean?"

He shook his head gravely and said, "I cannot tell, " but he could notkeep his manner from betraying that he expected the worst. 

Meanwhile Mary was conducted on to her apartments, up a stair as usual, and forming another side of the inner court at right angles to theHall. There was no reason to complain of these, Mary's furniturehaving as usual been sent forward with her inferior servants, andarranged by them. She was weary, and sat down at once on her chair, and as soon as Paulett had gone through his usual formalities with evenmore than his wonted stiffness, and had left her, she said, "I see whatwe are come here for. It is that yonder hall may be the place of mydeath. "

Cheering assurances and deprecations of evil augury were poured on her, but she put them aside, saying, "Nay, my friends, trow you not that Irejoice in the close of my weary captivity?"

She resumed her usual habits very calmly, as far as her increasedrheumatism would permit, and showed anxiety that a large piece ofembroidery should be completed, and thus about a fortnight passed. Thencame the first token of the future. Sir Amias Paulett, Sir WalterMildmay, and a notary, sought her presence and presented her with aletter from Queen Elizabeth, informing her that there were heavyaccusations against her, and that as she was residing under theprotection of the laws of England, she must be tried by those laws, andmust make answer to the commissioners appointed for the purpose. Maryput on all her queenly dignity, and declared that she would nevercondescend to answer as a subject of the Queen of England, but wouldonly consent to refer their differences to a tribunal of foreignprinces. As to her being under the protection of English law, she hadcome to England of her own free will, and had been kept there aprisoner ever since, so that she did not consider herself protected bythe law of England. 

Meanwhile fresh noblemen commissioned to sit on the trial arrived dayby day. There was trampling of horses and jingling of equipments, andthe captive suite daily heard reports of fresh arrivals, and sawglimpses of new colours and badges flitting across the court, whileconferences were held with Mary in the hope of inducing her to submitto the English jurisdiction. She was sorely perplexed, seeing as shedid that to persist in her absolute refusal to be bound by English lawwould be prejudicial to her claim to the English crown, and being alsoassured by Burghley that if she refused to plead the trial would stilltake place, and she would be sentenced in her absence. Her spirit roseat this threat, and she answered disdainfully, but it worked with hernone the less when the treasurer had left her. 

"Oh, " she cried that night, "would but Elizabeth be content to let meresign my rights to my son, making them secure to him, and then let meretire to some convent in Lorraine, or in Germany, or wherever shewould, so would I never trouble her more!"

"Will you not write this to her?" asked Cicely. 

"What would be the use of it, child? They would tamper with theletter, pledging me to what I never would undertake. I know how theycan cut and garble, add and take away! Never have they let me see orspeak to her as woman to woman. All I have said or done has beencoloured. "

"Mother, I would that I could go to her; Humfrey has seen and spoken toher, why should not I?"

"Thou, poor silly maid! They would drive Cis Talbot away with scorn, and as to Bride Hepburn, why, she would but run into all her mother'sdangers. "

"It might be done, and if so I will do it, " said Cicely, clasping herhands together. 

"No, child, say no more. My worn-out old life is not worth the risk ofthy young freedom. But I love thee for it, mine ain bairnie, monenfant a moi. If thy brother had thy spirit, child--"

"I hate the thought of him! Call him not my brother!" cried Cicelyhotly. "If he were worth one brass farthing he would have unfurled theScottish lion long ago, and ridden across the Border to deliver hismother. "

"And how many do you think would have followed that same lion?" saidMary, sadly. 

"Then he should have come alone with his good horse and his good sword!"

"To lose both crowns, if not life! No, no, lassie; he is a pawkychiel, as they say in the north, and cares not to risk aught for themother he hath never seen, and of whom he hath been taught to believestrange tales. "

The more the Queen said in excuse for the indifference of her son, thestronger was the purpose that grew up in the heart of the daughter, while fresh commissioners arrived every day, and further conversationswere held with the Queen. Lord Shrewsbury was known to be summoned, and Cicely spent half her time in watching for some well-known face, inthe hope that he might bring her good foster-father in his train. Morethan once she declared that she saw a cap or sleeve with thewell-beloved silver dog, when it turned out to be a wyvern or the royallion himself. Queen Mary even laughed at her for thinking her mastiffhad gone on his hind legs when she once even imagined him in theWarwick Bear and ragged staff. 

At last, however, all unexpectedly, while the Queen was in conferencewith Hatton, there came a message by the steward of the household, thatMaster Richard Talbot had arrived, and that permission had been grantedby Sir Amias for him to speak with Mistress Cicely. She sprang upjoyously, but Mrs. Kennedy demurred. 

"Set him up!" quoth she. "My certie, things are come to a pretty passthat any one's permission save her Majesty's should be speired for oneof her women, and I wonder that you, my mistress, should be the last tothink of her honour!"

"O Mrs. Kennedy, dear Mrs. Jean, " entreated Cicely, "hinder me not. IfI wait till I can ask her, I may lose my sole hope of speaking withhim. I know she would not be displeased, and it imports, indeed itimports. "

"Come, Mrs. Kennett, " said the steward, who by no means shared hismaster's sourness, "if it were a young gallant that craved to see thyfair mistress, I could see why you should doubt, but being her fatherand brother, there can surely be no objection. "

"The young lady knows what I mean, " said the old gentlewoman with greatdignity, "but if she will answer it to the Queen--"

"I will, I will, " cried Cicely, whose colour had risen with eagerness, and she was immediately marshalled by the steward beyond the door thatclosed in the royal captive's suite of apartments to a gallery. At thedoor of communication three yeomen were always placed under an officer. Humfrey was one of those who took turns to command this guard, but hewas not now on duty. He was, however, standing beside his fatherawaiting Cicely's coming. 

Eagerly she moved up to Master Richard, bent her knee for his blessing, and raised her face for his paternal kiss with the same fond gladnessas if she had been his daughter in truth. He took one hand, andHumfrey the other, and they followed the steward, who had promised toprocure them a private interview, so difficult a matter, in the fulnessof the castle, that he had no place to offer them save the deepembrasure of a great oriel window at the end of the gallery. They wouldbe seen there, but there was no fear of their being heard without theirown consent, and till the chapel bell rang for evening prayers andsermon there would be no interruption. And as Cicely found herselfseated between Master Richard and the window, with Humfrey opposite, she was sensible of a repose and bien etre she had not felt since shequitted Bridgefield. She had already heard on the way that all waswell there, and that my Lord was not come, though named in thecommission as being Earl Marshal of England, sending his kinsman ofBridgefield in his stead with letters of excuse. 

"In sooth he cannot bear to come and sit in judgment on one he hathknown so long and closely, " said Richard; "but he hath bidden me tocome hither and remain so as to bring him a full report of all. "

"How doth my Lady Countess take that?" asked Humfrey. 

"I question whether the Countess would let him go if he wished it. Sheis altogether changed in mind, and come round to her first love forthis Lady, declaring that it is all her Lord's fault that the custodywas taken from them, and that she could and would have hindered allthis. "

"That may be so, " said Humfrey. "If all be true that is whispered, there have been dealings which would not have been possible atSheffield. "

"So it may be. In any wise my Lady is bitterly grieved, and they sendfor thy mother every second day to pacify her. "

"Dear mother!" murmured Cis; "when shall I see her again?"

"I would that she had thee for a little space, my wench, " said Richard;"thou hast lost thy round ruddy cheeks. Hast been sick?"

"Nay, sir, save as we all are--sick at heart! But all seems well nowyou are here. Tell me of little Ned. Is he as good scholar as ever?"

"Verily he is. We intend by God's blessing to bring him up for theministry. I hope in another year to take him to Cambridge. Thy motheris knitting his hosen of gray and black already. "

Other questions and answers followed about Bridgefield tidings, whichstill evidently touched Cicely as closely as if she had been a bornTalbot. There was a kind of rest in dwelling on these before coming tothe sadder, more pressing concern of her other life. It was not tillthe slow striking of the Castle clock warned them that they had lessthan an hour to spend together that they came to closer matters, andRichard transferred to Cicely those last sad messages to her Queen, which he had undertaken for Babington and Tichborne. 

"The Queen hath shed many tears for them, " she said, "and hath writ tothe French and Spanish ambassadors to have masses said for them. PoorAntony! Did he send no word to me, dear father?"

The man being dead, Mr. Talbot saw no objection to telling her how hehad said he had never loved any other, though he had been false to thatlove. 

"Ah, poor Antony!" said Cis, with her grave simplicity. "But it wouldnot have been right for me to be a hindrance to the marriage of one whocould never have me. "

"While he loved you it would, " said Humfrey hastily. "Yea, " as shelifted up her eyes to him, "it would so, as my father will tell you, because he could not truly love that other woman. "

Richard smiled sadly, and could not but assent to his son's honesttruth and faith. 

"Then, " said Cis, with the same straightforwardness, sprung of theirold fraternal intercourse, "you must quit all love for me save abrother's, Humfrey; for my Queen mother made me give her my word on myduty never to wed you. "

"I know, " returned Humfrey calmly. "I have known all that these twoyears; but what has that to do with my love?"

"Come, come, children, " said Richard, hardening himself though his eyeswere moist; "I did not come here to hear you two discourse like thefolks in a pastoral! We may not waste time. Tell me, child, if thoube not forbidden, hath she any purpose for thee?"

"O sir, I fear that what she would most desire is to bestow me abroadwith some of her kindred of Lorraine. But I mean to strive hardagainst it, and pray her earnestly. And, father, I have one greatpurpose. She saith that these cruel statesmen, who are all below inthis castle, have hindered Queen Elizabeth from ever truly hearing andknowing all, and from speaking with her as woman to woman. Father, Iwill go to London, I will make my way to the Queen, and when she hearswho I am--of her own blood and kindred--she must listen to me; and Iwill tell her what my mother Queen really is, and how cruelly she hasbeen played upon, and entreat of her to see her face to face and talkwith her, and judge whether she can have done all she is accused of. "

"Thou art a brave maiden, Cis, " exclaimed Humfrey with deep feeling. 

"Will you take me, sir?" said Cicely, looking up to Master Richard. 

"Child, I cannot say at once. It is a perilous purpose, and requiresmuch to be thought over. "

"But you will aid me?" she said earnestly. 

"If it be thy duty, woe be to me if I gainsay thee, " said Richard; "butthere is no need to decide as yet. We must await the issue of thistrial, if the trial ever take place. "

"Will Cavendish saith, " put in Humfrey, "that a trial there will be ofsome sort, whether the Lady consent to plead or not. "

"Until that is ended we can do nothing, " said his father. "Meantime, Cicely child, we shall be here at hand, and be sure that I will not beslack to aid thee in what may be thy duty as a daughter. So rest theein that, my wench, and pray that we may be led to know the right. "

And Richard spoke as a man of high moral courage in making thispromise, well knowing that it might involve himself in great danger. The worst that could befall Cicely might be imprisonment, and a life ofconstraint, jealously watched; but his own long concealment of herbirth might easily be construed into treason, and the horribleconsequences of such an accusation were only too fresh in his memory. Yet, as he said afterwards to his son, "There was no forbidding themaiden to do her utmost for her own mother, neither was there anyletting her run the risk alone. "

To which Humfrey heartily responded. 

"The Queen may forbid her, or the purpose may pass away, " addedRichard, "or it may be clearly useless and impossible to make theattempt; but I cannot as a Christian man strive to dissuade her fromdoing what she can. And as thou saidst, Humfrey, she is changed. Shehath borne her modestly and discreetly, ay and truly, through all. Thechildishness is gone out of her, and I mark no lightness of purpose inher. "

On that afternoon Queen Mary announced that she had yielded to Hatton'srepresentations so far as to consent to appear before theCommissioners, provided her protest against the proceedings were put onrecord. 

"Nay, blame me not, good Melville, " she said. "I am wearied out withtheir arguments. What matters it how they do the deed on which theyare bent? It was an ill thing when King Harry the Eighth brought inthis fashion of forcing the law to give a colour to his will! In thegood old times, the blow came without being first baited by one andanother, and made a spectacle to all men, in the name of justice, forsooth!"

Mary Seaton faltered something of her Majesty's innocence shining outlike the light of day. 

"Flatter not thyself so far, ma mie, " said Mary. "Were mine innocenceclearer than the sun they would blacken it. All that can come of thissame trial is that I may speak to posterity, if they stifle my voicehere, and so be known to have died a martyr to my faith. Get we to ourprayers, girls, rather than feed on vain hopes. De profundis clamavi. "

CHAPTER XXXV. 

BEFORE THE COMMISSIONERS. 

Who would be permitted to witness the trial? As small matters at handeclipse great matters farther off, this formed the immediate excitementin Queen Mary's little household, when it was disclosed that she was toappear only attended by Sir Andrew Melville and her two Maries beforeher judges. 

The vast hall had space enough on the ground for numerous spectators, and a small gallery intended for musicians was granted, with somereluctance, to the ladies and gentlemen of the suite, who, as Sir AmiasPaulett observed, could do no hurt, if secluded there. Thither thenthey proceeded, and to Cicely's no small delight, found Humfreyawaiting them there, partly as a guard, partly as a master of theceremonies, ready to explain the arrangements, and tell the names ofthe personages who appeared in sight. 

"There, " said he, "close below us, where you cannot see it, is thechair with a cloth of state over it. "

"For our Queen?" asked Jean Kennedy. 

"No, madam. It is there to represent the Majesty of Queen Elizabeth. That other chair, half-way down the hall, with the canopy from the beamover it, is for the Queen of Scots. "

Jean Kennedy sniffed the air a little at this, but her attention wasdirected to the gentlemen who began to fill the seats on either side. Some of them had before had interviews with Queen Mary, and thus wereknown by sight to her own attendants; some had been seen by Humfreyduring his visit to London; and even now at a great distance, and adifferent table, he had been taking his meals with them at the presentjuncture. 

The seats were long benches against the wall, for the Earls on oneside, the Barons on the other. The Lord Chancellor Bromley, in his redand white gown, and Burghley, the Lord Treasurer, with long white beardand hard impenetrable face, sat with them. 

"That a man should have such a beard, and yet dare to speak to theQueen as he did two days ago, " whispered Cis. 

"See, " said Mrs. Kennedy, "who is that burly figure with the black eyesand grizzled beard?"

"That, madam, " said Humfrey, "is the Earl of Warwick. "

"The brother of the minion Leicester?" said Jean Kennedy. "He hathscant show of his comeliness. "

"Nay; they say he is become the best favoured, " said Humfrey; "my Lordof Leicester being grown heavy and red-faced. He is away in theNetherlands, or you might judge of him. "

"And who, " asked the lady, "may be yon, with the strangely-plumed hatand long, yellow hair, like a half-tamed Borderer?"

"He?" said Humfrey. "He is my Lord of Cumberland. I marvelled to seehim back so soon. He is here, there, and everywhere; and when I was inLondon was commanding a fleet bearing victuals to relieve the Dutch inHelvoetsluys. Had I not other work in hand, I would gladly sail withhim, though there be something fantastic in his humour. But here comethe Knights of the Privy Council, who are to my mind more noteworthythan the Earls. "

The seats of these knights were placed a little below and beyond thoseof the noblemen. The courteous Sir Ralf Sadler looked up and salutedthe ladies in the gallery as he entered. "He was always kindly, " saidJean Kennedy, as she returned the bow. "I am glad to see him here. "

"But oh, Humfrey!" cried Cicely, "who is yonder, with the short cloakstanding on end with pearls, and the quilted satin waistcoat, jewelledears, and frizzed head? He looks fitter to lead off a dance than atrial. "

"He is Sir Christopher Hatton, her Majesty's Vice-Chamberlain, " repliedHumfrey. 

"Who, if rumour saith true, made his fortune by a galliard, " said Dr. Bourgoin. 

"Here is a contrast to him, " said Jean Kennedy. "See that figure, aspuritanical as Sir Amias himself, with the long face, scant beard, black skull-cap, and plain crimped ruff. His visage is pulled into sosolemn a length that were we at home in Edinburgh, I should expect tosee him ascend a pulpit, and deliver a screed to us all on theiniquities of dancing and playing on the lute!"

"That, madam, " said Humfrey, "is Mr. Secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham. "

Here Elizabeth Curll leant forward, looked, and shivered a little. "Ah, Master Humfrey, is it in that man's power that my poor brother lies?"

"'Tis true, madam, " said Humfrey, "but indeed you need not fear. Iheard from Will Cavendish last night that Mr. Curll is well. They havenot touched either of the Secretaries to hurt them, and if aught havebeen avowed, it was by Monsieur Nau, and that on the mere threat. Doyou see old Will yonder, Cicely, just within Mr. Secretary's call--withthe poke of papers and the tablet?"

"Is that Will Cavendish? How precise and stiff he hath grown, and whydoth he not look up and greet us? He knoweth us far better than dothSir Ralf Sadler; doth he not know we are here?"

"Ay, Mistress Cicely, " said Dr. Bourgoin from behind, "but the younggentleman has his fortune to make, and knows better than to look on theseamy side of Court favour. "

"Ah! see those scarlet robes, " here exclaimed Cis. "Are they thejudges, Humfrey?"

"Ay, the two Chief-Justices and the Chief Baron of the Exchequer. Therethey sit in front of the Earls, and three more judges in front of theBarons. "

"And there are more red robes at that little table in front, besidesthe black ones. "

"Those are Doctors of Law, and those in black with coifs are theAttorney and Solicitor General. The rest are clerks and writers andthe like. "

"It is a mighty and fearful array, " said Cicely with a long breath. 

"A mighty comedy wherewith to mock at justice, " said Jean. 

"Prudence, madam, and caution, " suggested Dr. Bourgoin. "And hush!"

A crier here shouted aloud, "Oyez, oyez, oyez! Mary, Queen of Scotlandand Dowager of France, come into the Court!"

Then from a door in the centre, leaning on Sir Andrew Melville's arm, came forward the Queen, in a black velvet dress, her long transparentveil hanging over it from her cap, and followed by the two Maries, onecarrying a crimson velvet folding-chair, and the other a footstool. She turned at first towards the throne, but she was motioned aside, andmade to perceive that her place was not there. She drew her slenderfigure up with offended dignity. "I am a queen, " she said; "I marrieda king of France, and my seat ought to be there. "

However, with this protest she passed on to her appointed place, looking sadly round at the assembled judges and lawyers. 

"Alas!" she said, "so many counsellors, and not one for me. "

Were there any Englishmen there besides Richard Talbot and his son whofelt the pathos of this appeal? One defenceless woman against an arrayof the legal force of the whole kingdom. It may be feared that thefeelings of most were as if they had at last secured some wild, noxious, and incomprehensible animal in their net, on whose strugglesthey looked with the unpitying eye of the hunter. 

The Lord Chancellor began by declaring that the Queen of Englandconvened the Court as a duty in one who might not bear the sword invain, to examine into the practices against her own life, giving theQueen of Scots the opportunity of clearing herself. 

At the desire of Burghley, the commission was read by the Clerk of theCourt, and Mary then made her public protest against its legality, orpower over her. 

It was a wonderful thing, as those spectators in the gallery felt, tosee how brave and how acute was the defence of that solitary lady, seated there with all those learned men against her; her papers gone, nothing left to her but her brain and her tongue. No loss of dignitynor of gentleness was shown in her replies; they were always simple anddirect. The difficulty for her was all the greater that she had notbeen allowed to know the form of the accusation, before it was hurledagainst her in full force by Mr. Serjeant Gawdy, who detailed the wholeof the conspiracy of Ballard and Babington in all its branches, anddeclared her to have known and approved of it, and to have suggestedthe manner of executing it. 

Breathlessly did Cicely listen as the Queen rose up. Humfrey watchedher almost more closely than the royal prisoner. When there was adenial of all knowledge or intercourse with Ballard or Babington, JeanKennedy's hard-lined face never faltered; but Cicely's brows cametogether in concern at the mention of the last name, and did not clearas the Queen explained that though many Catholics might indeed write toher with offers of service, she could have no knowledge of anythingthey might attempt. To confute this, extracts from their confessionswere read, and likewise that letter of Babington's which he had writtento her detailing his plans, and that lengthy answer, brought by theblue-coated serving-man, in which the mode of carrying her off fromChartley was suggested, and which had the postscript desiring to knowthe names of the six who were to remove the usurping competitor. 

The Queen denied this letter flatly, declaring that it might have beenwritten with her alphabet of ciphers, but was certainly none of hers. "There may have been designs against the Queen and for procuring myliberty, " she said, "but I, shut up in close prison, was not aware ofthem, and how can I be made to answer for them? Only lately did Ireceive a letter asking my pardon if schemes were made on my behalfwithout my privity, nor can anything be easier than to counterfeit acipher, as was lately proved by a young man in France. Verily, Igreatly fear that if these same letters were traced to their deviser, it would prove to be the one who is sitting here. Think you, " sheadded, turning to Walsingham, "think you, Mr. Secretary, that I amignorant of your devices used so craftily against me? Your spiessurrounded me on every side, but you know not, perhaps, that some ofyour spies have been false and brought intelligence to me. And if suchhave been his dealings, my Lords, " she said, appealing to the judgesand peers, "how can I be assured that he hath not counterfeited myciphers to bring me to my death? Hath he not already practised againstmy life and that of my son?"

Walsingham rose in his place, and lifting up his hands and eyesdeclared, "I call God to record that as a private person I have donenothing unbeseeming an honest man, nor as a public person have I doneanything to dishonour my place. "

Somewhat ironically Mary admitted this disavowal, and after someunimportant discussion, the Court adjourned until the next day, itbeing already late, according to the early habits of the time. 

Cicely had been entirely carried along by her mother's pleading. Tearshad started as Queen Mary wept her indignant tears, and a glow hadrisen in her cheeks at the accusation of Walsingham. Ever and anon shelooked to Humfrey's face for sympathy, but he sat gravely listening, his two hands clasped over the hilt of his sword, and his chin restingon them, as if to prevent a muscle of his face from moving. When theyrose up to leave the galleries, and there was the power to say a word, she turned to him earnestly. 

"A piteous sight, " he said, "and a right gallant defence. "

He did not mean it, but the words struck like lead on Cicely's heart, for they did not amount to an acquittal before the tribunal of hissecret conviction, any more than did Walsingham's disavowal, for whocould tell what Mr. Secretary's conscience did think unbecoming to hisoffice?

Cicely found her mother on her couch giving a free course to her tears, in the reaction after the strain and effort of her defence. Melvilleand the Maries were assuring her that she had most bravely confuted herenemies, and that she had only to hold on with equal courage to theend. Mrs. Kennedy and Dr. Bourgoin came in to join in the sameencouragements, and the commendation evidently soothed her. "However itmay end, " she said, "Mary of Scotland shall not go down to future agesas a craven spirit. But let us not discuss it further, my dearfriends, my head aches, and I can bear no farther word at present. "

Dr. Bourgoin made her take some food and then lie down to rest, whilein an outer room a lute was played and a low soft song was sung. Shehad not slept all the previous night, but she fell asleep, holding thehand of Cicely, who was on a cushion by her side. The girl, havingbeen likewise much disturbed, slept too, and only gradually awoke asher mother was sitting up on her couch discussing the next day'sdefence with Melville and Bourgoin. 

"I fear me, madam, there is no holding to the profession of entireignorance, " said Melville. 

"They have no letters from Babington to me to show, " said the Queen. "Itook care of _that_ by the help of this good bairn. I can defy them toproduce the originals out of all my ransacked cabinets. "

"They have the copies both of them and of your Majesty's replies, andNan and Curll to verify them. "

"What are copies worth, or what are dead and tortured men's confessionsworth?" said Mary. 

"Were your Majesty a private person they would never be accepted asevidence, " said Melville; "but--"

"But because I am a Queen and a Catholic there is no justice for me, "said Mary. "Well, what is the defence you would have me confine myselfto, my sole privy counsellors?"

Here Cis, to show she was awake, pressed her mother's hand and lookedup in her face, but Mary, though returning the glance and the pressure, did not send her away, while Melville recommended strongly that theQueen should continue to insist on the imperfection of the evidenceadduced against her, which he said might so touch some of the lawyers, or the nobles, that Burghley and Walsingham might be afraid to proceed. If this failed her, she must allow her knowledge of the plot for herown escape and the Spanish invasion, but strenuously deny the partwhich concerned Elizabeth's life. 

"That it is which they above all desire to fix on me, " said the Queen. 

Cicely's brain was in confusion. Surely she had heard those lettersread in the hall. Were they false or genuine? The Queen had utterlydenied them there. Now she seemed to think the only point was to provethat these were not the originals. Dr. Bourgoin seemed to feel thesame difficulty. 

"Madame will pardon me, " he said; "I have not been of her secretcouncils, but can she not, if rightly dealt with, prove those twoletters that were read to have been forged by her enemies?"

"What I could do is this, my good Bourgoin, " said Mary; "were I onlyconfronted with Nau and Curll, I could prove that the letter I receivedfrom Babington bore nothing about the destroying the usurpingcompetitor. The poor faithful lad was a fool, but not so great a foolas to tell me such things. And, on the other hand, hath either of you, my friends, ever seen in me such symptoms of midsummer madness as thatI should be asking the names of the six who were to do the deed? Whatcared I for their names? I--who only wished to know as little of thematter as possible!"

"Can your Majesty prove that you knew nothing?" asked Melville. 

Mary paused. "They cannot prove by fair means that I knew anything, "said she, "for I did not. Of course I was aware that Elizabeth must betaken out of the way, or the heretics would be rallying round her; butthere is no lack of folk who delight in work of that sort, and whyshould I meddle with the knowledge? With the Prince of Parma inLondon, she, if she hath the high courage she boasteth of, would sooncause the Spanish pikes to use small ceremony with her! Why should Iconcern myself about poor Antony and his five gentlemen? But it is thesame as it was twenty years ago. What I know will have to be, and yetchoose not to hear of, is made the head and front of mine offending, that the real actors may go free! And because I have writ naught thatthey can bring against me, they take my letters and add to and garblethem, till none knows where to have them. Would that we were inFrance! There it was a good sword-cut or pistol-shot at once, and onetook one's chance of a return, without all this hypocrisy of law andjustice to weary one out and make men double traitors. "

"Methought Walsingham winced when your Majesty went to the point withhim, " said Bourgoin. 

"And you put up with his explanation?" said Melville. 

"Truly I longed to demand of what practices Mr. Secretary in hisoffice, --not as a private person--would be ashamed; but it seemed to methat they might call it womanish spite, and to that the Queen of Scotswill never descend!"

"Pity but that we had Babington's letter! Then might we put him toconfusion by proving the additions, " said Melville. 

"It is not possible, my good friend. The letter is at the bottom ofthe Castle well; is it not, mignonne? Mourn for it not, Andrew. Itwould have been of little avail, and it carried with it stuff that Mr. Secretary would give almost his precious place to possess, and thatmight be fatal to more of us. I hoped that there might have beensafety for poor Babington in the destruction of that packet, neverguessing at the villainy of yon Burton brewer, nor of those who set himon. Come, it serves not to fret ourselves any more. I must answer asoccasion serves me; speaking not so much to Elizabeth's Commission, whohave foredoomed me, as to all Christendom, and to the Scots and Englishof all ages, who will be my judges. "

Her judges? Ay! but how? With the same enthusiastic pity andindignation, mixed with the same misgiving as her own daughter felt. Not wholly innocent, not wholly guilty, yet far less guilty than thosewho had laid their own crimes on her in Scotland, or who plotted toinvolve her in meshes partly woven by herself in England. The evil doneto her was frightful, but it would have been powerless had she beenwholly blameless. Alas! is it not so with all of us?

The second day's trial came on. Mary Seaton was so overpowered withthe strain she had gone through that the Queen would not take her intothe hall, but let Cicely sit at her feet instead. On this day none ofthe Crown lawyers took part in the proceedings; for, as Cavendishwhispered to Humfrey, there had been high words between them and myLord Treasurer and Mr. Secretary; and they had declared themselvesincapable of conducting a prosecution so inconsistent with the forms oflaw to which they were accustomed. The pedantic fellows wanted moredirect evidence, he said, and Humfrey honoured them. 

Lord Burghley then conducted the proceedings, and they had thus a morepersonal character. The Queen, however, acted on Melville's advice, and no longer denied all knowledge of the conspiracy, but insisted thatshe was ignorant of the proposed murder of Elizabeth, and argued mostpertinently that a copy of a deciphered cipher, without the original, was no proof at all, desiring further that Nau and Curll should beexamined in her presence. She reminded the Commissioners how theirQueen herself had been called in question for Wyatt's rebellion, inspite of her innocence. "Heaven is my witness, " she added, "that muchas I desire the safety and glory of the Catholic religion, I would notpurchase it at the price of blood. I would rather play Esther thanJudith. "

Her defence was completed by her taking off the ring which Elizabethhad sent to her at Lochleven. "This, " she said, holding it up, "yourQueen sent to me in token of amity and protection. You best know howthat pledge has been redeemed. " Therewith she claimed another day'shearing, with an advocate granted to her, or else that, being aPrincess, she might be believed on the word of a Princess. 

This completed her defence, except so far that when Burghley respondedin a speech of great length, she interrupted, and battled point bypoint, always keeping in view the strong point of the insufficientevidence and her own deprivation of the chances of confuting what wasadduced against her. 

It was late in the afternoon when he concluded. There was a pause, asthough for a verdict by the Commissioners. Instead of this, Mary roseand repeated her appeal to be tried before the Parliament of England atWestminster. No reply was made, and the Court broke up. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

A VENTURE. 

"Mother, dear mother, do but listen to me. "

"I must listen, child, when thou callest me so from your heart; but itis of no use, my poor little one. They have referred the matter to theStar Chamber, that they may settle it there with closed doors and noforms of law. Thou couldst do nothing! And could I trust thee to gowandering to London, like a maiden in a ballad, all alone?"

"Nay, madam, I should not go alone. My father, I mean Mr. Talbot, would take me. "

"Come, bairnie, that is presuming overmuch on the good man's kindness. "

"I do not speak without warrant, madam. I told him what I longed todo, and he said it might be my duty, and if it were so, he would notgainsay me; but that he could not let me go alone, and would go withme. And he can get access for me to the Queen. He has seen herhimself, and so has Humfrey; and Diccon is a gentleman pensioner. "

"There have been ventures enough for me already, " said Mary. "I willbring no more faithful heads into peril. "

"Then will you not consent, mother? He will quit the castle to-morrow, and I am to see him in the morning and give him an answer. If you wouldlet me go, he would crave license to take me home, saying that I lookpaler than my wont. "

"And so thou dost, child. If I could be sure of ever seeing theeagain, I should have proposed thy going home to good Mistress Susan'stendance for a little space. But it is not to be thought of. I couldnot risk thee, or any honest loving heart, on so desperate a stake asmine! I love thee, mine ain, true, leal lassie, all the more, and Ihonour him; but it may not be! Ask me no more. "

Mary was here interrupted by a request from Sir Christopher Hatton forone of the many harassing interviews that beset her during the daysfollowing the trial, when judgment was withheld, according to theexpress command of the vacillating Elizabeth, and the case remitted tothe Star Chamber. Lord Burghley considered this hesitation to be theeffect of judicial blindness--so utterly had hatred and fear of thefuture shut his eyes to all sense of justice and fair play. 

Cicely felt all youth's disappointment in the rejection of its grandschemes. But to her surprise at night Mary addressed her again, "Mydaughter, did that true-hearted foster-father of thine speak in sooth?"

"He never doth otherwise, " returned Cicely. 

"For, " said her mother, "I have thought of a way of gaining thee accessto the Queen, far less perilous to him, and less likely to fail. Iwill give thee letters to M. De Chateauneuf, the French Ambassador, whom I have known in old times, with full credentials. It might be wellto have with thee those that I left with Mistress Talbot. Then he willgain thee admittance, and work for thee as one sent from France, andprotected by the rights of the Embassy. Thus, Master Richard neednever appear in the matter at all, and at any rate thou wouldst besecure. Chateauneuf would find means of sending thee abroad ifneedful. "

"Oh! I would return to you, madam my mother, or wait for you in London. "

"That must be as the wills above decree, " said Mary sadly. "It isfolly in me, but I cannot help grasping at the one hope held out to me. There is that within me that will hope and strive to the end, though Iam using my one precious jewel to weight the line I am casting acrossthe gulf. At least they cannot do thee great harm, my good child. "

The Queen sat up half the night writing letters, one to Elizabeth, oneto Chateauneuf, and another to the Duchess of Lorraine, which Cis wasto deliver in case of her being sent over to the Continent. But theQueen committed the conduct of the whole affair to M. De Chateauneuf, since she could completely trust his discretion and regard for her;and, moreover, it was possible that the face of affairs might undergosome great alteration before Cicely could reach London. Mr. Talbotmust necessarily go home first, being bound to do so by his commissionto the Earl. "And, hark thee, " said the Queen, "what becomes of theyoung gallant?"

"I have not heard, madam, " said Cicely, not liking the tone. 

"If my desires still have any effect, " said Mary, "he will stay here. Iwill not have my damosel errant squired by a youth underfive-and-twenty. "

"I promised you, madam, and he wots it, " said Cicely, with spirit. 

"He wots it, doth he?" said the Queen, in rather a provoking voice. "No, no, mignonne; with all respect to their honour and discretion, wedo not put flint and steel together, when we do not wish to kindle afire. Nay, little one, I meant not to vex thee, when thou art doingone of the noblest deeds daughter ever did for mother, and for a motherwho sent thee away from her, and whom thou hast scarce known for morethan two years!"

Cicely was sure to see her foster-father after morning prayers on theway from the chapel across the inner court. Here she was able to tellhim of the Queen's consent, over which he looked grave, having secretlypersuaded himself that Mary would think the venture too great, and nothopeful enough to be made. He could not, however, wonder that theunfortunate lady should catch at the least hope of preserving her life;and she had dragged too many down in the whirlpool to leave room forwonder that she should consent to peril her own daughter therein. Moreover, he would have the present pleasure of taking her home withhim to his Susan, and who could say what would happen in the meantime?

"Thou hast counted the cost?" he said. 

"Yea, sir, " Cis answered, as the young always do; adding, "the Queensaith that if we commit all to the French Ambassador, M. DeChateauneuf, who is her very good friend, he will save you from anyperil. "

"Hm! I had rather be beholden to no Frenchman, " muttered Richard, "butwe will see, we will see. I must now to Paulett to obtain consent totake thee with me. Thou art pale and changed enough indeed to need ablast of Hallamshire air, my poor maid. "

So Master Richard betook him to the knight, a man of many charges, andmade known that finding his daughter somewhat puling and sickly, hewished having, as she told him, the consent of the Queen of Scots, totake her home with him for a time. 

"You do well, Mr. Talbot, " said Sir Amias. "In sooth, I have onlymarvelled that a pious and godly man like you should have consented tolet her abide so long, at her tender age, among these papistical, idolatrous, and bloodthirsty women. "

"I think not that she hath taken harm, " said Richard. 

"I have done my poor best; I have removed the priest of Baal, " said theknight; "I have caused godly ministers constantly to preach sounddoctrine in the ears of all who would hearken; and I have uplifted mytestimony whensoever it was possible. But it is not well to expose theyoung to touching the accursed thing, and this lady hath shown herselfgreatly affected to your daughter, so that she might easily be seducedfrom the truth. Yet, sir, bethink you is it well to remove the maidenfrom witnessing that which will be a warning for ever of the judgmentthat falleth on conspiracy and idolatry?"

"You deem the matter so certain?" said Richard. 

"Beyond a doubt, sir. This lady will never leave these walls alive. There can be no peace for England nor safety for our blessed andgracious Queen while she lives. Her guilt is certain; and as Mr. Secretary said to me last night, he and the Lord Treasurer aredetermined that for no legal quibbles, nor scruples of mercy from ourever-pitiful Queen, shall she now escape. Her Majesty, however herwomanish heart may doubt now, will rejoice when the deed is done. Methinks I showed you the letter she did me the honour to write, thanking me for the part I took in conveying the lady suddenly toTixall. "

Richard had already read that letter three times, so he avowed hisknowledge of it. 

"You will not remove your son likewise?" added Sir Amias. "He hath anacquaintance with this lady's people, which is useful in one sothoroughly to be trusted; and moreover, he will not be tampered with. For, sir, I am never without dread of some attempt being made to dealwith this lady privily, in which case I should be the one to bear allthe blame. Wherefore I have made request to have another honourablegentleman joined with me in this painful wardship. "

Richard had no desire to remove his son. He shared Queen Mary'sfeelings on the inexpediency of Humfrey forming part of the escort ofthe young lady, and thought it was better for both to see as little ofone another as possible. 

Sir Amias accordingly, on his morning visit of inspection, intimated tothe Queen that Mr. Talbot wished his daughter to return home with himfor the recovery of her health. He spoke as if the whole suite were athis own disposal, and Mary resented it in her dignified manner. 

"The young lady hath already requested license from us, " she said, "andwe have granted it. She will return when her health is fully restored. "

Sir Amias had forbearance enough not to hint that unless the returnwere speedy, she would scarcely find the Queen there, and the matterwas settled. Master Richard would not depart until after dinner, whenother gentlemen were going, and this would enable Cicely to make up hermails, and there would still be time to ride a stage before dark. Herown horse was in the stables, and her goods would be bestowed in cloakbags on the saddles of the grooms who had accompanied Mr. Talbot; for, small as was the estate of Bridgefield, for safety's sake he could nothave gone on so long an expedition without a sufficient guard. 

The intervening time was spent by the Queen in instructing her daughterhow to act in various contingencies. If it were possible to the FrenchAmbassador to present her as freshly come from the Soissons convent, where she was to have been reared, it would save Mr. Talbot from allrisk; but the Queen doubted whether she could support the character, soEnglish was her air, though there were Scottish and English nuns atSoissons, and still more at Louvaine and Douay, who _might_ havebrought her up. 

"I cannot feign, madam, " said Cicely, alarmed. "Oh, I hope I need onlyspeak truth!" and her tone sounded much more like a confession ofincapacity than a moral objection, and so it was received: "Poor child, I know thou canst not act a part, and thy return to the honest mastiffswill not further thee in it; but I have bidden Chateauneuf to do whathe can for thee--and after all the eyes will not be very critical. "

If there still was time, Cicely was to endeavour first of all to obtainof Elizabeth that Mary might be brought to London to see her, and bejudged before Parliament with full means of defence. If this were nolonger possible, Cicely might attempt to expose Walsingham'scontrivance; but this would probably be too dangerous. Chateauneufmust judge. Or, as another alternative, Queen Mary gave Cicely thering already shown at the trial, and with that as her pledge, a solemnoffer was to be made on her behalf to retire into a convent in Austria, or in one of the Roman Catholic cantons of Switzerland, out of thereach of Spain and France, and there take the veil, resigning all herrights to her son. All her money had been taken away, but she toldCicely she had given orders to Chateauneuf to supply from her Frenchdowry all that might be needed for the expenses that must be incurred. 

Now that the matter was becoming so real, Cicely's heart quailed alittle. Castles in the air that look heroic at the first glance wouldnot so remain did not they show themselves terrible at a nearerapproach, and the maiden wondered, whether Queen Elizabeth would bemuch more formidable than my Lady Countess in a rage!

And what would become of herself? Would she be detained in the bondagein which the poor sisters of the Grey blood had been kept? Or would hermother carry her off to these strange lands?. . . . It was all strange, and the very boldness of her offer, since it had been thus accepted, made her feel helpless and passive in the grasp of the powers that hersimple wish had set moving. 

The letters were sewn up in the most ingenious manner in her dress byMary Seaton, in case any search should be made; but the only woman SirAmias would be able to employ in such a matter was purblind andhelpless, and they trusted much to his implicit faith in the Talbots. 

There was only just time to complete her preparations before she wassummoned; and with an almost convulsive embrace from her mother, andwhispered benedictions from Jean Kennedy, she left the dreary walls ofFotheringhay. 

Humfrey rode with them through the Chase. Both he and Cicely were verysilent. When the time came for parting, Cicely said, as she laid herhand in his, "Dear brother, for my sake do all thou canst for her withhonour. "

"That will I, " said Humfrey. "Would that I were going with thee, Cicely!"

"So would not I, " she returned; "for then there would be one true heartthe less to watch over her. "

"Come, daughter!" said Richard, who had engaged one of the gentlemen inconversation so as to leave them to themselves. "We must be jogging. Fare thee well, my son, till such time as thy duties permit thee tofollow us. "

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

MY LADY'S REMORSE. 

"And have you brought her back again! O my lass! my lass!" criedMistress Susan, surprised and delighted out of her usual staidcomposure, as, going out to greet her husband, an unexpected figure wasseen by his side, and Cicely sprang into her arms as if they were trulya haven of rest. 

Susan looked over her head, even in the midst of the embrace, with theeyes of one hungering for her first-born son, but her husband shook hishead. "No, mother, we have not brought thee the boy. Thou mustcontent thyself with her thou hast here for a little space. "

"I hope it bodes not ill, " said Susan. 

"It bodes, " said Richard, "that I have brought thee back a gooddaughter with a pair of pale cheeks, which must be speedily colouredanew in our northern breezes. "

"Ah, how sweet to be here at home, " cried Cicely, turning round inrapturous greeting to all the serving men and women, and all the dogs. "We want only the boys! Where is Ned?"

Their arrival having been unannounced, Ned was with Master Sniggius, whose foremost scholar he now was, and who kept him much later than theother lads to prepare him for Cambridge; but it was the return to thistender foster-mother that seemed such extreme bliss to Cicely. All wasmost unlike her reluctant return two years previously, when nothing buther inbred courtesy and natural sweetness of disposition had preventedher from being contemptuous of the country home. Now every stone, every leaf, seemed precious to her, and she showed herself, even as sheascended the steps to the hall, determined not to be the guest but thedaughter. There was a little movement on the parents' part, as if theybore in mind that she came as a princess; but she flew to draw upMaster Richard's chair, and put his wife's beside it, nor would shesit, till they had prayed her to do so; and it was all done with such agraceful bearing, the noble carriage of her head had become so muchmore remarkable, and a sweet readiness and responsiveness of manner hadso grown upon her, that Susan looked at her in wondering admiration, assomething more her own and yet less her own than ever, tracing in herfor the first time some of the charms of the Queen of Scots. 

All the household hovered about in delight, and confidences could notbe exchanged just then: the travellers had to eat and drink, and theywere only just beginning to do so when Ned came home. He was ofslighter make than his brothers, and had a more scholarly aspect: buthis voice made itself heard before him. "Is it true? Is it true thatmy father is come? And our Cis too? Ha!" and he rushed in, hardlygiving himself time for the respectful greeting to his father, beforehe fell upon Cis with undoubting brotherly delight. 

"Is Humfrey come?" he asked as soon as he could take breath. "No? Ithought 'twas too good to be all true. "

"How did you hear?"

"Hob the hunter brought up word that the Queen's head was off. What?"as Cicely gave a start and little scream. "Is it not so?"

"No, indeed, boy, " said his father. "What put that folly into hishead?"

"Because he saw, or thought he saw, Humfrey and Cis riding home withyou, sir, and so thought all was over with the Queen of Scots. MyLady, they say, had one of her shrieking fits, and my Lord sent down toask whether I knew aught; and when he found that I did not, would haveme go home at once to bid you come up immediately to the Manor; andbefore I had gotten out Dapple, there comes another message to saythat, in as brief space as it will take to saddle them, there will bebeasts here to bring up you and my mother and Cis, to tell my LadyCountess all that has befallen. "

Cis's countenance so changed that kind Susan said, "I will make thineexcuses to my Lady. Thou art weary and ill at ease, and I cannot havethee set forth at once again. "

"The Queen would never have sent such sudden and hasty orders, " saidCicely. "Mother, can you not stay with me?--I have so much to say toyou, and my time is short. "

The Talbots were, however, too much accustomed to obedience to theperemptory commands of their feudal chiefs to venture on suchdisobedience. Susan's proposal had been a great piece of audacity, onwhich she would hardly have ventured but for her consciousness that themaiden was no Talbot at all. 

Yet to Cis the dear company of her mother Susan, even in the Countess'ssociety, seemed too precious to be resigned, and she had likewise beentold that Lady Shrewsbury's mind had greatly changed towards Mary, andthat since the irritation of the captive's presence had been removed, she remembered only the happier and kindlier portion of their pastintercourse. There had been plenty of quarrels with her husband, butnone so desperate as before, and at this present time the Earl andCountess were united against the surviving sons, who, with Gilbert attheir head, were making large demands on them. Cicely felt grateful tothe Earl for his absence from Fotheringhay, and, though disappointed ofher peaceful home evening, declared she would come up to the Lodgerather than lose sight of "mother. " The stable people, moreconsiderate than their Lord and Lady, proved to have sent a horselitter for the conveyance of the ladies called out on the wet darkOctober evening, and here it was that Cis could enjoy her firstprecious moment of privacy with one for whom she had so long yearned. Susan rejoiced in the heavy lumbering conveyance as a luxury, sparingthe maiden's fatigue, and she was commencing some inquiries into theindisposition which had procured this holiday, when Cicely broke in, "Omother, nothing aileth me. It is not for that cause--but oh! mother, Iam to go to see Queen Elizabeth, and strive with her for her--for mymother's life and freedom. "

"Thou! poor little maid. Doth thy father--what am I saying? Doth myhusband know?"

"Oh yes. He will take me. He saith it is my duty. "

"Then it must be well, " said Susan in an altered voice on hearing this. "From whom came the proposal?"

"I made it, " said Cicely in a low, feeble voice on the verge of tears. "Oh, dear mother, thou wilt not tell any one how faint of heart I am?I did mean it in sooth, but I never guessed how dreadful it would grownow I am pledged to it. "

"Thou art pledged, then, and canst not falter?"

"Never, " said Cicely; "I would not that any should know it, not even myfather; but mother, mother, I could not help telling you. You will letno one guess? I know it is unworthy, but--"

"Not unworthy to fear, my poor child, so long as thou dost not waver. "

"It is, it is unworthy of my lineage. My mother queen would say so, "cried Cis, drawing herself up. 

"Giving way would be unworthy, " said Susan, "but turn thou to thy God, my child, and He will give thee strength to carry through whatever isthe duty of a faithful daughter towards this poor lady; and my husband, thou sayest, holds that so it is?"

"Yea, madam; he craved license to take me home, since I have trulyoften been ailing since those dreadful days at Tixall, and he hathpromised to go to London with me. "

"And is this to be done in thine own true name?" asked Susan, tremblingsomewhat at the risk to her husband, as well as to the maiden. 

"I trow that it is, " said Cis, "but the matter is to be put into thehands of M. De Chateauneuf, the French Ambassador. I have a letterhere, " laying her hand on her bosom, "which, the Queen declares, willthoroughly prove to him who I am, and if I go as under his protection, none can do my father any harm. "

Susan hoped so, but she trusted to understand all better from herhusband, though her heart failed her as much as, or even perhaps morethan, did that of poor little Cis. Master Richard had sped on beforetheir tardy conveyance, and had had time to give the heads of hisintelligence before they reached the Manor house, and when they wereconducted to my Lady's chamber, they saw him, by the light of a largefire, standing before the Earl and Countess, cap in hand, much as agroom or gamekeeper would now stand before his master and mistress. 

The Earl, however, rose to receive the ladies; but the Countess, nogreat observer of ceremony towards other people, whatever she mightexact from them towards herself, cried out, "Come hither, come hither, Cicely Talbot, and tell me how it fares with the poor lady, " and as themaiden came forward in the dim light-- "Ha! What! Is't she?" shecried, with a sudden start. "On my faith, what has she done to thee?Thou art as like her as the foal to the mare. "

This exclamation disconcerted the visitors, but luckily for them theEarl laughed and declared that he could see no resemblance in MistressCicely's dark brows to the arched ones of the Queen of Scots, to whichhis wife replied testily, "Who said there was? The maid need not beuplifted, for there's nothing alike between them, only she hath caughtthe trick of her bearing so as to startle me in the dark, my headrunning on the poor lady. I could have sworn 'twas she coming in, asshe was when she first came to our care fifteen years agone. PrayHeaven she may not haunt the place! How fareth she in health, wench?"

"Well, madam, save when the rheumatic pains take her, " said Cicely. 

"And still of good courage?"

"That, madam, nothing can daunt. "

Seats, though only joint stools, were given to the ladies, but Susanfound herself no longer trembling at the effects of the Countess'sinsolence upon Cicely, who seemed to accept it all as a matter ofcourse, and almost of indifference, though replying readily and with agentle grace, most unlike her childish petulance. 

Many close inquiries from the Earl and Countess were answered byRichard and the young lady, until they had a tolerably clear idea ofthe situation. The Countess wept bitterly, and to Cicely's greatamazement began bemoaning herself that she was not still the poorlady's keeper. It was a shame to put her where there were no women tofeel for her. Lady Shrewsbury had apparently forgotten that no one hadbeen so virulent against the Queen as herself. 

And when it was impossible to deny that things looked extremely ill, and that Burghley and Walsingham seemed resolved not to let slip thisopportunity of ridding themselves of the prisoner, my Lady burst outwith, "Ah! there it is! She will die, and my promise is broken, andshe will haunt me to my dying day, all along of that venomous toad andspiteful viper, Mary Talbot. "

A passionate fit of weeping succeeded, mingled with vituperations ofher daughter Mary, far more than of herself, and amid it all, duringSusan's endeavours at soothing, Cicely gathered that the cause of theCountess's despair was that in the time of her friendship and amity, she had uttered an assurance that the Queen need not fear death, as shewould contrive means of safety. And on her own ground, in her ownCastle or Lodge, there could be little doubt that she would have beenable to have done so. The Earl, indeed, shook his head, but repented, for she laughed at him half angrily, half hysterically, for thinking hecould have prevented anything that she was set upon. 

And now she said and fully believed that the misunderstanding which hadresulted in the removal of the prisoner had been entirely due to theslanders and deceits of her own daughter Mary, and her husband Gilbert, with whom she was at this time on the worst of terms. And thus shelaid on them the blame of the Queen's death (if that was reallydecreed), but though she outwardly blamed every creature save herself, such agony of mind, and even terror, proved that in very truth theremust have been the conviction at the bottom of her heart that it washer own fault. 

The Earl had beckoned away Master Richard, both glad to escape; butCicely had to remain, and filled with compassion for one whom she hadalways regarded previously as an enemy, she could not help saying, "Dear madam, take comfort; I am going to bear a petition to the Queen'sMajesty from the captive lady, and if she will hear me all will yet bewell. "

"How! What? How! Thou little moppet! Knows she what she says, SusanTalbot?"

Susan made answer that she had had time to hear no particulars yet, butthat Cicely averred that she was going with her father's consent, whereupon Richard was immediately summoned back to explain. 

The Earl and Countess could hardly believe that he should haveconsented that his daughter should be thus employed, and he had toexcuse himself with what he could not help feeling were only halftruths. 

"The poor lady, " he said, "is denied all power of sending word orletter to the Queen save through those whom she views as her enemies, and therefore she longed earnestly either to see her Majesty, or tohold communication with her through one whom she knoweth to be bothsimple and her own friend. "

"Yea, " said the Countess, "I could well have done this for her could Ibut have had speech with her. Or she might have sent Bess Pierrepoint, who surely would have been a more fitting messenger. "

"Save that she hath not had access to the Queen of Scots of late, " saidRichard. 

"Yea, and her father would scarcely be willing to risk the Queen'sdispleasure, " said the Earl. 

"Art thou ready to abide it, Master Richard?" said the Countess, "though after all it could do you little harm. " And her tone markedthe infinite distance she placed between him and Sir Henry Pierrepoint, the husband of her daughter. 

"That is true, madam, " said Richard, "and moreover, I cannot reconcileit to my conscience to debar the poor lady from any possible opening ofsafety. "

"Thou art a good man, Richard, " said the Earl, and therewith both heand the Countess became extremely, nay, almost inconveniently, desirousto forward the petitioner on her way. To listen to them that night, they would have had her go as an emissary of the house of Shrewsbury, and only the previous quarrel with Lord Talbot and his wife preventedthem from proposing that she should be led to the foot of the throne byGilbert himself. 

Cicely began to be somewhat alarmed at plans that would disconcert allthe instructions she had received, and only her old habits of respectkept her silent when she thought Master Richard not ready enough torefuse all these offers. 

At last he succeeded in obtaining license to depart, and no sooner wasCicely again shut up with Mistress Susan in the litter than sheexclaimed, "Now will it be most hard to carry out the Queen's ordersthat I should go first to the French Ambassador. I would that my LadyCountess would not think naught can succeed without her meddling. "

"Thou shouldst have let father tell thy purpose in his own way, " saidSusan. 

"Ah! mother, I am an indiscreet simpleton, not fit for such a work as Ihave taken in hand, " said poor Cis. "Here hath my foolish tonguetraversed it already!"

"Fear not, " said Susan, as one who well knew the nature of herkinswoman; "belike she will have cooled to-morrow, all the more becausefather said naught to the nayward. "

Susan was uneasy enough herself, and very desirous to hear all from herhusband in private. And that night he told her that he had very littlehope of the intercession being availing. He believed that theTreasurer and Secretary were absolutely determined on Mary's death, andwould sooner or later force consent from the Queen; but there was thepossibility that Elizabeth's feelings might be so far stirred that on asudden impulse she might set Mary at liberty, and place her beyondtheir reach. 

"And hap what may, " he said, "when a daughter offereth to do her utmostfor a mother in peril of death, what right have I to hinder her?"

"May God guard the duteous!" said Susan. "But oh! husband, is sheworthy, for whom the child is thus to lead you into peril?"

"She is her mother, " repeated Richard. "Had I erred--"

"Which you never could do, " broke in the wife. 

"I am a sinful man, " said he. 

"Yea, but there are deeds you never could have done. "

"By God's grace I trust not; but hear me out, wife. Mine errors, nay, my crimes, would not do away with the duty owed to me by my sons. How, then, should any sins of this poor Queen withhold her daughter fromrendering her all the succour in her power? And thou, thou thyself, Susan, hast taken her for thine own too long to endure to let herundertake the matter alone and unaided. "

"She would not attempt it thus, " said Susan. 

"I cannot tell; but I should thus be guilty of foiling her in a braveand filial purpose. "

"And yet thou dost hold her poor mother a guilty woman?"

"Said I so? Nay, Susan, I am as dubious as ever I was on that head. "

"After hearing the trial?"

"A word in thine ear, my discreet wife. The trial convinced me farmore that place makes honest men act like cruel knaves than of aughtelse. "

"Then thou holdest her innocent?"

"I said not so. I have known too long how she lives by the weaving ofwebs. I know not how it is, but these great folks seem not to deemthat truth in word and deed is a part of their religion. For my part, I should distrust whatever godliness did not lead to truth, but a plainman never knows where to have them. That she and poor Antony Babingtonwere in league to bring hither the Spaniards and restore the Pope, Ihave no manner of doubt on the word of both, but then they deemit--Heaven help them--a virtuous act; and it might be lawful in her, seeing that she has always called herself a free sovereign unjustlydetained. What he stuck at and she denies, is the purpose of murderingthe Queen's Majesty. "

"Sure that was the head and front of the poor young man's offending. "

"So it was, but not until he had been urged thereto by his priests, andhad obtained her consent in a letter. Heaven forgive me if I misjudgeany one, but my belief is this--that the letters, whereof only thedeciphered copies were shown, did not quit the hands of either the oneor the other, such as we heard them at Fotheringhay. So poor Babingtonsaid, so saith the Queen of Scots, demanding vehemently to have themread in her presence before Nau and Curll, who could testify to them. Cis deemeth that the true letter from Babington is in a packet which, on learning from Humfrey his suspicion that there was treachery, theQueen gave her, and she threw down a well at Chartley. "

"That was pity. "

"Say not so, for had the original letter been seized, it would onlyhave been treated in the same manner as the copy, and never allowed toreach Queen Elizabeth. "

"I am glad poor Cicely's mother can stand clear of that guilt, " saidSusan. "I served her too long, and received too much gentle treatmentfrom her, to brook the thought that she could be so far left toherself. "

"Mind you, dame, " said Richard, "I am not wholly convinced that she wasnot aware that her friends would in some way or other bring about theQueen's death, and that she would scarce have visited it very harshly, but she is far too wise--ay, and too tender-hearted, to have enteredinto the matter beforehand. So I think her not wholly guiltless, though the wrongs she hath suffered have been so great that I would dowhatever was not disloyal to mine own Queen to aid her to obtainjustice. "

"You are doing much, much indeed, " said Susan; "and all this time youhave told me nothing of my son, save what all might hear. How fareshe? is his heart still set on this poor maid?"

"And ever will be, " said his father. "His is not an outspoken babblinglove like poor Master Nau, who they say was so inspired at findinghimself in the same city with Bess Pierrepoint that he could talk ofnothing else, and seemed to have no thought of his own danger or hisQueen's. No, but he hath told me that he will give up all to serveher, without hope of requital; for her mother hath made her forswearhim, and though she be not always on his tongue, he will do so, if Imistake not his steadfastness. "

Susan sighed, but she knew that the love, that had begun when thelonely boy hailed the shipwrecked infant as his little sister, was of acalm, but unquenchable nature, were it for weal or woe. She could notbut be thankful that the express mandate of both the parents hadwithheld her son from sharing the danger which was serious enough evenfor her husband's prudence and coolness of head. 

By the morning, as she had predicted, the ardour of the Earl andCountess had considerably slackened; and though still willing toforward the petitioner on her way, they did not wish their names toappear in the matter. 

They did, however, make an important offer. The Mastiff was newly comeinto harbour at Hull, and they offered Richard the use of her as aconveyance. He gladly accepted it. The saving of expense was a greatobject; for he was most unwilling to use Queen Mary's order on theFrench Ambassador, and he likewise deemed it possible that such a meansof evasion might be very useful. 

The Mastiff was sometimes used by some of the Talbot family on journeysto London, and had a tolerably commodious cabin, according to thenotions of the time; and though it was late in the year, and poor Ciswas likely to be wretched enough on the voyage, the additional securitywas worth having, and Cicely would be under the care of Goatley's wife, who made all the voyages with her husband. The Earl likewise chargedRichard Talbot with letters and messages of conciliation to his sonGilbert, whose estrangement was a great grief to him, arising as it didentirely from the quarrels of the two wives, mother and daughter. Heeven charged his kinsman with the proposal to give up Sheffield to Lordand Lady Talbot and retire to Wingfield rather than continue at enmity. Mr. Talbot knew the parties too well to have much hope of prevailing, or producing permanent peace; but the commission was welcome, as itwould give a satisfactory pretext for his presence in London. 

A few days were spent at Bridgefield, Cicely making herself the mostloving, helpful, and charming of daughters, and really basking in thepeaceful atmosphere of Susan's presence; and then, --with many prayersand blessings from that good lady, --they set forth for Hull, takingwith them two servants besides poor Babington's man Gillingham, whosesuperior intelligence and knowledge of London would make him useful, though there was a dark brooding look about him that made Richardalways dread some act of revenge on his part toward his master's foes. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

MASTER TALBOT AND HIS CHARGE. 

The afternoon on which they were to enter the old town ofKingston-upon-Hull closed in with a dense sea-fog, fast turning todrizzling rain. They could see but a little distance on either side, and could not see the lordly old church tower. The beads of dew on thefringes of her pony's ears were more visible to Cicely than anythingelse, and as she kept along by Master Richard's side, she rejoiced bothin the beaten, well-trodden track, and in the pealing bells whichseemed to guide them into the haven; while Richard was resolving, as hehad done all through the journey, where he could best lodge hiscompanion so as to be safe, and at the same time free from inconvenientcuriosity. 

The wetness of the evening made promptness of decision the moreneedful, while the bad weather which his experienced eye foresaw wouldmake the choice more important. 

Discerning through the increasing gloom a lantern moving in the streetwhich seemed to him to light a substantial cloaked figure, he drew upand asked if he were in the way to a well-known hostel. Fortune hadfavoured him, for a voice demanded in return, "Do I hear the voice ofgood Captain Talbot? At your service. "

"Yea, it is I--Richard Talbot. Is it you, good Master Heatherthwayte?"

"It is verily, sir. Well do I remember you, good trusty Captain, andthe goodly lady your wife. Do I see her here?" returned the clergyman, who had heartily grasped Richard's hand. 

"No, sir, this is my daughter, for whose sake I would ask you to directme to some lodging for the night. "

"Nay, if the young lady will put up with my humble chambers, and mylittle daughter for her bedfellow, I would not have so old anacquaintance go farther. "

Richard accepted the offer gladly, and Mr. Heatherthwayte walked closeto the horses, using his lantern to direct them, and sending flashes oflight over the gabled ends of the old houses and the muffledpassengers, till they came to a long flagged passage, when he askedthem to dismount, bidding the servants and horses to await his return, and giving his hand to conduct the young lady along the narrow slipperyalley, which seemed to have either broken walls or houses on eitheraide. 

He explained to Richard, by the way, that he had married the godlywidow of a ship chandler, but that it had pleased Heaven to take herfrom him at the end of five years, leaving him two young children, butthat her ancient nurse had the care of the house and the little ones. 

Curates were not sumptuously lodged in those days. The cells which hadbeen sufficient for monks commissioned by monasteries were no homes formen with families; and where means were to be had, a few rooms had beenadded without much grace, or old cottages adapted--for indeed therequirements of the clergy of the day did not soar above those of thefarmer or petty dealer. Master Heatherthwayte pulled a stringdepending from a hole in a door, the place of which he seemed to knowby instinct, and admitted the newcomers into a narrow paved entry, where he called aloud, "Here, Oil! Dust! Goody! Bring a light! Hereare guests!"

A door was opened instantly into a large kitchen or keeping room, bright with a fire and small lamp. A girl of nine or ten sprangforward, but hung back at the sight of strangers; a boy of twelve roseawkwardly from conning his lessons by the low, unglazed lamp; an oldwoman showed herself from some kind of pantry. 

"Here, " said the clergyman, "is my most esteemed friend Captain Talbotof Bridgefield and his daughter, who will do us the honour of abidingwith us this night. Do thou, Goody Madge, and thou, Oil-of-Gladness, make the young lady welcome, and dry her garments, while we go and seeto the beasts. Thou, Dust-and-Ashes, mayest come with us and lead thegentleman's horse. "

The lad, saddled with this dismal name, and arrayed in garments whichmatched it in colour though not in uncleanliness, sprang up withalacrity, infinitely preferring fog, rain, and darkness to hisaccidence, and never guessing that he owed this relaxation to hisfather's recollection of Mrs. Talbot's ways, and perception that theyoung lady would be better attended to without his presence. 

Oil-of-Gladness was a nice little rosy girl in the tightest andprimmest of caps and collars, and with the little housewifelyhospitality that young mistresses of houses early attain to. There wasno notion of equal terms between the Curate's daughter and theSquire's: the child brought a chair, and stood respectfully to receivethe hood, cloak, and riding skirt, seeming delighted at the smile andthanks with which Cicely requited her attentions. The old woman feltthe inner skirts, to make sure that they were not damp, and then thelittle girl brought warm water, and held the bowl while her guestwashed face and hands, and smoothed her hair with the ivory comb whichladies always carried on a journey. The sweet power of setting peopleat ease was one Cis had inherited and cultivated by imitation, andOil-of-Gladness was soon chattering away over her toilette. Would thelady really sleep with her in her little bed? She would promise not tokick if she could help it. Then she exclaimed, "Oh! what fair thingwas that at the lady's throat? Was it a jewel of gold? She had neverseen one; for father said it was not for Christian women to adornthemselves. Oh no; she did not mean--" and, confused, she ran off tohelp Goody to lay the spotless tablecloth, Cis following to set thechild at peace with herself, and unloose the tongue again into hopesthat the lady liked conger pie; for father had bought a mighty congerfor twopence, and Goody had made a goodly pie of him. 

By the time the homely meal was ready Mr. Talbot had returned fromdisposing of his horses and servants at a hostel, for whose comparativerespectability Mr. Heatherthwayte had answered. The clergyman himselfalone sat down to supper with his guests. He would not hear of lettingeither of his children do so; but while Dust-and-Ashes retired to studyhis tasks for the Grammar School by firelight, Oil-of-Gladness assistedGoody in waiting, in a deft and ready manner pleasant to behold. 

No sooner did Mr. Talbot mention the name Cicely than MasterHeatherthwayte looked up and said--"Methinks it was I who spake thatname over this young lady in baptism. "

"Even so, " said Richard. "She knoweth all, but she hath ever been ourgood and dutiful daughter, for which we are the more thankful thatHeaven hath given us none other maid child. "

He knew Master Heatherthwayte was inclined to curiosity about otherpeople's affairs, and therefore turned the discourse on the doings ofhis sons, hoping to keep him thus employed and avert all furtherconversation upon Cicely and the cause of the journey. The good manwas most interested in Edward, only he exhorted Mr. Talbot to becareful with whom he bestowed the stripling at Cambridge, so that hemight shed the pure light of the Gospel, undimmed by Popish obscuritiesand idolatries. 

He began on his objections to the cross in baptism and the ring inmarriage, and dilated on them to his own satisfaction over the tankardof ale that was placed for him and his guest, and the apples and nutswherewith Cicely was surreptitiously feeding Oil-of-Gladness andDust-and-Ashes; while the old woman bustled about, and at length madeher voice heard in the announcement that the chamber was ready, and theyoung lady was weary with travel, and it was time she was abed, and Oillikewise. 

Though not very young children, Oil and Dust, at a sign from theirfather, knelt by his chair, and uttered their evening prayers aloud, after which he blessed and dismissed them--the boy to a shake-down inhis own room, the girl to the ecstasy of assisting the guest toundress, and admiring the wonders of the very simple toilette apparatuscontained in her little cloak bag. 

Richard meantime was responding as best he could to the inquiries heknew would be inevitable as soon as he fell in with the Reverend MasterHeatherthwayte. He was going to London in the Mastiff on some businessconnected with the Queen of Scots, he said. 

Whereupon Mr. Heatherthwayte quoted something from the Psalms about thewicked being taken in their own pits, and devoutly hoped she would notescape this time. His uncharitableness might be excused by the factthat he viewed it as an immediate possibility that the Prince of Parmamight any day enter the Humber, when he would assuredly be burnt alive, and Oil-of-Gladness exposed to the fate of the children of Haarlem. 

Then he added, "I grieved to hear that you and your household were somuch exposed to the witchcrafts of that same woman, sir. "

"I hope she hath done them little hurt, " said Richard. 

"Is it true, " he added, "that the woman hath laid claim to the younglady now here as a kinswoman?"

"It is true, " said Richard, "but how hath it come to your knowledge, mygood friend? I deemed it known to none out of our house; not even theEarl and Countess guess that she is no child of ours. "

"Nay, Mr. Talbot, is it well to go on in a deceit?"

"Call it rather a concealment, " said Richard. "We have doubted itsince, but when we began, it was merely that there was none to whom itseemed needful to explain that the babe was not the little daughter weburied here. But how did you learn it? It imports to know. "

"Sir, do you remember your old servant Colet, Gervas's wife? It willbe three years next Whitsuntide that hearing a great outcry as of awoman maltreated as I passed in the street, I made my way into thehouse and found Gervas verily beating his wife with a broomstick. AfterI had rebuked him and caused him to desist, I asked him the cause, andhe declared it to be that his wife had been gadding to a stinkingPapist fellow, who would be sure to do a mischief to his noble captain, Mr. Talbot. Thereupon Colet declares that she had done no harm, thegentleman wist all before. She knew him again for the captain'skinsman who was in the house the day that the captain brought home thebabe. "

"Cuthbert Langston!"

"Even so, sir. It seems that he had been with this woman, andquestioned her closely on all she remembered of the child, learningfrom her what I never knew before, that there were marks branded on hershoulders and a letter sewn in her clothes. Was it so, sir?"

"Ay, but my wife and I thought that even Colet had never seen them. "

"Nothing can escape a woman, sir. This man drew all from her byassuring her that the maiden belonged to some great folk, and was evenakin to the King and Queen of Scots, and that she might have some greatreward if she told her story to them. She even sold him some three orfour gold and ivory beads which she says she found when sweeping outthe room where the child was first undressed. "

"Hath she ever heard more of the fellow?"

"Nay, but Gervas since told me that he had met some of my Lord's menwho told him that your daughter was one of the Queen of Scots' ladies, and said he, 'I held my peace; but methought, It hath come of thetalebearing of that fellow to whom my wife prated. '"

"Gervas guessed right, " said Richard. "That Langston did contrive tomake known to the Queen of Scots such tokens as led to her owning themaiden as of near kin to her by the mother's side, and to her husbandon the father's; but for many reasons she entreated us to allow thedamsel still to bear our name, and be treated as our child. "

"I doubt me whether it were well done of you, sir, " said Mr. Heatherthwayte. 

"Of that, " said Richard, drawing up into himself, "no man can judge foranother. "

"She hath been with that woman; she will have imbibed her Popishvanities!" exclaimed the poor clergyman, almost ready to start up andseparate Oil-of-Gladness at once from the contamination. 

"You may be easy on that score, " said Richard drily. "Her faith iswhat my good wife taught her, and she hath constantly attended thepreachings of the chaplains of Sir Amias Paulett, who be all of yourown way of thinking. "

"You assure me?" said Mr. Heatherthwayte, "for it is the nature ofthese folk to act a part, even as did the parent the serpent. "

Often as Richard had thought so himself, he was offended now, and rose, "If you think I have brought a serpent into your house, sir, we willtake shelter elsewhere. I will call her. "

Mr. Heatherthwayte apologised and protested, and showed himself willingto accept the assurance that Cicely was as simple and guileless as hisown little maid; and Mr. Talbot, not wishing to be sent adrift withCicely at that time of night, and certainly not to put such an affronton the good, if over-anxious father, was pacified, but the cordial toneof ease was at an end, and they were glad to separate and retire torest. 

Richard had much cause for thought. He perceived, what had always beena perplexity to him before, how Langston had arrived at the knowledgethat enabled him to identify Cicely with the babe of Lochleven. 

Mr. Talbot heard moanings and wailings of wind all night, which to hisexperience here meant either a three days' detention at Hull, or a landjourney. With dawn there were gusts and showers. He rose betimes andwent downstairs. He could hear his good host praying aloud in hisroom, and feeling determined not to vex that Puritan spirit by thepresence of Queen Mary's pupil, he wrapped his cloak about him and wentout to study the weather, and inquire for lodgings to which he mightremove Cicely. He saw nothing he liked, and determined on consultinghis old mate, Goatley, who generally acted as skipper, but he had firstto return so as not to delay the morning meal. He found, on coming in, Cicely helping Oil-of-Gladness in making griddle cakes, and butteringthem, so as to make Mr. Heatherthwayte declare that he had not tastedthe like since Mistress Susan quitted Hull. 

Moreover, he had not sat down to the meal more than ten minutes beforehe discovered, to his secret amusement, that Cicely had perfectlyfascinated and charmed the good minister, who would have shuddered hadhe known that she did so by the graces inherited and acquired from theobject of his abhorrence. Invitations to abide in their presentquarters till it was possible to sail were pressed on them; and thoughRichard showed himself unwilling to accept them, they were so cordiallyreiterated, that he felt it wiser to accede to them rather than spreadthe mystery farther. He was never quite sure whether Mr. Heatherthwayte looked on the young lady as untainted, or whether hewished to secure her in his own instructions; but he always describedher as a modest and virtuous young lady, and so far from thinking herpresence dangerous, only wished Oil to learn as much from her aspossible. 

Cicely was sorely disappointed, and wanted to ride on at once by land;but when her foster-father had shown her that the bad weather would bean almost equal obstacle, and that much time would be lost on the road, she submitted with the good temper she had cultivated under such anotable example. She taught Oil-of-Gladness the cookery of one of hermothers and the stitchery of the other; she helped Dust-and-Ashes withhis accidence, and enlightened him on the sports of the Bridgefieldboys, so that his father looked round dismayed at the smotheredlaughter, when she assured him that she was only telling how herbrother Diccon caught a coney, or the like, and in some magical waysmoothed down his frowns with her smile. 

Mistress Cicely Talbot's visit was likely to be an unforgotten era withDust-and-Ashes and Oil-of-Gladness. The good curate entreated that sheand her father would lodge there on their return, and the invitationwas accepted conditionally, Mr. Talbot writing to his wife, by thecarriers, to send such a load of good cheer from Bridgefield as wouldamply compensate for the expenses of this hospitality. 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

THE FETTERLOCK COURT. 

People did not pity themselves so much for suspense when, instead ofreceiving an answer in less than an hour, they had to wait for it forweeks if not months. Mrs. Talbot might be anxious at Bridgefield, andher son at Fotheringhay, and poor Queen Mary, whose life hung in thebalance, more heartsick with what old writers well named 'wanhope' thanany of them; but they had to live on, and rise morning after morningwithout expecting any intelligence, unable to do anything but pray forthose who might be in perils unknown. 

After the strain and effort of her trial, Mary had become very ill, andkept her bed for many days. Humfrey continued to fulfil his dailyduties as commander of the guards set upon her, but he seldom saw orspoke with any of her attendants, as Sir Andrew Melville, whom he knewthe best of them, had on some suspicion been separated from hismistress and confined in another part of the Castle. 

Sir Amias Paulett, too, was sick with gout and anxiety, and was muchrelieved when Sir Drew Drury was sent to his assistance. The newwarder was a more courteous and easy-mannered person, and did not frethimself or the prisoner with precautions like his colleague; and on SirAmias's reiterated complaint that the guards were not numerous enough, he had brought down five fresh men, hired in London, fellows used toall sorts of weapons, and at home in military discipline; but, asHumfrey soon perceived, at home likewise in the license of camps, andmost incongruous companions for the simple village bumpkins, and theprecise retainers who had hitherto formed the garrison. He did hisbest to keep order, but marvelled how Sir Amias would view theirexcesses when he should come forth again from his sick chamber. 

The Queen was better, though still lame; and on a fine Novembernoontide she obtained, by earnest entreaty, permission to gratify herlonging for free air by taking a turn in what was called the FetterlockCourt, from the Yorkist badge of the falcon and fetterlock carvedprofusely on the decorations. This was the inmost strength of thecastle, on the highest ground, an octagon court, with the keep closingone side of it, and the others surrounded with huge massive walls, shutting in a greensward with a well. There was a broad commodiousterrace in the thickness of the walls, intended as a station whence thedefenders could shoot between the battlements, but in time of peaceforming a pleasant promenade sheltered from the wind, and catching onits northern side the meridian rays of this Martinmas summer day, sothat physician as well as jailer consented to permit the captive thereto take the air. 

"Some watch there must be, " said Paulett anxiously, when his colleaguereported the consent he had given. 

"It will suffice, then, " said Sir Drew Drury, "if the officer of theguard--Talbot call you him?--stands at the angle of the court, so as tokeep her in his view. He is a well-nurtured youth, and will not vexher. "

"Let him have the guard within call, " said Paulett, and to this Druryassented, perhaps with a little amusement at the restless precautionsof the invalid. 

Accordingly, Humfrey took up his station, as unobtrusively as he could, at the corner of the terrace, and presently, through a doorway at theother end saw the Queen, hooded and cloaked, come forth, leaningheavily on the arm of Dr. Bourgoin, and attended by the two Maries andthe two elder ladies. She moved slowly, and paused every few steps, gazing round her, inhaling the fresh air and enjoying the sunshine, orspeaking a caressing word to little Bijou, who leaped about, andbarked, and whined with delight at having her out of doors again. There was a seat in the wall, and her ladies spread cushions and cloaksfor her to sit on it, warmed as it was by the sun; and there sherested, watching a starling running about on the turf, hisgold-bespangled green plumage glistening. She hardly spoke; she seemedto be making the most of the repose of the fair calm day. Humfrey wouldnot intrude by making her sensible of his presence, but he watched herfrom his station, wondering within himself if she cared for the perilto which she had exposed the daughter so dear to him. 

Such were his thoughts when an angry bark from Bijou warned him to beon the alert. A man--ay, one of the new men-at-arms--was springing upthe ramp leading to the summit of the wall almost immediately in frontof the little group. There was a gleam of steel in his hand. With onelong ringing whistle, Humfrey bounded from his place, and at the momentwhen the ruffian was on the point of assailing the Queen, he caught himwith one hand by the collar, with the other tried to master the armthat held the weapon. It was a sharp struggle, for the fellow was atrained soldier in the full strength of manhood, and Humfrey was ayouth of twenty-three, and unarmed. They went down together, rollingon the ground before Mary's chair; but in another moment Humfrey wasthe uppermost. He had his knee on the fellow's chest, and held aloft, though in a bleeding hand, the dagger wrenched from him. The victoryhad been won in a few seconds, before the two men, whom his whistle hadbrought, had time to rush forward. They were ready now to throwthemselves on the assailant. "Hold!" cried Humfrey, speaking for thefirst time. "Hurt him not! Hold him fast till I have him to SirAmias!"

Each had an arm of the fallen man, and Humfrey rose to meet the eyes ofthe Queen sparkling, as she cried, "Bravely, bravely done, sir! Wethank you. Though it be but the poor remnant of a worthless life thatyou have saved, we thank you. The sight of your manhood has gladdenedus. "

Humfrey bowed low, and at the same time there was a cry among theladies that he was bleeding. It was only his hand, as he showed them. The dagger had been drawn across the palm before he could capture it. The kerchiefs were instantly brought forward to bind it up, Dr. Bourgoin saying that it ought to have Master Gorion's attention. 

"I may not wait for that, sir, " said Humfrey. "I must carry thisvillain at once to Sir Amias and report on the affair. "

"Nay, but you will come again to be tended, " said the Queen, while Dr. Bourgoin fastened the knot of the temporary bandage. "Ah! and is itHumfrey Talbot to whom I owe my life? There is one who will thank theefor it more than even I. But come back. Gorion must treat that hand, and then you will tell me what you have heard of her. "

"Naught, alas, madam, " said Humfrey with an expressive shake of thehead, but ere he turned away Mary extended her hand to him, and as hebent his knee to kiss it she laid the other kindly on his dark curledhead and said, "God bless thee, brave youth. "

She was escorted to the door nearest to her apartments, and as she sankback on her day bed she could not help murmuring to Mary Seaton, "Abrave laddie. Would that he had one drop of princely blood. "

"The Talbot blood is not amiss, " said the lady. 

"True; and were it but mine own Scottish royalty that were in questionI should see naught amiss, but with this English right that hath beenthe bane of us all, what can their love bring the poor children savewoe?"

Meantime Humfrey was conducting his prisoner to Sir Amias Paulett. Theman was a bronzed, tough-looking ruffian, with an air of having seenservice, and a certain foreign touch in his accent. He glancedsomewhat contemptuously at his captor, and said; "Neatly done, sir; Imarvel if you'll get any thanks. "

"What mean you?" said Humfrey sharply, but the fellow only shrugged hisshoulders. The whole affair had been so noiseless, that Humfreybrought the first intelligence when he was admitted to the sickchamber, where Sir Amias sat in a large chair by the fire. He had lefthis prisoner guarded by two men at the door. "How now! What is it?"cried Paulett at first sight of his bandaged hand. "Is she safe?"

"Even so, sir, and untouched, " said Humfrey. 

"Thanks be to God!" he exclaimed. "This is what I feared. Who was it?"

"One of the new men-at-arms from London--Peter Pierson he calledhimself, and said he had served in the Netherlands. "

And after a few further words of explanation, Humfrey called in theprisoner and his guards, and before his face gave an account of hisattempt upon the helpless Queen. 

"Godless and murderous villain!" said Paulett, "what hast thou to sayfor thyself that I should not hang thee from the highest tower?"

"Naught that will hinder you, worshipful seignior, " returned the manwith a sneer. "In sooth I see no great odds between taking life with adagger and with an axe, save that fewer folk are regaled with thespectacle. "

"Wretch, " said Paulett, "wouldst thou confound private murder with theopen judgment of God and man?"

"Judgment hath been pronounced, " said the fellow, "but it needs not todispute the matter. Only if this honest youth had not come blunderingin and cut his fingers in the fray, your captive would have beenquietly rid of all her troubles, and I should have had my reward fromcertain great folk you wot of. Ay, " as Sir Amias turned stillyellower, "you take my meaning, sir. "

"Take him away, " said Paulett, collecting himself; "he would cloak hiscrime by accusing others of his desperate wickedness. "

"Where, sir?" inquired Humfrey. 

Sir Amias would have preferred hanging the fellow without inquiry, butas Fotheringhay was not under martial law, he ordered him off to thedungeons for the present, while the nearest justice of the peace wassent for. The knight bade Humfrey remain while the prisoner was walkedoff under due guard, and made a few more inquiries, adding, with asigh, "You must double the guard, Master Talbot, and get rid of allthose London rogues--sons of Belial are they all, and I'll have nonefor whom I cannot answer--for I fear me 'tis all too true what thefellow says. "

"Who would set him on?"

"That I may not say. But would you believe it, Humfrey Talbot, I havebeen blamed--ay, rated like a hound, for that I will not lend myself toa privy murder. "

"Verily, sir?"

"Verily, and indeed, young man. 'Tis the part of a loyal subject, theysay, to spare her Majesty's womanish feelings and her hatred ofbloodshed, and this lady having been condemned, to take her offsecretly so as to save the Queen the pain and heart-searchings ofsigning the warrant. You credit me not, sir, but I have the letter--tomy sorrow and shame. "

No wonder that the poor, precise, hard-hearted, but religious andhigh-principled man was laid up with a fit of the gout, after receivingthe shameful letter which he described, which is still extant, signedby Walsingham and Davison. 

"Strange loyalty, " said Humfrey. 

"And too much after the Spanish sort for an English Protestant, " saidSir Amias. "I made answer that I would lay down my life to guard thisunhappy woman to undergo the justice that is to be done upon her, butmurder her, or allow her to be slain in my hands, I neither can norwill, so help me Heaven, as a true though sinful man. "

"Amen, " said Humfrey. 

"And no small cause of thanks have I that in you, young sir, I have onewho may be trusted for faith as well as courage, and I need not saydiscretion. "

As he spoke, Sir Drew Drury, who had been out riding, returned, anxiousto hear the details of this strange event. Sir Amias could not leavehis room. Sir Drew accompanied Humfrey to the Queen's apartments tohear her account and that of her attendants. It was given with praisesof the young gentleman which put him to the blush, and Sir Drew thengave permission for his hurt to be treated by Maitre Gorion, and lefthim in the antechamber for the purpose. 

Sir Amias would perhaps have done more wisely if he had not detainedHumfrey from seeing the criminal guarded to his prison. For Sir DrewDrury, going from the Queen's presence to interrogate the fellow beforesending for a magistrate, found the cell empty. It had been the turnof duty of one of the new London men-at-arms, and he had been placed assentry at the door by the sergeant--the stupidest and trustiest offellows--who stood gaping in utter amazement when he found that sentryand prisoner were both alike missing. 

On the whole, the two warders agreed that it would be wiser to hush upthe matter. When Mary heard that the man had escaped, she quietlysaid, "I understand. They know how to do such things better abroad. "

Things returned to their usual state except that Humfrey had permissionto go daily to have his hand attended to by M. Gorion, and the Queennever let pass this opportunity of speaking to him, though the veryfirst time she ascertained that he knew as little as she did of theproceedings of his father and Cicely. 

Now, for the first time, did Humfrey understand the charm that hadcaptivated Babington, and that even his father confessed. Ailing, aging, and suffering as she was, and in daily expectation of hersentence of death, there was still something more wonderfully winningabout her, a sweet pathetic cheerfulness, kindness, and resignation, that filled his heart with devotion to her. And then she spoke ofCicely, the rarest and greatest delight that he could enjoy. Sheevidently regarded him with favour, if not affection, because he lovedthe maiden whom she could not but deny to him. Would he not doanything for her? Ay, anything consistent with duty. And there came atwinge which startled him. Was she making him value duty less? Never. Besides, how few days he could see her. His hand was healing all toofast, and what might not come any day from London? Was Queen Mary'slast conquest to be that of Humfrey Talbot?

CHAPTER XL. 

THE SENTENCE. 

The tragedies of the stage compress themselves into a few hours, butthe tragedies of real life are of slow and heavy march, and theheart-sickness of delay and hope and dread alike deferred is one oftheir chief trials. 

Humfrey's hurt was quite well, but as he was at once trusted by hissuperiors, and acceptable to the captive, he was employed in many ofthose lesser communications between her and her keepers, for which thetwo knights did not feel it necessary to harass her with theirpresence. His post, for half the twenty-four hours, was on guard inthe gallery outside her anteroom door; but he often knocked and wasadmitted as bearer of some message to her or her household; and equallyoften was called in to hear her requests, and sometimes he could nothelp believing because it pleased her to see him, even if there werenothing to tell her. 

Nor was there anything known until the 19th of November, when the soundof horses' feet in large numbers, and the blast of bugles, announcedthe arrival of a numerous party. When marshalled into the ordinarydining-hall, they proved to be Lord Buckhurst, a dignified-lookingnobleman, who bore a sad and grave countenance full of presage, withMr. Beale, the Clerk of the Council, and two or three other officialsand secretaries, among whom Humfrey perceived the inevitable WillCavendish. 

The two old comrades quickly sought each other out, Will observing, "Sohere you are still, Humfrey. We are like to see the end of a longstory. "

"How so?" asked Humfrey, with a thrill of horror, "is she sentenced?"

"By the Commissioners, all excepting my Lord Zouch, and by both housesof Parliament! We are come down to announce it to her. I'll have youinto the presence-chamber if I can prevail. It will be a noteworthything to see how the daughter of a hundred kings brooks such asentence. "

"Hath no one spoken for her?" asked Humfrey, thinking at least as muchof Cicely as of the victim. 

"The King of Scots hath sent an ambassage, " returned Cavendish, "butwhen I say 'tis the Master of Gray, you know what that means. KingJames may be urgent to save his mother--nay, he hath written moresharply and shrewishly than ever he did before; but as for this Gray, whatever he may say openly, we know that he has whispered to the Queen, 'The dead don't bite. '"

"The villain!"

"That may be, so far as he himself is concerned, but the counsel iscanny, like the false Scot himself. What's this I hear, Humfrey, thatyou have been playing the champion, and getting wounded in the defence?"

"A mere nothing, " said Humfrey, opening his hand, however, to show themark. "I did but get my palm scored in hindering a villainousman-at-arms from slaying the poor lady. "

"Yea, well are thy race named Talbot!" said Cavendish. "Sturdywatch-dogs are ye all, with never a notion that sometimes it may be forthe good of all parties to look the other way. "

"If you mean that I am to stand by and see a helpless woman--"

"Hush! my good friend, " said Will, holding up his hand. "I know thybreed far too well to mean any such thing. Moreover, thy precisiangovernor, old Paulett there, hath repelled, like instigations of Satan, more hints than one that pain might be saved to one queen and publicityto the other, if he would have taken a leaf from Don Philip's book, andpermitted the lady to be dealt with secretly. Had he given an ear tothe matter six months back, it would have spared poor Antony. "

"Speak not thus, Will, " said Humfrey, "or thou wilt make me believethee a worse man than thou art, only for the sake of showing me howthou art versed in state policy. Tell me, instead, if thou hast seenmy father. "

"Thy father? yea, verily, and I have a packet for thee from him. It isin my mails, and I will give it thee anon. He is come on a bootlesserrand! As long as my mother and my sister Mall are both living, hemight as well try to bring two catamounts together without hisses andscratches. "

"Where is he lying?" asked Humfrey. 

"In Shrewsbury House, after the family wont, and Gilbert makes himwelcome enough, but Mall is angered with him for not lodging hisdaughter there likewise! I tell her he is afraid lest she should gethold of the wench, and work up a fresh web of tales against this lady, like those which did so much damage before. 'Twould be rare if shemade out that Gravity himself, in the person of old Paulett, had beenentranced by her. "

"Peace with thy gibes, " said Humfrey impatiently, "and tell me where mysister is. "

"Where thinkest thou? Of all strange places in the world, he hathbestowed her with Madame de Salmonnet, the wife of one of the FrenchAmbassador's following, to perfect her French, as he saith. Canst thouconceive wherefore he doth it? Hath he any marriage in view for her?Mall tried to find out, but he is secret. Tell me, Numps, what is it?"

"If he be secret, must not I be the same?" said Humfrey, laughing. 

"Nay, thou owest me some return for all that I have told thee. "

"Marry, Will, that is more like a maiden than a statesman! But becontent, comrade, I know no more than thou what purposes there may beanent my sister's marriage, " he added. "Only if thou canst give me myfather's letter, I should be beholden to thee. "

They were interrupted, however, by a summons to Humfrey, who was to goto the apartments of the Queen of Scots, to bear the information thatin the space of half an hour the Lord Buckhurst and Master Beale woulddo themselves the honour of speaking with her. 

"So, " muttered Cavendish to himself as Humfrey went up the stairs, "there _is_ then some secret. I marvel what it bodes! Did not thatcrafty villain Langston utter some sort of warning which I spurned, knowing the Bridgefield trustiness and good faith? This wench hathbeen mightily favoured by the lady. I must see to it. "

Meantime Humfrey had been admitted to Queen Mary's room, where she satas usual at her needlework. "You bring me tidings, my friend, " shesaid, as he bent his knee before her. "Methought I heard a fresh stirin the Castle; who is arrived?"

"The Lord Buckhurst, so please your Grace, and Master Beale. Theycrave an audience of your Grace in half an hour's time. "

"Yea, and I can well guess wherefore, " said the Queen. "Well, Fiatvoluntas tua! Buckhurst? he is kinsman of Elizabeth on the Boleynside, methinks! She would do me grace, you see, my masters, by sendingme such tidings by her cousin. They cannot hurt me! I am far pastthat! So let us have no tears, my lassies, but receive them rightroyally, as befits a message from one sovereign to another! Remember, it is not before my Lord Buckhurst and Master Beale that we sit, butbefore all posterities for evermore, who will hear of Mary Stewart andher wrongs. Tell them I am ready, sir. Nay but, my son, " she added, with a very different tone of the tender woman instead of the outragedsovereign, "I see thou hast news for me. Is it of the child?"

"Even so, madam. I wot little yet, but what I know is hopeful. She iswith Madame de Salmonnet, wife of one of the suite of the FrenchAmbassador. "

"Ah! that speaketh much, " said Mary, smiling, "more than you know, young man. Salmonnet is sprung of a Scottish archer, Jockie of thesalmon net, whereof they made in France M. De Salmonnet. Chateauneufmust have owned her, and put her under the protection of the Embassy. Hast thou had a letter from thy father?"

"I am told that one is among Will Cavendish's mails, madam, and I hopeto have it anon. "

"These men have all unawares brought with them that which may well bearme up through whatever may be coming. "

A second message arrived from Lord Buckhurst himself, to say howgrieved he was to be the bearer of heavy tidings, and to say that hewould not presume to intrude on her Majesty's presence until she wouldnotify to him that she was ready to receive him. 

"They have become courteous, " said Mary. "But why should we dally? Thesooner this is over, the better. "

The gentlemen were then admitted: Lord Buckhurst grave, sad, stately, and courteous; Sir Annas Paulett, as usual, grim and wooden in hispuritanical stiffness; Sir Drew Drury keeping in the background as onegrieved; and Mr. Beale, who had already often harassed the Queenbefore, eager, forward, and peremptory, as one whose exultation couldhardly be repressed by respect for his superior, Lord Buckhurst. 

Bending low before her, this nobleman craved her pardon for that whichit was his duty to execute; and having kissed her hand, in token of herpersonal forgiveness, he bade Mr. Beale read the papers. 

The Clerk of the Council stood forth almost without obeisance, till itwas absolutely compelled from him by Buckhurst. He read aloud thedetails of the judgment, that Mary had been found guilty by theCommission, of conspiracy against the kingdom, and the life of theQueen, with the sentence from the High Court of Parliament that she wasto die by being beheaded. 

Mary listened with unmoved countenance, only she stood up and madesolemn protest against the authority and power of the Commission eitherto try or condemn her. Beale was about to reply, but Lord Buckhurstchecked him, telling him it was simply his business to record theprotest; and then adding that he was charged to warn her to put awayall hopes of mercy, and to prepare for death. This, he said, was onbehalf of his Queen, who implored her to disburthen her conscience by afull confession. "It is not her work, " added Buckhurst; "the sentenceis not hers, but this thing is required by her people, inasmuch as herlife can never be safe while your Grace lives, nor can her religionremain in any security. "

Mary's demeanour had hitherto been resolute. Here a brightness andlook of thankful joy came over her, as she raised her eyes to Heavenand joined her hands, saying, "I thank you, my lord; you have made itall gladness to me, by declaring me to be an instrument in the cause ofmy religion, for which, unworthy as I am, I shall rejoice to shed myblood. "

"Saint and martyr, indeed!" broke out Paulett. "That is fine! when youare dying for plotting treason and murder!"

"Nay, sir, " gently returned Mary, "I am not so presumptuous as to callmyself saint or martyr; but though you have power over my body, youhave none over my soul, nor can you prevent me from hoping that by themercy of Him who died for me, my blood and life may be accepted by Him, as offerings freely made for His Church. "

She then begged for the restoration of her Almoner De Preaux. She wastold that the request would be referred to the Queen, but that sheshould have the attendance of an English Bishop and Dean. Paulett wasso angered at the manner in which she had met the doom, that he beganto threaten her that she would be denied all that could serve to heridolatries. 

"Yea, verily, " said she calmly, "I am aware that the English have neverbeen noted for mercy. "

Lord Buckhurst succeeded in getting the knight away without any morebitter replies. Humfrey and Cavendish had, of course, to leave theroom in their train, and as it was the hour of guard for the former, hehad to take up his station and wait with what patience he could untilit should please Master William to carry him the packet. He opened iteagerly, standing close beneath the little lamp that illuminated hispost, to read it: but after all, it was somewhat disappointing, for Mr. Talbot did not feel that absolute confidence in the consciences ofgentlemen-in-place which would make him certain of that of MasterCavendish, supposing any notion should arise that Cicely's presence inLondon could have any purpose connected with the prisoner. 

"To my dear son Humfrey, greeting--

"I do you to wit that we are here safely arrived in London, though wewere forced by stress of weather to tarry seven days in Hull, at thehouse of good Master Heatherthwayte, where we received good andhospitable entertainment. The voyage was a fair one, and the oldMastiff is as brave a little vessel as ever she was wont to be; but thypoor sister lay abed all the time, and was right glad when we came intosmooth water. We have presented the letters to those whom we came toseek, and so far matters have gone with us more towardly than I hadexpected. There are those who knew Cicely's mother at her years whosay there is a strange likeness between them, and who thereforereceived her the more favourably. I am lying at present at ShrewsburyHouse, where my young Lord makes me welcome, but it hath been judgedmeet that thy sister should lodge with the good Madame de Salmonnet, alady of Scottish birth, who is wife to one of the secretaries of M. DeChateauneuf, the French Ambassador, but who was bred in the convent ofSoissons. She is a virtuous and honourable lady, and hath taken chargeof thy sister while we remain in London. For the purpose for which wecame, it goeth forward, and those who should know assure me that we donot lose time here. Diccon commendeth himself to thee; he is well inhealth, and hath much improved in all his exercises. Mistress Curll islodging nigh unto the Strand, in hopes of being permitted to see herhusband; but that hath not yet been granted to her, although she isassured that he is well in health, and like ere long to be set free, aswell as Monsieur Nau. 

"We came to London the day after the Parliament had pronounced sentenceupon the Lady at Fotheringhay. I promise you there was ringing ofbells and firing of cannon, and lighting of bonfires, so that we deemedthat there must have been some great defeat of the Spaniards in the LowCountries; and when we were told it was for joy that the Parliament haddeclared the Queen of Scots guilty of death, my poor Cicely hadwell-nigh swooned to think that there could be such joy for the doom ofone poor sick lady. There hath been a petition to the Queen that thesentence may be carried out, and she hath answered in a dubious anduncertain manner, which leaves ground for hope; and the King of Scotshath written pressingly and sent the Master of Gray to speak in hismother's behalf; also M. De Chateauneuf hath both urged mercy on theQueen, and so written to France that King Henry is sending anAmbassador Extraordinary, M. De Bellievre, to intercede for her. 

"I send these presents by favour of Master Cavendish, who will tellthee more than I have here space to set down, and can assure thee thatnothing hasty is like to be done in the business on which he hath comedown with these gentlemen. And so no more at present from thy lovingfather, "Richard Talbot. "

Humfrey had to gather what he could from this letter, but he had noopportunity of speech with the prisoner on the remainder of that day, nor on the next, until after Lord Buckhurst and his followers had leftFotheringhay, bearing with them a long and most touching letter fromthe prisoner to Queen Elizabeth. 

On that day, Paulett worked himself up to the strange idea that it wasfor the good of the unfortunate prisoner's soul, and an act of duty tohis own sovereign, to march into the prison chamber and announce toQueen Mary that being a dead woman in the eye of the law, no royalstate could be permitted her, in token of which he commanded herservants to remove the canopy over her chair. They all flatly refusedto touch it, and the women began to cry "Out upon him, " for beingcowardly enough to insult their mistress, and she calmly said, "Sir, you may do as you please. My royal state comes from God, and is notyours to give or take away. I shall die a Queen, whatever you may doby such law as robbers in a forest might use with a righteous judge. "

Intensely angered, Sir Amias came, hobbling and stumbling out to thedoor, pale with rage, and called on Talbot to come and bring his men totear down the rag of vanity in which this contumacious woman put hertrust. 

"The men are your servants, sir, " said Humfrey, with a flush on hischeek and his teeth set; "I am here to guard the Queen of Scots, not toinsult her. "

"How, sirrah? Do you know to whom you speak? Have you not swornobedience to me?"

"In all things within my commission, sir; but this is as much beyondit, as I believe it to be beyond yours. "

"Insolent, disloyal varlet! You are under ward till I can account withand discharge you. To your chamber!"

Humfrey could but walk away, grieved that his power of bearingintelligence or alleviation to the prisoner had been forfeited, andthat he should probably not even take leave of her. Was she to be leftto all the insults that the malice of her persecutor could devise? Yetit was not exactly malice. Paulett would have guarded her life fromassassination with his own, though chiefly for his own sake, and, as hesaid, for that of "saving his poor posterity from so foul a blot;" buthe could not bear, as he told Sir Drew Drury, to see the Popish, bloodthirsty woman sit queening it so calmly; and when he tore down hercloth of state, and sat down in her presence with his hat on, he didnot so much intend to pain the woman, Mary, as to express the triumphof Elizabeth and of her religion. Humfrey believed his service over, and began to occupy himself with putting his clothes together, whileconsidering whether to seek his father in London or to go home. Afterabout an hour, he was summoned to the hall, where he expected to havefound Sir Amias Paulett ready to give him his discharge. He found, however, only Sir Drew Drury, who thus accosted him--"Young man, youhad better return to your duty. Sir Amias is willing to overlook whatpassed this morning. "

"I thank you, sir, but I am not aware of having done aught to needforgiveness, " said Humfrey. 

"Come, come, my fair youth, stand not on these points. 'Tis true mygood colleague hath an excess of zeal, and I could wish he could havefound it in his heart to leave the poor lady these marks of dignitythat hurt no one. I would have no hand in it, and I am glad thouwouldst not. He knoweth that he had no power to require such serviceof thee. He will say no more, and I trust that neither wilt thou; forit would not be well to change warders at this time. Another might notbe so acceptable to the poor lady, and I would fain save her all that Ican. "

Humfrey bowed, and thanked "him of milder mood, " nor was any furthernotice taken of this hasty dismissal. 

When next he had to enter the Queen's apartments, the absence of allthe tokens of her royal rank was to him truly a shock, accustomed as hehad been, from his earliest childhood, to connect them with her, andknowing what their removal signified. 

Mary, who was writing, looked up as, with cap in hand, he presentedhimself on one knee, his head bowed lower than ever before, perhaps tohide the tear that had sprung to his eye at sight of her pale, patientcountenance. 

"How now, sir?" she said. "This obeisance is out of place to onealready dead in law. Don your bonnet. There is no queen here for anEnglishman. "

"Ah! madam, suffer me. My reverence cannot but be greater than ever, "faltered Humfrey from his very heart, his words lost in the kiss heprinted on the hand she granted him. 

Mary bent "her gray discrowned head, " crowned in his eyes as the Queenof Sorrows, and said to Marie de Courcelles, who stood behind her, "Isit not true, ma mie, that our griefs have this make-weight, namely, that they prove to us whose are the souls whose generosity is above allprice! And what saith thy good father, my Humfrey?"

He had not ventured on bringing the letter into the apartments, but herepeated most of the substance of it, without, however, greatly raisingthe hopes of the Queen, though she was gratified that her cause was notneglected either by her son or by her brother-in-law. 

"They, and above all my poor maid, will be comforted to have done theirutmost, " she said; "but I scarcely care that they should prevail. As Ihave written to my cousin Elizabeth, I am beholden to her for ending mylong captivity, and above all for conferring on me the blessings andglories of one who dies for her faith, all unworthy as I am!" and sheclasped her hands, while a rapt expression came upon her countenance. 

Her chief desire seemed to be that neither Cicely nor her foster-fathershould run into danger on her account, and she much regretted that shehad not been able to impress upon Humfrey messages to that effectbefore he wrote in answer to his father, sending his letter byCavendish. 

"Thou wilt not write again?" she asked. 

"I doubt its being safe, " said Humfrey. "I durst not speak openly evenin the scroll I sent yesterday. "

Then Mary recurred to the power which he possessed of visiting SirAndrew Melville and the Almoner, the Abbe de Preaux, who were shut upin the Fetterlock tower and court, and requested him to take a billetwhich she had written to the latter. The request came like a blow tothe young man. "With permission--" he began. 

"I tell thee, " said Mary, "this concerns naught but mine own soul. Itis nothing to the State, but all and everything to me, a dying woman. "

"Ah, madam! Let me but obtain consent. "

"What! go to Paulett that he may have occasion to blaspheme my faithand insult me!" said the Queen, offended. 

"I should go to Sir Drew Drury, who is of another mould, " said Humfrey--

"But who dares not lift a finger to cross his fellow, " said Mary, leaning back resignedly. 

"And this is the young gentleman's love for your Grace!" exclaimed JeanKennedy. 

"Nay, madam, " said Humfrey, stung to the quick, "but I am sworn!"

"Let him alone, Nurse Jeanie!" said Mary. "He is like the rest of theEnglish. They know not how to distinguish between the spirit and theletter! I understand it all, though I had thought for a moment that inhim there was a love for me and mine that would perceive that I couldask nothing that could damage his honour or his good faith. I--who hadalmost a mother's love and trust in him. "

"Madam, " cried Humfrey, "you know I would lay down my life for you, butI cannot break my trust. "

"Your trust, fule laddie!" exclaimed Mrs. Kennedy. "Ane wad think theQueen speired of ye to carry a letter to Mendoza to burn and slay, instead of a bit scart of the pen to ask the good father for hisprayers, or the like! But you are all alike; ye will not stir a handto aid her poor soul. "

"Pardon me, madam, " entreated Humfrey. "The matter is, not what theletter may bear, but how my oath binds me! I may not be the bearer ofaught in writing from this chamber. 'Twas the very reason I would notbring in my father's letter. Madam, say but you pardon me. "

"Of course I pardon you, " returned Mary coldly. "I have so much topardon that I can well forgive the lukewarmness and precision that areso bred in your nature that you cannot help them. I pardon injuries, and I may well try to pardon disappointments. Fare you well, Mr. Talbot; may your fidelity have its reward from Sir Amias Paulett. "

Humfrey was obliged to quit the apartment, cruelly wounded, sometimeswondering whether he had really acted on a harsh selfish punctilio incutting off the dying woman from the consolations of religion, and thustaking part with the persecutors, while his heart bled for her. Sometimes it seemed to him as if he had been on the point of earningher consent to his marriage with her daughter, and had thrown it away, and at other moments a horror came over him lest he was being beguiledas poor Antony had been before him. And if he let his faith slip, howshould he meet his father again? Yet his affection for the Queenrepelled this idea like a cruel injury, while, day by day, it wasrenewed pain and grief to be treated by her with the gentlest and moststudied courtesy, but no longer as almost one of her own inner circleof friends and confidants. 

And as Sir Andrew Melville was in a few days more restored to herservice, he was far less often required to bear messages, or do littleservices in the prison apartments, and he felt himself excluded, andcut off from the intimacy that had been very sweet, and even a littlehopeful to him. 

CHAPTER XLI. 

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS. 

Cicely had been living in almost as much suspense in London as hermother at Fotheringhay. For greater security Mr. Talbot had kept heron board the Mastiff till he had seen M. D'Aubepine Chateauneuf, andpresented to him Queen Mary's letter. The Ambassador, an exceedinglypolished and graceful Frenchman, was greatly astonished, and at firstincredulous; but he could not but accept the Queen's letter as genuine, and he called into his counsels his Secretary De Salmonnet, an elderlyman, whose wife, a Scotswoman by birth, preferred her husband's societyto the delights of Paris. She was a Hamilton who had been apensionnaire in the convent at Soissons, and she knew that it had beenexpected that an infant from Lochleven might be sent to the Abbess, butthat it had never come, and that after many months of waiting, tidingshad arrived that the vessel which carried the babe had been lost at sea. 

M. De Chateauneuf thereupon committed the investigation to her and herhusband. Richard Talbot took them first to the rooms where Mrs. Barbara Curll had taken up her abode, so as to be near her husband, whowas still a prisoner in Walsingham's house. She fully confirmed allthat Mr. Talbot said of the Queen's complete acceptance of Cis as herdaughter, and moreover consented to come with the Salmonnets and Mr. Talbot, to visit the young lady on board the Mastiff. 

Accordingly they went down the river together in Mr. Talbot's boat, andfound Cicely, well cloaked and muffled, sitting under an awning, underthe care of old Goatley, who treated her like a little queen, and wasbusy explaining to her all the different craft which filled the river. 

She sprang up with the utmost delight at the sight of Mrs. Curll, andthrew herself into her arms. There was an interchange of inquiries andcomments that--unpremeditated as they were--could not but convince theauditor of the terms on which the young lady had stood with Queen Maryand her suite. 

Afterwards Cicely took the two ladies to her cabin, a tiny box, but notuncomfortable according to her habits, and there, on Barbara'spersuasion, she permitted Madame de Salmonnet to see the monograms onher shoulders. The lady went home convinced of her identity, and cameagain the next day with a gentleman in slouched hat, mask, and cloak. 

As Cicely rose to receive him he uttered an exclamation ofirrepressible astonishment, then added, "Your Highness will pardon me. Exactly thus did her royal mother stand when I took leave of her atCalais. "

The Ambassador had thus been taken by storm, although the resemblancewas more in figure and gesture than feature, but Mrs. Curll could averthat those who had seen Bothwell were at no loss to trace thederivation of the dark brows and somewhat homely features, in which thegirl differed from the royal race of Scotland. 

What was to be done? Queen Mary's letter to him begged him so far aswas possible to give her French protection, and avoid compromising"that excellent Talbot, " and he thought it would be wisest for her toawait the coming of the Envoy Extraordinary, M. De Pomponne Bellievre, and be presented by him. In the meantime her remaining on board shipin this winter weather would be miserably uncomfortable, and Richmondand Greenwich were so near that any intercourse with her would bedangerous, especially if Langston was still in England. Lodgings orinns where a young lady from the country could safely be bestowed werenot easily to be procured without greater familiarity with the placethan Mr. Talbot possessed, and he could as little think of placing herwith Lady Talbot, whose gossiping tongue and shrewish temper were notfor a moment to be trusted. Therefore M de Chateauneuf's proposal thatthe young lady should become Madame de Salmonnet's guest at the embassywas not unwelcome. The lady was elderly, Scottish, and, as M. DeChateauneuf with something of a shudder assured Mr. Talbot, "mostrespectable. " And it was hoped that it would not be for long. So, having seen her safely made over to the lady's care, Richard venturedfor the first time to make his presence in London known to his son, andto his kindred; and he was the more glad to have her in these quartersbecause Diccon told him that there was no doubt that Langston waslurking about the town, and indeed he was convinced that he hadrecognised that spy entering Walsingham's house in the dress of ascrivener. He would not alarm Cicely, but he bade her keep all hergoods in a state ready for immediate departure, in case it should beneedful to leave London at once after seeing the Queen. 

The French Ambassador's abode was an old conventual building on theriver-side, consisting of a number of sets of separate chambers, likethose of a college, opening on a quadrangle in the centre, and with oneside occupied by the state apartments and chapel. This arrangementeminently suited the French suite, every one of whom liked to have hisown little arrangements of cookery, and to look after his own marmitein his own way, all being alike horrified at the gross English diet andlack of vegetables. Many tried experiments in the way of growingsalads in little gardens of their own, with little heed to the oncebeautiful green grass-plot which they broke up. 

Inside that gate it was like a new country, and as all the shrill thinintonations of the French rang in her ears, Cicely could hardly believethat she had--she said--only a brick wall between her and old England. 

M. De Salmonnet was unmistakably a Scot by descent, though he had neverseen the land of his ancestors. His grandfather bad been ennobled, butonly belonged to the lesser order of the noblesse, being exempted fromimposts, but not being above employment, especially in diplomacy. Hehad acted as secretary, interpreter, and general factotum, to a wholesuccession of ambassadors, and thus his little loge, as he called it, had become something of a home. His wife had once or twice before hadto take charge of young ladies, French or English, who were confided tothe embassy, and she had a guest chamber for them, a small room, butwith an oriel window overhanging the Thames and letting in the southernsun, so as almost to compensate for the bareness of the rest, wherethere was nothing but a square box-bed, a chest, and a few toiletteessentials, to break upon the dulness of the dark wainscoted walls. Madame herself came to sleep with her guest, for lonely nights wereregarded with dread in those times, and indeed she seemed to regard itas her duty never to lose sight of her charge for a moment. 

Madame de Salmonnet's proper bed-chamber was the only approach to thislittle room, but that mattered the less as it was also the parlour!The bed, likewise a box, was in the far-off recesses, and the familywere up and astir long before the November sun. Dressed Madame couldscarcely be called--the costume in which she assisted Babette and queerwizened old Pierrot in doing the morning's work, horrified Cicely, usedas she was to Mistress Susan's scrupulous neatness. Downstairs therewas a sort of office room of Monsieur's, where the family meals weretaken, and behind it an exceedingly small kitchen, where Madame andPierrot performed marvels of cookery, surpassing those of Queen Mary'sfive cooks. 

Cicely longed to assist in them, and after a slight demur, she waspermitted to do so, chiefly because her duenna could not otherwisewatch her and the confections at the same time. Cis could never makeout whether it was as princess or simply as maiden that she was soclosely watched, for Madame bristled and swelled like a mother catabout to spring at a strange dog, if any gentleman of the suite showedsymptoms of accosting her. Nay, when Mr. Talbot once brought Diccon inwith him, and there was a greeting, which to Cicely's mind was dismallycold and dry, the lady was so scandalised that Cicely was obligedformally to tell her that she would answer for it to the Queen. OnSunday, Mr. Talbot always came to take her to church, and this was aterrible grievance to Madame, though it was to Cicely the onerefreshment of the week. If it had been only the being out of hearingof her hostess's incessant tongue, the walk would have been arefreshment. Madame de Salmonnet had been transported from home soyoung that she was far more French than Scottish; she was a small womanfull of activity and zeal of all kinds, though perhaps most of all forher pot au feu. She was busied about her domestic affairs morning, noon, and night, and never ceased chattering the whole time, tillCicely began to regard the sound like the clack of the mill atBridgefield. Yet, talker as she was, she was a safe woman, and neverhad been known to betray secrets. Indeed, much more of herconversation consisted of speculations on the tenderness of thepoultry, or the freshness of the fish, than of anything that went muchdeeper. She did, however, spend much time in describing the habits andcustoms of the pensioners at Soissons; the maigre food they had to eat;their tricks upon the elder and graver nuns, and a good deal besidesthat was amusing at first, but which became rather wearisome, and madeCicely wonder what either of her mothers would have thought of it. 

The excuse for all this was to enable the maiden to make her appearancebefore Queen Elizabeth as freshly brought from Soissons by her mother'sdanger. Mary herself had suggested this, as removing all danger fromthe Talbots, and as making it easier for the French Embassy to claimand protect Cis herself; and M. De Chateauneuf had so far acquiesced asto desire Madame de Salmonnet to see whether the young lady could beprepared to assume the character before eyes that would not be overqualified to judge. Cis, however, had always been passive when theproposal was made, and the more she heard from Madame de Salmonnet, themore averse she was to it. The only consideration that seemed to herin its favour was the avoidance of implicating her foster-father, but aSunday morning spent with him removed the scruple. 

"I know I cannot feign, " she said. "They all used to laugh at me atChartley for being too much of the downright mastiff to act a part. "

"I am right glad to hear it, " said Richard. 

"Moreover, " added Cicely, "if I did try to turn my words with theScottish or French ring, I wot that the sight of the Queen's Majestyand my anxiety would drive out from me all I should strive to remember, and I should falter and utter mere folly; and if she saw I wasdeceiving her, there would be no hope at all. Nay, how could I ask GodAlmighty to bless my doing with a lie in my mouth?"

"There spake my Susan's own maid, " said Richard. "'Tis the joy of myheart that they have not been able to teach thee to lie with a goodgrace. Trust my word, my wench, truth is the only wisdom, and onewould have thought they might have learnt it by this time. "

"I only doubted, lest it should be to your damage, dear father. Canthey call it treason?"

"I trow not, my child. The worst that could hap would be that I mightbe lodged in prison a while, or have to pay a fine; and liefer, farliefer, would I undergo the like than that those lips of thine shouldlearn guile. I say not that there is safety for any of us, least ofall for thee, my poor maid, but the danger is tenfold increased bytrying to deceive; and, moreover, it cannot be met with a goodconscience. "

"Moreover, " said Cicely, "I have pleadings and promises to make on mymother-queen's behalf that would come strangely amiss if I had to feignthat I had never seen her! May I not seek the Queen at once, withoutwaiting for this French gentleman? Then would this weary, weary timebe at an end! Each time I hear a bell, or a cannon shot, I start andthink, Oh! has she signed the warrant? Is it too late?"

"There is no fear of that, " said Richard; "I shall know from WillCavendish the instant aught is done, and through Diccon I could getthee brought to the Queen's very chamber in time to plead. Meantime, the Queen is in many minds. She cannot bear to give up her kinswoman;she sits apart and mutters, 'Aut fer aut feri, ' and 'Ne feriare feri. 'Her ladies say she tosses and sighs all night, and hath once or twiceawoke shrieking that she was covered with blood. It is Burghley andWalsingham who are forcing this on, and not her free will. Strengthenbut her better will, and let her feel herself secure, and she willspare, and gladly. "

"That do I hope to do, " said Cicely, encouraged. The poor girl had toendure many a vicissitude and heart-sinking before M. De Bellievreappeared; and when he did come, he was a disappointment. 

He was a most magnificent specimen of the mignons of Henri's court. TheEmbassy rang with stories of the number of mails he had brought, of themilk baths he sent for, the gloves he slept in, the valets who tweakedout superfluous hairs from his eyebrows, the delicacies required forhis little dogs. 

M. De Salmonnet reported that on hearing the story of "Mademoiselle, "as Cicely was called in the Embassy, he had twirled the waxed ends ofhis moustaches into a satirical twist, and observed, "That is wellfound, and may serve as a last resource. "

He never would say that he disbelieved what he was told of her; andwhen presented to her, he behaved with an exaggerated deference whichangered her intensely, for it seemed to her mockery of her pretensions. No doubt his desire was that Mary's life should be granted to theintercession of his king rather than to any other consideration; andtherefore once, twice, thrice, he had interviews with Elizabeth, andstill he would not take the anxious suppliant, who was in an agony ateach disappointment, as she watched the gay barge float down the river, and who began to devise setting forth alone, to seek the Queen atRichmond and end it all! She would have done so, but that Diccon toldher that since the alarm caused by Barnwell, it had become so much moredifficult to approach the Queen that she would have no hope. 

But she was in a restless state that made Madame de Salmonnet's chatteralmost distracting, when at last, far on in January, M. De Salmonnetcame in. 

"Well, mademoiselle, the moment is come. The passports are granted, but Monsieur the Ambassador Extraordinary has asked for a last privateaudience, and he prays your Highness to be ready to accompany him atnine of the clock to-morrow morning. "

Cicely's first thought was to send tidings to Mr. Talbot, and in thisM. De Salmonnet assisted her, though his wife thought it verysuperfluous to drag in the great, dull, heavy, English sailor. Thegirl longed for a sight and speech of him all that evening in vain, though she was sure she saw the Mastiff's boat pass down the river, andmost earnestly did she wish she could have had her chamber to herselffor the prayers and preparations, on which Madame's tongue broke sointolerably that she felt as if she should ere long be wild andsenseless, and unable to recollect anything. 

She had only a little peace when Madame rose early in the morning andleft her, thinking her asleep, for a brief interval, which gave hertime to rally her thoughts and commend herself to her only Guide. 

She let Madame dress her, as had been determined, in perfectly plainblack, with a cap that would have suited "a novice out of conventshade. " It was certainly the most suitable garb for a petitioner forher mother's life. In her hand she took the Queen's letter, and themost essential proofs of her birth. She was cloaked and hooded overall as warmly as possible to encounter the cold of the river: andMadame de Salmonnet, sighing deeply at the cold, arranged herself tochaperon her, and tried to make her fortify herself with food, but shewas too tremulous to swallow anything but a little bread and wine. Poor child! She felt frightfully alone amongst all those foreigntongues, above all when the two ambassadors crossed the court to M. DeSalmonnet's little door. Bellievre, rolled up in splendid sables fromhead to foot, bowed down to the ground before her, almost sweeping thepavement with his plume, and asked in his deferential voice of mockeryif her Royal Highness would do him the honour of accepting his escort. 

Cicely bent her head and said in French, "I thank you, sir, " giving himher hand; and there was a grave dignity in the action that repressedhim, so that he did not speak again as he led her to the barge, whichwas covered in at the stern so as to afford a shelter from the wind. 

Her quick eye detected the Mastiff's boat as she was handed down thestairs, and this was some relief, while she was placed in the seat ofhonour, with an ambassador on each side of her. 

"May I ask, " demanded Bellievre, waving a scented handkerchief, "whather Highness is prepared to say, in case I have to confirm it?"

"I thank your Excellency, " replied Cicely, "but I mean to tell thesimple truth; and as your Excellency has had no previous knowledge ofme, I do not see how you can confirm it. "

The two gentlemen looked at one another, and Chateauneuf said, "Do Iunderstand her Royal Highness that she does not come as thepensionnaire from Soissons, as the Queen had recommended?"

"No, sir, " said Cicely; "I have considered the matter, and I could notsupport the character. All that I ask of your Excellencies is to bringme into the presence of Queen Elizabeth. I will do the rest myself, with the help of God. "

"Perhaps she is right, " said the one ambassador to the other. "TheseEnglish are incomprehensible!"

CHAPTER XLII. 

THE SUPPLICATION. 

In due time the boat drew up at the stairs leading to the palace ofRichmond. Cicely, in the midst of her trepidation, perceived thatDiccon was among the gentlemen pensioners who made a lane from thelanding to receive them, as she was handed along by M. De Bellievre. Inthe hall there was a pause, during which the mufflings were thrown off, and Cicely appeared in her simple black, a great contrast to hercavalier, who was clad from neck to knee in pale pink satin, quilted, and with a pearl at each intersection, earrings in his ears, perfumedand long-fringed gloves in his hand--a perfect specimen of the fopperyof the Court of France. However, he might have been in hodden graywithout her perceiving it. She had the sensation of having plungedinto deep, unknown waters, without rope or plank, and being absolutelyforced to strike out for herself; yet the very urgency of the moment, acting on her high blood and recent training, made her, outwardly, perfectly self-possessed and calm. She walked along, holding her headin the regal manner that was her inheritance, and was so utterlyabsorbed in the situation that she saw nothing, and thought only of theQueen. 

This was to be a private audience, and after a minute's demur with theclerk of the chamber, when Chateauneuf made some explanation, a doorwas opened, a curtain withdrawn, and the two ambassadors and the younglady were admitted to Elizabeth's closet, where she sat alone, in anarm-chair with a table before her. Cicely's first glance at the Queenreminded her of the Countess, though the face was older, and had anintellect and a grandeur latent in it, such as Bess of Hardwicke hadnever possessed; but it was haggard and worn, the eyelids red, eitherwith weeping, or with sleeplessness, and there was an anxious lookabout the keen light hazel eyes which was sometimes almost pathetic, and gave Cicely hope. To the end of her days she never could recollecthow the Queen was arrayed; she saw nothing but the expression in thosefalcon eyes, and the strangely sensitive mouth, which bewrayed theshrewish nose and chin, and the equally inconsistent firmness of thejaw. 

The first glance Cicely encountered was one of utter amazement andwrath, as the Queen exclaimed, "Whom have you brought hither, Messieurs?"

Before either could reply, she, whom they had thought a raw, helplessgirl, moved forward, and kneeling before Elizabeth said, "It is I, soplease your Majesty, I, who have availed myself of the introduction oftheir Excellencies to lay before your Majesty a letter from my mother, the Queen of Scots. "

Queen Elizabeth made so vehement and incredulous an exclamation ofamazement that Cicely was the more reminded of the Countess, and thisperhaps made her task the easier, and besides, she was not an untrainedrustic, but had really been accustomed to familiar intercourse with aqueen, who, captive as she was, maintained full state and etiquette. 

She therefore made answer with dignity, "If it will please your Majestyto look at this letter, you will see the proofs of what I say, and thatI am indeed Bride Hepburn, the daughter of Queen Mary's last marriage. I was born at Lochleven on the 20th of February of the year of grace1567, " (footnote--1568 according to our calendar) "and thence secretlysent in the Bride of Dunbar to be bred up in France. The ship waswrecked, and all lost on board, but I was, by the grace of God, pickedup by a good and gallant gentleman of my Lord of Shrewsbury'sfollowing, Master Richard Talbot of Bridgefield, who brought me up ashis own daughter, all unknowing whence I came or who I was, until threeyears ago, when one of the secret agents who had knowledge of theaffairs of the Queen of Scots made known to her that I was the babe whohad been embarked in the Bride of Dunbar. "

"Verily, thou must be a bold wench to expect me to believe such a mereminstrel's tale, " said Elizabeth. 

"Nevertheless, madam, it is the simple truth, as you will see if youdeign to open this packet. "

"And who or where is this same honourable gentleman who brought youup--Richard Talbot? I have heard that name before!"

"He is here, madam. He will confirm all I say. "

The Queen touched a little bell, and ordered Master Talbot ofBridgefield to be brought to her, while, hastily casting her eyes onthe credentials, she demanded of Chateauneuf, "Knew you aught of this, sir?"

"I know only what the Queen of Scotland has written and what thisMonsieur Talbot has told me, madam, " said Chateauneuf. "There can beno doubt that the Queen of Scotland has treated her as a daughter, andowns her for such in her letter to me, as well as to your Majesty. "

"And the letters are no forgery?"

"Mine is assuredly not, madam; I know the private hand of the Queen ofScots too well to be deceived. Moreover, Madame Curll, the wife of theSecretary, and others, can speak to the manner in which this young ladywas treated. "

"Openly treated as a daughter! That passes, sir. My faithful subjectswould never have left me uninformed!"

"So please your Majesty, " here the maiden ventured, "I have alwaysborne the name of Cicely Talbot, and no one knows what is my real birthsave those who were with my mother at Lochleven, excepting Mrs. Curll. The rest even of her own attendants only understood me to be a Scottishorphan. My true lineage should never have been known, were it not adaughter's duty to plead for her mother. "

By this time Mr. Talbot was at the door, and he was received by theQueen with, "So ho! Master Talbot, how is this? You, that have beenvaunted to us as the very pink of fidelity, working up a tale thatsmacks mightily of treason and leasing!"

"The truth is oft stranger than any playwright can devise, " saidRichard, as he knelt. 

"If it be truth, the worse for you, sir, " said the Queen, hotly. "Whatcolour can you give to thus hiding one who might, forsooth, claim royalblood, tainted though it be?"

"Pardon me, your Grace. For many years I knew not who the babe waswhom I had taken from the wreck, and when the secret of her birth wasdiscovered, I deemed it not mine own but that of the Queen of Scots. "

"A captive's secrets are not her own, and are only kept by traitors, "said Elizabeth, severely. 

At this Cicely threw herself forward with glowing cheeks. "Madam, madam, traitor never was named in the same breath with Master Talbot'sname before. If he kept the secret, it was out of pity, and knowing nohurt could come to your Majesty by it. "

"Thou hast a tongue, wench, be thou who thou mayst, " said Elizabethsharply. "Stand back, and let him tell his own tale. "

Richard very briefly related the history of the rescue of the infant, which he said he could confirm by the testimony of Goatley and ofHeatherthwayte. He then explained how Langston had been present whenshe was brought home, and had afterwards made communications to theQueen of Scots that led to the girl, already in attendance on her, being claimed and recognised; after which he confessed that he had notthe heart to do what might separate the mother and daughter bydeclaring their relationship. Elizabeth meanwhile was evidentlycomparing his narrative with the letters of the Queen of Scots, askingsearching questions here and there. 

She made a sound of perplexity and annoyance at the end, and said, "This must be further inquired into. "

Here Cicely, fearing an instant dismissal, clasped her hands, and onher knees exclaimed, "Madam! it will not matter. No trouble shall everbe caused by my drop of royal blood; no one shall ever even know thatBride of Scotland exists, save the few who now know it, and have keptthe secret most faithfully. I seek no state; all I ask is my mother'slife. O madam, would you but see her, and speak with her, you wouldknow how far from her thoughts is any evil to your royal person!"

"Tush, wench! we know better. Is this thy lesson?"

"None hath taught me any lesson, madam. I know what my mother'senemies have, as they say, proved against her, and I know they say thatwhile she lives your Grace cannot be in security. "

"That is what moves my people to demand her death, " said Elizabeth. 

"It is not of your own free will, madam, nor of your own kind heart, "cried Cicely. "That I well know! And, madam, I will show you the way. Let but my mother be escorted to some convent abroad, in France orAustria, or anywhere beyond the reach of Spain, and her name should behidden from everyone! None should know where to seek her. Not even theAbbess should know her name. She would be prisoned in a cell, but shewould be happy, for she would have life and the free exercise of herreligion. No English Papist, no Leaguer, none should ever trace her, and she would disquiet you no more. "

"And who is to answer that, when once beyond English bounds, she shouldnot stir up more trouble than ever?" demanded Elizabeth. 

"That do I, " said the girl. "Here am I, Bride Hepburn, ready to livein your Majesty's hands as a hostage, whom you might put to death atthe first stirring on her behalf. "

"Silly maid, we have no love of putting folk to death, " said Elizabeth, rather hurt. "That is only for traitors, when they forfeit our mercy. "

"Then, O madam, madam, what has been done in her name cannot forfeitmercy for her! She was shut up in prison; I was with her day andnight, and I know she had naught to do with any evil purpose towardsyour Majesty. Ah! you do not believe me! I know they have found herguilty, and that is not what I came to say, " she continued, gettingbewildered in her earnestness for a moment. "No. But, gracious Queen, you have spared her often; I have heard her say that you had again andagain saved her life from those who would fain have her blood. "

"It is true, " said Elizabeth, half softened. 

"Save her then now, madam, " entreated the girl. "Let her go beyondtheir reach, yet where none shall find her to use her name against you. Let me go to her at Fotheringhay with these terms. She will consentand bless and pray for you for ever; and here am I, ready to do whatyou will with me!"

"To hang about Court, and be found secretly wedded to some base groom!"

"No, madam. I give you my solemn word as a Queen's daughter that Iwill never wed, save by your consent, if my mother's life be granted. The King of Scots knows not that there is such a being. He need neverknow it. I will thank and bless you whether you throw me into theTower, or let me abide as the humblest of your serving-women, under thename I have always borne, Cicely Talbot. "

"Foolish maid, thou mayest purpose as thou sayest, but I know whatwenches are made of too well to trust thee. "

"Ah madam, pardon me, but you know not how strong a maiden's heart canbe for a mother's sake. Madam! you have never seen my mother. If youbut knew her patience and her tenderness, you would know how not onlyI, but every man or woman in her train, would gladly lay down life andliberty for her, could we but break her bonds, and win her a shelteramong those of her own faith. "

"Art a Papist?" asked the Queen, observing the pronoun. 

"Not so, an't please your Majesty. This gentleman bred me up in ourown Church, nor would I leave it. "

"Strange--strange matters, " muttered Elizabeth, "and they need to beduly considered. "

"I will then abide your Majesty's pleasure, " said Cicely, "cravinglicense that it may be at Fotheringhay with my mother. Then can I bearher the tidings, and she will write in full her consent to these terms. O madam, I see mercy in your looks. Receive a daughter's blessing andthanks!"

"Over fast, over fast, maiden. Who told thee that I had consented?"

"Your Majesty's own countenance, " replied Cicely readily. "I see pityin it, and the recollection that all posterity for evermore will speakof the clemency of Elizabeth as the crown of all her glories!"

"Child, child, " said the Queen, really moved, "Heaven knows that Iwould gladly practise clemency if my people would suffer it, but theyfear for my life, and still more for themselves, were I removed, norcan I blame them. "

"Your Majesty, I know that. But my mother would be dead to the world, leaving her rights solemnly made over to her son. None would knowwhere to find her, and she would leave in your hands, and those of theParliament, a resignation of all her claims. "

"And would she do this? Am I to take it on thy word, girl?"

"Your Majesty knows this ring, sent to her at Lochleven, " said Cicely, holding it up. "It is the pledge that she binds herself to theseconditions. Oh! let me but bear them to her, and you shall have themsigned and sealed, and your Majesty will know the sweet bliss ofpardoning. May I carry the tidings to her? I can go with thisgentleman as Cis Talbot returning to her service. "

Elizabeth bent her head as though assenting thoughtfully. 

"How shall I thank you, gracious Queen?" cried Cicely, joining hands ina transport, but Elizabeth sharply cut her short. 

"What means the wench? I have promised nothing. I have only said Iwill look into this strange story of thine, and consider thisproposal--that is, if thy mother, as thou callest her, truly intendit--ay, and will keep to it. "

"That is all I could ask of your Majesty, " said Cicely. "The nextmessenger after my return shall carry her full consent to theseconditions, and there will I abide your pleasure until the time comesfor her to be conducted to her convent, if not to see your face, whichwould be best of all. O madam, what thanks will be worthy of such agrace?"

"Wait to see whether it is a grace, little cousin, " said Elizabeth, butwith a kiss to the young round cheek, and a friendliness of tone thatsurprised all. "Messieurs, " she added to the ambassadors, "you came, if I mistake not, to bring me this young demoiselle. "

"Who has, I hope, pleaded more effectually than I, " returned Bellievre. 

"I have made no promises, sir, " said the Queen, drawing herself upproudly. 

"Still your Majesty forbids us not to hope, " said Chateauneuf. 

Wherewith they found themselves dismissed. There was a great increaseof genuine respect in the manner in which Bellievre handed the younglady from the Queen's chamber through the gallery and hall, and finallyto the boat. No one spoke, for there were many standing around, butCicely could read in a glance that passed between the Frenchmen thatthey were astonished at her success. Her own brain was in a whirl, herheart beating high; she could hardly realise what had passed, but whenagain placed in the barge the first words she heard were from Bellievre. 

"Your Royal Highness will permit me to congratulate you. " At the sametime she saw, to her great joy, that M. De Chateauneuf had caused herfoster-father to enter the barge with them. "If the Queen of Scotlandwere close at hand, the game would be won, " said Bellievre. 

"Ah! Milord Treasurer and M. Le Secretaire are far too cunning to havelet her be within reach, " said Chateauneuf. 

"Could we but have bound the Queen to anything, " added Bellievre. 

"That she always knows how to avoid, " said the resident ambassador. 

"At least, " said Cicely, "she has permitted that I should bear theterms to my mother at Fotheringhay. "

"That is true, " said Chateauneuf, "and in my opinion no time should belost in so doing. I doubt, " he added, looking at Richard, "whether, now that her Highness's exalted rank is known, the embassy will bepermitted to remain a shelter to her, in case the Queen should demandher of me. "

"Your Excellency speaks my thought, " said Richard. "I am even disposedto believe that it would be wiser to begin our journey this very day. "

"I grieve for the apparent inhospitality and disrespect to one whom Ihonour so highly, " said Chateauneuf, "but I verily believe it would bethe wiser plan. Look you, sir, the enemies of the unfortunate Queen ofScotland have done all in their power to hinder my colleague fromseeing the Queen, but to-day the Lord Treasurer is occupied atWestminster, and Monsieur le Secretaire is sick. She sent for us inone of those wilful moods in which she chooses to assert herselfwithout their knowledge, and she remains, as it were, stunned by thesurprise, and touched by her Royal Highness's pleading. But let thesegentlemen discover what has passed, or let her recover and send forthem, and bah! they will inquire, and messengers will go forth at onceto stop her Highness and yourself. All will be lost. But if you canactually be on the way to this castle before they hear of it--and it ispossible you may have a full day in advance--they will be unable tohinder the conditions from being laid before the Queen of Scots, and weare witnesses of what they were. "

"Oh, let us go! let us go at once, dear sir, " entreated Cicely. "Iburn to carry my mother this hope. "

It was not yet noon, so early had been the audience, and dark and shortas were the days, it was quite possible to make some progress on thejourney before night. Cicely had kept the necessaries for her journeyready, and so had Mr. Talbot, even to the purchase of horses, whichwere in the Shrewsbury House stables. 

The rest of the mails could be fetched by the Mastiff's crew, andbrought to Hull under charge of Goatley. Madame de Salmonnet was agood deal scandalised at Son Altesse Royale going off with only a maleescort, and to Cicely's surprise, wept over her, and prayed aloud thatshe might have good success, and bring safety and deliverance to thegood and persecuted Queen for whom she had attempted so much. 

"Sir, " said Chateauneuf, as he stood beside Richard, waiting till thegirl's preparations were over, "if there could have been any doubts ofthe royal lineage of your charge, her demeanour to-day would havedisproved them. She stood there speaking as an equal, all undauntedbefore that Queen before whom all tremble, save when they can cajoleher. "

"She stood there in the strength of truth and innocence, " said Richard. 

Whereat the Frenchman again looked perplexed at these incomprehensibleEnglish. 

Cicely presently appeared. It was wonderful to see how that one efforthad given her dignity and womanhood. She thanked the two ambassadorsfor the countenance they had given to her, and begged them to continuetheir exertions in her mother's cause. "And, " she added, "I believe mymother has already requested of you to keep this matter a secret. "

They bowed, and she added, "You perceive, gentlemen, that the veryconditions I have offered involve secrecy both as to my mother's futureabode and my existence. Therefore, I trust that you will not considerit inconsistent with your duty to the King of France to send no word ofthis. "

Again they assured her of their secrecy, and the promise was so farkept that the story was reserved for the private ear of Henri III. OnBellievre's return, and never put into the despatches. 

Two days later, Cicely enjoyed some of the happiest hours of her life. She stood by the bed where her mother was lying, and was greeted withthe cry, "My child, my child! I thought I never should see thee more. Domine, nunc dimittis!"

"Nay, dearest mother, but I trust she will show mercy. I bring youconditions. "

Mary laid her head on her daughter's shoulder and listened. It mightbe that she had too much experience of Elizabeth's vacillations toentertain much hope of her being allowed to retire beyond her graspinto a foreign convent, and she declared that she could not endure thather beloved, devoted child should wear away her life under Elizabeth'sjealous eye, but Cis put this aside, saying with a smile, "I think shewill not be hard with me. She will be no worse than my Lady Countess, and I shall have a secret of joy within me in thinking of you restingamong the good nuns. "

And Mary caught hope from the anticipations she would not damp, andgave herself to the description of the peaceful cloister life, reviewing in turn the nunneries she had heard described, and talkingover their rules. There would indeed be as little liberty as here, butshe would live in the midst of prayer and praise, and be at rest fromthe plots and plans, the hopes and fears, of her long captivity, and beat leisure for penitence. "For, ah! my child, guiltless though I be ofmuch that is laid to my charge, thy mother is a sinful woman, allunworthy of what her brave and innocent daughter has dared and done forher. "

Almost equally precious with that mother's greeting was the gravecongratulating look of approval which Cicely met in Humfrey's eyes whenhe had heard all from his father. He could exult in her, even while hethought sadly of the future which she had so bravely risked, watchingover her from a distance in his silent, self-restrained, unselfishdevotion. 

The Queen's coldness towards Humfrey had meantime diminished daily, though he could not guess whether she really viewed his course as theright one, or whether she forgave this as well as all other injuries inthe calm gentle state into which she had come, not greatly moved byhope or fear, content alike to live or die. 

Richard, in much anxiety, was to remain another day or two atFotheringhay, on the plea of his wearied horses and of the Sunday rest. 

Meantime Mary diligently wrote the conditions, but perhaps more tosatisfy her daughter than with much hope of their acceptance. 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE WARRANT

"Yea, madam, they are gone! They stole away at once, and are far onthe way to Fotheringhay, with these same conditions. " So spokeDavison, under-secretary, Walsingham being still indisposed. 

"And therefore will I see whether the Queen of Scots will ratify them, ere I go farther in the matter, " returned Elizabeth. 

"She will ratify them without question, " said the Secretary, ironically, "seeing that to escape into the hands of one of yourMajesty's enemies is just what she desires. "

"She leaves her daughter as a pledge. "

"Yea, a piece of tinsel to delude your Majesty. "

Elizabeth swore an oath that there was truth in every word and gestureof the maiden. 

"The poor wench may believe all she said herself, " said Davison. "Nay, she is as much deluded as the rest, and so is that honest, dull-patedsailor, Talbot. If your Majesty will permit me to call in a fellow Ihave here, I can make all plain. "

"Who is he? You know I cannot abide those foul carrion rascals youmake use of, " said Elizabeth, with an air of disgust. 

"This man is gentleman born. Villain he may be, but there is naught tooffend your Majesty in him. He is one Langston, a kinsman of thisTalbot's; and having once been a Papist, but now having seen the errorof his ways, he did good service in the unwinding of the late horribleplot. "

"Well, if no other way will serve you but I must hear the fellow, havehim in. "

A neatly-dressed, small, elderly man, entirely arrayed in black, wascalled in, and knelt most humbly before the Queen. Being bidden totell what he knew respecting the lady who had appeared before the Queenthe day before, calling herself Bride Hepburn, he returned for answerthat he believed it to be verily her name, but that she was thedaughter of a man who had fled to France, and become an archer of theScottish guard. 

He told how he had been at Hull when the infant had been saved from thewreck, and brought home to Mistress Susan Talbot, who left the placethe next day, and had, he understood, bred up the child as her own. Hehimself, being then, as he confessed, led astray by the delusions ofPopery, had much commerce with the Queen's party, and had learnt fromsome of the garrison of Dunfermline that the child on board the lostship was the offspring of this same Hepburn, and of one of Queen Mary'smany namesake kindred, who had died in childbirth at Lochleven. Andnow Langston professed bitterly to regret what he had done when, in hisdisguise at Buxton, he had made known to some of Mary's suite that thesupposed Cicely Talbot was of their country and kindred. She had beenimmediately made a great favourite by the Queen of Scots, and theattendants all knew who she really was, though she still went by thename of Talbot. He imagined that the Queen of Scots, whose charms werenot so imperishable as those which dazzled his eyes at this moment, wanted a fresh bait for her victims, since she herself was growing old, and thus had actually succeeded in binding Babington to her service, though even then the girl was puffed up with notions of her ownimportance and had flouted him. And now, all other hope havingvanished, Queen Mary's last and ablest resource had been to possess thepoor maiden with an idea of being actually her own child, and then towork on her filial obedience to offer herself as a hostage, whom Maryherself could without scruple leave to her fate, so soon as she wasready to head an army of invaders. 

Davison further added that the Secretary Nau could corroborate thatBride Hepburn was known to the suite as a kinswoman of the Queen, andthat Mr. Cavendish, clerk to Sir Francis Walsingham, knew thatBabington had been suitor to the young lady, and had crossed swordswith young Talbot on her account. 

Elizabeth listened, and made no comment at the time, save that shesharply questioned Langston; but his tale was perfectly coherent, andas it threw the onus of the deception entirely on Mary, it did notconflict either with the sincerity evident in both Cicely and herfoster-father, or with the credentials supplied by the Queen of Scots. Of the ciphered letter, and of the monograms, Elizabeth had neverheard, though, if she had asked for further proof, they would have beenbrought forward. 

She heard all, dismissed Langston, and with some petulance bade Davisonlikewise begone, being aware that her ministers meant her to draw themoral that she had involved herself in difficulties by holding aprivate audience of the French Ambassadors without their knowledge orpresence. It may be that the very sense of having been touchedexasperated her the more. She paced up and down the room restlessly, and her ladies heard her muttering--"That she should cheat me thus! Ihave pitied her often; I will pity her no more! To breed up that poorchild to be palmed on me! I will make an end of it; I can endure thisno longer! These tossings to and fro are more than I can bear, and allfor one who is false, false, false, false! My brain will bear no more. Hap what hap, an end must be made of it. She or I, she or I must die;and which is best for England and the faith? That girl had well-nighmade me pity her, and it was all a vile cheat!"

Thus it was that Elizabeth sent for Davison, and bade him bring thewarrant with him. 

And thus it was that in the midst of dinner in the hall, on the Sunday, the 5th of February, the meine of the Castle were startled by thearrival of Mr. Beale, the Clerk of the Council, always a bird ofsinister omen, and accompanied by a still more alarming figure a strongburly man clad in black velvet from head to foot. Every one knew whohe was, and a thrill of dismay, that what had been so long expected hadcome at last, went through all who saw him pass through the hall. SirAmias was summoned from table, and remained in conference with the twoarrivals all through evening chapel time--an event in itselfextraordinary enough to excite general anxiety. It was Humfrey's turnto be on guard, and he had not long taken his station before he wascalled into the Queen's apartments, where she sat at the foot of herbed, in a large chair with a small table before her. No one was withher but her two mediciners, Bourgoin and Gorion. 

"Here, " she said, "is the list our good Doctor has writ of the herbs herequires for my threatened attack of rheumatism. "

"I will endeavour, with Sir Amias's permission, to seek them in thepark, " said Humfrey. 

"But tell me, " said Mary, fixing her clear eyes upon him, "tell metruly. Is there not a surer and more lasting cure for all my ills inpreparation? Who was it who arrived to-night?"

"Madame, " said Humfrey, bowing his head low as he knelt on one knee, "it was Mr. Beale. "

"Ay, and who besides?"

"Madam, I heard no name, but"--as she waited for him to speak further, he uttered in a choked voice--"it was one clad in black. "

"I perceive, " said Mary, looking up with a smile. "A more effectualDoctor than you, my good Bourgoin. I thank my God and my cousinElizabeth for giving me the martyr's hope at the close of the mostmournful life that ever woman lived. Nay, leave me not as yet, goodHumfrey. I have somewhat to say unto thee. I have a charge for thee. "Something in her tone led him to look up earnestly in her face. "Thoulovest my child, I think, " she added. 

The young man's voice was scarcely heard, and he only said, "Yea, madam;" but there was an intensity in the tone and eyes which went toher heart. 

"Thou dost not speak, but thou canst do. Wilt thou take her, Humfrey, and with her, all the inheritance of peril and sorrow that dogs ourunhappy race?"

"Oh"--and there was a mighty sob that almost cut off his voice--"Mylife is already hers, and would be spent in her service wherever, whatever she was. "

"I guessed it, " said the Queen, letting her hand rest on his shoulder. "And for her thou wilt endure, if needful, suspicion, danger, exile?"

"They will be welcome, so I may shield her. "

"I trust thee, " she said, and she took his firm strong hand into herown white wasted one. "But will thy father consent? Thou art hiseldest son and heir. "

"He loves her like his own daughter. My brother may have the lands. "

"'Tis strange, " said Mary, "that in wedding a princess, 'tis no crown, no kingdom, that is set before thee, only the loss of thine owninheritance. For now that the poor child has made herself known toElizabeth, there will be no safety for her between these seas. I haveconsidered it well. I had thought of sending her abroad with my Frenchservants, and making her known to my kindred there. That would havebeen well if she could have accepted the true faith, or if--if herheart had not been thine; but to have sent her as she is would onlyexpose her to persecution, and she hath not the mounting spirit thatwould cast aside love for the sake of rising. She lived too long withthy mother to be aught save a homely Cis. I would have made a princessof her, but it passes my powers. Nay, the question is, whether it mayyet be possible to prevent the Queen from laying hands on her. "

"My father is still here, " said Humfrey, "and I deem not that anyorders have come respecting her. Might not he crave permission to takeher home, that is, if she will leave your Grace?"

"I will lay my commands on her! It is well thought of, " said theQueen. "How soon canst thou have speech with him?"

"He is very like to come to my post, " said Humfrey, "and then we canwalk the gallery and talk unheard. "

"It is well. Let him make his demand, and I will have her ready todepart as early as may be to-morrow morn. Bourgoin, I would ask theeto call the maiden hither. "

Cicely appeared from the apartment where she had been sitting with theother ladies. 

"Child, " said the Queen, as she came in, "is thy mind set on wedding anarchduke?"

"Marriage is not for me, madam, " said Cicely, perplexed and shaken bythis strange address and by Humfrey's presence. 

"Nay, didst not once tell me of a betrothal now many years ago? Whatwouldst say if thine own mother were to ratify it?"

"Ah! madam, " said Cicely, blushing crimson however, "but I pledgedmyself never to wed save with Queen Elizabeth's consent. "

"On one condition, " said the Queen. "But if that condition were notobserved by the other party--"

"How--what, mother!" exclaimed Cicely, with a scream. "There is nofear--Humfrey, have you heard aught?"

"Nothing is certain, " said Mary, calmly. "I ask thee not to break thyword. I ask thee, if thou wert free to marry, if thou wouldst be anAustrian or Lorraine duchess, or content thee with an honest Englishyouth whose plighted word is more precious to him than gold. "

"O mother, how can you ask?" said Cicely, dropping down, and hiding herface in the Queen's lap. 

"Then, Humfrey Talbot, I give her to thee, my child, my Bride ofScotland. Thou wilt guard her, and shield her, and for thine own sakeas well as hers, save her from the wrath and jealousy of Elizabeth. Hark, hark! Rise, my child. They are presenting arms. We shall havePaulett in anon to convey my rere-supper. "

They had only just time to compose themselves before Paulett came in, looking, as they all thought, grimmer and more starched than ever, andnot well pleased to find Humfrey there, but the Queen was equal to theoccasion. 

"Here is Dr. Bourgoin's list of the herbs that he needs to ease myaches, " she said. "Master Talbot is so good as to say that, beingproperly instructed, he will go in search of them. "

"They will not be needed, " said Paulett, but he spoke no farther to theQueen. Outside, however, he said to Humfrey, "Young man, you do notwell to waste the Sabbath evening in converse with that blinded woman;"and meeting Mr. Talbot himself on the stair, he said, "You are going inquest of your son, sir. You would do wisely to admonish him that hewill bring himself into suspicion, if not worse, by loitering amid thesnares and wiles of the woman whom wrath is even now overtaking. "

Richard found his son pacing the gallery, almost choked with agitation, and with the endeavour to conceal it from the two stolid, heavy yeomenwho dozed behind the screen. Not till he had reached the extreme enddid Humfrey master his voice enough to utter in his father's ear, "Shehas given her to me!"

Richard could not answer for a moment, then he said, "I fear me it willbe thy ruin, Humfrey. "

"Not ruin in love or faithfulness, " said the youth. "Father, you knowI should everywhere have followed her and watched over her, even to thedeath, even if she could never have been mine. "

"I trow thou wouldst, " said Richard. 

"Nor would you have it otherwise--your child, your only daughter, to beleft unguarded. "

"Nay, I know not that I would, " said Richard. "I cannot but care forthe poor maid like mine own, and I would not have thee lesstrue-hearted, Humfrey, even though it cost thee thine home, and us oureldest son. "

"You have Diccon and Ned, " said Humfrey. And then he told what hadpassed, and his father observed that Beale had evidently no knowledgeof Cicely's conference with the Queen, and apparently no orders toseize her. It had oozed out that a commission had been sent to fivenoblemen to come and superintend the execution, since Sir Amias Pauletthad again refused to let it take place without witnesses, and Richardundertook to apply at once to Sir Amias for permission to remove hisdaughter, on the ground of saving her tender youth from the shock. 

"Then, " said he, "I will leave a token at Nottingham where I have takenher; whether home or at once to Hull. If I leave Brown Roundle at theinn for thee, then come home; but if it be White Blossom, then come toHull. It will be best that thou dost not know while here, and I cannotgo direct to Hull, because the fens at this season may not be fit forriding. Heatherthwayte will need no proofs to convince him that she isnot thy sister, and can wed you at once, and you will also be able toembark in case there be any endeavour to arrest her. "

"Taking service in Holland, " said Humfrey, "until there may be safetyin returning to England. "

Richard sighed. The risk and sacrifice were great, and it was to himlike the loss of two children, but the die was cast; Humfrey nevercould be other than Cicely's devoted champion and guardian, and it wasbetter that it should be as her husband. So he repaired to Sir Amias, and told him that he desired not to expose his daughter's tender yearsand feeble spirits to the sight of the Queen's death, and claimedpermission to take her away with him the next day, saying that thepermission of the Queen had already been granted through his son, whomhe would gladly also take with him. 

Paulett hemmed and hawed. He thought it a great error in Mr. Talbot toavoid letting his daughter be edified by a spectacle that might go farto moderate the contagion of intercourse with so obstinate a Papist anddeceiver. Being of pitiless mould himself, he was incapable ofappreciating Richard's observation that compassion would only increaseher devotion to the unfortunate lady. He would not, or could not, partwith Humfrey. He said that there would be such a turmoil and concoursethat the services of the captain of his yeomen would be indispensable, but that he himself, and all the rest, would be free on the Thursday atlatest. 

Mr. Talbot's desire to be away was a surprise to him, for he was indifficulties how, even in that enormous hall, to dispose of all whoclaimed by right or by favour to witness what he called the tardyfulfilment of judgment. Yet though he thought it a weakness, he didnot refuse, and ere night Mr. Talbot was able to send formal word thatthe horses would be ready for Mistress Cicely at break of day the nextmorning. 

The message was transmitted through the ladies as the Queen sat writingat her table, and she at once gave orders to Elizabeth Curll to preparethe cloak bag with necessaries for the journey. 

Cicely cried out, "O madam my mother, do not send me from you!"

"There is no help for it, little one. It is the only hope of safety orhappiness for thee. "

"But I pledged myself to await Queen Elizabeth's reply here!"

"She has replied, " said Mary. 

"How?" cried Cicely. "Methought your letter confirming mine offers hadnot yet been sent. "

"It hath not, but she hath made known to me that she rejects thy terms, my poor maid. "

"Is there then no hope?" said the girl, under her breath, which cameshort with dismay. 

"Hope! yea, " said Mary, with a ray of brightness on her face, "but notearthly hope. That is over, and I am more at rest and peace than I canremember to have been since I was a babe at my mother's knee. But, little one, I must preserve thee for thine Humfrey and for happiness, and so thou must be gone ere the hounds be on thy track. "

"Never, mother, I cannot leave you. You bid no one else to go!" saidCis, clinging to her with a face bathed in tears. 

"No one else is imperilled by remaining as thy bold venture hasimperilled thee, my sweet maid. Think, child, how fears for thee woulddisturb my spirit, when I would fain commune only with Heaven. Seestthou not that to lose thy dear presence for the few days left to mewill be far better for me than to be rent with anxiety for thee, and itmay be to see thee snatched from me by these stern, harsh men?"

"To quit you now! It is unnatural! I cannot. "

"You will go, child. As Queen and as mother alike, I lay my commandson you. Let not the last, almost the only commands I ever gave thee betransgressed, and waste not these last hours in a vain strife. "

She spoke with an authority against which Cis had no appeal, save byholding her hand tight and covering it with kisses and tears. Marypresently released her hand and went on writing, giving her a littletime to restrain her agony of bitter weeping. The first words spokenwere, "I shall not name thee in my will, nor recommend thee to thybrother. It would only bring on thee suspicion and danger. Here, however, is a letter giving full evidence of thy birth, and mentioningthe various witnesses who can attest it. I shall leave the like withMelville, but it will be for thy happiness and safety if it never seethe light. Should thy brother die without heirs, then it might be thyduty to come forward and stretch out thy hand for these two crowns, which have more thorns than jewels in them. Alas! would that I coulddare to hope they might be exchanged for a crown of stars! But liedown on the bed, my bairnie. I have much still to do, and thou hast along journey before thee. "

Cicely would fain have resisted, but was forced to obey, thoughprotesting that she should not sleep; and she lay awake for a long timewatching the Queen writing, until unawares slumber overpowered hereyes. When she awoke, the Queen was standing over her saying, "It istime thou wert astir, little one!"

"Oh! and have I lost all these hours of you?" cried Cicely, as hersenses awoke to the remembrance of the situation of affairs. "Mother, why did you not let me watch with you?"

Mary only smiled and kissed her brow. The time went by in thepreparations, in all of which the Queen took an active part. Her moneyand jewels had been restored to her by Elizabeth's orders during herdaughter's absence, and she had put twenty gold pieces in the silkenand pearl purse which she always used. "More I may not give thee, " shesaid. "I know not whether I shall be able to give my poor faithfulservants enough to carry them to their homes. This thou must have toprovide thee. And for my jewels, they should be all thine by right, but the more valuable ones, which bear tokens, might only bring theeunder suspicion, poor child. "

She wished Cicely to choose among them, but the poor girl had no heartfor choice, and the Queen herself put in her hand a small casecontaining a few which were unobtrusive, yet well known to her, andamong them a ring with the Hepburn arms, given by Bothwell. She alsoshowed her a gold chain which she meant to give to Humfrey. In thismanner time passed, till a message came in that Master Richard Talbotwas ready. 

"Who brought it?" asked the Queen, and when she heard that it wasHumfrey himself who was at the door, she bade him be called in. 

"Children, " she said, "we were interrupted last night. Let me see yougive your betrothal kiss, and bless you. "

"One word, my mother, " said Cicely. "Humfrey will not bear me ill-willif I say that while there can still be any hope that Queen Elizabethwill accept me for her prisoner in your stead, I neither can nor oughtto wed him. "

"Thou mayst safely accept the condition, my son, " said Mary. 

"Then if these messengers should come to conduct my mother abroad, andto take me as her hostage, Humfrey will know where to find me. "

"Yea, thou art a good child to the last, my little one, " said Mary. 

"You promise, Humfrey?" said Cicely. 

"I do, " he said, knowing as well as the Queen how little chance therewas that he would be called on to fulfil it, but feeling that the agonyof the parting was thus in some degree softened to Cicely. 

Mary gave the betrothal ring to Humfrey, and she laid her hands ontheir clasped ones. "My daughter and my son, " she said, "I leave youmy blessing. If filial love and unshaken truth can bring downblessings from above, they will be yours. Think of your mother intimes to come as one who hath erred, but suffered and repented. Ifyour Church permits you, pray often for her. Remember, when you hearher blamed, that in the glare of courts, she had none to breed her upin godly fear and simple truth like your good mother at Bridgefield, but that she learnt to think what you view in the light of deadly sinas the mere lawful instruments of government, above all for the weaker. Condemn her not utterly, but pray, pray with all your hearts that herGod and Saviour will accept her penitence, and unite her sufferingswith those of her Lord, since He has done her the grace of letting herdie in part for His Church. Now, " she added, kissing each brow, andthen holding her daughter in her embrace, "take her away, Humfrey, andlet me turn my soul from all earthly loves and cares!"

CHAPTER XLIV. 

ON THE HUMBER. 

Master Talbot had done considerately in arranging that Cicely should atleast begin her journey on a pillion behind himself, for her anguish ofsuppressed weeping unfitted her to guide a horse, and would haveattracted the attention of any serving-man behind whom he could haveplaced her, whereas she could lay her head against his shoulder, andfeel a kind of dreary repose there. 

He would have gone by the more direct way to Hull, through Lincoln, butthat he feared that February Filldyke would have rendered the fensimpassable, so he directed his course more to the north-west. Cicelywas silent, crushed, but more capable of riding than of anything else;in fact, the air and motion seemed to give her a certain relief. 

He meant to halt for the night at a large inn at Nottingham. There wasmuch stir in the court, and it seemed to be full of the train of somegreat noble. Richard knew not whether to be glad or sorry when heperceived the Shrewsbury colours and the silver mastiff badge, and wasgreeted by a cry of "Master Richard of Bridgefield!" Two or threeretainers of higher degree came round him as he rode into the yard, and, while demanding his news, communicated their own, that my Lord wason his way to Fotheringhay to preside at the execution of the Queen ofScots. 

He could feel Cicely's shudder as he lifted her off her horse, and hereplied repressively, "I am bringing my daughter from thence. "

"Come in and see my Lord, " said the gentleman. "He is a woeful man atthe work that is put on him. "

Lord Shrewsbury did indeed look sad, almost broken, as he held out hishand to Richard, and said, "This is a piteous errand, cousin, on whichI am bound. And thou, my young kinswoman, thou didst not succeed withher Majesty!"

"She is sick with grief and weariness, " said Richard. "I would faintake her to her chamber. "

The evident intimacy of the new-comers with so great a personage as myLord procured for them better accommodation than they might otherwisehave had, and Richard obtained for Cicely a tiny closet within the roomwhere he was himself to sleep. He even contrived that she should beserved alone, partly by himself, partly by the hostess, a kind motherlywoman, to whom he committed her, while he supped with the Earl, and wasafterwards called into his sleeping chamber to tell him of hisendeavours at treating with Lord and Lady Talbot, and also to hear hislamentations over the business he had been sent upon. He had actuallyoffered to make over his office as Earl Marshal to Burghley for thenonce, but as he said, "that of all the nobles in England, such workshould fall to the lot of him, who had been for fourteen years the poorlady's host, and knew her admirable patience and sweet conditions, wastruly hard. "

Moreover, he was joined in the commission with the Earl of Kent, a sourPuritan, who would rejoice in making her drink to the dregs of the cupof bitterness! He was sick at heart with the thought. Richardrepresented that he would, at least, be able to give what comfort couldbe derived from mildness and compassion. 

"Not I, not I!" said the poor man, always weak. "Not with those harshyoke-fellows Kent and Paulett to drive me on, and that viper Beale toreport to the Privy Council any strain of mercy as mere treason. Whatcan I do?"

"You would do much, my Lord, if you would move them to restore--forthese last hours--to her those faithful servants, Melville and DePreaux, whom Paulett hath seen fit to seclude from her. It is rankcruelty to let her die without the sacraments of her Church when herconscience will not let her accept ours. "

"It is true, Richard, over true. I will do what I can, but I doubt mewhether I shall prevail, where Paulett looks on a Mass as mereidolatry, and will not brook that it should be offered in his house. But come you back with me, kinsman. We will send old Master Purvis totake your daughter safely home. "

Richard of course refused, and at the same time, thinking anexplanation necessary and due to the Earl, disclosed to him that Cicelywas no child of his, but a near kinswoman of the Scottish Queen, whomit was desirable to place out of Queen Elizabeth's reach for thepresent, adding that there had been love passages between her and hisson Humfrey, who intended to wed her and see some foreign service. Lord Shrewsbury showed at first some offence at having been kept inignorance all these years of such a fact, and wondered what hisCountess would say, marvelled too that his cousin should consent to hisson's throwing himself away on a mere stranger, of perilous connection, and going off to foreign wars; but the good nobleman was a placableman, and always considerably influenced by the person who addressedhim, and he ended by placing the Mastiff at Richard's disposal to takethe young people to Scotland or Holland, or wherever they might wish togo. 

This decided Mr. Talbot on making at once for the seaport; andaccordingly he left behind him the horse, which was to serve as a tokento his son that such was his course. Cicely had been worn out with herday's journey, and slept late and sound, so that she was not ready toleave her chamber till the Earl and his retinue were gone, and thus shewas spared actual contact with him who was to doom her mother, and seethat doom carried out. She was recruited by rest, and more ready totalk than on the previous day, but she was greatly disappointed to findthat she might not be taken to Bridgefield. 

"If I could only be with Mother Susan for one hour, " she sighed. 

"Would that thou couldst, my poor maid, " said Richard. "The motherhath the trick of comfort. "

"'Twas not comfort I thought of. None can give me that, " said the poorgirl; "but she would teach me how to be a good wife to Humfrey. "

These words were a satisfaction to Richard, who had begun to feelsomewhat jealous for his son's sake, and to doubt whether the girl'saffection rose to the point of requiting the great sacrifice made forhis sake, though truly in those days parents were not wont to besolicitous as to the mutual attachment between a betrothed pair. However, Cicely's absolute resignation of herself and her fate intoHumfrey's hands, without even a question, and with entire confidenceand peace, was evidence enough that her heart was entirely his; nay, had been his throughout all the little flights of ambition now soentirely passed away, without apparently a thought on her part. 

It was on the Friday forenoon, a day very unlike their last entranceinto Hull, that they again entered the old town, in the brightness of acrisp frost; but poor Cicely could not but contrast her hopeful mood ofNovember with her present overwhelming sorrow, where, however, therewas one drop of sweetness. Her foster-father took her again to goodMr. Heatherthwayte's, according to the previous invitation, and wasrejoiced to see that the joyous welcome of Oil-of-Gladness awoke asmile; and the little girl, being well trained in soberness anddiscretion, did not obtrude upon her grief. 

Stern Puritan as he was, the minister himself contained hissatisfaction that the Papist woman was to die and never reign overEngland until he was out of hearing of the pale maiden who had--strangeas it seemed to him--loved her enough to be almost broken-hearted ather death. 

Richard saw Goatley and set him to prepare the Mastiff for an immediatevoyage. Her crew, somewhat like those of a few modern yachts, werepermanently attached to her, and lived in the neighbourhood of thewharf, so that, under the personal superintendence of one who was asmuch loved and looked up to as Captain Talbot, all was soon in a stateof forwardness, and Gillingham made himself very useful. When darknessput a stop to the work and supper was being made ready, Richard foundtime to explain matters to Mr. Heatherthwayte, for his honourable mindwould not permit him to ask his host unawares to perform an office thatmight possibly be construed as treasonable. In spite of thepreparation which he had already received through Colet'scommunications, the minister's wonder was extreme. "Daughter to theQueen of Scots, say you, sir! Yonder modest, shamefast maiden, ofsuch seemly carriage and gentle speech?"

Richard smiled and said--"My good friend, had you seen that poorlady--to whom God be merciful--as I have done, you would know that whatis sweetest in our Cicely's outward woman is derived from her; for theinner graces, I cannot but trace them to mine own good wife. "

Mr. Heatherthwayte seemed at first hardly to hear him, so overpoweredwas he with the notion that the daughter of her, whom he was in thehabit of classing with Athaliah and Herodias, was in his house, restingon the innocent pillow of Oil-of-Gladness. He made his guest recountto him the steps by which the discovery had been made, and at lastseemed to embrace the idea. Then he asked whether Master Talbot wereabout to carry the young lady to the protection of her brother inScotland; and when the answer was that it might be poor protection evenif conferred, and that by all accounts the Court of Scotland was by nomeans a place in which to leave a lonely damsel with no faithfulguardian, the minister asked--

"How then will you bestow the maiden?"

"In that, sir, I came to ask you to aid me. My son Humfrey isfollowing on our steps, leaving Fotheringhay so soon as his chargethere is ended; and I ask of you to wed him to the maid, whom we willthen take to Holland, when he will take service with the States. "

The amazement of the clergyman was redoubled, and he began at first toplead with Richard that a perilous overleaping ambition was leading himthus to mate his son with an evil, though a royal, race. 

At this Richard smiled and shook his head, pointing out that the verylast thing any of them desired was that Cicely's birth should be known;and that even if it were, her mother's marriage was very questionable. It was no ambition, he said, that actuated his son, "But you sawyourself how, nineteen years ago, the little lad welcomed her as hislittle sister come back to him. That love hath grown up with him. When, at fifteen years old, he learnt that she was a nameless stranger, his first cry was that he would wed her and give her his name. Neverhath his love faltered; and even when this misfortune of her rank wasknown, and he lost all hope of gaining her, while her mother bade herrenounce him, his purpose was even still to watch over and guard her;and at the end, beyond all our expectations, they have had her mother'sdying blessing and entreaty that he would take her. "

"Sir, do you give me your word for that?"

"Yea, Master Heatherthwayte, as I am a true man. Mind you, worldlymatters look as different to a poor woman who knoweth the headsman isin the house, as to one who hath her head on her dying pillow. ThisQueen had devised plans for sending our poor Cis abroad to her Frenchand Lorraine kindred, with some of the French ladies of her train. "

"Heaven forbid!" broke out Heatherthwayte, in horror. "The rankest ofPapists--"

"Even so, and with recommendations to give her in marriage to someadventurous prince whom the Spaniards might abet in working woe to usin her name. But when she saw how staunch the child is in believing asmine own good dame taught her, she saw, no doubt, that this would bemere giving her over to be persecuted and mewed in a convent. "

"Then the woman hath some bowels of mercy, though a Papist. "

"She even saith that she doubteth not that such as live honestly andfaithfully by the light that is in them shall be saved. So when shesaw she prevailed nothing with the maid, she left off her endeavours. Moreover, my son not only saved her life, but won her regard by hisfaith and honour; and she called him to her, and even besought him tobe her daughter's husband. I came to you, reverend sir, as one who hasknown from the first that the young folk are no kin to one another; andas I think the peril to you is small, I deemed that you would do themthis office. Otherwise, I must take her to Holland and see them weddedby a stranger there. "

Mr. Heatherthwayte was somewhat touched, but he sat and considered, perceiving that to marry the young lady to a loyal Englishman was thesafest way of hindering her from falling into the clutches of a Popishprince; but he still demurred, and asked how Mr. Talbot could talk ofthe mere folly of love, and for its sake let his eldest son and heirbecome a mere exile and fugitive, cut off, it might be, from home. 

"For that matter, sir, " said Richard, "my son is not one to loiterabout, as the lubberly heir, cumbering the land at home. He would, solong as I am spared in health and strength, be doing service by land orsea, and I trust that by the time he is needed at home, all this may beso forgotten that Cis may return safely. The maid hath been our childtoo long for us to risk her alone. And for such love being weak andfoolish, surely, sir, it was the voice of One greater than you or Ithat bade a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. "

Mr. Heatherthwayte still murmured something about "youth" and "lightlyundertaken, " and Master Talbot observed, with a smile, that when he hadseen Humfrey he might judge as to the lightness of purpose. 

Richard meanwhile was watching somewhat anxiously for the arrival ofhis son, who, he had reckoned, would make so much more speed than waspossible for Cis, that he might have almost overtaken them, if thefatal business had not been delayed longer than he had seen reason toanticipate. However, these last words had not long been out of hismouth when a man's footsteps, eager, yet with a tired sound and withthe clank of spurs, came along the paved way outside, and there was aknock at the door. Some one else had been watching; for, as the streetdoor was opened, Cicely sprang forward as Humfrey held out his arms;then, as she rested against his breast, he said, so that she alonecould hear, "Her last words to me were, 'Give her my love and blessing, and tell her my joy is come--such joy as I never knew before. '"

Then they knew the deed was done, and Richard said, "God have mercy onher soul!" Nor did Mr. Heatherthwayte rebuke him. Indeed there was notime, for Humfrey exclaimed, "She is swooning. " He gathered her in hisarms, and carried her where they lighted him, laying her on Oil'slittle bed, but she was not entirely unconscious, and rallied hersenses so as to give him a reassuring look, not quite a smile, and yetwondrously sweet, even in the eyes of others. Then, as the lampflashed on his figure, she sprang to her feet, all else forgotten inthe exclamation. 

"O Humfrey, thou art hurt! What is it? Sit thee down. "

They then saw that his face was, indeed, very pale and jaded, and thathis dress was muddied from head to foot, and in some places there weremarks of blood; but as she almost pushed him down on the chest besidethe bed, he said, in a voice hoarse and sunk, betraying weariness--

"Naught, naught, Cis; only my beast fell with me going down a hill, andlamed himself, so that I had to lead him the last four or five miles. Moreover, this cut on my hand must needs break forth bleeding more thanI knew in the dark, or I had not frighted thee by coming in such sorryplight, " and he in his turn gazed reassuringly into her eyes as shestood over him, anxiously examining, as if she scarce durst trust him, that if stiff and bruised at all, it mattered not. Then she begged acup of wine for him, and sent Oil for water and linen, and Humfrey hadto abandon his hand to her, to be cleansed and bound up, neither ofthem uttering a word more than needful, as she knelt by the chestperforming this work with skilful hands, though there was now and thena tremor over her whole frame. 

"Now, dear maid, " said Richard, "thou must let him come with us and donsome dry garments: then shalt thou see him again. "

"Rest and food--he needs them, " said Cis, in a voice weak andtremulous, though the self-restraint of her princely nature strove tocontrol it. "Take him, father; methinks I cannot hear more to-night. He will tell me all when we are away together. I would be alone, andin the dark; I know he is come, and you are caring for him. That isenough, and I can still thank God. "

Her face quivered, and she turned away; nor did Humfrey dare to shakeher further by another demonstration, but stumbled after his father tothe minister's chamber, where some incongruous clerical attire had beenprovided for him, since he disdained the offer of supping in bed. 

Mr. Heatherthwayte was much struck with the undemonstrativeness oftheir meeting, for there was high esteem for austerity in the Puritanworld, in contrast to the utter want of self-restraint shown by themore secular characters. 

When Humfrey presently made his appearance with his father's cloakwrapped over the minister's clean shirt and nether garments, Richardsaid, "Son Humfrey, this good gentleman who baptized our Cis would fainbe certain that there is no lightness of purpose in this thy design. "

"Nay, nay, Mr. Talbot, " broke in the minister, "I spake ere I had seenthis gentleman. From what I have now beheld, I have no doubts that beshe who she may, it is a marriage made and blessed in heaven. "

"I thank you, sir, " said Humfrey, gravely; "it is my one hopefulfilled. "

They spoke no more till he had eaten, for he was much spent, havingnever rested more than a couple of hours, and not slept at all sinceleaving Fotheringhay. He had understood by the colour of the horseleft at Nottingham which road to take, and at the hostel at Hull hadencountered Gillingham, who directed him on to Mr. Heatherthwayte's. 

What he brought himself to tell of the last scene at Fotheringhay hasbeen mostly recorded by history, and need not here be dwelt upon. WhenBourgoin and Melville fell back, unable to support their mistress alongthe hall to the scaffold, the Queen had said to him, "Thou wilt do methis last service, " and had leant on his arm along the crowded hall, and had taken that moment to speak those last words for Cicely. Shehad blessed James openly, and declared her trust that he would findsalvation if he lived well and sincerely in the faith he had chosen. With him she had secretly blessed her other child. 

Humfrey was much shaken and could hardly command his voice to answerthe questions of Master Heatherthwayte, but he so replied to them that, one by one, the phrases and turns were relinquished which the worthyman had prepared for a Sunday's sermon on "Go see now this accursedwoman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter, " and he even began toconsider of choosing for his text something that would bid hiscongregation not to judge after the sight of their eyes, nor condemnafter the hearing of their ears. 

When Humfrey had eaten and drunk, and the ruddy hue was returning tohis cheek, Mr. Heatherthwayte discovered that he must speak with hischurchwarden that night. Probably the pleasure of communicating thetidings that the deed was accomplished added force to the considerationthat the father and son would rather be alone together, for he lightedhis lantern with alacrity, and carried off Dust-and-Ashes with him. 

Then Humfrey had more to tell which brooked no delay. On the day afterthe departure of his father and Cicely, Will Cavendish had arrived, andHumfrey had been desired to demand from the prisoner an immediateaudience for that gentleman. Mary had said, "This is anent the child. Call him in, Humfrey, " and as Cavendish had passed the guard he hadstruck his old comrade on the shoulder and observed, "What gulls wehave at Hallamshire. "

He had come out from his conference fuming, and desiring to hear fromHumfrey whether he were aware of the imposture that had been put on theQueen and upon them all, and to which yonder stubborn woman still choseto cleave--little Cis Talbot supposing herself a queen's daughter, andthey all, even grave Master Richard, being duped. It was too much forWill! A gentleman, so nearly connected with the Privy Council, was notto be deceived like these simple soldiers and sailors, though it suitedQueen Mary's purposes to declare the maid to be in sooth her daughter, and to refuse to disown her. He supposed it was to embroil England forthe future that she left such a seed of mischief. 

And old Paulett had been fool enough to let the girl leave the Castle, whereas Cavendish's orders had been to be as secret as possible lestthe mischievous suspicion of the existence of such a person shouldspread, but to arrest her and bring her to London as soon as theexecution should be over; when, as he said, no harm would happen to herprovided she would give up the pretensions with which she had beendeceived. 

"It would have been safer for you both, " said poor Queen Mary toHumfrey afterwards, "if I had denied her, but I could not disown mypoor child, or prevent her from yet claiming royal rights. Moreover, Ihave learnt enough of you Talbots to know that you would not owe yoursafety to falsehood from a dying woman. "

But Will's conceit might be quite as effectual. He was under orders tocommunicate the matter to no one not already aware of it, and as aboveall things he desired to see the execution as the most memorablespectacle he was likely to behold in his life, and he believed Cicelyto be safe at Bridgefield, he thought it unnecessary to take anyfarther steps until that should be over. Humfrey had listened to allwith what countenance he might, and gave as little sign as possible. 

But when the tragedy had been consummated, and he had seen the fairhead fall, and himself withdrawn poor little Bijou from beneath hisdead mistress's garment, handing him to Jean Kennedy, he had--withblood still curdling with horror--gone down to the stables, taken hishorse, and ridden away. 

There would no doubt be pursuit so soon as Richard and Cicely werefound not to be at Bridgefield; but there was a space in which to act, and Mr. Talbot at once said, "The Mastiff is well-nigh ready to sail. Ye must be wedded to-morrow morn, and go on board without delay. "

They judged it better not to speak of this to the poor bride in herheavy grief; and Humfrey, having heard from their little hostess thatMistress Cicely lay quite still, and sent him her loving greeting, consented to avail himself of the hospitable minister's own bed, hoping, as he confided to his father, that very weariness would hinderhim from seeing the block, the axe, and the convulsed face, that hadhaunted him on the only previous time when he had tried to close hiseyes. 

Long before day Cicely heard her father's voice bidding her awake anddress herself, and handing in a light. The call was welcome, for ithad been a night of strange dreams and sadder wakenings to the sense"it had come at last"--yet the one comfort, "Humfrey is near. " Shedressed herself in those plain black garments she had assumed inLondon, and in due time came down to where her father awaited her. Shewas pale, silent, and passive, and obeyed mechanically as he made hertake a little food. She looked about as if for some one, and he said, "Humfrey will meet us anon. " Then he himself put on her cloak, hood, and muffler. She was like one in a dream, never asking where they weregoing, and thus they left the house. There was light from a waningmoon, and by it he led her to the church. 

It was a strange wedding in that morning moonlight streaming in at theeast window of that grand old church, and casting the shadows of thecolumns and arches on the floor, only aided by one wax light, which, asMr. Heatherthwayte took care to protest, was not placed on the holytable out of superstition, but because he could not see without it. Indeed the table stood lengthways in the centre aisle, and would havebeen bare, even of a white cloth, had not Richard begged for aCommunion for the young pair to speed them on their perilous way, andMr. Heatherthwayte--almost under protest--consented, since a sea voyageand warlike service in a foreign land lay before them. But, exceptthat he wore no surplice, he had resigned himself to Master Richard onthat most unnatural morning, and stifled his inmost sighs when he hadto pronounce the name Bride, given, not by himself, but by some Romishpriest--when the bridegroom, with the hand wounded for Queen Mary'ssake, gave a ruby ring, most unmistakably coming from that sameperilous quarter, --and above all when the pair and the father knelt indeep reverence. Yet their devotion was evidently so earnest and soheartfelt that he knew not how to blame it, and he could not but blessthem with his whole heart as he walked down with them to the wharf. All were silent, except that Cicely once paused and said she wanted tospeak to "Father. " He came to her side, and she took his arm insteadof Humfrey's. 

"Sir, " she said; "it has come to me that now my sweet mother is leftalone it would be no small joy to her, and of great service to our goodhost's little daughter, if Oil-of-Gladness could take my place at homefor a year or two. "

"None will do that, Cis; but there is much that would be well in thenotion, and I will consider of it. She is a maid of good conditions, and the mother is lonesome. "

His consideration resulted in his making the proposal, much startling, though greatly gratifying. Master Heatherthwayte, who thanked him, talked of his honour for that discreet and godly woman Mistress Susan, and said he must ponder and pray upon it, and would reply when Mr. Talbot returned from his voyage. 

At the wharf lay the Mastiff's boat in charge of Gervas and Gillingham. All three stepped into it together, the most silent bride andbridegroom perhaps that the Humber had ever seen. Only each of thethree wrung the hand of the good clergyman. At that moment all thebells in Hull broke forth with a joyous peal, which by the associationmade the bride look up with a smile. Her husband forced one in return;but his father's eyes, which she could not see, filled with tears. Heknew it was in exultation at her mother's death, and they hurried intothe boat lest she should catch the purport of the shouts that werebeginning to arise as the townsfolk awoke to the knowledge that theirenemy was dead. 

The fires of Smithfield were in the remembrance of this generation. Thecities of Flanders were writhing under the Spanish yoke; "the richestspoils of Mexico, the stoutest hearts of Spain, " were already musteringto reduce England to the condition of Antwerp or Haarlem; and onlyElizabeth's life had seemed to lie between them and her who was boundby her religion to bring all this upon the peaceful land. No wonderthose who knew not the tissue of cruel deceits and treacheries that hadworked the final ruin of the captive, and believed her guilty offearful crimes, should have burst forth in a wild tumult of joy, suchas saddened even the Protestant soul of Mr. Heatherthwayte, as heturned homewards after giving his blessing to the mournful young girl, whom the boat was bearing over the muddy waters of the Hull. 

They soon had her on board, but the preparations were hardly yetcomplete, nor could the vessel make her way down the river until theevening tide. It was a bright clear day, and a seat on deck wasarranged for the lady, where she sat with Humfrey beside her, holdingher cloak round her, and telling her--strange theme for a bridalday--all he thought well to tell her of those last hours, when Mary hadtruly shown herself purified by her long patience, and exalted by thehope that her death had in it somewhat of martyrdom. 

His father meantime superintended the work of the crew, being extremelyanxious to lose no time, and to sail before night. Mr. Heatherthwayte's anxiety brought him on board again, for he wanted toask more questions about the Bridgefield doings ere beginning hisponderings and his prayers respecting his decision for his littledaughter; nor had he taken his final leave when the anchor was atlength weighed, and the ship had passed by the strange old gables, timbered houses, and open lofts, that bounded the harbour out from theHull river into the Humber itself, while both the Talbots breathed morefreely; but as the chill air of evening made itself felt, theypersuaded Cicely to let her husband take her down to her cabin. 

It was at this moment, in the deepening twilight, that the ship washailed, and a boat came alongside, and there was a summons, "In theQueen's name, " and a slightly made lean figure in black came up theside. He was accompanied by a stout man, apparently a constable. Therewas a moment's pause, then the new-comer said "Kinsman Talbot--"

"I count no kindred with betrayers, Cuthbert Langston, " said Richard, drawing himself up with folded arms. 

"Scorn me not, Richard Talbot, " was the reply; "you stood my friendonce when none other did so, and for that cause have I hindered muchhurt to you and yours. But for me you had been in a London jail forthese three weeks past. Nor do I come to do you evil now. Give up thewench, and your name shall never be brought forward, since the matteris to be private. Behold a warrant from the Council empowering me tobring before them the person of Bride Hepburn, otherwise called CicelyTalbot. "

"Man of treacheries and violence, " said Mr. Heatherthwayte, standingforward, an imposing figure in his full black gown and white ruff, "goback! The lady is not for thy double-dealing, nor is there now anysuch person as either Bride Hepburn or Cicely Talbot. "

"I cry you mercy, " sneered Langston. "I see how it is! I shall haveto bear your reverence likewise away for a treasonable act inperforming the office of matrimony for a person of royal blood withoutconsent of the Queen. And your reverence knows the penalty. "

At that instant there rang from the forecastle a never-to-be-forgottenhowl of triumphant hatred and fury, and with a spring like that of atiger, Gillingham bounded upon him with a shout, "Remember Babington!"and grappled with him, dragging him backwards to the bulwark. Richardand the constable both tried to seize the fiercely struggling forms, but in vain. They were over the side in a moment, and there was aheavy splash into the muddy waters of the Humber, thick with thedowncome of swollen rivers, thrown back by the flowing tide. 

Humfrey came dashing up from below, demanding who was overboard, andready to leap to the rescue wherever any should point in the darkness, but his father withheld him, nor, indeed, was there sound or eddy to beperceived. 

"It is the manifest judgment of God, " said Mr. Heatherthwayte, in alow, awe-stricken voice. 

But the constable cried aloud that a murder had been done in resistingthe Queen's warrant. 

With a ready gesture the minister made Humfrey understand that he mustkeep his wife in the cabin, and Richard at the same time called Mr. Heatherthwayte and all present to witness that, murder as itundoubtedly was, it had not been in resisting the Queen's warrant, butin private revenge of the servant, Harry Gillingham, for his masterBabington, whom he believed to have been betrayed by this gentleman. 

It appeared that the constable knew neither the name of the gentlemannor whom the warrant mentioned. He had only been summoned in theQueen's name to come on board the Mastiff to assist in securing theperson of a young gentlewoman, but who she was, or why she was to bearrested, the man did not know. He saw no lady on deck, and he was byno means disposed to make any search, and the presence of MasterHeatherthwayte likewise impressed him much with the belief that all wasright with the gentlemen. 

Of course it would have been his duty to detain the Mastiff for aninquiry into the matter, but the poor man was extremely ill at ease inthe vessel and among the retainers of my Lord of Shrewsbury; and inpoint of fact, they might all have been concerned in a crime of muchdeeper dye without his venturing to interfere. He saw no one toarrest, the warrant was lost, the murderer was dead, and he wasthankful enough to be returned to his boat with Master Richard Talbot'sassurance that it was probable that no inquiry would be made, but thatif it were, the pilot would be there to bear witness of his innocence, and that he himself should return in a month at latest with the Mastiff. 

Master Heatherthwayte consoled the constable further by saying he wouldreturn in his boat, and speak for him if there were any inquiry afterthe other passenger. 

"I must speak my farewells here, " he said, "and trust we shall have nocoil to meet you on your return, Master Richard. "

"But for her, " said Humfrey, "I could not let my father face it alone. When she is in safety"--

"Tush, lad, " said his father, "such plotters as yonder poor wretch hadbecome are not such choice prizes as to be inquired for. Men are onlytoo glad to be rid of them when their foul work is done. "

"So farewell, good Master Heatherthwayte, " added Humfrey, "with thanksfor this day's work. I have read of good and evil geniuses or angels, be they which they may, haunting us for life, and striving for themastery. Methinks my Cis hath found both on the same Humber whichbrought her to us. "

"Nay, go not forth with Pagan nor Popish follies on thy tongue, youngman, " said Heatherthwayte, "but rather pray that the blessing of theHoly One, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of thy father, may be with thee and thine in this strange land, and bring thee safelyback in His own time. And surely He will bless the faithful. "

And Richard Talbot said Amen. 

CHAPTER XLV. 

TEN YEARS AFTER. 

It was ten years later in the reign of Elizabeth, when James VI. Wasunder one of his many eclipses of favour, and when the united Englishand Dutch fleets had been performing gallant exploits at Cadiz andTercera, that license for a few weeks' absence was requested for one ofthe lieutenants in her Majesty's guard, Master Richard Talbot. 

"And wherefore?" demanded the royal lady of Sir Walter Raleigh, thecaptain of her guard, who made the request. 

"To go to the Hague to look after his brother's widow and estate, soplease your Majesty; more's the pity, " said Raleigh. 

"His brother's widow?" repeated the Queen. 

"Yea, madam. For it may be feared that young Humfrey Talbot--I knownot whether your Majesty ever saw him--but he was my brave brotherHumfrey Gilbert's godson, and sailed with us to the West some sixteenyears back. He was as gallant a sailor as ever trod a deck, and Inever could see why he thought fit to take service with the States. Buthe did good work in the time of the Armada, and I saw him one of theforemost in the attack on Cadiz. Nay, he was one of those knighted bymy Lord of Essex in the market-place. Then he sailed with my Lord ofCumberland for the Azores, now six months since, and hath not sincebeen heard of, as his brother tells me, and therefore doth Talbotrequest this favour of your Majesty. "

"Send the young man to me, " returned the Queen. 

Diccon, to give him his old name, was not quite so unsophisticated aswhen his father had first left him in London. Though a good dealshocked by what a new arrival from Holland had just told him of thehopelessness of ever seeing the Ark of Fortune and her captain again, he was not so overpowered with grief as to prevent him from being fullof excitement and gratification at the honour of an interview with theQueen, and he arranged his rich scarlet and gold attire so as to sethimself off to the best advantage, that so he might be pronounced "aproper man. "

Queen Elizabeth was now some years over sixty, and her nose and chinbegan to meet, but otherwise she was as well preserved as ever, andquite as alert and dignified. To his increased surprise, she wasalone, and as she was becoming a little deaf, she made him kneel verynear her chair. 

"So, Master Talbot, " she said, "you are the son of Richard Talbot ofBridgefield. "

"An it so please your Majesty. "

"And you request license from us to go to the Hague?"

"An it so please your Majesty, " repeated Diccon, wondering what wascoming next; and as she paused for him to continue--"There are graverumours and great fears for my brother's ship--he being in the Dutchservice--and I would fain learn the truth and see what may be done forhis wife. "

"Who is his wife?" demanded the Queen, fixing her keen glittering eyeson him, but he replied with readiness. 

"She was an orphan brought up by my father and mother. "

"Young man, speak plainly. No tampering serves here. She is the wenchwho came hither to plead for the Queen of Scots. "

"Yea, madam, " said Diccon, seeing that direct answers were required. 

"Tell me truly, " continued the Queen. "On your duty to your Queen, isshe what she called herself?"

"To the best of my belief she is, madam, " he answered. 

"Look you, sir, Cavendish brought back word that it was all aningenious figment which had deceived your father, mother, and the maidherself--and no wonder, since the Queen of Scots persisted therein tothe last. "

"Yea, madam, but my mother still keeps absolute proofs in the garmentsand the letter that were found on the child when recovered from thewreck. I had never known that she was not my sister till her journeyto London; and when next I went to the north my mother told me thewhole truth. "

"I pray, then, how suits it with the boasted loyalty of your house thatthis brother of yours should have wedded the maid?"

"Madam; it was not prudent, but he had never a thought save for herthroughout his life. Her mother committed her to him, and holding thematter a deep and dead secret, he thought to do your Majesty no wrongby the marriage. If he erred, be merciful, madam. "

"Pah! foolish youth, to whom should I be merciful since the man isdead? No doubt he hath left half a score of children to be puffed upwith the wind of their royal extraction. "

"Not one, madam. When last I heard they were still childless. "

"And now you are on your way to take on you the cheering of yoursister-in-law, the widow, " said the Queen, and as Diccon made a gestureof assent, she stretched out her hand and drew him nearer. "She is thenalone in the world. She is my kinswoman, if so be she is all she callsherself. Now, Master Talbot, go not open-mouthed about your work, buttell this lady that if she can prove her kindred to me, and bringevidence of her birth at Lochleven, I will welcome her here, treat heras my cousin the Princess of Scotland, and, it may be, put her on herway to higher preferment, so she prove herself worthy thereof. Youtake me, sir?"

Diccon did take in the situation. He had understood how Cavendish, partly blinded by Langston, partly unwilling to believe in anycompetitor who would be nearer the throne than his niece ArabellaStewart, and partly disconcerted by Langston's disappearance, had madesuch a report to the Queen and the French Ambassador, that they hadthought that the whole matter was an imposture, and had been so ashamedof their acquiescence as to obliterate all record of it. But theQueen's mind had since recurred to the matter, and as in these lateryears of her reign one of her constant desires was to hinder James frommaking too sure of the succession, she was evidently willing to playhis sister off against him. 

Nay, in the general uncertainty, dreams came over Diccon of possibleroyal honours to Queen Bridget; and then what glories would bereflected on the house of Talbot! His father and mother were too old, no doubt, to bask in the sunshine of the Court, and Ned--pity that hewas a clergyman, and had done so dull a thing as marry that littlepupil of his mother's, Laetitia, as he had rendered her Puritan name. But he might be made a bishop, and his mother's scholar would alwaysbecome any station. And for Diccon himself--assuredly the Mastiff racewould rejoice in a new coronet!

Seven weeks later, Diccon was back again, and was once more summoned tothe Queen's apartment. He looked crestfallen, and she began, --

"Well, sir? Have you brought the lady?"

"Not so, an't please your Majesty. "

"And wherefore? Fears she to come, or has she sent no message norletter?"

"She sends her deep and humble thanks, madam, for the honour yourMajesty intended her, but she--"

"How now? Is she too great a fool to accept of it?"

"Yea, madam. She prays your Grace to leave her in her obscurity at theHague. "

Elizabeth made a sound of utter amazement and incredulity, and thensaid, "This is new madness! Come, young man, tell me all! This is asgood and new as ever was play. Let me hear. What like is she? Andwhat is her house to be preferred to mine?"

Diccon saw his cue, and began--

"Her house, madam, is one of those tall Dutch mansions with high roof, and many small windows therein, with a stoop or broad flight of stepsbelow, on the banks of a broad and pleasant canal, shaded with fineelm-trees. There I found her on the stoop, in the shade, with two orthree children round her; for she is a mother to all the Englishorphans there, and they are but too many. They bring them to her as amatter of course when their parents die, and she keeps them till theirkindred in England claim them. Madam, her queenliness of port hathgained on her. Had she come, she would not have shamed your Majesty;and it seems that, none knowing her true birth, she is yet well-nigh aprincess among the many wives of officers and merchants who dwell atthe Hague, and doubly so among the men, to whom she and her husbandhave never failed to do a kindness. Well, madam, I weary you. Shegreeted me as the tender sister she has ever been, but she would notbrook to hear of fears or compassion for my brother. She would listento no word of doubt that he was safe, but kept the whole household inperfect readiness for him to come. At last I spake your Majesty'sgracious message; and, madam, pardon me, but all I got was a soundrating, that I should think any hope of royal splendour or prefermentshould draw her from waiting for Humfrey. Ay, she knew he would come!And if not, she would never be more than his faithful widow. Had henot given up all for her? Should she fail in patience because his shiptarried awhile? No; he should find her ready in his home that he hadmade for her. "

"Why, this is as good as the Globe Theatre!" cried the Queen, but witha tear glittering in her eye. 

"Your Majesty would have said so truly, " said Diccon; "for as I sat atevening, striving hard to make her give over these fantastic notionsand consult her true interest, behold she gave a cry--''Tis his foot!'Yea, and verily there was Humfrey, brown as a berry, having been so farwith his mate as to the very mouth of the River Plate. He had, indeed, lost his Ark of Fortune, but he has come home with a carrack thatquadruples her burthen, and with a thousand bars of silver in her hold. And then, madam, the joy, the kisses, the embraces, and even more--thelook of perfect content, and peace, and trust, were enough to make abachelor long for a wife. "

"Long to be a fool!" broke out the Queen sharply. "Look you, lad:there may be such couples as this Humfrey and--what call you her?--hereand there. "

"My father and mother are such. "

"Yea, saucy cockerel as you are; but for one such, there are a hundredothers who fret the yoke, and long to be free! Ay, and this brother ofthine, what hath he got with this wife of his but banishment and dreadof his own land?"

"Even so, madam; but they still count all they either could have had orhoped for, nought in comparison with their love to one another. "

"After ten years! Ha! They are no subjects for this real world ofours; are they not rather swains in my poor Philip Sidney's Arcadia?Ho, no; 'twere pity to meddle with them. Leave them to their Dutchhousehold and their carracks. Let them keep their own secret; I'llmeddle in the matter no more. "

And so, though after Elizabeth's death and James's accession, SirHumfrey and Lady Talbot gladdened the eyes of the loving and venerablepair at Bridgefield, the Princess Bride of Scotland still remained inhappy obscurity, "Unknown to History. "

THE END.