desire to play
the eavesdropper) he continued: "His Majesty's time is short; dost thou
not see the seal of death upon his brow?"

"Indeed, my lord, methinks that thou art right," replied the other.

"Then, Buckingham, we may play our hand. Our time is coming; watch and
be prepared for a bold stroke.

"Hereford, thine own by right of birth, but now usurped by yon grasping
brother of mine, is a grand earldom, is it not, Cousin?"

I could not hear Buckingham's reply, and in another moment some others
did enter, and the two, after speaking to them pleasantly, left the
room.

"Now what in the devil's name means all this?" thought I. "His
Majesty's time is short." "Hereford is a grand earldom." These two
remarks kept ringing in mine ears and, although I could not at that
time tell what they did mean, yet was I convinced that there was some
deviltry afoot which meant no good unto the Queen, in case the King
should die; for Gloucester ever did dislike both her and her favorites.
However, my reflections were brought to an end by the musicians, who
started playing for the next set.

I at once made my way to the crowd, and found Hazel and led her forth
and joined in the dance. I danced next with Mary, and Harleston took
my late partner, so it was a fair exchange. The next two sets I went
through with other ladies whose names I do not now recall and, as they
have no bearing on this tale, it matters nothing. However, both these
ladies seemed prodigiously relieved when our dances were finished; for
I was too much engaged with taking care of a whirl of thoughts, with
which my mind was struggling, to be very talkative. When I had led the
last of these unto her seat, I had fully made up my mind what my course
of action was to be. So I walked over to that fairest of maids, and
asked her if she were not tired dancing.

"In faith I am, Walter," she answered; "and, when I saw thee coming, I
feared that thou didst want me to go through a set with thee; and then
I should have been afraid to refuse, for thou art such a sensitive and
fiery mortal thou mightst have been offended."

I led her into the smaller room, where I had been sitting when I heard
Gloucester's remarks to Buckingham, and where I was now going to make
some remarks myself, and personal ones at that, but not to Buckingham.

How fiercely my heart thumped, as though it were striving to burst
through my ribs and fly unto its little mate.

When we were seated al