he Lord High Admiral's
players--a score or more loud-swashing gallants, richly clad in ruffs
and bands, embroidered shirts, Italian doublets slashed and laced,
Venetian hose, gay velvet caps with jeweled bands, and every man a
poniard or a rapier at his hip. Nick felt very much like a little brown
sparrow in a flock of gaudy Indian birds.

The board was loaded down with meat and drink, and some of the players
were eating with forks, a new trick from the London court, which Nick
had never seen before. But all the diners looked up when Carew's face
was recognized, and welcomed him with a deafening shout.

He waved his hand for silence.

"Thanks for these kind plaudits, gentle friends," said he, with a
mocking air; "I have returned."

"Yes; we see that ye have, Gaston," they all shouted, and laughed again.

"Ay," said he, thrusting his hand into his pouch, "ye fled, and left me
to be spoiled by the spoiler, but ye see I have left the
spoiler spoiled."

Lifting his hand triumphantly, he shook in their faces the golden chain
that the burgesses of Stratford had given him, and then, laying his hand
upon Nick's shoulder, bowed to them all, and to him with courtly grace,
and said: "Be known, be known, all! Gentlemen, my Lord Admiral's
Players, Master Nicholas Skylark, the sweetest singer in all the kingdom
of England!"

Nick's cheeks flushed hotly, and his eyes fell; for they all stared
curiously, first at him, and then at Carew standing up behind him, and
several grinned mockingly and winked in a knowing way. He stole a look
at Carew; but the master-player's face was frank and quite unmoved, so
that Nick felt reassured.

"Why, sirs," said Carew, as some began to laugh and to speak to one
another covertly, "it is no jest. He hath a sweeter voice than Cyril
Davy's, the best woman's-voice in all London town. Upon my word, it is
the sweetest voice a body ever heard--outside of heaven and the holy
angels!" He lowered his tone and bowed his head a little. "I'll stake
mine honour on it!"

"Hast any, Gaston?" called a jeering voice, whereat the whole room
roared.

But Carew cried again in a high voice that would be heard above the
noise: "Now, hark 'e; what I say is so. It is, upon my word, and on the
remnant of mine honour! And to-morrow ye shall see, for Master Skylark
is to sing and play with us."

When he had said that, nothing would do but Nick must sit down and eat
with them; so they made a place for him and for Ma