had the money bawled
aloud for farthing stools. The rest stood jostling in a wrangling crowd
upon the ground, while up and down a girl's shrill voice went all the
time, crying high, "Cherry ripe, cherry ripe! Who'll buy my sweet May
cherries?"

Then there was another shout, and a rattling tread of feet along the
wooden balconies that ran around the walls of the inn-yard, and cries
from the apprentices below: "Good-day, fair Master Harrington! Good-day,
Sir Thomas Parkes! Good-day, sweet Mistress Nettleby and Master
Nettleby! Good-day, good-day, good-day!" for the richer folk were coming
in at twopence each, and all the galleries were full. And then he heard
the baker's boy with sugared cakes and ginger-nuts go stamping up
the stairs.

The musicians in the balcony overhead were tuning up. There was a flute,
a viol, a gittern, a fiddle, and a drum; and behind the curtain, just
outside the door, Nick could hear the master-player's low voice giving
hasty orders to the others.

So he said his lines all over to himself, and cleared his throat. Then
on a sudden a shutter opened high above the orchestra, a trumpet blared,
the kettledrum crashed, and he heard a loud voice shout:

"Good citizens of Coventry, and high-born gentles all: know ye now that
we, the players of the company of His Grace, Charles, Lord Howard, High
Admiral of England, Ireland, Wales, Calais, and Boulogne, the marches of
Normandy, Gascony, and Aquitaine, Captain-General of the Navy and the
Seas of Her Gracious Majesty the Queen--"

At that the crowd in the courtyard cheered and cheered again.

"--will, with your kind permission, play forthwith the laughable comedy
of 'The Three Grey Gowns,' by Master Thomas Heywood, in which will be
spoken many good things, old and new, and a brand-new song will be sung.
Now, hearken all--the play begins!"

The trumpet blared, the kettledrum crashed again, and as a sudden hush
fell over the throng without Nick heard the voices of the players
going on.

It was a broad farce, full of loud jests and nonsense, a great thwacking
of sticks and tumbling about; and Nick, with his eye to the crack of the
door, listened with all his ears for his cue, far too excited even to
think of laughing at the rough jokes, though the crowd in the inn-yard
roared till they held their sides.

Carew came hurrying up, with an anxious look in his restless eyes.

"Ready, Nicholas!" said he, sharply, taking Nick by the arm and lifting
the