some way to prevent his falling in love
with thee. Thou wilt be willing to do this for me and--thyself, Love?"

"Then I might not become that I so much wish--a Lady of Honour!"

"That phrase, my Lambkin, is paradoxical--'Lady of Honour.'"

"Janet, thou dost turn all sweets to bitterness!--Then I will mottle
my face and wear a hump and be spurned outright. 'Twill ill serve me.
'Twill not accord a safe issue."

"Thou must not forget the King hath a tender heart for distress, and
now I think on it, 'tis possible, if thou didst so disfigure thyself,
thou wouldst gain his reply the quicker. We will mottle thy face with
leprous spots and cover thee with old woman's clothes, placing a hump
upon thy shoulder. And no one shall be privy to our scheme but his
Grace, and my lord of Buckingham, if they are to attend us." Janet
felt satisfied with the turn affairs had taken.

"I think I shall enjoy it hugely. 'Twill be fine sport to so puzzle
the King, and when he sees me as I am--" and Mistress Penwick turned
proudly to a mirror--"he will be pleased!"

"We will not think of that now, Lambkin. When dost thou expect her
ladyship?"

"She did not say, but I think perchance she will come before the Duke
of Monmouth returns."

"And he will not come before the morrow, didst thou say?"

"When I demurred at not going straight to his Majesty, he said 'twould
be meet for me to remain here until he should first see him; then
he should return in a day. Those were his words, Miss Wadham,
_verbatim_,--now thou dost know everything I do, but--the church
secret; and if thou wert not insolvent for ways and means, thou
wouldst have had that." With a sudden step, the maid flung her arms
about Janet, who ever felt hurt when called Miss Wadham.

Katherine sat to her evening meal with many flutterings of pleasure in
her young and guileless heart. Her first thought was of Cedric. He was
going to live and doubtless would follow her as soon as he was able,
and she would again see his handsome features and hear him admonish
her with a tenderness she was sure he would show after being so
frightened by her absence. It did not come to her that she should be
in sackcloth and ashes for causing him such woeful pain and misery.
She only tried to remember how he looked, as many a love-sick maiden
hath done heretofore. She pictured the rich colouring of his cheeks
and how his dark eyes had looked into hers; and she remembered how
once he had thus beheld h