son to guard and
love thee--love--dost hear it, my Precious? And I came to claim thee
this night, to tell thee all I know, to make the little Convent Maid
wise." He threw his arm about her, almost drawing her from the chair.
Katherine was white and trembling, knowing not which way to turn.

"Indeed, sir, I know not thy meaning."

"My meaning? Dost not thou know what love is? Of course thou dost
not--if thou didst, it might be I should not care to be thy tutor.
Come, I will teach thee this night--now, my Pretty,--now. Come, come
with me." He arose and essayed to draw her toward the door that led
to an inner chamber. Katherine was well nigh to swooning, and perhaps
would have, had not there fell upon her ear the sound of some one
entering the house. "Ah, heaven!" she thought, "if it were only Father
La Fosse or Sir Julian or even--ah!" She did hear Constance' voice.
"Aye, even Constance could think of some way for her to escape." She
knew Janet was behind her chair, but she might have lost her usual wit
and have become incapable of helping at the very moment she was most
needed. Monmouth drank another glass of wine, then withdrew from
his chair and leant over that of the maid, drawing her close in his
embrace. He was now so drunk he did not hear the door creak as Janet
and Katherine did; the former, seeing the pale, triumphant face of
Constance reflected in a mirror, as she stood half-way inside the
door. Katherine tried to disengage herself by reaching for another
glass of wine. The Duke reached it for her and would hold it to her
lips; but she, looking up at him with a feint of a smile, said in
coaxing tones,--

"I was getting it for thee; your Highness will drink it?"

"Could I refuse--there!--there! Come!--" He put his arms about her
and was carrying her forth, when Janet plucked him by the sleeve and
whispered something in his ear. He loosed for a moment her trembling
form and she began to weep. These tears made him forget Janet's words,
and he turned again to Katherine.

"There, there, my wife; thou dost break my heart at each sob. Here,
see here what I brought thee," and he placed on her arm a circlet of
rubies. "There, hush thy tears. I will not teach thee anything but how
kind I may be--there, sit thee down. I will let thee wait until thou
art accustomed to man's caresses." Monmouth's heavy drinking trended
to strengthen his good humour, else he might have resented roundly the
interruption of his love-maki