and read the Weekly Gazette, they became
unwilling to make the move to Winchester, and generally stayed at
home all the winter.

Before this, however, Princess Anne had been at the King's House at
Winchester for a short time; and Lady Archfield paid due respects to
her, with Anne in attendance. With the royal faculty of remembering
everybody, the Princess recognised her namesake, gave her hand to be
kissed, and was extremely gracious. She was at the moment in the
height of a quarrel with her sister, and far from delighted with the
present regime. She sent for Miss Woodford, and, to Anne's
surprise, laughed over her own escape from the Cockpit, adding, "You
would not come, child. You were in the right on't. There's no
gratitude among them! Had I known how I should be served I would
never have stirred a foot! So 'twas you that carried off the child!
Tell me what he is like."

And she extracted by questions all that Anne could tell her of the
life at St. Germain, and the appearance of her little half-brother.
It was impossible to tell whether she asked from affectionate
remorse or gossiping interest, but she ended by inquiring whether
her father's god-daughter were content with her position, or desired
one--if there were a vacancy--in her own household, where she might
get a good husband.

Anne declined courteously and respectfully, and was forced to hint
at an engagement which she could not divulge. She had heard
Charles's expressions of delight at the arrangement which gave his
boy to her tender care, warming her heart.

Lady Archfield had fits of talking of finding a good husband for
Anne Woodford among the Cathedral clergy, but the maiden was so
necessary to her, and so entirely a mother to little Philip, that
she soon let the idea drop. Perhaps it was periodically revived,
when, about three times a year, there arrived a letter from Charles.
He wrote in good spirits, evidently enjoying his campaigns, and with
no lack of pleasant companions, English, Scotch, and Irish
Jacobites, with whom he lived in warm friendship and wholesome
emulation. He won promotion, and the county Member actually came
out of his way to tell Sir Philip what he had heard from the
Imperial ambassador of young Archfield's distinguished services at
the battle of Salankamen, only regretting that he was not fighting
under King William's colours. Little Philip pranced about cutting
off Turks' heads in the form of poppies, 'like papa,'