ye leave me the ruling of my house and the freedom to
wash my face how I will. I had as soon see England linked again with
the Papists as the Schmalkaldners; I had as lief see the King married
to you as another; I had as lief all men do what they will so they
leave me to go my ways and feed me well.'

She looked again upon Katharine, and for the first time spoke as if
she were addressing her:

'I make out that you are a woman with an itch to meddle at the
righting of the world. There have been more men than women at the
task, but such an one was I never. The King was never man of mine, nor
should have been had I any say in the matter.' She half closed her
eyes again. 'Doubtless had it been otherwise the King would have
constrained me by threats and tortures to forswear myself. I am as I
was when I came to Dover. As the King saw me so he left me. Yet do I
maintain and avow it was rather because he feared alliance with my
brother's party than for any foulness of my person.'

Katharine passed her hands over her eyes.

'I do feel myself a thief and a cozener,' she said.

'Ye be none,' the Queen said; 'ye take no more than what I least prize
of this world. Had it not been thee it might have been a worse; for
assuredly I was not made to foot it with this King.'

'Nevertheless----' Katharine began. But the Queen was no more content
to listen to her.

'Ye are as some I have known,' she said; 'they scruple to take what
they very much crave, though it hang ready to drop into their hands;
because they much crave it, therefore they scruple.' She had a small
golden bullet beneath her clasped hands, and she cast it into a basin
of silver that stood on a tripod beside her skirts. At the silvery
clash and roll of the ball's running sound on the metal, doors opened
along the gallery, and servitors came in bearing Rhenish wine in glass
flagons and, upon great salvers, cakes in the forms of hearts or
twisted into true-love-knots of pastry.

Katharine noted these things as being worthy of imitation.

'It is no more to me,' the Queen said, 'to lose the other things to
you than to lose to you the wine that you shall drink or a pile of
cakes.' Nevertheless she left Katharine upon her knees till she had
taken her cup, for it pleased her that her servitors should see her
treated with due worship.

VII

It was noon of that day when Katharine Howard set out again from
Richmond to ride back to Hampton Court; and at noon of that