to pluck roses and finger her gold chain.
Where's her excellency, belike?"

"Things were ill enough in the Court of old," saith _Father_, "but it
doth seem me we were scantly so brainless of old time as this. I shall
send a letter to my cousin of _Oxenford_ touching _Walter_. He must not
be suffered to drift into--"

_Father_ did not end his sentence. But methought I could guess
reasonable well how it should have been finished.

Verily, I am troubled touching _Wat_, and will pray for him, that he may
be preserved safe from the snares of the world, the flesh, and the
Devil. Oh, what a blessed place must Heaven be, seeing there shall be
none of them!

One thing, howbeit, doth much comfort me,--and that is, that _Ned_ is
true and staunch as ever to the early training he had of _Father_ and
_Mother_ out of God's Word. Some folk might think him careless and too
fond of laughter, and fun, and the like: but I know _Ned_--of early days
I was ever his secret fellow--and I am well assured his heart is right
and true. He shall 'bide with us until Sir _Humphrey Gilbert_ his next
voyage out to the _Spanish_ seas, but we know not yet when that shall
be. He had intended to make the coast of _Virginia_ this last time, but
was beat back by the tempest. 'Tis said that when he goeth, his brother
of the mother's side, Sir _Walter Raleigh_, shall go with him. This Sir
_Walter_, saith _Ned_, is a young gentleman that hath but eight and
twenty years, yet is already of much note in the Court. He hath a rare
intelligence and a merry wit. Aunt _Joyce_ was mightily taken by one
tale that _Ned_ told us of him,--how that, being at the house of some
gentleman in the country, where the mistress of the house was mightily
set up and precise, one morrow, this Sir _Walter_, that was a-donning
[dressing] himself, did hear the said his precise and delicate hostess,
without his door, to ask at her servants, "Be the pigs served?" No
sooner had they met below, than saith Sir _Walter_, "Madam, be the pigs
served?"

But my Lady, that moved not a muscle of her face, replied as calm as you
will, "You know best, Sir, whether you have had your breakfast." Aunt
_Joyce_ did laugh o'er this, and said Sir _Walter_ demerited to have as
good given him as he brought.

"I do like," quoth she, "a woman that can stand up to a man!"

"I can credit it, _Joyce_," saith _Father_.

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