atening, tell tales of the Queen before
marriage. And she would find him other maids and grooms, some no doubt
more willing still than Mary Hall. But the keeper of the Queen's door!
And, in addition, the Queen's cousin mad of love for her! What might he
not do with these two?

The prickly sweat came to his forehead. Four horsemen were issuing from
the gate of the castle above. He must come to a decision. His fingers
trembled as if they were a pickpocket's near a purse of gold.

He straightened his back and stood erect.

'Yes,' he said very calmly, 'this is my friend John Robb.'

He added that this man had been in Edinburgh where the Queen's cousin
was. He had had letters from him that told how they were sib and rib.
Thus this fancy had doubtless come into his brain at sight of the Queen
in his madness.

He breathed calmly, having got out these words, for now the doubt was
ended. He would have both the Queen's door-keeper and the Queen's mad
lover.

He bade the bearers set Culpepper upon his horse and, supporting him,
lead him to a room that he would hire of the Archbishop's chamberlain,
near his own in the dark entrails of the castle. And there John Robb
should live at his expenses.

And when the men protested that, though this was very Christian of
Lascelles, yet they would have recompense of the Queen for their toils,
he said that he himself would give them a crown apiece, and they might
get in addition what recompense from the Queen's steward that they
could. He asked them each their names and wrote them down, pretending
that it was that he might send each man his crown piece.

So, when the four horsemen were ridden past, the men hoisted Culpepper
into Lascelles' horse and went all together up into the castle.

But, that night, when Culpepper lay in a stupor, Lascelles went to the
Archbishop's chamberlain and begged that four men, whose names he had
written down, might be chosen to go in the Archbishop's paritor's guard
that went next dawn to Ireland over the sea to bring back tithes from
Dublin. And, next day, he had Culpepper moved to another room; and, in
three days' time, he set it about in the castle that the Queen's cousin
was come from Scotland. By that time most of the liquor had come down
out of Culpepper's brain, but he was still muddled and raved at times.

IV

On that third night the Queen was with the Lady Mary, once more in her
chamber, having come down as before, from the chapel in the r