tells me he is the most potent lord there is here, shall serve behind my
chair.'

The Lord d'Espahn took up his knife and fork in one hand and his manchet
of bread in the other. He made as if to bow to Culpepper, who pushed him
by the shoulder away. Some lordlings saw this and wondered, but in the
noise none heard their words. At the foot of the table the squires said
that the Lord d'Espahn must have been found out in a treason. Only the
young Poins said that that was the Queen's cousin, come from Scotland,
withouten leave, for love of the Queen through whom he was sick in the
wits. This news ran through the castle by means of servers, cooks,
undercooks, scullions, maids, tiring-maids, and maids of honour, more
swiftly than it progressed up the table where men had the meats to keep
their minds upon.

Culpepper sat, flung back in his chair, his eyes, lacklustre and open,
upon the cloth where his hands sprawled out. He said few words--only
when the Lord d'Espahn's server carved boar's head for him, he took one
piece in his mouth and then threw the plate full into the server's face.
This caused great offence amongst the serving-men, for this server was a
portly fellow that had served the Lord d'Espahn many years, and had a
face like a ram's, so grave it was. Having drunk a little of his wine,
Culpepper turned out the rest upon the cloth; his salt he brushed off
his plate with his sleeve. That was remembered for long afterwards by
many men and women. And it was as if he could not swallow, for he put
down neither meat nor drink, but sat, deadly and pale, so that some said
that he was rabid. Once he turned his head to ask the Lord d'Espahn--

'If a quean prove forsworn, and turn to a Queen, what should her true
love do?'

The Lord d'Espahn never made any answer, but wagged his beard from side
to side, and Culpepper repeated his question three separate times.
Finally, the platters were raised, and the Lord d'Espahn went away to
the sound of trumpets. Many of the lords there came peering round
Culpepper to see what sport he might yield. Lascelles went away,
following the scarlet figure of the young Poins, working his hand into
the boy's arm and whispering to him. The servers and disservers went to
their work of clearing the board.

But Culpepper sat there without word or motion, so that none of those
lords had any sport out of him. Some of them went away to roast pippins
at the Widow Amnot's, some to speak with the alchemi