g persons
was well enough, although it, of course, created jealousy on the part
of those who were left out; but four--two of each sex--made a
difference in kind, however much we might insist it was only in
degree; and this we soon learned was the king's opinion.

You may be sure there was many a jealous person about the court ready
to carry tales, and that it was impossible long to keep our meetings
secret among such a host as then lived in Greenwich palace.

One day the queen summoned Jane and put her to the question. Now, Jane
thought the truth was made only to be told, a fallacy into which many
good people have fallen, to their utter destruction; since the truth,
like every other good thing, may be abused.

Well! Jane told it all in a moment, and Catherine was so horrified
that she was like to faint. She went with her hair-lifting horror to
the king, and poured into his ears a tale of imprudence and debauchery
well calculated to start his righteous, virtue-prompted indignation
into a threatening flame.

Mary, Jane, Brandon and myself were at once summoned to the presence
of both their majesties and soundly reprimanded. Three of us were
ordered to leave the court before we could speak a word in
self-defense, and Jane had enough of her favorite truth for once.
Mary, however, came to our rescue with her coaxing eloquence and
potent, feminine logic, and soon convinced Henry that the queen, who
really counted for little with him, had made a mountain out of a very
small mole-hill. Thus the royal wrath was appeased to such an extent
that the order for expulsion was modified to a command that there be
no more quartette gatherings in Princess Mary's parlor. This leniency
was more easy for the princess to bring about, by reason of the fact
that she had not spoken to her brother since the day she went to see
him after Wolsey's visit, and had been so roughly driven off. At
first, upon her refusal to speak to him--after the Wolsey visit--Henry
was angry on account of what he called her insolence; but as she did
not seem to care for that, and as his anger did nothing toward
unsealing her lips, he pretended indifference. Still the same stubborn
silence was maintained. This soon began to amuse the king, and of late
he had been trying to be on friendly terms again with his sister
through a series of elephantine antics and bear-like pleasantries,
which were the most dismal failures--that is, in the way of bringing
about a reconci