tell her that his faith in her ultimate ability to
keep her promise was as small as it was great in his own. Neither did
he dampen her spirits by telling her that there was a reason, outside
of himself, which in all probability would help him in keeping his
word, and save her from the pangs of that jealousy she so much feared;
namely, that he would most certainly wed the block and ax should the
king get possession of him. He might have escaped from England in the
Royal Hind, for the wind had come up shortly after they left the ship,
and they could see the sails indistinctly through the gloom as she got
under way. But he could not leave Mary alone, and had made up his mind
to take her back to London and march straight into the jaws of death
with her, if the king's men did not soon come.

He knew that a debt to folly bears no grace, and was ready with his
principal and usance.

_CHAPTER XVIII_

_To the Tower_

Whether or not Brandon would have found some way to deliver the
princess safely home, and still make his escape, I cannot say, as he
soon had no choice in the matter. At midnight a body of yeomen from
the tower took possession of the Bow and String, and carried Brandon
off to London without communication with Mary. She did, not know of
his arrest until next morning, when she was informed that she was to
follow immediately, and her heart was nearly broken.

Here again was trouble for Mary. She felt, however, that the two great
questions, the marriage of herself to Louis, and Brandon to any other
person, were, as she called it, "settled"; and was almost content to
endure this as a mere putting off of her desires--a meddlesome and
impertinent interference of the Fates, who would soon learn with whom
they were dealing, and amend their conduct.

She did not understand the consequences for Brandon, nor that the
Fates would have to change their purpose very quickly or something
would happen worse, even, than his marriage to another woman.

On the second morning after leaving Bristol, Brandon reached London,
and, as he expected, was sent to the Tower. The next evening Lady
Mary arrived and was taken down to Greenwich.

The girl's fair name was, of course, lost--but, fortunately, that goes
for little with a princess--since no one would believe that Brandon
had protected her against himself as valiantly and honorably as he
would against another. The princess being much more unsophisticated
than the courtier