y furnished, with candles burning, and
curtains across the windows. It looked out towards the river, I suppose.
Dolly was standing, as pale as paper; but I could not tell--nor did I
greatly care--whether it were anger or terror. I think I must have
looked pretty frightening--(but then, she had spirit enough for
anything!)--for I was still in my splashed boots and disordered dress,
and as angry as I have ever been in my life. I could see she was not
dressed for Her Majesty; so I supposed--(and I proved to be right)--that
she was not in attendance this evening. It was better fortune than I
deserved, to find her so.

"Now," said I, "what are you doing here?"

(I spoke sharply and fiercely, as to a bad child. I was far too angry to
do otherwise. As I spoke, I heard the guard come in below; and a clamour
of voices break out. I knew that they would be up directly.)

"Now," I said again, "you have your choice! Will you give me up to the
guard; or will you hear what I have to say? You can send them away if
you will. You can say I am your cousin?"

She looked at me; but said nothing.

"Oh! I am not drunk," I said. "Now, you can--"

Then came a thunder of footsteps on the stairs; and I stopped. I knew I
had broken every law of the Court; I had behaved unpardonably. It would
mean the end of everything for me. But I would not, even now, have asked
pardon from God Almighty for what I had done.

Then Dolly, with a gesture, waved me aside; and confronted the serjeant
on the threshold.

"You can go," she said. "This is my cousin. I will arrange with them
below."

The man hesitated. Over his shoulder I could see a couple more faces,
glaring in at me.

Dolly stamped her foot.

"I tell you to go. Do you not hear me?"

"Mistress--" began the man.

"How dare you disobey me!" cried Dolly, all aflame with some emotion.
"This is my own parlour, is it not?"

He still looked doubtfully; and his eyes wandered from her to me, and
back again. He was yet just without the room. Then Dolly slammed to the
door, in a passion, in his very face.

Then she wheeled on me, like lightning. (I heard the men's footsteps
begin to go downstairs.)

"Now you will explain, if you please--" she began, with a furious kind
of bitterness.

"My maid," said I, "that kind of talk will not do with me"--(for at
her tone my anger blazed up higher even than hers). "It is I who have to
ask Why and How?"

"How dare you--" she began.

I went up without