early immoral life; and
when this lady found herself in the hands of Wriothesley she told some
startling tales. "Did the Queen leave her chamber any night at Lincoln or
elsewhere during her recent progress with the King?" "Yes, her Majesty had
gone on two occasions to Lady Rochford's[217] room, which could be reached
by a little pair of back stairs near the Queen's apartment." Mrs. Tylney
and the Queen's other attendant, Margery Morton, had attempted to
accompany their mistress, but had been sent back. Mrs. Tylney had obeyed,
and had gone to bed; but Margery had crept back up the stairs again to
Lady Rochford's room. About two o'clock in the morning Margery came to bed
in the same dormitory as the other maids. "Jesu! is not the Queen abed
yet?" asked the surprised Tylney, as she awoke. "Yes," in effect, replied
Margery, "she has just retired." On the second occasion Katharine sent the
rest of her attendants to bed and took Tylney with her to Lady Rochford's
room, but the maid, with Lady Rochford's servant, were shut up in a small
closet, and not allowed to see who came into the principal apartments.
But, nevertheless, her suspicions were aroused by the strange messages
with which she was sent by Katharine to Lady Rochford: "so strange that
she knew not how to utter them." Even at Hampton Court lately, as well as
at Grimsthorpe during the progress, she had been bidden by the Queen to
ask Lady Rochford "when she should have the thing she promised her," the
answer being that she (Lady Rochford) was sitting up for it, and would
bring the Queen word herself.

Then Margery Morton was tackled by Sir Anthony Browne. She had never
mistrusted the Queen until the other day, at Hatfield, "when she saw her
Majesty look out of the window to Mr. Culpeper in such sort that she
thought there was love between them." Whilst at Hatfield the Queen had
given orders that none of her attendants were to enter her bedroom unless
they were summoned. Margery, too, had been sent on mysterious secret
errands to Lady Rochford, which she could not understand, and, with others
of the maids, had considered herself slighted by the Queen's preference
for Katharine Tylney and for those who owed their position to Lady
Rochford; which lady, she said, she considered the principal cause of the
Queen's folly. Thus far there was nothing beyond the suspicions of jealous
women, but Lady Rochford was frightened into telling a much more damning
story, though she tri