ht of the Puritan
chanced to be the fair Queen, Naladi."

"Naladi? But you speak no Spanish,--how could you hold converse with
her?"

"There are always ways, if the lady be fair. The hands, eyes, lips can
all be made into messengers of speech. But in this case she brought
forth a black boy--a most mischievous imp--who managed to convey her
words in my own tongue. Still it was difficult to do justice in such a
way to so charming a woman; much came to my lips which I hesitated to
utter through the medium of that interpreter."

I looked at him in speechless amazement at this revelation of his
supreme conceit, his reckless vanity. Anxiety alone prompted me to
smother my resentment, hoping thus to obtain information.

"But your wife, Madame de Noyan? You say she was beneath the same
roof, and yet you saw her not? Do you mean you made no effort to
obtain speech with her?"

He leaned back against the wall of the hut, crossing his long limbs
negligently over the soft fur of the robe beneath, drawing from his
pocket a small mirror.

"Ay, I mentioned it; but _la reine Naladi_ appeared not overly well
pleased with the suggestion, so I concluded not to press the matter
unduly. One never gains by being ungallant at such a time. Besides,
there is no doubt Eloise is well attended; the Queen referred to her
most kindly."

"The preacher told me," I broke forth indignantly, determined to test
him to the full, "that this same sweet Naladi compelled her savage
minions to drag Madame harshly forth from the altar-house, despite her
pleadings. Perchance this tender-spoken Queen has little of the angel
beneath her fairness of skin."

"_Sacre_! I hope not. I opine an angel would prove wearisome to
company with for long. My own taste inclines toward flesh and blood.
You say Master Cairnes told you this sad tale?"

"Ay, adding that the pitiful Naladi only laughed at the sobs of Madame."

"Pish! between the two, her word has most weight with me. No doubt
'twas a vision born of his own temper. The Queen assured me most
graciously of the welfare and contentment of Eloise. It would have
been boorish to question her further. Besides, she took my thought
from other things, repeating to me the strange tale of these savages,
although the black made poor enough work with her words."

It was abundantly evident the man was fairly crazed with conceit,
already well entangled in the web of this designing creature. For the
hour,