or Anthony blushing a little.
He felt in a kind of dream, fencing in language with this strange mighty
creature in scarlet and pearls, who sat up in her chair and darted
remarks at him, as with a rapier.

"Aha!" said the Queen, "he is blushing! Look, Minnie!" Mary looked at him
deliberately. Anthony became scarlet at once; and tried a desperate
escape.

"It is your livery, madam," he said.

Mary clapped her hands, and glanced at the Queen.

"Yes, Minnie; he does his mistress credit."

"Yes, your Grace; but he can do other things besides talk," explained
Mary.

Anthony felt like a horse being shown off by a skilful dealer, but he was
more at his ease too after his blush.

"Extend your mercy, madam," he said, "and bid Mistress Corbet hold her
tongue and spare my shame."

"Silence, sir!" said the Queen. "Go on, Minnie; what else can he do?"

"Ah! your Grace, he can hawk. Oh! you should see his peregrine;--named
after your Majesty. That shows his loyal heart."

"I am not sure of the compliment," said the Queen; "hawks are fierce
creatures."

"It was not for her fierceness," put in Anthony, "that I named her after
your Grace."

"Why, then, Mr. Norris?"

"For that she soars so high above all other creatures," said the lad,
"and--and that she never stoops but to conquer."

Mary gave a sudden triumphant laugh, and glanced up, and Elizabeth tapped
her on the cheek sharply.

"Be still, bad girl," she said. "You must not prompt during the lesson."

And so the talk went on. Anthony really acquitted himself with great
credit, considering the extreme strangeness of his position; but such an
intense weight had been lifted off his mind by the Queen's pardon of
James Maxwell, that his nature was alight with a kind of intoxication.

All his sharpness, such as it was, rose to the surface; and Mary too was
amazed at some of his replies. Elizabeth took it as a matter of course;
she was accustomed to this kind of word-fencing; she did not do it very
well herself: her royalty gave her many advantages which she often
availed herself of; and her address was not to be compared for a moment
with that of some of her courtiers and ladies. But still she was amused
by this slender honest lad who stood there before her in his graceful
splashed dress, and blushed and laughed and parried, and delivered his
point with force, even if not with any extraordinary skill.

But at last she began to show signs of weariness; and Mary manage