en I had occasion to go to my room to get a little book I had promised
to show to Caroline; and, thinking no harm, I ran through into the court,
and there stood a horse, his legs apart, all steaming and blowing. Some
courier, said I to myself, and never thought to look at the trappings;
and so I ran upstairs to go to the gallery, across which lay my chamber;
and I came up, and just began to push open the door, when I heard her
Grace's voice beyond, and, by the mercy of God, I stopped; and dared not
close the door again nor go downstairs for fear I should be heard. And
there were two walking within the gallery, her Grace and my lord, and my
lord was all disordered with hard riding, and nearly as spent as his poor
beast below. And her Grace had her arm round his neck, for I saw them
through the chink; and she fondled and pinched his ear, and said over and
over again, 'Robin, my sweet Robin,' and then crooned and moaned at him;
and he, whenever he could fetch a breath--and oh! I promise you he did
blow--murmured back, calling her his queen, which indeed she was, and his
sweetheart and his moon and his star--which she was not: but 'twas all in
the play. Well, again by the favour of God, they did not see how the door
was open and I couched behind it, for the sun was shining level through
the west window in their eyes; but why they did not hear me as I ran
upstairs and opened the door, He only knows--unless my lord was too
sorely out of breath and her Grace too intent upon her play-acting. Well,
I promise you, the acting was so good--he so spent and she so
tender--that I nearly cried out Brava as I saw them; but that I
remembered in time 'twas meant to be a private rehearsal. But I have seen
her Grace act near as passionate a part before the whole company
sometimes."

The two old ladies seemed not greatly pleased with all this talk; and as
for Isabel she sat silent and overwhelmed. Mary Corbet glanced quickly at
their faces when she had done, and turned a little in her seat.

"Ah! look at that peacock," she cried out, as a stately bird stepped
delicately out of the shrubbery on to the low wall a little way off, and
stood balancing himself. "He is loyal too, and has come to hear news of
his Queen."

"He has come to see his cousin from town," said Mr. James, looking at
Miss Corbet's glowing dress, "and to learn of the London fashions."

Mary got up and curtseyed to the astonished bird, who looked at her with
his head lowered