chair, though no light one, fell to the ground behind her.

"Say that again!" she commanded, in a hard, steel-like voice; and, in a
more excited tone than ever, Dona Juana repeated her unwelcome tidings.

"So I must needs have a mistress over me! Who is she?"

"From all that Rodrigo heard, Senorita, he counteth that it should be
the Lady Joan de Holand, sister unto my Lord of Kent and my Lady of
March. She is, saith he, of a rare beauty, and of most royal presence."

"Royal presence, quotha!--and a small child of ten years!" cried the
indignant girl of nineteen. "Marry, I guess wherefore he told me not
aforetime. He was afeard of me."

She pressed her lips together till they looked like a crimson thread,
and a bright spot of anger burned on either cheek. But all at once her
usual expression returned, and she resumed her seat quietly enough on
the chair which Maude had mechanically restored to its place.

"Go, Dona Juana, and bid the chambers be prepared, as is meet. But no
garnishing of the chambers of my heart shall be for this wedding. Make
an end, Maude. `A thing done cannot be undone.' I will abide and see
this small damsel's conditions [disposition]; but my heart misgiveth me
if it were not better dwelling with my Lord Le Despenser than with her."

Maude obeyed, feeling rather sorry for the Lord Le Despenser, whose
loving spouse seemed to regard him as the less of two evils.

The new Duchess proved to be, like most of the Holands, very tall and
extremely fair. No one would have supposed her to be only ten years
old, and her proud, demure, unbashful bearing helped to make her look
older than she was. The whole current of life at Langley changed with
her coming. From morning to night every day was filled with feasts,
junkets, hawking parties, picnics, joustings, and dances. The Duke was
devoted to her, und fulfilled, if he did not anticipate, her every wish.
Her youthful Grace was entirely devoid of shyness, and she made a point
of letting Constance feel her inferiority by addressing her on every
occasion as "Fair Daughter." She also ordered a much stricter
observance of etiquette than had been usual during the life of the
Infanta, whose rule, Spaniard though she was, had been rather lax in
this particular. The stiff manners commonly expected from girls towards
their mothers had only hitherto been exacted from Constance upon state
occasions. But the new Duchess quickly let it be understood that