The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-04
NOR KING, NOR COUNTRY.
BY GILBERT PARKER,
Auhor "pIsues His

TO lead him away.
II have been wrong, have misur-
derstood you, SIR" he said, and he
seemed about to hold out his hand.
But IL was too late. The old man
turned on him, shaking his shaggy
head.
''Neyer, sir, while live! The wrong
TO me is little. i can take my broken
life into foreign land and die dis
ored and forgotten. But my other child,
my one dear child who has suffered
year after year with me-for the wrong
you have done her, never, never, never
will forgive you'll Not for love of you
have spoken as did to-day, but for
the honor of the Enderbys, and be-
cause you were the child of your moth
er!"
Two days later at Southampton the
old man boarded little packet boat,
bound for Havre.
The years went by again. At last all
was changed in England. The mon
archy was restored, and all the land
was smiling and content. One dav
there was private reading in the
queens chamber. The voice of the
reader moved in pleasant yet vibrant
modulations:-
'The king was now come to a time
when his enemies wickedly began to
riot against him secretly and TO OPP
pose him in his purposes; which, in
his own mind, were beneficent and
magnanimous. From the shire where
llis labors had been most unselfish
came the first malignant insult to his
person and the first peril TO his life
prefguring the hellish plots and vio-
lcnce which drove him to his august
martyrdom-"
The king had entered quietly as the
lady-in-waiting read this passage to
the queen, and, attracted by her voice,
continued to listen, signifying to the
queen, by a gesture, that she and her
ladies were not to rise. This was in
the time when Charles was yet de-
voted to his princess of Portugal, and
while she was yet happy and undis-
turbed by rumors--or assurances-of
her lords wandering affections.
"And what shire was that ~ asked the
king at that point where the chronicler
spoke of his royal fathers august
martyrdom."
"The shire of Lincoln, your majesty"
said the young lady, flushing, and, ris-
feet, she made the king an elaborate
courtesy.
Charles made gentle and playful
gesture of dissent from her extreme
formality, and, with look of admira-
tion, continues:
my Lord Rippingdale should know
somewhat of that first violence of
which you have read, Mistress Falking
ham. He is of Lincolnshire"
''He knows all. your majesty; he was
present at that first violence
1T would be amusing for Rip
pingdale TO hear these records my
Lord Clarendon's, are they not? All
not in the formal copy of his work?
And by order OF my Lord Rippingdale?
1ndeedl Indeedl And wherefore, my
Lord Rippingdale
"Shall i read on, your majesty?"
asked the young lady. with heightened
color, and n look o7 adventure and
purpose in her eyes. Perhaps, too,
there was a look Of anger in them-not
against the king, for there was sort
of eagerness or appealing in the glance
she cast toward his majesty.
The queen lifted her eyes to the king
half doubtfully, for the question seemed
to her perilous, Charles being little in
clined, as a rule, to sit long in her cham
ber or listen to serious reading, though
he was ever gay In conversation, and
alert for witty badinage. His majesty,
however, seemed more than complais-
ant, ne was even boyishly eager.
The young lady had been but q short
time in the household, having come
over with the queen from Portugal,
where she had been brought to the
notice of the then princess by her
great coolness and bravery in res
cuing young lady Of Lisbon from
grave peril. She had told the
princess then that she was the daughter
Vi III cAiicu I<hSi SNhtiehiah, anu
was in the care of her aunt, one Mis-
tress Falkingham, while her father was
gone on an expedition to Italy. The
princess, eager TO learn English, en-
gagged her, and she had remained in
the palace till the princess left for Eng
land. A year passed, and then the
queen of England sent for her and she
had been brought clooe to the person of
her majesty.
At motion from Charles, who sat
upon couch, idly tapping the buckles
OH his shoes with his gold-handled staff,
the young lady placed herself again at
the queens feet and continued read
ing.
1T was when the king was come TO
Boston town upon the business of the
Fens and TO confer some honors and in
quire into the taxes, and for the fur
ther purpose of visiting good subject
at Louth, who knew of the secret plans
OF Pym and Hampden, that this shame
full violence befell our pious and illus
tIious prince. With him was my Lord