Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-09-07

a
E&k9 small party to go over to
Windsor for a few weeks during the
warm weather.
There were ten or twelve of us, in
Guiding two chaperons, the old Earl of
Hartford and the dowager Duchess of
Kent. Henry might as well have sent
along a pair of spaniels to act as chap
erons-it would have taken an army
TO guard Mary alone-and to tell you
the truth our old chaperons needed
watching more than any of us. 1t was
scandalous. Each of them had touch
OF govt, und when they made wry
faces it was a standing inquiry among
us whether they were leering at each
other or felt a twinge-whether it was
their feet or their hearts that troubled
them.
Mary led them a pretty life at all
times, even at home in the palace, and
/ know they would rather have gone
Off with pack of imps than with us.
The inducement was that it gave them
better opportunities to be together, an
arrangement connived at by the queen,
/ think, and they were satisfied. The
earl had a wife, but he fancied the old
dowager and she fancied him, and
probably the wife fancied somebody
else, so they were all happy. 1t great
ly amused the young people, you may
be sure, and Mary said, probably with
out telling the exact truth, that every
night she prayed God to pity and for
give their ugliness. One day the prin-
cess said she was becoming alarmed.
Their ugliness was so intense she fear
ed it might be contagious and spread.
Then. with a most comical seriousness,
she added:
mon Dieu, Sir Edwin, what IL
should catch it? Master Charles would
not take me-"
mo danger of that, my lady. He is
too devoted % see anything but beauty
in you. no matter how much you might
change"
do you really think so? He says
so little about it that sometimes l al
most doubt"
Therein she spoke the secret of Bran
don's success with her, at least in the
beginning, for there is wonderful po-
tency In the stimulus of healthy lit
tie doubt.
We had a delightful canter over to
Windsor, l riding with Mary most of
the way. | was not averse to this ar
rangement, as | not only relished Ma
rvs mirth and joyousness, which were
at their height. but hoped l might give
my little Lady Jane a twinge or two
of jealousy, perchance to fertilize her
sentiments toward me.
Mary talked and laughed and sang.
for her soul was a fountain Of glad
ness that dubbed up the instant pres
sure was removed. She spoke of little
but our last trip over this same road.
and, as we passed objects on the way,
told me of what Brandon had said at
this place and that. She laughed and
dimpled exquisitely in relating how
she had deliberately made opportuni-
ties for him to fiatter her until at last
he smiled in her face and told her she
was the most beautiful creature liv-
Ing, but that, after all, beauty was as
beauty did"
THAT made me angry" said she. SCI
pouted for awhile and two or three
times was on the point of dismissinr
L.. go. Thought better OF it and askes
him plainly wherein | did so much
amiss. Then what do you think the
impudent fellow said?"
Il cannot guess"
He said, oh, there is so much II
would take lifetime to tell it,
This made me furious, but l could
not answer, and a moment later he
SAID, Nevertheless l should be only
too glad to undertake the task
The thought never occurred to Ell
ther or us then that he would be taken
at his word. Bold? should think he
was! l never saw anything like il! |
nave not told you tenth part of what
he said to me that day. He said any
thing he wished. and il seemed that I
could neither stop him nor retaliate.
Hair the time 1 was angry and half
the time amused, but by the time we
reached Windsor there never was a
girl more hopelessly and desperately in
love than Mary Tudor" And she
laughed as IL II were q huge Joke on
Mary.
She continued: That day settled
matters with me for all time. | don't
know how he did il. Yes. l do" And
she launched forth into an account of
Brandon's projections, which | found
somewhat dull, and so would you.
We remained day or two at Wind
sor and then. over the objections of our
chaperons' moved on to Berkeley cas-