Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-08-17

upon which your horse fell, causing
you TO limp even yet. am sure now
that my lord will meet me like a man.
or would he prefer that should go to
the king and tell him and the world the
whole shameful story? have con-
cealed IL heretofore thinking II my per-
sonal right and privilege to settle with
you"
buckingham turned a shade paler as
he replied. II do not meet such as you
on the field OF honor. and have no fear
Of your SANDER lnjuring me-"
lie felt secure in the thought that the
girls did not know who had attacked
them. and could not corroborate Bran
don in his accusations. or Mary. surely.
never would have appealed TO him for
help.
was with Brandon-at little dis
lance. that is-when this occurred. and
after buckingham had left we went to
find the girls In the forest. We knew
they would be looking for us, although
they would pretend surprise when they
saw us. We soon met them, and the
very leaves of the trees gave a soft,
contented rustic in response to Mary's
low. mellow laugh of joy.
After perhaps half an hour we en-
countered Buckingham with his law
yer-kniGht. Johnson. They had evil
IDENTIFY walked out to this quiet path to
consult about the situation. AS they
approached. Mary spoke to the duke
with a vicious sparkle in her eyes.
my Lord Buckingham, this shall
cost you your head. Remember my
words when you are on the scaffold,
Just when your neck fits into the hol-
low of the block"
He stopped. with an evident desire to
explain, but Mary pointed down the
path and said: Go, or l will have
Master Brandon spit you on his sword.
Two to one would be easy odds COM
pared with the four to one you put
against him in Billingsgate. Cor And
the battle was over, the foe never hav-
ing struck a blow. 1t hurt me that
Mary should speak of the odds being
two to one against Brandon when l
was at hand. 1t Is true l was not very
large, but could have taken care of a
lawyer.
Now 1t was that the Iawyer-kn1gnr
earned his bread by his wits, for 1t was
he, l know, who instigated the next
move, a master stroke In its way and
one which proved a checkmate to us.
1t was this: The duke went at once to
the king and in tone of injured inno-
cence told him of the charge made by
Brandon, with Mary's evident approx
al, and demanded redress for the SIAN
der. Thus II seemed that the strength
of our position was about to be turned
against US. Brandon was at once sum-
moned and promptly appeared before
the king, only too anxious to confront
the duke. AS to the confinement Of
Brandon and his secret trial, the king
did not care to hear. That was a mat
ter of no consequence to him. The i'm
portant question was, Did Buckingham
attack the princess?
Brandon told the whole straight story
exactly as 1t was, which Buckingham
rs promptly denied and offered to
prove by his almoner that he was at
his devotions on the night and at the
hour of the attack. So here was a con-
fict of evidence which called for new
witnesses, and Henry asked Brandon
II the girls had seen and recognized the
duke. To this question Of course he
was compelled to answer no, and the
whole accusation, after all. rested upon
Brandon's word. against which, on the
other hand. was the evidence of the
/ Duke Of Buckingham and his conven-
lent almoner.
All this disclosed to the full poor
Mary's anxiety to help Brandon, and,
the duke having adroitly let out the
fact that he had just met the princess
with Brandon at a certain secluded
spot In the forest, Henry's suspicion
Of her partiality received new force,
and he began to look upon the unfortu-
nate Brandon as a partial cause at
least of Mary's aversion to the French
marriage.
Henry grew angry and ordered
Brandon to leave the court. with the
sullen remark that it was only his
services to the Princess Mary that
saved him from a day with papers on
the pillory.
Henry was by no means sure that
his suspicious concerning Mary's heart
were correct, and in all he had heard
he had not one substantial fact upon
which to base conviction. He had not
seen her with Brandon since theil
avowal. or he would have had a fac
In every look, the truth in every mo
ton, demonstration in every glance
She seemed powerless even to attempt
concealment. In Brandon's handsome
manliness and evident superiority tn.
king thought he saw a very clear pos
sibility for Mary to love, and whert
there Is such a possibility for a cir
she usually fails to fulfill expectations
Now, all this brought Brandon int
the deep shadow of the royal frown
and like many another man he sani
his fortune In the fathomless depths O,
a woman's heart and thought himself