Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-05-08

IDENTITY walked out to this quiet path to
consult about the situation. AS they
approached, Mary spoke to the duke
with vicious sparkle in her eyes.
MY Lord Buckingham, this shall
cost you your head. ilcmcmber my
words when you are OH the scaffod,
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 | 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. Co.. And
the battle was over the foe never hav-
ing struck blow. 1t hurt me that
Mary should speak of the odds being
two to one against Brandon when |
was at hand. 1t is true was not very
large, but l could have taken care of q
lawyer.
Now it was that the lawyer knight
earned his bread by his wits for it was
he, | know. who instigated the next
move, 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 SLAM
der. Thus it 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 q 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 it 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 con-
f1ict of evidence which called for new
witnesses, and Henry asked Brandon
if 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 adrotly let out the
fact that he had just met the princess
will UtDr nj a tpi
SPOT in the forest, Henry's suspicion
of her partially received new force,
and he began to look upon tho unfortu-
nate Brandon as Il partial cause at
least of Marys 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
beeu uer Will DIdlIuoll sInce tHelI
avowal, or he would have had q fact
in every look, the truth in every mo-
ton, a demonstra ton in every glance.
She seemed pOwerless even to attempt
concealment. In Brandon's handsome
manliness and evident superiority the
king thought he saw a very clear pos
sibility for Mary to love, and where
there is such a possibility for a girl
she usually fails to fulfill expectations.
Now, all this brought Brandon into
the deep shadow Of the royal frown,
and like many another man he sank
his fortune in the fathomless depths of
a woman's heart and thought himself
rich in doing it.
10 be Continued next Meek