Evening star., 1908-01-19
CHAPTER XVI.
The nltimatum

CdAfTEH Av1.
The Ultimatum.
The envoy of his holiness had departed.
Mary Tudor had dismissed her ladies.
for she wished to speak with the Cardi-
nal de Moreno alone.
Throughout, the audience with the pa
pal nuncio his eminence had already seen
the storm clouds gathering thick and fast
on the queens brow. His grace OF Wes-
sex. gone to fetch a breviary. left ac-
cidentally on the terrace coping. hao
been gone half an hour. and, moreover
had not yet returned.
Her majesty had sent a page to request
his grace's presence. The page returned
with the intimation that his grace could
not be found.
Some one had spied him in the distance,
walking toward the river in company
with a lady dressed in white.
Then the storm clouds had burst.
The queen peremptorily ordered every
one out of the room: then she turned
with real Tudor-like fury upon his emf
nence.
MY lord cardinal" she said in quiv-
ering voice. which she did not even try
to steady. IAN you had your master s
wishes at heart, you have indeed gone
the wrong way to work"
The cardinals keen gray eyes had
watched Mary's growing wrath with
much amusement. What was woman S
wrath to him? Nothing but an asset, an
additional advantage In the political game
which he was playing.
Never for moment did he depart, how
ever, from his attitude of deepest respect,
r.; Nf crro1 rr1ao oy,it
"I seem to have offended you majesty,
he said gently, "unwittingly. 1 assure
you. =
But Mary was in no mood to handy po-
lite words with the man who had played
her this clever trick. She was angered
with herself for having fallen into SO
clumsy trap. A thousand suggestions
now occurred to her of what she might
have done to prevent the meeting between
Wessex and Ursula. which the cardinal
had obviously planned.
Nay, masks off. / pray your eminence,"
she said. THAT trick just now with your
breviary. Own to 1t, man-own to it
are you not proud to have t-fcked Mary
Tudor SO easily?"
She was trembling with rage, but looked
nigh to bursting into tears. A shade al
most Of pity crossed his eminence's cold
and clever face. 1t seemed almost wan
tonly useless to have aided fate in snatch
ing a young and handsome lover from
. But the cardinal never allowed worldly
sentiments of any kind to interfere. for
more than one or two seconds. with the
object he had in view. The look of pity
quickly faded from his eyes, giving place
to the same mask of respectful Difference
my breviary?" he said blandly. Nay!
am still at a loss to understand. All.
yes! 1 remember now. l had left 1T on
the balustrade. His Grace of Wessex. a
pattern of chivalry, offered to fetch 1t for
-, fine scheme, indeed. my lord" in
terrupted the queen impatiently, ITO send
the Duke of Wessex counting ;fter ms
waiting-maid. !,
1.-The Duke of Wessex?" rejoined his
eminence with well-played astonishment; !;
may, methought l spied him just now
in the distance, keeping the vows he once
made to the Lady Ursula Glynde.
II pray you do not repeat that silly
fairy tale. His grace made no promise.
Twas the Earl of Truro desired the mar
riage, and the duke had half forgotten
this until your eminence chose to inter-
fere."
May. but your majesty does me grave
injustice. What have the amours OF His
Grace of Wessex to do with me, who am
the envoy of his most Catholic majesty,
the King of Spain?'
'"Twere wiser, certainly" retorted Mary
coldly, ..if the King of Spain's envoy did
not concern himself with rousing the
Queen of England's anger
h,s eminence smiled as amably. as un-
concernedly, as before. Throughout the
length of a very distinguished career he
had often been obliged to weather atorms
of royal wrath. He was none the worse
for it, and knew how to let the floods
of princely anger pass over his shrewd
head, without losing grip of the ground
on which he stood. Nothing ever -uffied
him. Supremeiy conscious OF his own
rignity, Justly proud of his position and
attainments he had. at the bottom of his
heart, a complete contempt for these
exalted puppets of his own political
schemes. Mary Tudor, weak and soured
woman, an all-too-ready prey of her own
passions swayed hither and thither by
her loves and by her hates. was nothing
to this proud prince of the church but a
pawn in a European game OF chess. 1t
was for his deft fingers to move this pawn
in the direction in which iis e,t, ne listed,
my only desire is to rouse in the heart
of the Queen of England love for my
royal master, the King of Spain He Is
young and goodly to look at. faithful
and gallant gentleman. whom 1t will be
difficult to lure from your grace's side.
once you have deigned to allow him to
kneel at your feet"
You speak. my lord, as If ,'ou were
sure of my answer"
Sure Is momentous worA, your ma
jesty. But hope"
Nay! 'tis not yet done, remember" re-
torted Mary. with ever-increasing vehem-
ence, land IL this trick of yours should
succeed. If Wessex weds the Lady Ursula,
then l will send my answer to your mas
ter. and ii shall be NO."
There was a quick. sudden flash in the
cardinals eye. a look of establishment,
perhaps, at this unexpected phase of fem
mime jealousy. Be that as it may, it was
quickly veiled by an expression of pro-
nounced sarcasm.
"As q trophy for the vanity of his grace
Of Wessex?' he asked. pointedly.
mo! Merely as revenge against your in
reference. So look TO it. my lord cardi-
nal; the tangie in the skein was made by
your hand, see that you unravel it, or You