The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-07-23
Storyof Francis Cludde
ARomance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY j. wEYMAN.
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.

OF Winchester gave me clearly to un-
! derstand"-
THAT Cotton was not the place for
you!' exclaimed my lady scornfully.
He is a sort OF connection OF yours, is
he not? oh, / know, And he thinks
he has a kind OF reversionary interest
in the property! With you n your
father out of the way, and only your
girl cousin left, his interest is much
more likely to come TO hand. DO you
seer" A
/ recalled what Martin Luther had
said about the cuckoo. But / have
since thought that probably they both
wronged Stephen Gardiner in this. He
was not a man Of petty mind, and his
estate was equal to his high place. I
think 1t 10 likely that his motive In
removing me from Cotton was chiefly
the desire to use my services abroad, in
conjunction perhaps with some remoter
and darker plan for eventually deyoting
the Cludde property to the church.
possible had Sir Anthony died leaving
his daughter unmarried, and would GER
tainly have earned for the chancellor
Queen Mary's lasting favor. / think 1t
the more likely to have been in his
mind because his inability Ito persuade
King Harry nae much enriched us
was always a sore point with the queen
anu lltOiV tAldti w CADOStu HlIH 10 nCI
resentment.
THE strangest thing of ALL" the
duchess continued, with alacrity,
Seems to me to be this-that II he had
not meddled with you he would not
have had his plans in regard to us
thwarted. III he had rot driven you
from home, o would never have
helped me to escape from London nor
been with US to foil his agents"
"a higher nnuver than tho onnalInr
arranged that" said Master BERTHE,
emphatically.
well. at any rate. I am glad that
you are you!" the duchess answered.
rising gayly. "A Cludde? why, one
feels at home again, and yet" she COM
tinued. her lips trembling suddenly and
her eyes filling with tears as she looked
at me. there was never house raised
yet on nobier deed than yours"
GO, go, go!" cried her husband, gee
ing my embarrassment. go and look
to that foolish girl" Z
II will! Yet stopl" cried my lady,
pausing when she was half way across
the floor, and returning, IT was forget
ting that | have another letter to open.
1t is very odd that this letter was never
opened before" she continued, produc-
ing hat which had lain in my haver-
sack. 1T has had several narrow es-
capes. But this time / vow l will see
inside 1t. You give me leave?"
"Oh, yes" I said, smiling. II wash
my hands OF 1t. Whoever the Mistress
Clarence, to whom it Is addressed. may
be, it is enough that her name Is Clar-
ence! We have suffered too much at
his hands"
Il open it, then" my lady cried dra-
matically. / nodded. She took her hus-
bands dagger n cut the green silk
which bound the packet and opened
and read. T.. .'..as. 4a .
Only a few words. Then she stopped
and, looking off the paper, shivered. II
do not understand this" she murmured.
What does 1T mean?"
No good. I'll be sworn!" Master
BERTHE replied. gazing at her eagerly.
Read 1t aloud, Katherine"
ITO Mistress A B., / am adj
vertised by my trusty agent, Master
Clarence, h a he hath benefited much
by your aid in the matter in which I
have employed him. Such service goeth
always for much, and never for naught,
withrIne. In which belief confirm your
self. For the present, working with
him as heretofore. be secret, and on no
account let your true sentiments come
to light. So you will be the more yalu-
able to me, even as 1t is more easy to
unfasten a barred door from within
than from without"
Here the duchess broke off abruptly
and turned on us q face full Of wonder.
What does 1t mean?' she asked.
rs that all?" her husband said.
Not quite" she answered, returning
to 1t and reading:
Those whom o have hitherto
served ave, too long made a mockery
OF sacred things. but their cup is full,
and the business of seeing thai they
drink it lieth with me. who am not
wont to be slothful in these matters.
Be faithful and secret. Good speed and
fare you well. Ste. Winton.,."
"One thing is quite clear said Mas
ter BERTHE, slowly. THAT you and I
are the persons whose cup is full. You
remember how you once dressed up a
dog in a rochet and handled ii before
Gardiner? And 1t is our matter IN
which Clarence is employed. Then who
Is 1t who has been cooperating with
him, and whose aid is OF so much value
to htm?" ...aH 7
"'Even as it is easier" I muttered
thoughtfully, to ~unfasten a. barred
door from within than from without. 80
What was 1t of which that strange sem
tence reminded me2 Ha! I had it. OF
the night on which we had fed from
Master Lindstrom's house. when Mis-
treSs Anne had been seized with that
odd At of perverseness and had almost
opened the door looking upon the river
in spite OF all 1 could say or do. 1t was
Of that the sentence reminded me 'To
whom is it addressed?" I asked abrupt
ly.
ITO Mistress Clarence" my lady an
swered. ....
"No-inside, I mean .u
oh! to Mistress A B. But
that gives Us no clew." she added. 'It
is a Disguise You see, they are the
two first letters of the alphabet" +
So they were. and the initial
letters of Anne Brandon! 1 won
dered hat the duchess did not
see 1t; that she did not at once
turn her suspicious toward the right
quarter. But she was, for a woman,
~stngularly truthful and confiding, and
she saw nothing.
/ looked at Master Berthe. He seemed
puzzled. discerning, / fancy, how
strangely the illusions pointed to Mis-
tress Anne, but not daring at once to
draw the inference. She was his wife's
kinswoman by marriage, albeit a dis
tant one, and much indebted to her.
She had been almost as his own sister.
She was Young and fair and Ia asao.