Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-23
CHAPTER XXXvII.
The Cardinals Puppets.

| LIE
His Eminence the Cardinal de Moreno
knew we'll how to gauge the moods and
tempers of the English people of this
time. He had rightly guessed that the
| Duke of WesseX, whom but few hours
| ago his countrymen were ready to con-
denim to a shameful death, would remain
the hero of the hour. until the enthu-
siasm of his friends had once more cooled
down TO more normal pitch.
Mary Tudor was deeply grateful to the
cardinal for what she truly believed was
a wonderful triumph of persuasion over
the obstinacy of guilty conscience. II
| in her innermost heart she bitterly re
| scented the fact that WesSeX owed his
! iacquittal to outside influences rather
than to the will of his queen, she never
theless was ready enough 20 acNnoWtedse
how completely his eminence had s. =
| ceeded and how little ground she had for
not keeping her share of the momen-
| tous compact which she had made with
| him. .
.If your eminence is instrumental in
saving his grace from the block Will
marry King Philip of SPAIN
That was her bond and ALREADY the
cardinal had claimed its fulhilment Inc
| Queen of England stood dehnltely pieuseo
to give her hand to Philip H. h'ns oil
| SPAIN
! The Spanish alliance. so much dreaded
by the patriotic faction of England, was
| all but an accomplished fact. Bitter dls-
| appointment reigned in the hearts of all
those who had hoped to see an Engllsn
peer upon the English throne yet all
| Wessex's friends were bound 10 auI.lt
| that from the very moment "heh thI
| dukes acuuttal suddenly aroused all
their dominant hopes one look at ms
| face had sufficed to tell them that lose
same hopes had been born but to die
again; there sstood man, brc - IN
health and spirits. tired OF life, WlIhoui
buoyancy or youth or that delightful
vigor which had made the name OF
| Wessex sound note of gladness
| throughout the land.
| Even as he stepped down from the par
| and his adherents showered good wishes
upon him, he looked twenty years Ger
| than he had done on that bright hapEy
| day, a fortnight ago. when. the cynosure
| of all eyes, the most brilliant ornament
| of that gorgeous court, he seemed TO
stand smiling on the steps of the THRONE
gently dallying with Gre N
Yet Mary Tudor, willfully forgetting for
| the moment her pledge to the Spaniards,
longing to enjoy these last few hours
smiles, fetes, honors upon the man she
loved. happy to feel his lips pressed upon
her hand in loyalty and gratitude.
She had never inquired Of him now
which Ursula Glynde had told in open
court. Perhaps she did not care to
know She was weak enough-woman
enough-to rejoice at l. thought OF her
| rivals complete humiliation she was
content to let the events of that fateful
night remain completely wrapped In mys-
terry; vaguely she felt that in some sort
of way the elucidation of 1T would not De
altogether detrimental to Ursula Giynoe,
at the same time she knew that never
now could the young girl who had come
between her and the man she loved as
pire to become Duchess of Wessex,
The scandal had been too great; and
thing happened which would slgnaGy
clear Ursula's maiden fame, she would
forever remain under the ban OF TINS
mystery, which had besmirched her good
name.
Ursula had been quite right when she
asserted with bitter sarcasm that His
Eminence the Cardinal de Moreno SEEM
ed to be the prime mover In the game OF
puppets which was now proceeding w,.hin
the precincts of the palace. With the
royal signature appended to his bond, he
felt that his position was now impreg-
nable and he moved about among the
| English lords and courtiers as vice.
regent would in the absence OF king.
The fact that messenger from Scotland
had arrived in the morning with news or
the ambassadors to the queen regent
without any mention of either LORD Fem
broke's or Lord Everingham's sudden de-
parture from thence. had completely
Gained any fears he still might have of
the latter's too sudden temperance at
Hampton court. In any case now he mad
he could consolidate his success. by es-
tablishing direct intercourse between
King Philip and the Queen of England
He hoped before many hours had elapsed
to obtain from Mary Tudor an actual iet,
ter. writ in her own hand, to her royal
betrothed.
Thus secure in his inyulnerable position
the cardinal had thought it prudent as
well as expedient to accede to Ursula S
wishes, which seemed very like COM
mands and he had used his diplomatic
skill to good purpose in persuading Mary
Tudor to allow the interview between the
young girl and his grace.
At the same time his eminence was suf-
ficiently wary so to manipulate his pup
pets that the interview should be of the
briefest; and in this he was like enough
to succeed.
1t was in order to celebrate the happy
return of his grace to court that the
queen had at his request granted free
pardon to all those who were to be
brought to trial on the same day as the
duke Two o'clock in the afternoon of
this day. following the great event had
been fixed when all these poor people
Migrants and beggars mostly, one or two
political prisoners perhaps. were to thank
his grace for their freedom publicly IN
the grounds of the palace.
The cardinal, we'll aware or TINS. Skill
| fully working, too. on the queens still
FESTIVE lea ousy, had suggested to Mary
that Ursula Glynde should await the duke
| Of WesseX in the hall at fifteen minutes
before the hour.
| "A quarter of an hour your majesty.
| he said insinuatingly, when first on that
same morning he had preached the sub
ject Fifteen short minutes during which
the breach 't&iXt his grace and a dis
graced maiden can but be irretrievably
widened'
Your eminence seems to think that
desire a breach" retorted Mary, with
Tudor-like haughtiness.
| Far from me even to think OF such
| thought" rejoined the cardinal blandly;
| but as a faithful servant of your maj
esty, soon to become loyal subject when
you grace is Queen of Spain. l hold the
welfare Of all those whom you deign to
honor very much at heart-and was
thinking Of his grace of Wessex."
! What of him. my lOrd?'
! "The duke is proud, your majesty,
would it be we'll. think you. if girl OF
Lady Ursula Glynde's reputation were to
become Duchess of Wessex?"
! think you she hath the desire?'
"Chen sabe?" he replied guardediy
but an your majesty will trust my judg-
ment a brief interview with his grace
would soon scatter her hopes to the
Winds
| Thus did this astute diplomatist play
upon every fiber of a wOmanS emotions
His calculations were made to nicely;
| only the interview which Ursula had de-
manded and no more!-ths to paclfy the
Young girl in case she became defiant, but
| the meeting itself was to be just snort
enough to avoid any harm
| At twenty minutes before 2. Ursula was
bidfan to the great hall by command OF
her aiesty The Duchess of Lincoln