Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-04-24
CHAPTER vII-Continued.

only the one trusted and constan
friend of King Henry VIII. but tn
kings brotherinlaw, his first wife
having been Mary, princess OF England
and queen dowager of France Late IL
his splendid and prosperous career thu
duke had married Katherine, the heir.
ess OF Lord Willoughby de Eresby, and
she IL was who stood before me, still
young and handsome. After her hus-
n death she had made England
ring with her name, first by a love
match with a Lincolnshire squire. anC
secondly, by her fearless and outspoker
defense OF the reformers. l did wonder
indeed how she had come to be wan
dering in the streets at daybreak, an
object OF a chance passer's chivalry
and pity.
1T is simple enough" she said dryly.
Il am rich. / am a Protestant. and ]
have an enemy. When | do not like a
person, / speak out. Do | not, Rich
ard?"
You do, indeed, my DEAR" he an
swered, smiling.
And once | spoke out to Bishop
Gardiner. What! Do you know about
stephen Gardiner"
For / had started at the name, after
which l could scarcely have concealed
my knowledge If would. So | an
swered simply, Yes; | have seen
him." was thinking how wonderful
this was. These people had been ut
ter strangers TO me until a day or two
before, yet now we were all looking out
together from the deck Of a Dutch boat
ON the low Dutch landscape, united
by one tie. the enmity of the same
man.
He is a man to be dreaded" the
duchess continued, her eyes resting on
her baby, which lay asleep on my bum
die of rugs, and | guessed what fear
IL was had tanned her pride to fight.
His power In England is absolute. We
learned that ii was his purpose to ar
rest me and determined to leave Eng
land. But our very household was full
of spies. and though we chose a time
when Clarence, our steward, whom we
had long suspected of being Gardeners
chief tool, was away, Philip, his deputy,
gained q clew to our design and
watched us. We gave him the slip
with difficulty, leaving u luggage, but
he logged and overlook us, and the
rest you know
4 bowed. AS l gazed at her my adj
zniration, l knew. shone in my eyes.
She looked, as she stood OF the deck,
an exile and fugitive, so gay, so bright,
so iEdomitable. that In herself she was
at once a warranty and an omen of
better times. The breeze had height
ened her color and loosened here and
there a tress OF her auburn hair. No
wonder Master BERTHE looked proudly
on his duchess.
Suddenly a thing / had clean forgot
ten flashed II my mind. and / thrust
my hand into my pocket. The action
xyas SO abrupt that Ii attracted their
attention, and when l pulled out a
packet-two packets-there were three
pairs OF eyes upon me. The seal dangled
from one nlissive. What have you got
uhgra9 - ~. IttnhaCa aglra1 hrfclrIx Son,
she was a woman and curious. do
you carry the deeds of your property
about with your"
mo-" i said, not unwilling to make
N small sensation. This touches your
grace
Hush she cried. raising one i'm
perious finger. "Transgressing already
From this time forth / am Mistress
.BerfranT, remember. But come" she
went on. cycling the packet with the
seal inquisitively. how does 1t touch
,me?"
/ put it silently into her hands, and
she opened IL and read a few lines, her
husband peeping over her shoulder. AS
she read her brow darkened. her eyes
grew hard. Master Bertie's face changed
with hers, n they both peeped SUD
denly at me over the edge of the parch-
ment, suspicion n hostility in their
glances. How came you by this, young
sir?" he said slowly, after a long pause.
Have we escaped Peter to fall into
hands of Paul."
mo. NOT / cried hurriedly. / saw
that / had made a greater sensation
than 1 had bargained for. / fastened
TO tell them how | had met with Gar
diners servant at Stony Stratford, and
Alow ! had become possessed OF his Gre
1entials. They laughed, of course. In
deed they laughed so loudly that the
placid Dutchmen, standing aft with
their hands in their breeches pockets,
stared open-mouthed at us, and the
kindred cattle on the bank looked mild
Iy up from the knee deep grass.
And what was the other packet"
the duchess asked presently. rs that
lit ia your hand?"
Yes / answered, holding 1t up with
some reluctance. 1T seems to be q
letter addressed TO Mistress Clarence"
Clarence she cried. "Clarence."
resting the hand she was extending.
What. Here is our friend again. then.
What is In it? You have opened it,"
No
You have not? Then quick. open
IT, she exclaimed. This. too. touches
us. | will bet a penny. Let us see at
once what II contains. Clarence in
deed Perhaps we may have him on
the hip yet, the arch traitor!s
But / held the p~ocketbook back,
though my cheeks Redeemed, and L
knew 1 must seem foolish. They made
certain that this letter was q commune
cation 10 some spy, probably to Clar-
ence himself under cover of a feminine
address. Perhaps IL was. but II bore a
woman's name, and it was sealed, and,
foolish though / might be. ! would not
betray the woman's secret.
mo, madam" / said. confused. awk-
ward, stammering, yet withholding IL
with a secret obstlnacy. Pardon me
IL | do not obey you-if / do not let this
be- opened. 1t may be what you say, Z"
1 added, with an effort. but 1t may
also contain an honest secret. and that
a woman's."
What do you say?" cried the duch-
ess. Here are scruplesl" At that her
husband smiled. and i looked in despair
from him TO Mistress Anne. Would she
syrnpathize with my feelings? found
that she had turned her back or us
sand WAS gazing over the side. do
you really mean.r continued the Ouch
ess. tapping her Dol sharply on deck,
that you are not going 70 open that
you foolish poy?'
II do. with your grace's leave l an
swered
vOr Without my grace's leave' Tha'
Is what you mean" shN retcrted pet
t,shly. "a red spot on each cheek. 'Whei
people VIII not do what l ask, IL Is al
mays eracei grace grace But ! know