Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-09
CHAPTER XXI.
Marye. the oueene.

CHAPTER XXI.
Marye, the oueene.
Thus day followed day whilst In the
great world without England was prepar.
ing to see her premier lord arraigned be-
fore his peers on a charge Of murder. And
in one of the smaller chambers OF her
own private apartments at Hampton
Court. Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and
thinking, thinking and praying again.
Not a queen now. not proud and VIII"
full Tudor, passionate. cruel or caprfcious.
but only a middle-aged. broken-hearted
woman, with eyes swollen with weeping.
and brain heavy with eternally reiterated
desires
To save him. to save him!
But how?
That he had committed so foul crime
as to stab an enemy In the back-this, In
the very face OF his own confession, Mary
still obstinately refused to believe. me
rumors anent the presence OF woman IN
that part of the palace and at that fatai
hour had of course reached her ears:
Jealousy and hatred. which had RACED
within her, had readily fastened on Ursula
Glynde as the cause If not the actual per-
petrator of the dastardly crime.
That a woman was somehow or other
connected with the terrible events OF that
night every one was, of course. ready 10
admit, but in what manner no one was
able to conjecture.
A murder had been committed. or that
there could be no doubt. Don Miguel de
Suarez had been stabbed In the BACK!
Not in fair fight. but brutally, cailously
stabbed and he a guest at the English
court,
of this barbarous, abominable act the
Duke of Wessex stood self-convicted
Impossible. of course: Preposterous!
pronounced his friends. He. the first gem
tleman i'm England. brave to fault tas-
tidious. artistic and perfect swordsman
to boot. The very accusation was ridicu-
lous.
Yet he stood self-convicted.
Why? In the name Of heaven. why?
"To shield woman said his grace's
friends.
what woman retorted his enemies.
The name of Lady Ursula Glynde hao
been family whispered. yet 1t seemed ale
most as preposterous to suppose tnat
beautiful young girl-rehned, gentie. Po
etic, scarce out of her teens-would nave
the phyhical strength to commit so fouI
deed as to think of his grace in connec.
ton with it.
Yet. in spite of that. the idea had gained
ground. that the Lady Ursula Giynae
could and she would. throw some light
on the mystery which surrounded the
events Of that terrible night, and no one
brooded over that idea more determineoiy
than did Mary Tudor.
The young girl had, Of course. denied
all knowledge of what had or had not oc-
Cured. There was not single dennite
fact that might even remotely connect her
with the supposed enmlty between Nes-
sex and Don Miguel.
The cardinal was not likely to speak.
for the present turn OF events suited
his own plans to perfection
NV lord of Everingham was away In
Scotland and news travelled slowly these
days AS for the queen. she had nothing
on which to found her suspicious. save
her own hatred of the girl and the nrm
conviction that on the same night. an
hour or two before the murder. Ursula
w I,od mot
and upbraided the girl in the presence
of my lord cardinal and the ladies'; his
grace was not there then, but what hap
pened Immediately afterward?
Had she but dared, Mary Tudor would
have submitted her rival to mental ana
bodily torture until she had extracted
confession from her. All she could do
was to confine her To ner own room IN
the palace; she would not lose sight or
her although the young girl had begged
for permission to quit the court and re-
tire to a convent. for the silence ana
peace of which she felt an unutterable
longing.
The dukes trial by his peers was fixed
for the morrow.
1t was but a fortnight since that fate
full evening. His grace had been In the
tower since then and by virtue OF his
high influence and of his exceptional po-
sition had demanded and readily obtained
a speedy trial.
TWenty-four hours in which a queen
might perchance still save the man she
loved from a shameful and ignominious
death. And she had thought and schemed
and suffered during fourteen days. az
perhaps no other woman had ever
thought and suffered before. She was
queen. yet felt herself powerless TO ac-
complish the one desire OF her lie. which
she would have bartered her Kingdom
to obtain: the life Of the man she loved
But today she had pluckily dried her
tears The whole morning she had spent
at her toilet, carefully seiectins-with an
agitation which would have been rdicu-
lous considering her age and appearance
had it not been SO intensely pathetic-the
raiment which she thought would become
her most. She had q burning desire to
appear attractive.
Earnestly she studied the lines OF her
face covered incipient wrinkles and faded
cheeks with cosmetics, spent nigh on an
hour in the arrangement OF her coli.
Then she repaired to small room, which
was hung with tapestry OF dull RED, ana
into which the fading afternoon light
would only peep very gently and discreet
ly-
Since then she had paced that narrow
room necessarily and impatiently. Every
few moments she rang a hand bell. and to
the stolid page or servitor in attendance
she repeated the same anxious query:
lis the guard in sight YETI?
Not yet, your majesty" reiterated the
page for the tenth time that day.
1t was nigh on 3 O'Clock In the after
came with the welcome news.
The captain of the guard desires to
report to your majesty that the tower
guard, with his grace the Duke OF Wes-
sex. are at the gates of the palace"
Mary, with her usual characteristic
gesture, pressed her hand to her heart.
unable to speak with the sudden emotion
which had sent the blood throbbing In her
veins The kind old duchess, her wrinkled
face expressive of the deepest sorrow and
the most respectful sympathy, waited
patiently until the queen had recovered
herself.
Its WELL" said Mary after awhile.
II pray you, duchess. to see that ms
grace Is introduced in here at once
When she was alone she fell upon her
knees a great sob shaking her delicate
frame She took her rosary from her
girdle and with passionate fervor kissed
the jeweled beads.
Holy Mary, mother of God"' she mvr-
INJURED amid her tears. make him listen
TO me! Pray for me-intercede for me.
queen of heaven. mystic rose. tower OF
ivory. holy virgin, our mother pray for
me now / would save him and / would
make him king. Queen Of heaven. aid
me. Mother of God, make him to love
ke him to love metz