Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16

something of the brute under the queehIS
robes. But-you had affection I1r an-
once my dear lord-and an unimpas-
stoned love can bring happiness SOM.
! times-I would soon make YOU loFse'
these last terrible dars-and-
Her voice had sunk down very low,
almost to whisper now. the hand WHICH
he still held in his own trembled Nio-
lently and became burning hot.
| And no one would dare to whisper
ill of the King Consort of England: o
! He turned to her; she was Stanuins oe
| side him. her hand imprisoned In his. hei
! face bent so that he could not meet ne.
/ eyes. But there was such an lnnnity oi
| pa thos in the attitude of TINS ooiiihuei
her pride before her love. that win
| tender Telling of reverence he bent tIe
! knee before her and tenderly kissed her
! hand ,.,
gentle sadness II am and always Will De
your most devoted subject-but DO you
not see how impossible it is that ! should
, accept this great honor which you "ouio
| deign to confer upon me:
You refuse: Is it that you nave i'ot
! one spark Of love for me-"
Il have far TOO much veneration FOR my
! queen than to allow her TO sully her fair
name. If being avowedly guilty Were
| acquitted by your majestys desire
| 'twould be said the queen had saved her
| lover and then married fe!on-
Il would stake mine honor that no one
shall dare
Honor is already lost. my queen, once
| it is al stake.
But l Will save you.'' cried Mary with
ever-increasing vehemence, in spite Oh
| yourself, in spite of your confessions, IN
spite of all these lies and receptions III
save YOU in the very teeth Of your JUDGES
and your peers and proclaim to the whole
world that l saved you-gullty or not
guilty. proud gentleman Or feion. because
my name is Mary Tudor and that there
is no law in England outside my VIII.
/ Pride and passion almost beautified her
Her love for this man was the one so1t
tender trait in her strange and complex
| character but Tudor-like she would nave
her way. she would rule his destiny. com
mand his fate. tear and destroy every
thing around her. so long as her caprice
held sway But he had suddenly risen
to his feet and stood confronting her
now tall and erect. with pride as great,
as obstinate as her own. naughty ,dig-
! nitv which neither queen nor destiny,
| neither sorrow. disgrace nor fear had the
power to bend" J. (
Ere that dishonor fall upon us both.
| your majesty" he said firmly he iast
| Duke of Wessex will lie In sulcloe
| grave"
Her eyes were fixed upon his, and he
carried away by the poignancy OF this
supreme battle. fought by MIS- PRIDE
against her passion. allowed hef 20 .eau
his innermost thoughts. He had nothing
| to hide from her now. not even MS ioVe'
miserable and desperate as it was; but he
wanted her to know that not even at TINS
| fateful moment. when he stood twixt d
| scaffold and a crown. did he waver In the
Arm resolve which had guided him
| throughout his life.
He would not become the 1901 ana
minion of a Tudor queen-ioving enough
inov but endowed with all the vices and
all the arrogance of her race: he would
not barter his life in order to become the
| butt of contending political factions. the
toy of ambitious parties: hattered oy
some, hated by most. despised by all! "A
courtier, lapdog. an 1nvertebrate creature
| without power or dignity.
fBah! the hangman's rope was less de-
| Grading!
| land Mary, as she read all this in the
expressive eyes which met hers 1uiiy ano
| unwaveringly. realized that her cause
was lost. She had staked everything on
this one final appeal. but she. Tudor.
| had struck against an obstinacy greater
! than her own. She could not natter. sne
could not bride. and he was-by the very
hopelessness of his present position-be-
yond the reach of threats or punishment
He saw that her heart was admitting
that she was. vanquished. The haroness
within him melted into pity.
Believe me. my queen, he said gent
Nv. 1.-The memory of your kind words will
accompany me to my life's end; 1t VIII
cheer me tomorrow and sustain me 10
the last And now. for PHYS sake" he
/
majesty to order the guard and let me
THAT is not your last word. my lord.
urged Mary with the 5insistence OF des-
II have thou4ht-much," he replied
| quietly Life holds nothing very tempt
ing at best. does 1t? The honor of the
Queen of England and mine own self
| esteem were too heavy price TO pay
| for so worthless trif1e.
| Mary would have spoken again. but
| just then there was a discreet knock at
the door twice repeated. She had per-
| force to say:
| Enter and the next moment a page
! in -waiting stood bowling before her
| What is it, she demanded.
| THE lord high steward has arrived at
the palace. your majesty" announced the
| page. and the lieutenant of the tower
demands the prisoner.
| TITS we'll. you may CO.
The lieutenant of the tower awaits
your majesty's pleasure and his grace OF
Wessex in the next ROOM.
IT'S well. The lieutenant may wait
The page bowed again and retired.
Then only did Mary Tudor's self con-
troll entirely desert her Forgetting all
her dignity and pride. her self-will and
masterfulness. she chung to the man she
| loved with passionate ardor. sobbing and
| entreating.
"No!-nO-they shall not take yOu.-they
| dare not! Say but one word to me. my
dear IOrU. w nat Is IL 10 YOU tWcIc Gil
my life to me. What should We care for
| the opinion of the world?-am 1 not above
| II; so you will be when you are King or
England"
| Wessex had need OF all his firmness
and of all his courage to free himself as
| gently as he could from her clnging
arms He waited until her half hysterical
paroxysm of grief had subsidized. soothing
with tender hand her moist hair and
burning forehead. She was woman be-
side herself with grief. almost sublime
| in this hour OF madness.
II will not let you co. she repeated
persistently
| Through the door there came the sound
! of a slight clash OF arms The lieutenant
of the tower and his guard were impa-
| tiently waiting for their prisoner. Yves
sex saw Mary's whole figure stifen at
this muffled sound. Like enraged ami
| NAL she turned toward the door. For
| one second he wondered what She would
do. how much humiliation her uncon-
troIled passion would heap upon him
! through some mad. impulsive action. lie
! Jumped to- his feet and regardless of all
| save the imminence Of this critical
! moment he seized both her wrists in an
iron grip, striving through the infliction
! of this physical pain to bring back her
wandering senses.
| She looked him straight In the face
with a tender and appealing gaze
| Did YOU not know that l loved you
| even to Humiliation? she said.
| May God and all His Angels bless YOU
for that love-" he replied earnestly. but
| before Him and them / swear to you
| that If you do not allow the justice or
your realm to have its will with me III