The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-17
CHAPTER XVI. The ITlfimntum.

began to sing.
 CHAPTER XVI. The Ultimatum. The envoy of Ills Holiness had de-
 Mary Tudor had dismissed her ladies. | for she wished to speak with the Car dinal de Moreno alone
 throughout the audience with the l Papal Nuncio His Eminence had ale ready seen the storm clouds gathering thick and fast on the Queen's brow. | His Grace of Wessex, gone to fetch brev;ary. left accidentally on the ter- race coping. had been gone half an hour. and moreover had not yet re- l turned,
 Her Majesty had sent page to re- quest His Graces presence. The page returned with the intimation that Ills Grace could not besfound. Someone had spied him in the dis tance, walking towards the river in l company with a lady dressed In white. Then the storm-ciouds had burst. The Queen peremptorily ordered everyone out of the room. then she turned with real Tudor-like fury upon His Eminence.
 My lord Cardinal" she said h a duivering voice. which she did not 1 evenFtry to steady. "an you had your | tna9fer's wishes at heart. you have in- deed gone the wrong way to work" The Cardinals keen grey eyes had watched Mary's growing wrath swith much amusement. What was q w0- asset, an additional advantage in the political game which he vas playing. Never for moment did he depart, however, from his attitude of deepest respect. nor from his tone of suavs l-urbanity.
 I
 jesty," he said gently, "unwittinsiy
 But Mary was in no mood to bandy
 polite words with the man who had played her this clever trick. She was angered with herself for having fallen into so clumsy a trap. thousand suggestions now occurred to her of
 what she might have done to prevent
 the meeting between Wesssx and Ur-
 sula, which the Cardinal had obviously planned.
 May. masks off. pray your Emi- nence," she said. That trick just now
 with your brevisry. Own to 1t.
 man. own to it are you not
 proud to have tricked Mary Tudor so easily?"
 She was trembling with rage. but looked nigh to bursting into tears. 4
 shade almost of pity crossed Ills Emil nence's cold and clever face. It seem ed almost wantonly useless to have
 aided Fate in snatohing a young and handsome lover from tn:s fl-favored. middle-aged woman.
 . But the Cardinal never allowed
 worldly sentiments of any kind to in- terfere, for more than one or two sec-
 onds. with the object he had in view
 The look of pity quickly faded from
 his eyes, giving place to the same mask of respectful deference.
 Il l.
 Nay! I am still at loss to under
 stand. An. yes! remember now. had left it on the baluH- trade. His Grace of Wessex, pat tern of chivalry' offered to fetch it for
 "A fine scheme. indeed. my lord" in- terrupted the Queen impatiently. ito send the Duke of WesEex counting af- ter my waiting -maid."
 'The Duke of Wessex7" rejoined His Eminence with weli-played astonish- ment; may, methought spied him just now in the distance. keeping the vows he once made to the Lady Ursula Giynde."
 T pray you do not repeat that silly fairy-tale. His Grace made no promise. Twas the Earl of Truro desired the marriage. and the Duke had half for gotten this until your Eminence chose to interfere"
 Nay: but your Majesty does me grave injustice. What have the amours Of His Grace of Wessex to do with me, who am the envoy of His Most Catholic Majesty. the King of Spain?"
 "'Twere wiser. certainly" retorted Mary coldly, If the King of Spain's envoy did not concern himself with rousing the Queen of England's anger"
 His Eminence smiled as arniably, as unconcernedly, as before. Throughout ~e eft oh career he had often been obliged to weather storms of royal wrath. He was none the worse for it. and knew how to let the floods of princely anger pass over his shrewd head. without los ing grip of the ground on which he stood. Nothing ever ruftied him, su- premely conscious of his own dignity, justly proud of his position and attain ments, he had, at the bottom of his heart, a complete contempt for these exalted puppets of his own political schemes. Mary Tudor, a weak and soured woman, an all-too-ready prey of her own passions, swayed hither and thither by her loves and by her hates was nothing to this proud prince of the Church but a pawn In a European game of chess. It was for his deft fingers to move this pawn in the direc- tion :n which he. listed.
 Nay" he said with gentle suavity, ''my only desire Is to rouse m the hoaFt of the Queen of England love for my royal master, the King of Spain. He is young and goodIy to look at, faith full and gallant gentlaman, whom 1t win be difficult to lure from your Graces side, once you have deigned to allow him to kneel at your feet"
 You speak. my lord, as if you were sure of an answer"
 Sure is a momentous word. your Et4f I hAnA "
 Nay! 'tis not yet done remember" retorted Mary with ever-increasing yehauAnee. and if this trick of yours ah0uld eueceed, if wessex weas the