The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-19
CHAPTER XL.-ContInucd.

Nay. my lord" rejoined Mary Tudor
earnestly. for he had turned to the
queen. prepared to prefer his request
on his knees. "meseems grieSous
wrong has been done to you'll unwit-
tingly--by your Queen and country.
Let the wench be free, to pray TO the
Holy Virgin for her great sin. !. my
self. will care for her. and she shaii
enter any convent she may choose, ana
he honored there as If she had brought
with her the richest dowry In the land
But" she added. turning to Lord Cham
dos II desire her to make tull con-
fession once more before You. my. lord.
in writing. and to swear to 1t and sign
1t with her name. You may co. wenctl;
she said. finally turning TO Mirrah.
Your Queen has pardoned YOU. May
YOU be happy In the peace or the CON
vent. We Will never forget you. ana
ever see that Joy shall always be in
your life
Slowly. as the Queen spoke. Mirrab
sunk upon her knees. Ii seemed to
the pooi girl as IL Gods angels We're
whispering words OF comfort orr IN cI nse
TO her, ready to lead her back TO the
palace. there To place her under lhe
charge of waiting women untii heI
But before she finally allowed her
self to be led away, she once more
turned rafsy t9 2 W Niss INV bapar she muir
INJURED gently.
He gave Iher his hand and she COW
cred it with kisses. and then she passed
out OF his life. ever remembered , by
peaceful and silent home which the
Queen had SO royalty provided for her;
But this little interlude had reused
the cardinals feverlGh Impotence to
boiling point Already he had tortured
his astute brain for some sort of issue
out of this tangled web. He would not
own a defeat SO readily. certainly not
before he made final struggle to
reasscrt the dignity of his position
lie forced his face to express nothing
but delicate irony, his eyes not to be-
trav the slightest hint of fear.
Truly. this is somewhat curious JUS
tice" he said. as NTirrab's strange
figure disappeared behind a turn, of
the tall yew hedge. surely Your Ma.
NO my lord Cardinal not unheard,"
retorted Mary Tudor hauRhtily. we
have seen strange things to-day. and
can only guess at the terrible tangle
England to take upon himself the bur-
den of heinous crime.'
"And. no doubt" added Wessex. that
His ean n s9xe tire r Was led
into sacrificing her honor"
inEly, His Grace Of Wessex is more
Sas cSnfesse sf h tl es o ryn rsua
dsprove her tale" he added with cut
ting sarcasm was well thought on
by the most chiyalrous gentleman in
Grace" he continued with n careless
shrug OF the shoulders, surely I could
never WISH to dispel so pleasant an
Perhaps, the Duke would have re-
utterable contempt which he felt for
by the Cardinal, but Just then the
Queen, and His Eminence, parted, and
Ursula Glynde stood befor, them all.
helped to enhance the brilliancy of her
hair. the clear blue Of her eyes, and q
certain rosy flush: which. lent to her
ness and innocence, shc looked at no
one, though her eyes We're actually
fixed respectfully, on the Queen, but
off into a land Of dreams.
Your Majesty sent for meg" she
no Lady s5as.a Alicia has told your" roioinea
Ursula closed her glorious IL eyes y, \
her whole face, lighting. 1t with q .radi-
uuces WlllCn SuFEty Hdu5 Up aoilSul III
heaven. THEN she slowly turned her
head towards WesseN. and, In one lit
tie woyd told him all that her soul
"EIverything!p she said.
Everything! that is to say, his sin,
his mistrust OF her. his great. pas
sionate love and self-sacrhce for her.
Everything! which meant her own love.
her own devotion. her Joy to find him
true and chivalrous. her happiness ana
her hope,
Mary Tudor saw the look and its re-
snonse from wessex's ewes. She saw
the end OF the one dream which had
filed her dull. rigid life. and rendered
It. hopeful and bright But she was.
above all d Tudor, She accented the
dictate Of Fate she bent the neck - 9
greater Will than her own. and closed
the book of her illusions. never to
neruse its nnges again. One last loyk
she cast at the man who had had the
nne passionsof which her strange hard
heart was ,eapahle one short farewell
she hade to the vague hone, which
until now would not be gainsald,
F'rorl now and to the end Of her DAYS
she would he Queen alone. the woman
llaN hurled amongst the autumn leaves
which strewed the walks Of old HaHp-
ton Court Palace,
AS Queen now she once more turned
tn Ursula Justice In her. demanded
that 5eyerv wrong should he rishted,
every mlsdner punished.
s,r,liid ~ abs .sail 0lIietlys Nlt was not