The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-04-23
CHAPTER VII-continued.

gay and brilliant duchess of Suffolk
was well known, even to me. a coun-
try lad. Her former husband. Charles
Brandon, duke OF Suffolk, a been not
only the m trusted and constant
friend OF King Henry VIII. but the
kings brotherinlaw, his first wife
having been Mary. princess Of England
and queen dowager OF France. Late in
his splendid n prosperous career the
duke a married Katherine, the heir
ess OF Lord Wllloughby de Eresby, and
h 1t was who stood before me, still
young and handsome. After her hus-
bands death she had made England
ring with her name, first by a love
match with a Lincolnshire squire. and
secondly, by her fearless and outspoken
defense Of the reformers. I did wonder
indeed how she had come to be wan
dering in the streets at daybreak, an
object OF q chance passer's chivalry
and pity.
1T is simple enough" she said dryly.
Fl am rich, l am a Protestant, and l
have an enemy. When l do not like a
person, l speak u Do l not, Rich
ard2"
"You do, indeed, my dear" he an
swered, smiling.
"And once I spoke out to Bishop
Gardiner. What! Do o know about
Stephen Gardiner"
For I a started at the NAME. after
WHlNh a NOuLh SSdICSly NdNO SOiNCC"lCu
my knowledge IL I would. So 1 an
swered simply. Yes; I have seen
him" I 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.
H 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 L guessed what fear
1T was had tanned her pride to flight.
His power in England is absolute. We
learned that 1t 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 a v him the slip
with difficulty. leaving our luggage, but
ne logged and overlook us, and the
rest you know"
/ bowed. AS I gazed at her my, ad-
miratlon, I knew. shone I'm my eyes.
She looked, as she stood on the deck,
an exile Inc fugitive, so gay, so bright,
so iHdomitable, 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 or her auburn hair. No
wonder Master BERTHE looked proudly
on his duchess.
Suddenly a thing I had clean forgot
ten flashed into my mind. and I thrust
my hand into my pocket. The action
was so abrupt that 1t attracted their
attention. and when I pulled out a
packet-two p~ackets-there were three
pairs of eyes upon me. h seal dangled
from n missive. What nave you got
there?" the duchess asked briskly, for
she was a woman n curious. do
o carry the deeds of your property
about with your"
NO / said, not unwilling to make
a smali sensation. This touches your
grace
Hush" she cried. raising one i'm
perious finger. "Transgressing already?
From this time forth 1 am Mistress
Bertram, remember. But come" she
went on. cycling he packet with the
seal inquisitively. how does 1t touch
me2"
/ put It silently into her hands, and
h opened 1t and read q few lines, her
husband peeping over her shoulder. AS
she read her brow darkened, her ewes
grew hard. Master Bertie's face changed
with hers. and they both peeped sud
denly at me over the edge of the parch-
meIt, suspicion and 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
the hands Of Paul."
mo, no" I cried hurriedly. saw
that I had made a greater sensation
than 1 a bargained for. I fastened
to tell them how / had met with Gar
diners servant at Stony Stratford, and
how l had become possessed OF his Gre
dentials. They laughed, Of course. In
deed they laughed so loudly that the
placid Dutchmen. standing aft with
their hands In their breaches pockets,
stared open-mouthed at us. and the
kindred cattle IN the bank looked mild
ly up from the nee deep grass.
And what was the other packet? ?"
p duchess asked presently. lis that
It In your hand?"
Yes" ! answered, holding 1t up with
letter addressed to Mistress Clarence"
"Clarence!" she cried. "CIarence!"
resting the hand she was extending.
What! Here Is our friend again, then.
What is In lit You ave opened it?"
mo"
you have not? Then quick. omen
it!" h exclaimed. This, too, touches
us. ] will bet a penny. Let us see at
once what 1t contains. Clarence in
deed Perhaps we may have him on
the hip yet, the arch traitor"
But i held the p~ocketbook back.
though my cheeks redeemed, and I
knew I must seem foolish. They made
certain that this letter was a communi-
cation to some spy, probably to Clar-
ence himself under W. OF a feminine
address. Perhaps 1t was. but 1t bore a
woman's NAME, and 1t was sealed, and,
foolish though / might be, l would not
betray the m secret.
mo. madam" I said, confused, awk-
ward, stammering, yet withholding it
with a secret obstlnacy. Pardon me
IL I do not obey you'll / do not let this
be opened. 1t may be what you say"
I added, with an effort. but II may
also contain an honest secret, and that
a woman's."
what do you say?'' cried the Ouch
ess. Here are scruples!" At that her
husband smiled, and 1 looked in despair
from him to Mistress Anne. Would she
sy7mpathize with my feelings? 1 found
that she had turned her back on US
and was gazing over the side. do
you really mean" continued the Ouch
ess, tapping her foot sharply on deck,
aaaw 49,