Now, any Englishman in decent clothing could walk almost anywhere in Whitehall Palace, even passing through the King's ante-chamber – a practice that European nobility considered to be far beyond vulgar, deep into the realm of the bizarre. Even so, Daniel had never been down this defile, which had always seemed Not a Good Place for a Young Puritan to Go – he wasn't even sure if it had an outlet, and always imagined that people like the Earl of Upnor would go there to molest serving-wenches or prosecute sword-duels.