The Lady of Loyalty House Part 28

"Then," Brilliana a.s.sumed, "'tis Master Rainham must fare in chains to Oxford."

Master Rainham, staring at her over Clupp's paw, had such appealing terror in his eyes that Brilliana pitied him.

"'Tis your turn now," she said. "Let him give tongue, Clupp."

Clupp withdrew his hand and Master Rainham gurgled:

"I proclaim myself a faithful subject of the King. Let that dog trot to Oxford."

"You matchless basilisk!" screamed Master Paul at him, and "You d.a.m.nable mandrake!" retorted Master Peter. The pair would have flown at each other if they could have wriggled free. But as they could not they perforce resigned themselves to hear what Brilliana would say next.

"Why, then, it stands thus," Brilliana summed up. "This court decides that you are both servants of the King; that you have both done the King good service, willing and yet unwilling. I think I shall have some little credit with the King, and I shall use it with his Majesty by entreating him to grant the grace of knighthood to two honest friends of mine and two honest lovers of his--Master Hungerford and Master Rainham."

Master Paul looked at Master Peter; Master Peter looked at Master Paul. Master Paul smiled. Master Peter smiled.

"A knighthood!"

Master Peter mumbled the word lovingly. Master Paul blew a kiss towards Brilliana.

"Then I shall be indeed your knight," he simpered.

"Are you content?" Brilliana asked, gravely, and the two squires answered in union,

"We are content."

"Then this wors.h.i.+pful court adjourns sine die. Captain Halfman, see that our friends be refreshed ere they depart."

Halfman rose, and with a "Follow me, sirs," made for the door. Sir Blaise stooped over Brilliana's finger-tips.

"Farewell, my lady wisdom. Solomon was not more wise nor Minos more sapient."

"I thought you would uphold me," Brilliana replied. "Farewell."

Sir Blaise saluted Evander, who returned the salutation and quitted the room. Master Paul, taking leave of Brilliana, whispered,

"When I am knight, you shall be my lady."

"When you are king, diddle-diddle, I shall be queen," Brilliana laughed at him, making a reverence. He joined Halfman at the door and Master Peter approached Brilliana.

"When I wear my new t.i.tle, I will lay it at your feet," he promised, solemnly.

"Can you not keep it in your own hands?" Brilliana questioned. She made him a reverence, he made her his best bow and went to the door, where Master Paul waited with Halfman. Here a point of ceremony arose.

"After you, Sir Peter," Master Paul suggested. Master Peter fondled the t.i.tle.

"Sir Peter! It sounds n.o.bly. Nay, after you, Sir Paul," he protested.

They were at this business so long that Halfman lost patience.

"Stand not on the order of your going," he growled between his teeth, then grasping with an air of bluff good-fellows.h.i.+p an arm of either squire, he banged them somewhat roughly together.

"Nay, arm in arm, as neighbor knights should," he suggested, and so jostled them out of the chamber and conducted them to the b.u.t.tery, where for the next hour he diverted himself by making them very drunk indeed.

XXV

ROMEO AND JULIET

Brilliana turned to Evander.

"Well, Captain Puritan, are you displeased with me?"

Evander disclaimed such thought.

"Why should I be displeased that you, a King's woman, serve the King?"

Brilliana was pertinacious.

"If you were a King's man would you applaud me?"

"If I were a King's man," Evander confessed, "I could not choose but applaud you."

"But being a Puritan?" Brilliana persisted.

"Why," said Evander, "being a Puritan, I must ask you, were you just to your victims?"

Brilliana swept them away disdainfully.

"Each would have cheated the King in an hour, when, to all who think with me, to cheat the King is little better than to cheat G.o.d. But your scrupulosity need not s.h.i.+ver. If the King do not knight my misers I will requite them, little as they deserve it."

Evander admired her.

"You are a brave lady."

Brilliana gave a sigh.

"No, I am not brave at all; I am newly very timid. I am frightened of the real world now, and feel only at my ease with shadows."

"Shall we journey into shadow-land?" Evander asked.

"By what path?" Brilliana questioned. Evander touched a brown, torn book.

"Shall we read again in Master Shakespeare's book?"

For indeed they had read much in his pages that morning. Brilliana looked pleased.