When Knighthood Was in Flower

rince

. Her hair was a very light brown, almost golden, and fluffy, soft, and fine as a skein of Arras silk. She was of medium height, with a figure that Venus might have envied. Her feet and hands were small, and apparently made for the sole purpose of driving mankind distracted.

well, although she did not always plead, having the Tudor temper and preferring to command-when she could. As before hinted, she had coaxed her royal brother out of several proposed marriages for her,

erform the somewhat alarming, but, in fact, harmless, operation of wheedling the king out of his ears. This was just after she had coaxed him to annul a marriage contract which her fat

-that love had grown to be a sort of joke with her, and man, a poor, contemptible creature, made to grovel at her feet. Not that she liked or encouraged it; for, never having been moved herself, she

I first saw signs of a growing intimacy between them I felt, from what little I had seen of Brandon, that the tables were very likely to be turned upon her ladyship. Then thought I, "God help her," for

as with most young men, that very attractive branch of natural history, woman, was a favorite topic, and we accordingly discussed it a great deal; that is, to tell the exact truth, I did. Although Brandon had seen many an adventure during his life on the continent, which would not do to write down here, he was as little of a boaster as any man I ever met, and, while I am in the truth-telling busi

unfavorably upon my passion, and suppressed the fact that she had laughed at me good humoredly, and put me off as she would have thrust a poodle from her lap. The truth is, she had always been kind and courteous to me, and had admitted me to

to most men, but I did not see that it was by reason of my absolute harmlessness; and, I suppose, because I was a vain fool, I gradually began to gather hope-which goes with every vain man's love-and what is more, actually climbed to the very apex of idiocy and declared myse

til I opened the flood-gates of my passion-as I thought it-and saw her smile, and try to chec

nnot know in what contempt a woman holds a man who follows her though she despises him. No man can beg a woman's love; he must command it; do not join their ranks, but let us be good friends. I will tell you the plain truth; it wo

e, or what I supposed was love, left my heart at once, frozen in the cold glint of her eyes as she smiled upon my first avowal; somewhat as disease may leave the sickened body upon a great shock. And in

od, and admires you, and, I think, could learn to--" but here the lady in question ran out from behind the draper

held out such involuntary promise in case I did not believe the princess, that I at once protested total want of faith in a

ry, and, therefore, I had not been much hurt in Mary's case. I had suffered mere

and so fair, struck me as quite the most pleasing antidote I could possibly find, so I began at once to administer to myself the delightful counter-ir

ink it a simple, easy undertaking. I began to fear I should need another antidote long before I heard her sweet soul-satisfying "yes." I do not believe, however, I could have found in the whole world an antidote to my love for Jane. You see I tell you frankly that I won her, and conceal nothing, so far as Jane an

d coloring, or rather discoloring, to make it appear a little less to my discredit than the barefaced truth would have

said to her mistress, and that I was very earnest in everything I said to her. But Jane's ears would have heard just as much had they been the p

one mad about it; I hear nothing but 'Mary is coming! Mary is coming! Mary! Mary!' from morning until night. They say Buckingham is beside himself for love of her. He has a wife at home, if I am right, a

f womanhood. There is nothing on earth

by giving you one hour with her to be heels over head in love. With an ordinary man it t

d emperors. I might as well fall in love with a twinkling star. Then, besides, my heart is not on my sleeve. You must think me a fool; a poor, ene

advance of the time, for a noble, though an idiot, to the mo

s as to the equality of men and tolerance of religious thought. We believed that these things would yet come, i

pute about the various ways of saving one's soul, when you are not even sure you have a soul to save? When I open my mouth for public utterance, the king is the best man in Christendom, and his

least hoped, all but accepted lover of her first lady in waiting and dearest friend, Lady Jane Bolingbroke. Brandon, it is true, was not noble; not even an English knight, while I was both knighted and noble; but he was of as old a family as England boasted, and near of kin to some of the best blo

o me. "I have heard something of you the last day or so from Sir Edwin, but had begun to fear he was not going to

kled with a mischievous little smile, as if to say: "Ah,

r mistress was waiting at the other side of the grounds, and that she must go. She then ran off with

river, which had been planned the day before. Brandon was known to the queen and several of the ladies, although he had not been formally presented at an audience. Many of t

seen the Princess Mary, and Brandon told her Lady Jane had said she was at the other side of the

there was no one like her or anything near it. Some stubborn spirit of opposition, however, prompted him to pretend ignorance. All that he had heard of her wonderful power over men, and the servile manner in which they fell before her, had aroused in him a spirit of antagonism, and had begotten a kind of di

rate snare-setting-though it often begins very early in life-and made no effort to attract men. Man's love was too cheap a thing for her to strive for, and I am sure, in her heart, she would infinitely have preferred to live without it-that is, until the right one should come. Th

aggerated; but to treat her as he would the queen-who was black and leathery enough to frighten a satyr-with all

aceful little bow that let the curls fall around his face, asked

ay was thoroughly spoiled, without

e consequence about the court that she is

and she knew his rank by his unif

ever, she is not here, for I doubt not she would have given a gentle answer to a message from the queen. I shall continue my search." With this, he turned to leave, an

have a message, deliver it and be gone." You may be sure this sort of treatment was such as the cool-headed, daring Br

ess that her majesty, the queen, awa

urning to Brandon: "If your insolence will permit you to receive a message from so insignificant

face toward Mary, bu

out of my misfortune in never having been allowed to bask in the light of her countenance. I cannot believe the fault lies at my door, and I hope for her own sak

nt wretch!"

papers on the pill

ess little Jane; "I think the Lady Mary was wro

at I deserved. I did not think when I spoke, and did not really mean it as it sounded. He acted like a man, and looked like one, too, when he defended himself. I warrant the pope at Rome could not run over him with impunity. For once I have

waited on a gi

ho he was; of his terrible duel with Judson; his bravery and adventures in the wars; his generous gift to his brother and

them down the path, but Brandon, who had delivered his message and continued his walk. When he saw whom he was about to meet, he quickly turne

me. I assure you she is not used to such treatment. It was glorious, though, to see you resen

disincline

answered, "and do not care to go back for

laughingly drew him along. Brandon, of course, had to submit when led by so sweet a captor-anybody w

ster Brandon, who, if he has offended in any way, humbly sues for pardon." That was the one thing Br

rong. I blush for what I did and said. Forgive me, sir, and let us start anew." At this she step

nowledged,' as some one has said, 'becomes an obligation.'" He looked straight into the girl's eyes as he said this, and h

ne's skin, and eyes, and hair. We are going to the queen at the marble landing. Will you walk with us,

glorious a calm

ompliments," continued Mar

I recall," replied Brandon, with a perfectly straigh

ing you that Apollo was humpbacked and misshapen compared with you; that

ld like it-from some persons," he

and caused the princess to glance up in slight surprise; b

itively thank you for the rebuke. I do many things like that, for which I am always sorry. Oh! you don't know how difficult it is to be a good princess." And she shook her head, with a

own faults, even when others are kind enough to point them out, for they are right ugly things and unpleasant to look upon. But lacking those outside monitors, one must all the more cultivate the habit of constant inlooking

metimes I seem to be almost all wrong. The priests say so much, but tell us so little. They talk about St. Peter and St. Paul, and a host of other saints and holy fathers and what-nots, but fail to tell us what we need every moment of our lives; that is, how to know the right when we see it, and how to do it; and how to know

ery-day use. It is this: Whatever makes others unhappy is wrong; whatever makes the world happier is good. As to how we are always to do this, I can no

ad as she walked

think of me as a flatterer? But it will do no good; the bad is in me too strong; it always does itself before I can

ide; there is none of it in your heart at all. That evil which you think comes out of you, simply falls from yo

gone to the extravagant length of calling me good. Perhaps they think I do not care for that; but I like it best. I don't like the others at all. If I am beautiful or not, it is as God made me, and I have nothing to do with it, and desire no credit, but i

the last suggesti

r evil. It will eventually all depend upon the man you marry. He can make out of you a perfect woman, or th

is, I shall never be able to choose a man to help me, but shall sooner or

" said Brand

laughing mood, and said, with a half sigh: "Oh! I hope you are right about the

e I shall not ha

have the benediction." Brandon understood her hint-that the preaching was over,-and taking it for his dismissal, playfully lifted his hands in imitati