His mother took him by the hand and drew him to her side, with a smile that was half a sigh.  “Art thou the Queen?”

“Nay,” said he; “and it’s all the better for England, like enough.  But surely, mother, it can na be wrong—­”

“To honour thy father?” said she, quickly, laying her finger across his lips.  “Nay, lad; it is thy bounden duty.”

Nick turned and looked up at her wonderingly.  “Mother,” said he, “art thou an angel come down out of heaven?”

“Nay,” she answered, patting his flushed cheek; “I be only the every-day mother of a fierce little son who hath many a hard, hard lesson to learn.  Now eat thy breakfast—­thou hast been up a long while.”

Nick kissed her impetuously and sat down, but his heart still rankled within him.

All Stratford would go to the play.  He could hear the murmur of voices and music, the bursts of laughter and applause, the tramp of happy feet going up the guildhall stairs to the Mayor’s show.  Everybody went in free at the Mayor’s show.  The other boys could stand on stools and see it all.  They could hold horses at the gate of the inn at the September fair, and so see all the farces.  They could see the famous Norwich puppet-play.  But he—­what pleasure did he ever have?  A tawdry pageant by a lot of clumsy country bumpkins at Whitsuntide or Pentecost, or a silly school-boy masque at Christmas, with the master scolding like a heathen Turk.  It was not fair.

And now he’d have to work all May-day.  May-day out of all the year!  Why, there was to be a May-pole and a morris-dance, and a roasted calf, too, in Master Wainwright’s field, since Margery was chosen Queen of the May.  And Peter Finch was to be Robin Hood, and Nan Rogers Maid Marian, and wear a kirtle of Kendal green—­and, oh, but the May-pole would be brave; high as the ridge of the guildschool roof, and hung with ribbons like a rainbow!  Geoffrey Hall was to lead the dance, too, and the other boys and girls would all be there.  And where would he be?  Sousing hides in the tannery vats.  Truly his father was a hard man!

He pushed the cheese away.

CHAPTER III

THE LAST STRAW

Little John Summer had a new horn-book that cost a silver penny.  The handle was carven and the horn was clear as honey.  The other little boys stood round about in speechless envy, or murmured their A B C’s and “ba be bi’s” along the chapel steps.  The lower-form boys were playing leap-frog past the almshouse, and Geoffrey Gosse and the vicar’s son were in the public gravel-pit, throwing stones at the robins in the Great House elms across the lane.

Some few dull fellows sat upon the steps behind the school-house, anxiously poring over their books.  But the larger boys of the Fable Class stood in an excited group beneath the shadow of the overhanging second story of the grammar-school, talking all at once, each louder than the other, until the noise was deafening.