fire, Constance yawned and declared herself to be tired out, and bade Katherine adieu.  Janet closed the door after her and in haste began putting her mistress to bed.  And after giving her a bath and rubbing, she snuffed the candles and went to her own room to slip out again and go below stairs and find the curtained doorway, there to watch and wait for that which was to come.  She had seen as much as Constance and Katherine, and she determined to see even more.  She would know how Lord Cedric appeared in his cups.  There was nothing anomalous in what was before her; ’twas as she had often seen in the grand house in which she had served as maid; the same licentiousness, wild riot and debaucheries that have been since the world stood.  She saw ’twas Cedric that drank as deep as any, and could rip out oaths as trippingly as his swollen tongue would allow; but he was neither vulgar nor lewd.  Janet looked with pride at his clear flushed face, so handsomely featured; his jewelled hands and fine round legs that tapered to slender ankles.  ’Twould be a fine pair when he espoused her mistress, and she would help him to it as soon as he liked.  Her heart went out to him the more when she saw he cared not for the favours offered him by the dancing wenches as they touched his flowing black curls with caressing hands.  He turned upon his stomach on the table and hid his face in his hands and remained thus until the candles were again snuffed and a maid came out into the improvised moonlight in gipsy dress and a fortune-teller’s cup and wand.  She wore a masque and veil tight wrapped about her head.  She danced with less skill than any that had come before.  She lisped forth ’twas her trade to tell fortunes, and thereupon a fop reached forth and pulled her to him, and she began a startling story that had somewhat of truth in it; and to each one her assertions or predictions had so much of truth in them it provoked interest among them all.  Lord Cedric called from the table: 

“The wench tells ear-splitting truths; send her here, she shall give my pasht, present—­and future.”  If they had not been so blinded by wine, they might have noticed her haste to go to his bidding.  She looked closely at his hand and the sediment of his wine-cup.

“Thou art madly and blindly in love!” said she, lispingly.

“Good! good!” was sent forth from those about; and Cedric struck his fist upon the table,—­

“’Madly’—­yes; but by God not ‘blindly’! haste on, wench.”

“She loves admiration—­”

“She would not be half a woman if she—­”

“She is in love with one of Russian birth,” went on the gipsy.  Cedric frowned and held quiet.  “There is one who hast loved thee from early childhood—­a—­a kinswoman—­she would make thee a noble spouse and love thee well with a warm nature to match thine own.”

“Thou tellest false, for I know not such an one.  I have loved many kinswomen since childhood, and they have loved me, but not to espousal!”