“At what hour, sister, did Mistress Jennings leave your parlor?”

“I think it was about four o’clock,” replied her Grace.  “She asked permission to spend the night with her father, and Baron Clyde called about four o’clock to escort her.  Was not that the hour, baron?”

“Yes, your Grace,” I answered, bowing.  “I accompanied my cousin to her father’s house, returned later to fetch her back to the palace, but she did not care to face the storm, so I remained till ten o’clock, returned to Whitehall, and slept till morning.  Here is another witness,” I continued, laughing, as I turned to John Churchill, who was standing near the king.  “Step forward, Churchill, and testify.  I left him making his suit to one of the most interesting ladies in London.”

The king turned with an inquiring look, and Churchill answered:  “Yes, your Majesty, it is all true.  I was making my suit until near the hour of eleven, when Mistress Jennings, who was ill, told me it was time to go home.  If she was kidnapped Sunday night, it was before five o’clock or after eleven.”

I flattered myself that we had all done a neat bit of convincing lying in a good cause.

“Odds fish!” mumbled the king, pulling his chin beard, evidently puzzled.

“Odds fish!” exclaimed Frances, mimicking the king’s tone of voice and twisting an imaginary beard.  “Some one has been hoaxing Jacob Hall’s friend.”

It was a bold speech, but Frances carried it off splendidly by turning to the king and speaking in mock seriousness:—­

“Your Majesty should put a check on Rochester and the wags.  It is a shame to permit them to work upon the credulity of one who is growing weak in mind by reason of age.”

The country girl had vanquished the terror of the court, and all who had witnessed the battle rejoiced; that is, all save the king and Castlemain.  She glared at Frances, and her face, usually beautiful despite the lack of youth, became hideous with rage.  She was making ready for another attack of words, if not of finger nails, when the duchess interposed, saying:—­

“Evidently some one has been hoaxing you, Lady Castlemain.  Mistress Jennings was not kidnapped Sunday nor any other day.  She has been with me constantly of late, excepting Sunday after four o’clock, and she has accounted for herself from that time till her return to my closet.”

Castlemain was whipped out, so she turned the whole matter off with a forced laugh, saying:—­

“It was that fool Rochester who set the rumor afloat.”

After standing through an awkward minute or two, Castlemain bowed stiffly to the king and the duchess, turned away from our group, and soon left the ballroom.

When Castlemain was gone, we all laughed save the king.  Presently he left us, and I saw him beckon Wentworth and Berkeley to his side.  I followed him as though going to the other side of the gallery, but walked slowly when I approached him and the two worthy villains.  I was rewarded by hearing his Majesty say:—­