Under these conditions everybody was anxious to be the king’s partner.  It is true he frequently forgot to divide his winnings, but his partner had this advantage, at least:  there was no danger of losing.  That being the case, Brandon’s seat opposite the king was very likely to excite envy, and the time soon came, Henry having learned the play, when Brandon had to face someone else, and the seat was too costly for a man without a treasury.  It took but a few days to put Brandon hors de combat, financially, and he would have been in a bad plight had not Wolsey come to his relief.  After that, he played and paid the king in his own coin.

This great game of “honor and ruff” occupied Henry’s mind day and night during a fortnight.  He feasted upon it to satiety as he did with everything else; never having learned not to cloy his appetite by over-feeding.  So we saw little of Brandon while the king’s fever lasted, and Mary said she wished she had remained silent about the cards.  You see, she could enjoy this new plaything as well as her brother; but the king, of course, must be satisfied first.  They both had enough eventually; Henry in one way, Mary in another.

One day the fancy struck the king that he would rebuild a certain chapel at Windsor; so he took a number of the court, including Mary, Jane, Brandon and myself, and went with us up to London, where we lodged over night at Bridewell House.  The next morning—­as bright and beautiful a June day as ever gladdened the heart of a rose—­we took horse for Windsor; a delightful seven-league ride over a fair road.

Mary and Jane traveled side by side, with an occasional companion or two, as the road permitted.  I was angry with Jane, as you know, so did not go near the girls; and Brandon, without any apparent intention one way or the other, allowed events to adjust themselves, and rode with Cavendish and me.

We were perhaps forty yards behind the girls, and I noticed after a time that the Lady Mary kept looking backward in our direction, as if fearing rain from the east.  I was in hopes that Jane, too, would fear the rain, but you would have sworn her neck was stiff, so straight ahead did she keep her face.  We had ridden perhaps three leagues, when the princess stopped her horse and turned in her saddle.  I heard her voice, but did not understand what she said.

In a moment some one called out:  “Master Brandon is wanted.”  So that gentleman rode forward, and I followed him.  When we came up with the girls, Mary said:  “I fear my girth is loose.”

Brandon at once dismounted to tighten it, and the others of our immediate party began to cluster around.

Brandon tried the girth.

“My lady, it is as tight as the horse can well bear,” he said.