his apple, deer’s antlers adorned the haunch, the royal sturgeon floated in wine, fountains of perfumed waters sprang up from shells, towers of pastry and of jelly presented the endless allegorical devices of mediaeval fancy, and, pre-eminent over all, a figure of the cat, with emerald eyes, fulfilled, as Henry said, the proverb, ‘A cat might look at a king;’ and truly the cat and her master had earned the right; therefore his first toast was, ‘To the Cat!’

Each guest found at his or her place a beautiful fragrant pair of gloves, in Spanish leather, on the back of which was once more embroidered, in all her tabby charms, the cat’s face.  Therewith began a lengthy meal; and Malcolm Stewart rejoiced at finding himself seated next to the Lady Esclairmonde, but he grudged her attention to her companion, a slender, dark, thoughtful representative of the Goldsmiths’ Company, to whom she talked with courtesy such as Malcolm had scorned to show his city dame.

‘Who,’ said Esclairmonde, presently, ’was a dame in a religious garb whom I marked near the door here?  She hooked like one of the Beguines of my own country.’

‘We have no such order here, lady,’ said the goldsmiths, puzzled.

‘Hey, Master Price,’ cried Mistress Bolt, speaking across Malcolm, ’I can tell the lady who it was.  ’Twas good Sister Avice Rodney, to whom the Lady Mayoress promised some of these curious cooling drinks for the poor shipwright who hath well-nigh cloven off his own foot with his axe.’

‘Yea, truly,’ returned the goldsmith; ’it must have been one of the bedeswomen of St. Katharine’s whom the lady has seen.’

‘What order may that be?’ asked Esclairmonde.  ’I have seen nothing so like my own country since I came hither.’

‘That may well be, madam,’ said Mistress Belt, ’seeing that these bedeswomen were first instituted by a countrywoman of your own—­Queen Philippa, of blessed memory.’

‘By your leave, Mistress Bolt,’ interposed Master Price, ’the hospital of St. Katharine by the Tower is of far older foundation.’

’By your leave, sir, I know what I say.  The hospital was founded I know not when, but these bedeswomen were especially added by the good Queen, by the same token that mine aunt Cis, who was tirewoman to the blessed Lady Joan, was one of the first.’

‘How was it?  What is their office?’ eagerly inquired Esclairmonde.  And Mistress Bolt arranged herself for a long discourse.

’Well, fair sirs and sweet lady, though you be younger than I, you have surely heard of the Black Death.  Well named was it, for never was pestilence more dire; and the venom was so strong, that the very lips and eyelids grew livid black, and then there was no hope.  Little thought of such disease was there, I trow, in kings’ houses, and all the fair young lords and ladies, the children of King Edward, as then was, were full of sport and gamesomeness as you see these dukes be now.  And never a one was blither than the Lady Joan—­she they called Joan of the Tower, being a true Londoner born—­bless her!  My aunt Cis would talk by the hour of her pretty ways and kindly mirth.  But ’twas even as the children have the game in the streets—­