“If you mean that I am to stand by and see a helpless woman—­”

“Hush! my good friend,” said Will, holding up his hand.  “I know thy breed far too well to mean any such thing.  Moreover, thy precisian governor, old Paulett there, hath repelled, like instigations of Satan, more hints than one that pain might be saved to one queen and publicity to the other, if he would have taken a leaf from Don Philip’s book, and permitted the lady to be dealt with secretly.  Had he given an ear to the matter six months back, it would have spared poor Antony.”

“Speak not thus, Will,” said Humfrey, “or thou wilt make me believe thee a worse man than thou art, only for the sake of showing me how thou art versed in state policy.  Tell me, instead, if thou hast seen my father.”

“Thy father? yea, verily, and I have a packet for thee from him.  It is in my mails, and I will give it thee anon.  He is come on a bootless errand!  As long as my mother and my sister Mall are both living, he might as well try to bring two catamounts together without hisses and scratches.”

“Where is he lying?” asked Humfrey.

“In Shrewsbury House, after the family wont, and Gilbert makes him welcome enough, but Mall is angered with him for not lodging his daughter there likewise!  I tell her he is afraid lest she should get hold of the wench, and work up a fresh web of tales against this lady, like those which did so much damage before.  ’Twould be rare if she made out that Gravity himself, in the person of old Paulett, had been entranced by her.”

“Peace with thy gibes,” said Humfrey impatiently, “and tell me where my sister is.”

“Where thinkest thou?  Of all strange places in the world, he hath bestowed her with Madame de Salmonnet, the wife of one of the French Ambassador’s following, to perfect her French, as he saith.  Canst thou conceive wherefore he doth it?  Hath he any marriage in view for her?  Mall tried to find out, but he is secret.  Tell me, Numps, what is it?”

“If he be secret, must not I be the same?” said Humfrey, laughing.

“Nay, thou owest me some return for all that I have told thee.”

“Marry, Will, that is more like a maiden than a statesman!  But be content, comrade, I know no more than thou what purposes there may be anent my sister’s marriage,” he added.  “Only if thou canst give me my father’s letter, I should be beholden to thee.”

They were interrupted, however, by a summons to Humfrey, who was to go to the apartments of the Queen of Scots, to bear the information that in the space of half an hour the Lord Buckhurst and Master Beale would do themselves the honour of speaking with her.

“So,” muttered Cavendish to himself as Humfrey went up the stairs, “there is then some secret.  I marvel what it bodes!  Did not that crafty villain Langston utter some sort of warning which I spurned, knowing the Bridgefield trustiness and good faith?  This wench hath been mightily favoured by the lady.  I must see to it.”