"May it please your Grace," said Walter, hesitating, "it is not for so

humble a servant of your Majesty to measure out your bounties; but if it

became me to choose--"

"Thou wouldst have gold, I warrant me," said the Queen, interrupting

him. "Fie, young man! I take shame to say that in our capital such and

so various are the means of thriftless folly, that to give gold to

youth is giving fuel to fire, and furnishing them with the means of

self-destruction. If I live and reign, these means of unchristian excess

shall be abridged. Yet thou mayest be poor," she added, "or thy parents

may be. It shall be gold, if thou wilt, but thou shalt answer to me for

the use on't."

Walter waited patiently until the Queen had done, and then modestly

assured her that gold was still less in his wish than the raiment her

Majesty had before offered.

"How, boy!" said the Queen, "neither gold nor garment? What is it thou

wouldst have of me, then?"

"Only permission, madam--if it is not asking too high an

honour--permission to wear the cloak which did you this trifling

service."

"Permission to wear thine own cloak, thou silly boy!" said the Queen.

"It is no longer mine," said Walter; "when your Majesty's foot touched

it, it became a fit mantle for a prince, but far too rich a one for its

former owner."

The Queen again blushed, and endeavoured to cover, by laughing, a slight

degree of not unpleasing surprise and confusion.

"Heard you ever the like, my lords? The youth's head is turned with

reading romances. I must know something of him, that I may send him safe

to his friends.--What art thou?"

"A gentleman of the household of the Earl of Sussex, so please your

Grace, sent hither with his master of horse upon message to your

Majesty."

In a moment the gracious expression which Elizabeth's face had hitherto

maintained, gave way to an expression of haughtiness and severity.

"My Lord of Sussex," she said, "has taught us how to regard his messages

by the value he places upon ours. We sent but this morning the physician

in ordinary of our chamber, and that at no usual time, understanding his

lordship's illness to be more dangerous than we had before apprehended.

There is at no court in Europe a man more skilled in this holy and most

useful science than Doctor Masters, and he came from Us to our subject.

Nevertheless, he found the gate of Sayes Court defended by men with

culverins, as if it had been on the borders of Scotland, not in the

vicinity of our court; and when he demanded admittance in our name, it

was stubbornly refused. For this slight of a kindness, which had but too

much of condescension in it, we will receive, at present at least, no

excuse; and some such we suppose to have been the purport of my Lord of

Sussex's message."




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