CHAPTER VI
AN INVITATION TO COURT
I spent the rest of that day in my inn, agreeably to the advice of thesurgeon, and the next morning, finding my wound healing well, and mybody free from fever, I removed to Mr Darrell's new lodging by theTemple, where he had most civilly placed two rooms at my disposal. Herealso I provided myself with a servant, a fellow named Jonah Wall, andprepared to go to Whitehall as the King's letter commanded me. Of MrDarrell I saw nothing; he went off before I came, having left for mewith Robert, his servant, a message that he was much engaged with theSecretary's business, and prayed to be excused from affording me hiscompany. Yet I was saved from making my journey alone--a thing thatwould have occasioned me much trepidation--by the arrival of my LordQuinton. The reverence of our tender years is hard to break down, and Ireceived my visitor with an uneasiness which was not decreased by theseverity of his questions concerning my doings. I made haste to tell himthat I had determined to resign the commission bestowed on me. Thesetidings so transformed his temper that he passed from cold reproof to anexcess of cordiality, being pleased to praise highly a scruple ashonourable as (he added with a shrug) it was rare, and he began to laughat himself as he recounted humorously how his wrath against me had grownhigher and higher with each thing that had come to his ears. Eager nowto make amends, he offered to go with me to Whitehall, proposing that weshould ride in his coach to the Mall, and walk thence together. Iaccepted his company most gratefully, since it would save me frombetraying an ignorance of which I was ashamed, and strengthen my couragefor the task before me. Accordingly we set out, and as we went my lordtook occasion to refer to my acquaintance with Mistress Nell, suggestingplainly enough, although not directly, that I should be wise to abandonher society at the same time that I laid down the commission she hadobtained for me. I did not question his judgment, but avoided giving anypromise to be guided by it. Perceiving that I was not willing to bepressed, he passed from the topic with a sigh, and began to discourse onthe state of the kingdom. Had I paid more heed to what he said I mighthave avoided certain troubles into which I fell afterwards, but, busystaring about me, I gave him only such attention as courtesy required,and not enough for a proper understanding of his uneasiness at thedealings of our Court with the French King and the visit of the King'ssister, Madame d'Orleans, of which the town was full. For my lord,although a most loyal gentleman, hated both the French and the Papists,and was much grieved at the King's apparent inclination in their favour.So he talked, I nodding and assenting to all, but wondering when hewould bid me wait on my lady, and whether Mistress Barbara was glad thatmy Lord Carford's sword had passed through my arm only and done nogreater hurt.
Thus we came to the Mall, and having left the coach, set out to walkslowly, my lord having his arm through mine. I was very glad to be seenthus in his company, for, although not so great a man here as atHatchstead, he had no small reputation, and carried himself with a nobleair. When we had gone some little way, being very comfortable with oneanother, and speaking now of lighter matters, I perceived at somedistance a party of gentlemen, three in number; they were accompanied bya little boy very richly dressed, and were followed at a short intervalby five or six more gentlemen, among whom I recognised immediately myfriend Darrell. It seemed then that the Secretary's business could betransacted in leisurely fashion! As the first group passed along, Iobserved that the bystanders uncovered, but I had hardly needed thissign to tell me that the King was of the party. I was familiar with hisfeatures, but he seemed to me even a more swarthy man than all thedescriptions of his blackness had led me to expect. He bore himselfwith a very easy air, yet was not wanting in dignity, and beingattracted by him I fell to studying his appearance with such interestthat I came near to forgetting to remove my hat. Presently he seemed toobserve us; he smiled, and beckoned with his hand to my lord, who wentforward alone, leaving me still watching the King and his companions.
I had little difficulty in recognising the name of one; the fine figure,haughty manner, and magnificent attire showed him to be the famous Dukeof Buckingham, whose pride lay in seeming more of a King than the Kinghimself. While my lord spoke with the King, this nobleman jested withthe little boy, who answered with readiness and vivacity. As to the lastmember of the group (whom the Duke seemed to treat with some neglect) Iwas at a loss. His features were not distinguished except by a perfectcomposure and self-possession, but his bearing was very courtly andgraceful. He wore a slight, pleasant, yet rather rigid smile, and hisattitude was as though he listened to what his master said with evenexcessive deference and urbanity. His face was marked, and to mythinking much disfigured, by a patch or plaster worn across the nose, asthough to hide some wound or scar.
After a few minutes, during which I waited very uneasily, my lord turnedand signed to me to approach. I obeyed, hat in hand, and in a conditionof great apprehension. To be presented to the King was an honourdisquieting enough; what if my lord had told His Majesty that I declinedto bear his commission through a disapproval of his reasons for grantingme the favour? But when I came near I fell into the liveliest fear thatmy lord had done this very thing; for the King was smilingcontemptuously, Buckingham laughing openly, and the gentleman with theplaster regarding me with a great and very apparent curiosity. My lord,meanwhile, wore a propitiatory but doubtful air, as though he prayed buthardly hoped a gracious reception for me. Thus we all stood a moment incomplete silence, I invoking an earthquake or any convulsion of naturethat should rescue me from my embarrassment. Certainly the King did nothasten to do me this kindly service. He grew grave and seemeddispleased, nay, he frowned most distinctly, but then he smiled, yetmore as though he must than because he would. I do not know how thething would have ended if the Duke of Buckingham had not burst outlaughing again, at which the King could not restrain himself, but beganto laugh also, although still not as though he found the jest altogetherto his liking.
"So, sir," said the King, composing his features as he addressed me,"you are not desirous of bearing my commission and fighting my enemiesfor me?"
"I would fight for your Majesty to the death," said I timidly, but withfervour.
"Yet you are on the way to ask leave to resign your commission. Why,sir?"
I could not answer; it was impossible to state my reason to him.
"The utility of a woman's help," observed the King, "was apparent veryearly in the world's history. Even Adam was glad of it."
"She was his wife, Sir," interposed the Duke.
"I have never read of the ceremony," said the King. "But if she were,what difference?"
"Why, it makes a great deal of difference in many ways, Sir," laughedBuckingham, and he glanced with a significance which I did notunderstand at the boy who was waiting near with a weary look on hispretty face.
The King laughed carelessly and called, "Charles, come hither."
Then I knew that the boy must be the King's son, afterwards known asEarl of Plymouth, and found the meaning of the Duke's glance.
"Charles, what think you of women?" the King asked.
The pretty child thought for a moment, then answered, looking up,
"They are very tiresome creatures, Sir."
"Why, so they are, Charles," said the King gravely.
"They will never let a thing alone, Sir."
"No, they won't, Charles, nor a man either."
"It's first this, Sir, then that--a string, or a garter, or a bow."
"Yes, Charles; or a title, or a purse, or a commission," said the King."Shall we have no more to do with them?"
"I would desire no more at all, Sir," cried the boy.
"It appears, Mr Dale," said the King, turning to me, "that Charles here,and you, and I, are all of one mind on the matter of women. Had Heavenbeen on our side, there would have been none of them in the world."
He seemed to be examining me now with some degree of attention, althoughI made, I fear, a very poor figure. Lord Quinton came to my rescue, andbegan to enlarge on my devotion to His Majesty'
s person and my eagernessto serve him in any way I might, apart from the scruple which he hadventured to disclose to the King.
"Mr Dale says none of these fine things for himself," remarked the King.
"It is not always those that say most who do most, Sir," pleaded mylord.
"Therefore this young gentleman who says nothing will do everything?"The King turned to his companion who wore the plaster, and had as yetnot spoken at all. "My Lord Arlington," said he, "it seems that I mustrelease Mr Dale."
"I think so, Sir," answered Arlington, on whom I looked with muchcuriosity, since he was Darrell's patron.
"I cannot have servants who do not love me," pursued the King.
"Nor subjects," added Buckingham, with a malicious smile.
"Although I am not, unhappily, so free in the choice of my Ministers,"said the King. Then he faced round on me and addressed me in a coldtone:
"I am reluctant, sir, to set down your conduct to any want of affectionor loyalty towards me. I shall be glad if you can show me that myforbearance is right." With this he bent his head slightly, and movedon. I bowed very low, shame and confusion so choking me that I had not aword to say. Indeed, I seemed damned beyond redemption, so far as myfortunes depended on obtaining the King's favour.
Again I was left to myself, for the King, anxious, as I took it, to showthat his displeasure extended to me only, had stopped again to speakwith my lord. But in a moment, to my surprise, Arlington was at my side.
"Come, sir," said he very genially, "there's no need of despair. TheKing is a little vexed, but his resentment is not obstinate; and let metell you that he has been very anxious to see you."
"The King anxious to see me?" I cried.
"Why, yes. He has heard much of you." His lips twitched as he glanced atme. I had the discretion to ask no further explanation, and in a momenthe grew grave again, continuing, "I also am glad to meet with you, formy good friend Darrell has sounded your praises to me. Sir, there aremany ways of serving the King."
"I should rejoice with all my heart to find one of them, my lord," Ianswered.
"I may find you one, if you are willing to take it."
"I should be your lordship's most humble and grateful servant."
"Tut, if I gave, I should ask in return," said he. And he addedsuddenly, "You're a good Churchman, I suppose, Mr Dale?"
"Why, yes, my lord; I and all my family."
"Good, good. In these days our Church has many enemies. It is threatenedon more than one side."
I contented myself with bowing; when the Secretary spoke to me on suchhigh matters, it was for me to listen, and not to bandy opinions withhim.
"Yes, we are much threatened," said he. "Well, Mr Dale, I shall trustthat we may have other meetings. You are to be found at Mr Darrell'slodging? You may look to hear from me, sir." He moved away, cuttingshort my thanks with a polite wave of his hand.
Suddenly to my amazement the King turned round and called to me:
"Mr Dale, there is a play to be acted at my house to-morrow evening.Pray give me the pleasure of your company."
I bowed almost to the ground, scarcely able to believe my ears.
"And we'll try," said the King, raising his voice so that not only wewho were close to him but the gentlemen behind also must hear, "to findan ugly woman and an honest man, between whom we may place you. Thefirst should not be difficult to come on, but the second, I fear, iswell-nigh impossible, unless another stranger should come to Court.Good-day to you, Mr Dale." And away he went, smiling very happily andholding the boy's hand in his.
The King's immediate party was no sooner gone than Darrell ran up to meeagerly, and before my lord could rejoin me, crying:
"What did he say to you?"
"The King? Why, he said----"
"No, no. What did my lord say?" He pointed to Arlington, who was walkingoff with the King.
"He asked whether I were a good Churchman, and told me that I shouldhear from him. But if he is so solicitous about the Church, how does heendure your religion?"
Darrell had no time to answer, for Lord Quinton's grave voice struck in.
"He is a wise man who can answer a question touching my Lord Arlington'sopinion of the Church," said he.
Darrell flushed red, and turned angrily on the interrupter.
"You have no cause, my lord," he cried, "to attack the Secretary'schurchmanship."
"Then you have no cause, sir," retorted Quinton, "to defend it with somuch temper. Come, let me be. I have said as much to the Secretary'sface, and he bore it with more patience than you can muster on hisbehalf."
By this time I was in some distress to see my old friend and my new atsuch variance, and the more as I could not understand the ground oftheir difference; the Secretary's suspected leaning towards the Popishreligion had not reached our ears in the country. But Darrell, as thoughhe did not wish to dispute further with a man his superior in rank andage, drew off with a bow to my lord and a kindly nod to me, and rejoinedthe other gentlemen in attendance on the King and his party.
"You came off well with the King, Simon," said my lord, taking my armagain. "You made him laugh, and he counts no man his enemy who will dohim that service. But what did Arlington say to you?"
When I repeated the Secretary's words, he grew grave, but he patted myarm in a friendly fashion, saying,
"You've shown wisdom and honour in this first matter, lad. I must trustyou in others. Yet there are many who have no faith in my LordArlington, as Englishman or Churchman either."
"But," cried I, "does not Lord Arlington do as the King bids him?"
My lord looked full in my face, and answered steadily,
"I think he does, Simon." But then, as though he had said enough, oreven too much, he went on: "Come, you needn't grow too old or tooprudent all at once. Since you have seen the King, your business atWhitehall will wait. Let us turn back to the coach and be driven to myhouse, for, besides my lady, Barbara is there to-day on leave from herattendance, and she will be glad to renew her acquaintance with you."
It was my experience as a young man, and, perchance, other young men mayhave found the like, that whatsoever apprehensions or embarrassmentsmight be entailed by meeting a comely damsel, and however greatly herdispleasure and scorn were to be dreaded, yet the meeting was notforgone, all perils being taken rather than that certain calamity.Therefore I went with my lord to his handsome house in SouthamptonSquare, and found myself kissing my lady's hand before I was resolved onhow I should treat Mistress Barbara, or on the more weighty question ofhow I might look to be treated by her.
I had not to wait long for the test. After a few moments of my lady'samiable and kindly conversation, Barbara entered from the room behind,and with her Lord Carford. He wore a disturbed air, which his affectedcomposure could not wholly conceal; her cheek was flushed, and sheseemed vexed; but I did not notice these things so much as the changewhich had been wrought in her by the last four years. She had become avery beautiful woman, ornamented with a high-bred grace and exquisitehaughtiness, tall and slim, carrying herself with a delicate dignity.She gave me her hand to kiss, carelessly enough, and rather as thoughshe acknowledged an old acquaintance than found any pleasure in itsrenewal. But she was gentle to me, and I detected in her manner a subtleindication that, although she knew all, yet she pitied rather thanblamed; was not Simon very young and ignorant, and did not all the worldknow how easily even honest young men might be beguiled by cunningwomen? An old friend must not turn her back on account of a folly,distasteful as it might be to her to be reminded of such matters.
My lord, I think, read his daughter very well, and, being determined toafford me an opportunity to make my peace, engaged Lord Carford inconversation, and bade her lead me into the room behind to see thepicture that Lely had lately painted of her. She obeyed; and, havingbrought me to where it hung, listened patiently to my remarks on it,which I tried to shape into compliments that should be pleasing and yetnot gross. Then, taking courage, I ventured to assure her t
hat I fellout with Lord Carford in sheer ignorance that he was a friend of herfamily, and would have borne anything at his hands had I known it. Shesmiled, answering,
"But you did him no harm," and she glanced at my arm in its sling.
She had not troubled herself to ask how it did, and I, a little nettledat her neglect, said:
"Nay, all ended well. I alone was hurt, and the great lord came offsafe."
"Since the great lord was in the right," said she, "we should allrejoice at that. Are you satisfied with your examination of the picture,Mr Dale?"
I was not to be turned aside so easily.
"If you hold me to have been wrong, then I have done what I could to putmyself in the right since," said I, not doubting that she knew of mysurrender of the commission.
"I don't understand," said she, with a quick glance. "What have youdone?"
In wonder that she had not been informed, I cried,
"I have obtained the King's leave to decline his favour."
The colour which had been on her cheeks when she first entered had gonebefore now, but at my words it returned a little.
"Didn't my lord tell you?" I asked.
"I haven't seen him alone this week past," she answered.
But she had seen Carford alone, and that in the last hour past. It wasstrange that he, who had known my intention and commended it so highly,should not have touched on it. I looked in her eyes; I think shefollowed my thoughts, for she glanced aside, and said in visibleembarrassment,
"Shall we return?"
"You haven't spoken on the matter with my Lord Carford, then?" I asked.
She hesitated a moment, then answered as though she did not love thetruth but must tell it,
"Yes; but he said nothing of this. Tell me of it."
So I told her in simple and few words what I had done.
"Lord Carford said nothing of it," she said, when I ended. Then sheadded, "But although you will not accept the favour, you have renderedthanks for it?"
"I couldn't find my tongue when I was with the King," I answered with ashamefaced laugh.
"I didn't mean to the King," said Barbara.
It was my turn to colour now; I had not been long enough in town to losethe trick.
"I have seen her," I murmured.
Barbara suddenly made me a curtsey, saying bitterly,
"I wish you joy, sir, of your acquaintance."
When a man is alone with a beautiful lady, he is apt not to love anintruder; yet on my soul I was glad to see Carford in the doorway. Hecame towards us, but before he could speak Barbara cried to him,
"My lord, Mr Dale tells me news that will interest you."
"Indeed, madame, and what?"
"Why, that he has begged the King's leave to resign his commission.Doesn't it surprise you?"
He looked at her, at me, and again at her. He was caught, for I knewthat he had been fully acquainted with my purpose. He gathered himselftogether to answer her.
"Nay, I knew," he said, "and had ventured to applaud Mr Dale'sresolution. But it did not come into my mind to speak of it."
"Strange," said she, "when we were deploring that Mr Dale should obtainhis commission by such means!"
She rested her eyes on him steadily, while her lips were set in ascornful smile. A pause followed her words.
"I daresay I should have mentioned it, had we not passed to anothertopic," said he at last and sullenly enough. Then, attempting a changein tone, he added, "Won't you rejoin us?"
"I am very well here," she said.
He waited a moment, then bowed, and left us. He was frowning heavily,and, as I judged, would have greeted another quarrel with me verygladly, had I been minded to give him an opportunity; but thinking itfair that I should be cured from the first encounter before I faced asecond, I held my peace till he was gone; then I said to Barbara,
"I wonder he didn't tell you."
Alas for my presumption! The anger that had been diverted on toCarford's head swept back to mine.
"Indeed, why should he?" she cried. "All the world can't be alwaysthinking of you and your affairs, Mr Dale."
"Yet you were vexed because he hadn't."
"I vexed! Not I!" said Barbara haughtily.
I could not make that out; she had seemed angry with him. But because Ispoke of her anger, she was angry now with me. Indeed I began to thinkthat little Charles, the King, and I had been right in that opinion inwhich the King found us so much of a mind. Suddenly Barbara spoke.
"Tell me what she is like, this friend of yours," she said. "I havenever seen her."
It leapt to my lips to cry, "Ay, you have seen her!" but I did not giveutterance to the words. Barbara had seen her in the park at Hatchstead,seen her more than once, and more than once found sore offence in whatshe saw. There is wisdom in silence; I was learning that safety mightlie in deceit. The anger under which I had suffered would be doubled ifshe knew that Cydaria was Nell and Nell Cydaria. Why should she know?Why should my own mouth betray me and add my bygone sins to the offencesof to-day? My lord had not told her that Nell was Cydaria. Should Ispeak where my lord was silent? Neither would I tell her of Cydaria.
"You haven't seen her?" I asked.
"No; and I would learn what she is like."
It was a strange thing to command me, yet Barbara's desire joined withmy own thoughts to urge me to it. I began tamely enough, with a stifflist of features and catalogue of colours. But as I talked recollectionwarmed my voice; and when Barbara's lips curled scornfully, as thoughshe would say, "What is there in this to make men fools? There isnothing in all this," I grew more vehement and painted the picture withall my skill. What malice began, my ardour perfected, until, engrossedin my fancy, I came near to forgetting that I had a listener, and endedwith a start as I found Barbara's eyes fixed on mine, while she stoodmotionless before me. My exultation vanished, and confusion drove awaymy passion.
"You bade me describe her," said I lamely. "I do not know whether otherssee as I do, but such is she to my eyes."
A silence followed. Barbara's face was not flushed now, but ratherseemed paler than it was wont to be. I could not tell how it was, but Iknew that I had wounded her. Is not beauty jealous, and who but a clodwill lavish praise on one fair face while another is before him? Ishould have done better to play the hypocrite and swear that my folly,not Nell's features, was to blame. But now I was stubborn and wouldrecall not a word of all my raptures. Yet I was glad that I had not toldher who Cydaria was.
The silence was short. In an instant Barbara gave a little laugh,saying,
"Small wonder you were caught, poor Simon! Yes, the creature must behandsome enough. Shall we return to my mother?"
On that day she spoke no more with me.