Boys must needs rise, forsooth, in the
grace of some sprightly damsel, who thinks to dance through life as
through a French galliard." She then made her reverence to the Queen,
and added, "Do you also, madam, fare you well, till curfew time, when
I will make, perchance, more bold than welcome in attending upon your
supper board.--Come with me, Randal, and tell me more of this cruel
fact."
"'Tis an extraordinary chance," said the Queen, when she had departed;
"and, villain as he was, I would this man had been spared time for
repentance. We will cause something to be done for his soul, if we
ever attain our liberty, and the Church will permit such grace to a
heretic.--But, tell me, Catherine, _ma mign?ne_--this brother of
thine, who is so _frack_, as the fellow called him, bears he the
same wonderful likeness to thee as formerly?"
"If your Grace means in temper, you know whether I am so _frack_
as the serving-man spoke him."
"Nay, thou art prompt enough in all reasonable conscience," replied
the Queen; "but thou art my own darling notwithstanding--But I meant,
is this thy twin-brother as like thee in form and features as
formerly? I remember thy dear mother alleged it as a reason for
destining thee to the veil, that, were ye both to go at large, thou
wouldst surely get the credit of some of thy brother's mad pranks."
"I believe, madam," said Catherine, "there are some unusually simple
people even yet, who can hardly distinguish betwixt us, especially
when, for diversion's sake, my brother hath taken a female
dress,"--and as she spoke, she gave a quick glance at Roland Graeme,
to whom this conversation conveyed a ray of light, welcome as ever
streamed into the dungeon of a captive through the door which opened
to give him freedom.
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