king like the melodious song of birds, and made his
heart leap for pleasure and delight. But how? What noise all at once
drowned Catharine's sweet prattle? And what was it that flashed up there
at the end of that large alley which the royal pair with their suite had
just entered?

It was the noise of soldiers advancing; and shining helmets and
coats-of-mail flashed in the sunlight.

One band of soldiers held the outlet from the alley; another advanced up
it in close order. At their head were seen striding along Gardiner and
Earl Douglas, and at their side the lieutenant of the Tower.

The king's countenance assumed a lowering and angry expression and his
cheeks were suffused with crimson. With the quickness of youth he rose
from his chair, and, raised to his full height, he looked with flaming
eyes at the procession.

The queen seized his hand and pressed it to her breast.

"Ah," said she, with a low whisper, "protect me, my husband, for fear
already overpowers me again! It is my enemy--it is Gardiner--that comes,
and I tremble."

"You shall no longer tremble before him, Kate!" said the king. "Woe to
them, that dare make King Henry's consort tremble! I will speak with
Gardiner."

And almost roughly pushing aside the queen, the king, utterly heedless
in his violent excitement of the pain of his foot, went in a quick pace
to meet the advancing troop.

He ordered them by his gesture to halt, and called Gardiner and Douglas
to him. "What want you here? And what means this strange array?" asked
he, in a rough tone.

The two courtiers stared at him with looks of amazement, and durst not
answer him.

"Well!" asked the king, with ever-rising wrath, "will you at length
tell me by what right you intrude into my garden with an armed
host--specially at the same hour that I am here with my consort?
Verily, there is no sufficient excuse for such a gross violation of
the reverence which you owe your king and master; and I marvel, my lord
master of ceremonies, that you did not seek to prevent this indecorum!"

Earl Douglas muttered a few words of apology, which the king did not
understand, or did not want to understand.

"The duty of a master of ceremonies is to protect his king from every
annoyance, and you, Earl Douglas, offer it to me yourself. Perchance you
want thereby to show that you are weary of your office. Well, then, my
lord, I dismiss you from it, and that your presence may not remind me
of this morning's tr