ing, who was shaking with laughter.
"Give him your fork, devil, give him your fork," and having the royal
command Bolle obeyed with zeal.

In thirty seconds it was all over; the rout had come and gone,
only Thomas in his hideous attire stood bowing before the King, who
exclaimed--

"I thank thee, Thomas Bolle, thou hast made me laugh as I have not
laughed for years. Little wonder that thy mistress was condemned for
witchcraft. Now," he added, changing his tone, "off with that mummery,
and, Cromwell, go, catch one of those fools and tell them the truth ere
tales fly round the palace. Jane, cease from merriment, there is a time
for all things. Come hither, Lady Harflete, I would speak with you."

Cicely approached and curtseyed, leaving her boy in the Queen's arms,
where he had gone to sleep, for she did not seem minded to part with
him.

"You are asking much of us," he said suddenly, searching her with a
shrewd glance, "relying, doubtless, on your wrongs, which are deep, or
your face, which is sweet, or both. Well, these things move Kings mayhap
more than others, also I knew old Sir John, your father, a loyal man and
a brave, he fought well at Flodden; and young Harflete, your husband, if
he still lives, had a good name like his forebears. Moreover your enemy,
Maldon, is ours, a treacherous foreign snake such as England hates, for
he would set her beneath the heel of Spain.

"Now, Dame Harflete, doubtless when you go hence you will bear away
strange stories of King Harry and his doings. You will say he plays the
fool, pelting his servants with inkpots when he is wrath, as God knows
he has often cause to be, and scaring his bishops with sham Satans, as
after all why should he not since it is a dull world? You'll say, too,
that he takes his teaching from his ministers, and signs what these lay
before him with small search as to the truth or falsity. Well, that's
the lot of monarchs who have but one man's brain and one man's time;
who needs must trust their slaves until these become their masters, and
there is naught left," here his face grew fierce, "save to kill them,
and find more and worse. New servants, new wives," and he glanced at
Jane, who was not listening, "new friends, false, false, all three of
them, new foes, and at the last old Death to round it off. Such has been
the lot of kings from David down, and such I think it shall always be."

He paused a while, brooding heavily, then looked up and went on, "I k