"I' faith," he said, in a mild voice, "I' faith,
mistress, her Gracious Majesty is of the line of Tudor. Methought----"

But he broke off in horror.

Waving her umbrella high above her head, Rebecca, still standing upright
in the boat, was calling at the top of her voice:

"Hallo there! Mrs. Tudor! Stop the ship, will ye! I want to speak to
Mrs. Tudor a minute!"

All nature seemed to shiver and shrink in silence at this enormous
breach of etiquette--to use a mild term. Involuntarily the ten pairs of
oars in the royal barge hung in mid-air, paralyzed by that sudden
outrage. The great, glittering structure, impelled by momentum, glided
forward directly under the bows of Rebecca's boat and not a hundred
yards away.

Again Rebecca's cry was borne shrill and clear across the water.

"Hallo! Hallo there! Ain't Mrs. Tudor on the ship? I want to speak to
her!" Then, turning to the stupefied and trembling waterman:

"Why don't you row, you? What's the matter, anyway? Don't ye see they've
stopped to wait fer us?"

Someone spoke within the after cabin. The command was repeated in gruff
tones by a man's voice, and the ten pairs of oars fell as one into the
water and were held rigid to check the progress of the barge.

"Wherry, ahoy!" a hail came from the deck.

"Ay, ay, sir!" the waterman cried.

"Come alongside!"

"Ay, ay, sir!"

Pale and weak with dread, the boatman pulled as well as he could toward
the splendid vessel ahead, while Rebecca resumed her seat, quite
satisfied that all was as it should be.

A few strokes of the oars brought them to the barge's side, and
Rebecca's waterman threw a rope to one of the crew.

A young man in uniform glowered down upon them, and to him the waterman
turned, pulling off his cap and speaking with the utmost humility.

"The jade is moon-struck, your worship!" he exclaimed, eagerly. "I would
not for a thousand pound----"

"Moon-struck!" snapped the lieutenant. "Who gave thee commission to
ferry madmen, fellow?"

The poor waterman, at his wits' end, was about to reply when Rebecca
interposed.

"Young man," she said, standing up, "I'll thank you to 'tend to
business. Is Mrs. Victoria Tudor at home?"

At this moment a young gentleman, magnificently apparelled, stepped
forth from the after cabin and approached the man in uniform.

"Lieutenant," he said, "her Majesty commands that the woman be brought
before her in person. As for you," he continued, turning to the
waterm