t back to Germany; Cromwell must sue for peace
with the Howard wench; a way must be found to bribe her till the King
tired of her; then Katharine must go in her turn, once more Cromwell
would have his own, and the Protestants be reinstated. Cromwell
retained his silence; at the last he uttered his unfailing words with
which he closed all these discussions:

'Well, it is a great matter.'

The gusts of rain and showers of sun pursued each other down the
river; the lights and shadows succeeded upon the cloaked and capped
shapes of the men who huddled their figures together in the tall
window. At last the Archbishop lost his patience and cried out:

'What will you _do_? What will you _do_?'

Cromwell swung his figure round before him.

'I will discover what Cleves will do in this matter,' he said. 'All
dependeth therefrom.'

'Nay; make a peace with Rome,' Cranmer uttered suddenly. 'I am weary
of these strivings.'

But Wriothesley clenched his fist.

'Before ye shall do that I will die, and twenty thousand others!'

Cranmer quailed.

'Sir,' he temporised. 'We will give back to the Bishop of Rome nothing
that we have taken of property. But the Bishop of Rome may have
Peter's Pence and the deciding of doctrines.'

'Canterbury,' Wriothesley said, 'I had rather Antichrist had his old
goods and gear in this realm than the handling of our faith.'

Cromwell drew in the air through his nostrils, and still smiled.

'Be sure the Bishop of Rome shall have no more gear and no more
guidance of this realm than his Highness and I need give,' he said.
'No stranger shall have any say in the councils of this realm.' He
smiled noiselessly again. 'Still and still, all turneth upon Cleves.'

For the first time Lascelles spoke:

'All turneth upon Cleves,' he said.

Cromwell surveyed him, narrowing his eyes.

'Speak you now of your wisdom,' he uttered with neither friendliness
nor contempt. Lascelles caressed his shaven chin and spoke:

'The King's Highness I have observed to be a man for women--a man who
will give all his goods and all his gear to a woman. Assuredly he will
not take this woman to his leman; his princely stomach revolteth
against an easy won mastership. He will pay dear, he will pay his
crown to win her. Yet the King would not give his policies. Neither
would he retrace his steps for a woman's sake unless Fate too cried
out that he must.'

Cromwell nodded his head. It pleased him that this young man set a