FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98  
99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>   >|  
of late, "I reckon I must be thy _cavaliero_." "Will you have my cap, _Milisent_?" saith _Robin_, o'er his shoulder. "Thanks, I reckon I shall manage without," quoth she. "Well, have a care you demean yourself as a _cavaliero_ should," saith he. "Tell her she is the fairest maid in all the realm, and you shall die o' despair an' you get not a glance from her sweet eyes." "Nay, I'll leave that for you," saith _Milly_. "Good. I will do mine utmost to mind it the next opportunity," quoth _Robin_. So, with mirth, come we up to _Dilston_ Hall. My Lord was within, said the old serving-man, and so likewise were Mistress _Jane_ and Mistress _Cicely_: so he led us across the hall, that is set with divers coloured stones, of a fashion they have in _Italy_, and into a pleasant chamber, where Mistress _Cicely_ was sat at her frame a-work, and rose up right lovingly to welcome us. Mistress _Jane_, said she, was in the garden: but my Lord come in the next minute, and was right pleasant unto us after his sad and bashful fashion, for never saw I a man like him, as bashful as any maid. Then Mistress _Jane_ come anon, and bare us--to wit, _Milisent_ and me--away to her own chamber, where she gave us sweet cakes and muscadel; and Mistress _Cicely_ came too. And a jolly time should we have had, had it not come into Mistress _Cicely's_ head to ask at us if it were true that _Blanche Lewthwaite_ was gone away with some gallant. I had need to say Ay, for _Milisent_ kept her mouth close shut. "And who were he?" quoth Mistress _Jane_. I answered that so far as we heard he had passed by divers names, all about this vicinage: but the name whereby he had called himself at _Mere Lea_ (which is Master _Lewthwaite's_) was _Everett_. "I warrant you, _Jane_," saith Mistress _Cicely_, "'tis the same _Everett_ Farmer _Benson_ was so wroth with, for making up to his _Margaret_. He said if ever he came nigh his house again, he should go thence with a bullet more than he brought. A man past his youth, was he, _Edith_, with fair shining hair--no grey in it--and mighty sweet spoken?" "Ay, that is he," said I, "or I mistake, Madam." "Dear heart, but what an ill one must he be!" quoth Mistress _Jane_. "Why he made old _Nanny's_ grand-daughter _Doll_ reckon he meant to wed her, and promised to give her a silver chain for her neck this next _Sunday_!" All this while sat _Milisent_ still and spake never a word. I gat discours
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98  
99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Mistress

 

Cicely

 

Milisent

 
reckon
 
pleasant
 

bashful

 
Everett
 

divers

 

Lewthwaite

 

fashion


cavaliero
 

chamber

 

Benson

 

Margaret

 

making

 
vicinage
 

passed

 

answered

 

Master

 
warrant

called

 
Farmer
 

daughter

 

promised

 

silver

 

discours

 

Sunday

 
brought
 

bullet

 

mistake


spoken

 

mighty

 

shining

 

utmost

 

serving

 

Dilston

 

opportunity

 

glance

 

shoulder

 

Thanks


manage

 

despair

 

fairest

 

demean

 

likewise

 

muscadel

 
gallant
 

Blanche

 

stones

 

coloured