will have Jane there
with her lute, which will not frighten you away, I know, and we will
try his step. I will have cards, too, and we shall see what he can do
at triumph. Just we four--no one else at all. You and Jane, the new
Duke of Suffolk and I. Oh! I can hardly wait," and she fairly danced
with joyous anticipation.

The thing had enough irregularity to give it zest, for while Mary
often had a few young people in her drawing-room, the companies were
never so small as two couples only, and the king and queen, to make up
for greater faults, were wonderful sticklers in the matter of little
proprieties.

The ten-crown wager, too, gave spice to it, but to do her justice she
cared very little for that. The princess loved gambling purely for
gambling's sake, and with her, the next best thing to winning was
losing.

When I went to my room that night, I awakened Brandon and told him of
the distinguished honor that awaited him.

"Well! I'll be"--but he did not say what he would "be." He always
halted before an oath, unless angry, which was seldom, but then
beware!--he had learned to swear in Flanders. "How she did fly at me
the other morning. I never was more surprised in all my life. For once
I was almost caught with my guard down, and did not know how to parry
the thrust. I mumbled over some sort of a lame retaliation and beat a
retreat. It was so unjust and uncalled-for that it made me angry; but
she was so gracious in her amends that I was almost glad it happened.
I like a woman who can be as savage as the very devil when it pleases
her; she usually has in store an assortment of possibilities for the
other extreme."

"She told me of your encounter," I returned, "but said she had come
off second best, and seemed to think her overthrow a huge joke."

"The man who learns to know what a woman thinks and feels will have a
great deal of valuable information," he replied; and then turned over
for sleep, greatly pleased that one woman thought as she did.

I was not sure he would be so highly flattered if he knew that he had
been invited to settle a wager, and to help Mary to a little sport.

As to the former, I had an interest there myself, although I dared not
settle the question by asking Brandon if he played cards and danced;
and, as to the matter of Mary's sport, I felt there was but little, if
any, danger of her having too much of it at his expense, Brandon being
well able to care for himself in that respect.

T