princely commands.

"Body o' me!" he muttered, lighting one by one the candles in the room,
till the rafters fairly glowed in expectation of the feast.
"Roundhead-beggar, on my life! Turbot and capons and the best vintage!
The King could not have better than this rogue. Marry, he shall have the
best in the larder; but Constable Swallow shall toast his feet in the
kitchen, with a mug of musty ale to make him linger."

The corners of the mouth in the moon-face ascended in a chuckle.

"His ragged lordship'll settle the bill very religiously," he thought,
"or sleep off his swollen Roundhead behind the bars."

He passed into the kitchen and gave the order for the repast. As he
returned, there was a tap at the door; and he hastened to the window.

"Bless me, a petticoat!" he cried. "Well, he's told the truth for once.
She's veiled. Ashamed of her face or ashamed of him."

He opened the door and ushered in a lady dressed in white; across her
face and eyes was thrown a scarf of lace.

"Not here?" questioned the new-comer, glancing eagerly about the room and
peeping into every nook and corner without the asking, to the
astonishment of the inn-keeper.

"Not here?" she asked herself again, excitedly. "Tell me, tell me, is
this Ye Blue Boar Inn?"

"Yes, lady--" replied the landlord, graciously.

"Good, good! Has she been here? Have you seen her?"

"Who, the goddess?" asked the landlord, stupidly.

"The goddess!" retorted Nell, for it was none other, with humorous irony
of lip. "How can you so belie the Duchess?" She laughed merrily at the
thought.

There was a second knock; and the landlord again hastened to the window.

"'Tis she; 'tis she!" exclaimed Nell, excitedly. "Haste ye, man; I am in
waiting! What has she on? How is she dressed?"

"Body o' me!" exclaimed the landlord, in awe, as he craned his neck at
the sash. "'Tis a lady of quality."

"Bad quality," ejaculated Nell.

"She has come in a chair of silver," cried the landlord.

"My chair shall be of beaten gold, then," thought Nell, with a twinkle
of the eye. "Charles, you must raise the taxes."

"Mercy me, the great lady's coming in," continued the landlord, beside
himself in his excitement.

"She shall be welcome, most welcome, landlord," observed Nell promptly.

"Body o' me! What shall I say?" asked the landlord, in trembling
accents.

"Faith and troth," replied Nell, coming to his rescue, "I will do the
parlez-vousing with her ladyship. Haste t