as she
prepared to join the King.

"Leave all to me, my lord," she said, then courtesied low.

"Yea, all but Nell!" reflected his lordship, as he watched her depart.
"With this ring, I'll keep thee wedded to jealous interest, and so
enrich my purse and power. Thou art a great woman, fair France; I half
love thee myself. But thou knowest only a moiety of my purpose. The
other half is Nell!"

He stood absorbed in his own thoughts.

The draperies at the further doorway, on which was worked in Gobelin
tapestry a forest with its grand, imposing oaks, were pushed nervously
aside. Jack Hart entered, mask in hand, and scanned the room with
skeptic eye.

"A happy meeting," mused Buckingham, reflecting upon Hart's one-time
ardour for Mistress Nell and upon the possibility that that ardour, if
directed by himself, might yet compromise Nell in the King's eyes and
lead to the realization of his own fond dreams of greater wealth and
power and, still more sweet, to the possession of his choice among all
the beauties of the realm.

"It is a sad hour," thought Hart, glancing at the merry dancers through
the arch, "when all the world, like players, wear masks."

Buckingham assumed an air of bonhomie.

"Whither away, Master Hart?" he called after the player, who started
perceptibly at his voice. "Let not thy fancy play truant to this gay
assemblage, to mope in St. James's Park."

"My lord!" exclaimed Hart, hotly. The fire, however, was gone in an
instant; and he added, evidently under strong constraint: "Pardon; but
we prefer to change the subject."

"The drift's the same," chuckled the shrewd Buckingham; "we may turn it
to advantage." He approached the player in a friendly manner. "Be not
angry," he exclaimed soothingly; "for there's a rift even in the clouds
of love. Brighter, man; for King Charles was seeking your wits but now."

"He'd have me play court-fool for him?" asked the melancholy mime, who
had in his nature somewhat of the cynicism of Jaques, without his grand
imaginings of soul. "There are many off the stage, my lord, in better
practice." "True, most true," acquiesced Buckingham; "I could point them
out."

He would have continued in this vein but beyond the door, whence Hart
had just appeared, leading by a stair-way of cupids to the entrance to
the palace, arose the sound of many voices in noisy altercation.

"Hark ye, hark!" he exclaimed, in an alarmed tone. "What is't? Confusion
in the great hallway below.