lose her pleasure for nothing."

I had been hunting the day before, and my whip yet lay upon the table.
"I have known you for a hardy rogue," I said, with my hand upon it; "now
I know you for a faithless one as well. If I gave you credit for all the
vices of the soldier, I gave you credit also for his virtues. I was the
more deceived. The disobedient servant I might pardon, but the soldier
who is faithless to his trust"--

I raised the whip and brought it down again and again across his
shoulders. He stood without a word, his face dark red and his hands
clenched at his sides. For a minute or more there was no sound in the
room save the sound of the blows; then my wife suddenly cried out: "It
is enough! You have beaten him enough! Let him go, sir!"

I threw down the whip. "Begone, sirrah!" I ordered. "And keep out of my
sight to-morrow!"

With his face still dark red and with a pulse beating fiercely in his
cheek, he moved slowly toward the door, turned when he had reached it
and saluted, then went out and closed it after him.

"Now he too will be your enemy," said Mistress Percy, "and all through
me. I have brought you many enemies, have I not? Perhaps you count me
amongst them? I should not wonder if you did. Do you not wish me gone
from Virginia?"

"So I were with you, madam," I said bluntly, and went to call the
minister down to supper.

CHAPTER XVI IN WHICH I AM RID OF AN UNPROFITABLE SERVANT

THE next day, Governor and Councilors sat to receive presents from
the Paspaheghs and to listen to long and affectionate messages from
Opechancanough, who, like the player queen, did protest too much. The
Council met at Yeardley's house, and I was called before it to make my
report of the expedition of the day before. It was late afternoon when
the Governor dismissed us, and I found myself leaving the house in
company with Master Pory.

"I am bound for my lord's," said that worthy as we neared the guest
house. "My lord hath Xeres wine that is the very original nectar of the
gods, and he drinks it from goblets worth a king's ransom. We have heard
a deal to-day about burying hatchets: bury thine for the nonce, Ralph
Percy, and come drink with us."

"Not I," I said. "I would sooner drink with--some one else."

He laughed. "Here's my lord himself shall persuade you."

My lord, dressed with his usual magnificence and darkly handsome as
ever, was indeed standing within the guest-house door. Pory drew up
beside