y describing the banquets at
the Towers, the richness of the food, the endless courses, the
massiveness of the gold plate, the rareness of the wines, and the
magnificence of the costumes of the guests.

"There are fine women there," he would say, removing his long
churchwarden's pipe from his mouth and waving it to give emphasis. "In
my day I have seen King Charles at Hampton Court--my Lady Castlemaine,
and Mistress Frances Stewart, who married a Duke and had her eyes put
out by smallpox and her face spoiled forever, poor soul; and De
Querouaille--the one you will call Carwell, which is not her name, but
a French one--and Mazarin--and all could see Nell Gwynne who could pay
for a seat in the play-house--so I may well be a judge of women--and
have lived gayly myself about the Court. But there is _one_--this
moment at Camylott Towers--there is one," describing a great circle
with his pipe as if he writ her name, "and may the devil seize and
smite me, if there was ever a lady with such a body and face on earth
before."

"Tis the tall one with the flashing black eyes," cried out Will Bush
the first night that he said it. "Me and my dame saw her through the
glass of the coach the day they drove over the green with all their
servants come to follow them from Lunnon town with pistols and hangers.
And what think you? says I to Joan, 'Ecod,' says I, 'there's the woman
for our own Duke, and matches him for size and beauty!' And says Joan,
staring: 'Lord a mercy, so she is and does!'"

"Village folk," said Mr. Mount with decorum, "are not the ones to take
upon themselves the liberty to say who will suit a Duke or who will not
suit him. But this I will say to you, that for once you were not so far
wrong; I having said the same thing myself. And his Grace is a single
man, whom they say loves no woman--and my lady has a husband near
seventy years of age. So things go!"

To her husband and lord, this lady seemed for all her powers, the
sweetest, frank creature in the world, and indeed in all matters which
concerned their united life she was candour itself. But there was a
thing in her mind--and 'twas in her thought every day--of which, though
she was within his sight almost every waking hour and her head lay upon
the pillow by his own, when she slept, he knew nothing. In gaining
grace of manner and bearing she had not lost her old quickness of sight
and alertness of mind; if any felt that her eyes were less keen, her
perception l