While his mind was thus filled with gloomy thoughts, the silence was broken by Prince Osbert who was accompanying him to the palace.
‘Here’s a pretty pickle, to be sure!’ exclaimed the prince, ‘a nice position for a royal Emperor to be found interfering with his lady astronomer, and she threatening his life to make him release her. What thou canst do to re-establish thy reputation is about as clear as mud to me, for by my conscience, I cannot see a way at all!’
‘What a prating fool thou art, Osbert! I can plainly see unless thy tongue is kept from wagging thou wilt ruin me by thy talk. Say nothing at all about the lady having been detained by me. I don’t mean to own to that part of it. Let us declare that she deliberately turned upon me when I expostulated with her upon her idleness; that will give the matter a better appearance.’
‘Aye, truly, a better one for thee! But thinkest thou, cousin, that the House will believe thee? I guess, they will sooner take Mercia’s word: remember its lady members, how bravely they defend their sex at all times. I wouldn’t give a sixpence for thy reputation after they have handled thy case.’
‘What care I for the good opinion of a handful of women? What are they in my vast dominions? Nothing, truly, nothing! Nevertheless, a monarch’s virtue, should be, like Cæsar’s wife, above suspicion: so Osbert, good cousin, thou must help me in this matter, and swear to all I tell thee.’
‘Commit perjury! No thanks, not if I know it. I cannot tell a lie—I’m another Juvenile Washington. Besides, Felicitas, it goes against the grain to do a dirty trick to any lady, least of all, our peerless Mercia.
‘She is a lady of untarnished reputation, with whom I would strongly recommend thee to make thy peace. Indeed, the ways of Emperors with their lady-subjects are quite too much for me—I cannot comprehend them.’
‘Heartless, thou ever wert, Osbert, pray try to realise my situation, and give up thy attitudes and play-acting proclivities. Now, remember, I had no hold on her person, when you two dropped upon us—I was merely expostulating with her.’
‘I’ll have nothing to do with the matter at all, I shall say I was seized with sudden blindness at that moment and saw nothing.’
‘Idiot, wilt thou keep to that?’ inquired Felicitas gloomily.