We prospered very well after we had begun: we were all anxious to show Henrietta what we could accomplish, even without her skilful fingers to aid us. Moreover, Madame St. Aubert came to superintend; and, after a time, when lion and unicorn were beginning to stand forth in all their bravery from their gay background, carefully balancing a glistening crown between their uplifted fore-paws, she brought in Dr. Power to see and admire. He praised our needlework to our hearts' content; but when he put on his spectacles to examine the device, he looked almost as grave as Henrietta had done, and gave a sort of subdued whistle of surprise. But Madame St. Aubert whispered something in his ear which caused him to say, "Ah! well, I thought it would come to that; but 'tis a pity—in my opinion 'tis a thousand pities—that the Duke should allow such a decided step to be taken."
'Madame St. Aubert drew herself up as stiffly as if she was going to hear Dr. Power the multiplication-table. "I have the best authority for saying that the measure was recommended by his Grace's most trusted advisers," replied she with dignity.
'Dr. Power looked as puzzled as though he had forgotten that twice one made two, and rubbed his wig till it was quite crooked, before he said, with an air of relief, "Well, Madame, the Scripture hath declared that in the multitude of counsellors there is safety; and so, I hope, it will prove on the present occasion. For myself, I shall certainly be able to say with all my heart, 'God save our King.'"
'I did not in the least understand what was meant by this conversation; and when I pulled Bessie's sleeve and asked her, she said she was not quite sure, and I must wait till to-morrow to know.
'I was not much wiser when the morrow came, and Bessie told me, with a beaming face, that the Duke of Monmouth was going to be proclaimed king in the market-place of Taunton. However, seeing that she looked very glad, I tried to feel glad too, and succeeded completely, when she informed me that, after the proclamation had taken place, our banner was to be presented by the whole school in procession, as the gift of the maids of Taunton.
'"And when—when is it to be, Bessie?" cried several voices.
'"Next Thursday, Madame says; so we have not too much time; but I'll work my fingers to the bone rather than it should not be done."
'We were all of the same mind about this; and work we did, with an energy that astonished even Madame St. Aubert, and that wore holes in some of our thimbles, even if our fingers escaped safe and sound. But were we not repaid for all our trouble on the morning, when Bessie, the leader of a long procession, stood by the market-cross, holding in her hand the staff from which floated our completed banner in all its beauty, just fluttering enough in the wind to show gleams of the red and gold, forming the scroll and tracery which adorned its ample folds? What a crowd filled the market-place! and however one pushed and struggled to catch a glimpse of Bessie, whose bright eyes were brighter than usual, and whose colour came and went every moment with excitement! "How pretty Bessie is!" I whispered to Agnes; "I never knew she was pretty till to-day." "Hush! Hush! the Duke is coming," was all Agnes had time to say, before such a cheer rang through the market-place as I never heard in my life before. It quite drowned the clatter of hoofs, as the Duke of Monmouth and his train came riding through the throng of people, the Duke smiling and bowing to every one as he passed, and having to take off his hat so often, that at last he kept it in his hand, and rode on, bare-headed, up to the market-cross, where he alighted, and, standing on the steps, bowed once more, while the cheers rose higher and higher. And now I thought the important time had come; but Bessie knew better, and waited while one of the Duke's followers, very richly dressed, blew a loud blast on a trumpet—to secure silence, I suppose—and then read in a high, monotonous voice, from a strip of parchment which he held in his hand, a proclamation, of which I could not catch one word. It was only by standing on tip-toe that I could see what was going on; and it was by keeping in this position, and holding fast by Agnes Blount's arm, that I saw how, when the gentleman had finished reading, he waved his hat in the air and shouted "God save the King!" with all his might. It must have been every voice in Taunton, I think, which joined the answering shout of "God save the King! Long live Monmouth, the true heir to the throne! The Protestant succession for ever! Down with the Papists!" I dropped back into my former position, and left my hold on Agnes's shoulder, not quite certain whether I felt most inclined to clap my hands and cheer as Dr. Power was doing, or to stop my ears and sob hysterically, like little Lucy Fordyce, who was quite scared at the noise.
'"Hush, hush, Lucy! don't cry, chérie," whispered Pauline consolingly. "There, it is all over now, Look at mamma: the Duke is going to speak to her. Oh, mon Dieu, what a handsome man! what fire in the eyes!" and Pauline, after good-naturedly putting Lucy into a place where she could see what was going on, relapsed into silence, only occasionally broken by murmured exclamations in French, when her feelings became too much for her.
'Madame St. Aubert knelt on one knee before the Duke, kissed his hand, and presented him with a Bible, splendidly bound in crimson and gold.