'"Bravo!" was Hal's enthusiastic reply. "The very man!"
'And he was the very man, as far as regarded influence with the Queen; but whether he would be likely to prove a warm partisan of one of the Taunton rebels, the adherents of the "Protestant Duke," was more doubtful; for Father Niccolo was the most staunch, not to say bigoted of Papists.
'"No matter," said the undaunted Hal, when this objection was started; "we must find some way of making him do it."
'This bold yet simple plan for settling the difficulty was really enough to take one's breath away.
'"Make him do it!" gasped I. "The Queen's own confessor! Faith, Hal, that's more easily said than done."
'"Very likely," responded Hal, with his wonted coolness; "still, that's no proof that it can't be done at all."
'"Well, how you can dream of making him do anything, I can't for the life of me imagine."
'Neither could Hal, as he was fain to confess. "At least, not just at this moment," he said. "But never mind," he went on confidently; "wait a bit; we'll lay our heads together, and some scheme shall be hatched presently, I warrant you."
'"I suppose," I suggested, rather doubtfully, "there's not much chance of persuading him to do it, if we just go and tell him the whole story, simply, from beginning to end."
'"Odds fish, no!" cried Hal hastily (it was the fashion among the pages to affect this exclamation, because it was always in the mouth of the late King). "That is just like you, Algernon. You always want to go about matters in such a blundering, downright way! You were never born for a statesman, that's quite clear."