“The which shows how much thou lackest it. But I am afeard thou art too far gone for any good. Well, I will look after the child; and I will set Thekla on to do it. And if I find Arthur to be a good man and true, and Clare reasonable well affected unto him,—trust me, I will not interfere. But if not,—Orige, I will not see Walter’s child cast away, if thou wilt.”
“Nay, good lack, Mrs Basset, what would you do?”
Lady Enville knew the energy and determination of the old lady’s character, and that if she set her mind upon a course of action, she was pretty sure to carry it through, and to make other people do as she wished.
“I will do that” said Philippa decidedly. “I will judge whether the lot thou hast chalked out for Clare be fit for her.”
“But in case you judge it not so, what then?”
“Then I will have the child away.”
“I could ne’er allow that, Mistress Basset,” said Lady Enville with unusual decision.
“I shall ne’er ask thee, Orige,” returned Philippa, with a slightly contemptuous stress upon the pronoun. “I will talk with thine husband; I trust he will hear reason, though thou mayest not. And I could find good places enow for Clare; I have many friends in the Court. My Lady Dowager of Kent (Susan Bertie, the only daughter of Katherine Duchess of Suffolk) would work, I know, for Isoult Barry’s granddaughter; and so would Beatrice Vivian (a fictitious person), Isoult’s old comrade, that hath a daughter and a niece to boot in the Queen’s chamber. And I dare say my Lady Scrope (Note 1) would do somewhat for me. Any way, I would assay it.”
“What, to have Clare in the Queen’s Majesty’s Court?” demanded Lady Enville, her eyes sparkling with interest and pleasure. “O Mistress Basset, could you not compass the same for Blanche?”
“In the Court! By my troth, nay!” said Philippa heartily. “I would never set maid that I cared a pin for in Queen Bess’s Court. Soothly, there be good women there, but— And as for Blanche,—I will see her, Orige, ere I say aught. Blanche hath stole all thine heart, methinks—so much as there was to steal.”