“What is now to do?” said she to herself; but she tied on her hood, and brought down the children with her.
“Where be Jack and Robin?” asked the old man.
“They went forth to Westminster together, half an hour gone,” said Isoult.
“They must shift for themselves, then,” said he. “Come away.”
“But whither, Doctor?” she wished to know.
“Down to the river side by Saint Katherine’s, with all the haste that may be,” answered he. “Isoult, the King is dead, and the Lady Jane Dudley proclaimed Queen of England, and she cometh apace from Shene to the Tower. We may chance to see her land, if we lose no time.”
“The King dead!”
Isoult said no more, but away they ran down the street, till they reached Saint Katherine by the Tower. A crowd of people were already there. They took up their places by the church, whence they could see the river; and they had not been there two minutes, ere they heard a sound of cheering from the watermen below; and presently the royal barge of England glided into sight. At the bow played the standard of the realm; and about the cloth of estate were several ladies and gentlemen, all clad in mourning, surrounding a lady who sat under the canopy. This was all that could be seen till the barge stopped at the Tower-stairs. Then from it (a blue cloth being first laid to the gate) came the Duke of Northumberland, robed in a long, black gown trimmed with fox, leading a fair, slender girl also in mourning, and Frances, Duchess of Suffolk (Note 3), bore her train. After them came the Duke of Suffolk, the Earl of Arundel, a slim comely youth unknown to the crowd, and Lord Grey de Wilton. And the minute after, from the crowd thronging the postern, Mr Ive, the High Constable (Mr Underhill’s friend and neighbour at the Lime Hurst), made his way to our little group.
“Ah! how do you?” said he. “You are in fair time to see our new Queen.”
“I pray you, Mr Ive,” said Isoult, “is yonder damsel her Highness, that my Lord’s Grace of Northumberland hath by the hand?”