Arabella hesitated. She knew not what her uncle might have said. Besides the risk of his alluding to the messenger in such a way as might excite suspicion, there was many a jest current upon the manners of the Court which might not be very well fitted for the King's eye; and, holding the letter in her hand, she replied, "This was not written, sir, to be made public. I should think the letter of an uncle to his niece might be----"
"Hout, nonsense!" cried James. "Is not a King God's Vicegerent upon earth, and above all uncles or fathers either? Is he not Pater Patriæ? I command you, madam, lay the letter on the board."
Arabella did so with a trembling hand; and one of the Councillors handed it to the King, who took it and examined it closely.
"It cannot have been falsified," he said, "for the seal is not broken."
He then, without ceremony, opened it, and read aloud, making his usual comments as he did so.
"'My sweet niece,'" it proceeded, "'your good aunt and I are about soon to go to our place called Malvoisy, in Buckinghamshire; and we would fain have you with us, if you can get the King's permission to come, not as much for our own sakes, to have the company of an idle girl, whom we do not love, as for yours, to get you out of the foul and unsavoury atmosphere of a court, where, from all we hear, you are likely to be quite corrupted by bad example."
"Heard you ever the like of that?" cried the King, laughing till the tears ran over his cheeks.
"'I do not know,'" he proceeded, reading Lord Shrewsbury's letter, "'whether you, too, my niece, were as drunk as the rest at Theobalds. I hope not; for if you were, your head must have ached the next morning; but I do hear that his Majesty of Denmark emptied two pottles and a half of heavy Burgundy after the repast, and our great King the same.'
"The false loon!" cried the King, with a tremendous oath, "I declare, he's like a dishonest tapster, and put down three gills too much to my score. But we will see farther," and he went on to read,--"'and our great King the same. But happily for the State, his brains are too good to swim with any quantity of wine; and so he 'scaped falling, though I hear, in the contest, Burgundy overthrew Denmark. However, if you would come with us, and live in quiet for a time, seeing none but your aunt and me, wheedle his Majesty, as you know how, and join us here to-morrow or the next day. I shall send this by Sir John Harrington--that merry soul. Yours, as you shall behave yourself, 'SHREWSBURY.'
"'Postscriptum. William Seymour has just come in; and he goes down to Hampton Court to-morrow;--I give him charge of this letter.'