"Well, my merry mistress," said the king, seeing in her laughing eyes the ebullition of her heart's gladness; "it seems that you do not pine yourself to death for the loss of Sir Osborne Maurice?"
"I deeply regret, your grace," said Lady Katrine, turning grave for a moment, "most deeply, that Sir Osborne Maurice should have incurred your royal displeasure; for he seemed to me as perfect a knight and as noble a gentleman as I ever saw. But in no other respect do I regret his absence."
"Well, we have tried to supply his place with one you may like better," said Henry. "Have you seen the Earl of Darby--ha? What think you of the exchange, pretty one?"
"I thank your grace's bounty," said the gay girl. "I have seen his lordship, and looked at him well; and though he be neither so handsome as Narcissus nor so wise as Solon, he may do well enough for such a giddy thing as I am. Saving your grace's presence, one does not look for perfection in a husband: one might as well hope to find a pippin without a spot."
"Thou art a malapert chit, Kate," said the queen, laughing; "sure I am, if your royal lord was not right gentle in his nature, he would be angry with your wild chattering."
"Nay, let her run on," said the king; "a tongue like hers has no guile. If you are contented, sweetheart," he added, addressing Lady Katrine, "that is enough."
"Oh, yes! quite contented, your grace," answered she. "I have not had a new plaything for so long, that a husband is quite a treat. I suppose he must be sent to the manège first, like the jennet your highness gave me, to learn his paces."
"If he were as untamed as you are, mistress," answered the king, "he might need it. But to another subject, fair one. You were with Sir Osborne Maurice and his party when he encountered the rioters near Rochester. Some sad treasons are but too surely proved against that luckless young man; yet I would fain believe that his misconduct went not to the extent which was at first reported, especially as the accusation was made by that most ruffianly traitor, Sir Payan Wileton, whom the keen eye of my zealous Wolsey has discovered to be stained with many crimes too black for words to paint. Now, amongst other things, it was urged that this Sir Osborne was in league with those Rochester mutineers, the greatest proof of which was their letting him quietly pass with so small a party, when they boldly attacked the company of Lord Thomas Howard, with ten times the force."
Lady Katrine could hardly wait till the king had ceased. "This shows," cried she at length, "how the keenest wisdom and the noblest heart may be abused by a crafty tale. Sir Osborne knew nothing of the rioters, my lord: he took every way to avoid them, because I, unluckily, having neither father nor brother to protect me, encumbered him by my presence; otherwise, without doubt, he would have delivered the poor priest they had with them by his lance, and not by fair words. Never believe a word of it, your grace. His shield-bearer, indeed, while the knight drew up his men to defend us to the best of his power, recognised the leader of the tumultuaries as an old fellow-soldier, and craved leave of his lord to go and demand a free passage for us, by which means we escaped. Oh! my lord, as you are famous for your clemency and justice, examine well the whole tale of that Sir Payan Wileton, and it will be found false and villanous, as are all the rest of his actions."
"You are eloquent, lady fair," said the king with a smile; "we will tell Darby to look to it. But as to Sir Payan Wileton, his baseness is now known to us; and as we progress down to Dover, we will send a sergeant-at-arms to bring him with us to Calais, where we will, with our council, hear and judge the whole. Then, if he be the man we think him, not only shall he restore to the old Lord Fitzbernard the lordship of Chilham and the stewardship of Dover, but shall stoop his head to the axe without grace or pardon, as I live. But say, know you aught of Lady Constance de Grey, in whose secrets you are supposed to have had a share? Laugh not, pretty one; for by my life it shall go hard with you if you tell not the truth."