“You, my boy?” cried Lady Gowan, in wonder; “and you did not tell me.”
“No; conspiracies are not for women to know anything about,” said the boy, talking grandly. “But I did tell my father.”
“Yes; and what did he say?”
“Almost nothing. I forget now, mother. Treated it with contempt. There, I must go now.”
“Back under arrest?”
“Arrest? No, dear. I am the Prince’s page, and he knows now that I am no rebel. I am to go back to my duties as if nothing had happened.”
Lady Gowan uttered a sigh full of relief.
“But I’m going to prove first of all how terribly wrong you have been, mother, in believing this miserable scandal. It is because my poor father is down, and everybody is ready to trample upon him. But we’ll show them yet. You must be brave, mother, and look and speak as if now you did not believe a word about the story. Do as I will do: go back to your place with the Princess, and hold up your head proudly.”
“No, no, no, my boy; I have been praying the Princess to let us both go away from the court, for that our position here was horrible.”
“Ah! and what did she say?” cried Frank excitedly.