“Of course you believe in magic?” said Carrbroke.
“I don’t know. I suppose I do,” replied Denis.
“I do,” said Carrbroke; “and your friend seems so different from other men. Look at his eye.”
“Oh, I never do if I can help it,” said Denis. “You’ve noticed it, then?”
“Noticed it?” cried Carrbroke. “Who could help it? When he fixes it on me, as he always does, it makes me shiver; although he is always very kind, there is something about him I can’t understand, and if he were my enemy I should be ready to give everything up and go away. There, what a bad job! I was just going to say, let’s go for a long ride, or else make some of the King’s rowers take us up the river, and then float down, and it’s going to rain, and I don’t want to get wet. It spoils one’s doublet so. Here, I know; I’ll take you all through the castle, if I can, into all the King’s private rooms. They’ll be with the ladies at this time of day. I can show you everything that there is to see.”
“Can you?” said Denis, whose thoughts suddenly turned to his mission there.
“Oh yes; I am allowed to go where I like, as the King’s youngest esquire.” And then half pettishly: “They consider me only a boy. But come along.”
Carrbroke was quite right, for the rain began streaming down; and a few minutes afterwards the two lads were in the royal apartments, which were quite deserted, and Carrbroke was proudly showing the different pictures, King Henry’s armour, and choice collections of weapons of war. At last he stopped in front of a beautiful Italian cabinet which differed from ordinary pieces of furniture, being made to stand four-square in the centre of the apartment, each side being richly ornamented with carving and delicate inlaid work which covered the doors and drawers.
“I wish I had the keys of that,” said Carrbroke.
“Why? What’s inside?”