"What everlastin' play-actin' ways!" she snapped. Then, addressing Sir Walter: "Say, Mr. Walter," she continued, "ef you can't walk only sideways, you needn't trouble to travel clear over here to me. I'll come to you."
Suiting the action to the word, Rebecca stepped briskly forward until she stood in front of the rather crestfallen courtier.
He rallied promptly, however, and marshalling by an effort all he could remember of the language of the red man, he addressed the astonished Rebecca in that tongue.
"What's that?" she said.
Again Sir Walter poured forth an unintelligible torrent of syllables which completed Rebecca's disgust.
With a pitying smile, she folded her hands across her stomach.
"Who's loony now?" she said, quietly.
Raleigh gazed helplessly from Rebecca to the Queen and back again from the Queen to Rebecca.
Elizabeth, who had but imperfectly heard what had passed between the two, leaned forward impatiently.
"What says she, Raleigh?" she demanded. "Doth she give a good account?"