Part 25 (1/2)
The house stood surrounded by a beautiful lawn that sloped gradually to the river. Trees in full leaf and woody perennial plants in full blossom, dotted the sward. The long, low stone building was covered with vines that hung in rich purple bloom. All was quiet, refined, subdued--without pomp. Not so was the chief inmate of this charming abode. She stood gowned in filmy white, waiting for Janet to spread her repast, but the nurse moved at leisure, resolving to give the maid meat for thought, as she did for the body. She said:
”When a maid is without father or mother, and away from her rightful guardians, and has presented her such frocks as thou dost wear, 'tis the maid's duty to find out whence such gorgeous and unmonastic apparel comes.”
”But, Janet, I do know. The Abbes have made provision for me. They bade me leave the castle without inc.u.mbrance, and the chest was sent for my necessity. I mean to pay it all back when I return--or when I send to Lord Cedric.”
”And when will that be, Lambkin?”
”When the King gives me audience.”
”And thou art expecting the Duke of Monmouth to bring the word from Whitehall?”
”He said 'twas his pleasure so to do.”
”Now G.o.d pity me this day; I would I had never seen it!”
”Why wearest thou so sorry a face, Janet?”
”For thy too fat zeal. Is it not enough to make an ingrowing visage?”
”How so?” said Katherine in feigned _insouciance_.
”A surfeit of good, like a too-full cup, boils over and falls to ill.”
”Then, Janet, surfeit sin 'til it bubbles up, runs over,--perhaps a better cup to fill.”
”Alack, alas, for youth's philosophy!”
”At what art thou driving, nurse; thou canst neither affect Shakespeare nor the Bible!”
”Have I not always loved thee, Lambkin; search thy memory; did I ever tell thee lies or use the veil of falsehood to cover from thee that which I would not have thee know?”
”Nay; but thou hast used artifice 'til it is threadbare, and I now behold its naked warp.”
”But hast well served, thou canst not deny. It has made thee the sweet innocent bud thou art, and we will enshrine its shade, though it hath no soul to join it hereafter, and I will resort to vulgar frankness, employed by the truculent commonplace, and say we live in an age of swaggering, badgering, immoral-begotten, vice-ridden, irreligious decrepitude--” Katherine made a hissing noise with her teeth, as if she had been suddenly and severely p.r.i.c.ked by a pin, then put up her hands and stopped her ears--this day, Mistress Penwick thou shalt know the character of thy King--Nay, thou shalt know. I will tell thee that 'twill poison thy mind of one of so great station--”
”Wouldst thou a.s.sail his morals, Janet?”
”'Tis impossible to a.s.sail that a man hath not.”
”Then 'twould be a field for sweet mission to teach him morals.”
”And wouldst thou delegate thyself to such an office?”
”Aye, why not?”
”Because he would steal thy knowledge ere thou hadst found his heart, and thou wouldst find thyself insolvent of virtue.”
”Thou hast overreached artifice, Janet, and gone back to Bible days and corrupted them by borrowing parabolic speech to waste upon deaf-eared seventeenth century maid.”
”Ah, Lambkin; with closed ears thou dost not becalm sight and wit, they cease not to fructify under suasion of childhood impregnations.
I fear not for thee, if thou art forewarned. If thou art taken to the King, he will straightway be enamoured of thy beauteous face and will wish to have thee near him, and because he is of so great a t.i.tle, he will expect to mould thee to his desires, whether 'tis thy will or not. He may perhaps overawe thee, and thou wilt feel flattered by his approaches, which will seem sincere to thy untutored perceptions.