She offered the bishop her hand, and tried to smile. "It is done"said she, almost inaudibly.
"What! The queen wears the rosette?" asked Gardiner vivaciously.
"She wears the rosette, and will give it to him.""And the note is in it?""It is concealed under the diamond clasp.""Oh, then she is lost!" muttered Gardiner. "If the king finds this paper, Catharine's death-warrant is signed.""Hush!" said Lady Jane. "See! Lord Hertford is coming toward us. Let us go to meet him."They both left the window and walked out into the hall.
John Heywood immediately slipped from behind the curtain, and, softly gliding along by the wall, left the hall perceived by no one.
Outside, he stopped and reflected.
"I must see this conspiracy to the bottom," said he to himself. "Imust find out through whom and by what they wish to destroy her; and I must have sure and undeniable proof in my hands, in order to be able to convict them, and successfully accuse them to the king.
Therefore it is necessary to be cautious and prudent. So let us consider what to do. The simplest thing would be to beg the queen not to wear the rosette. But that is only to demolish the web for this time, without, however, being able to kill the spider that wove it. So she must wear the rosette; for besides, without that I should never be able either to find out to whom she is to give it. But the paper that is concealed in the rosette--that I must have--that must not be in it. 'If the king finds this paper. Catharine's death-warrant is signed.' Now, my reverend priest of the devil, the king will not find that paper, for John Heywood will not have it so. But how shall I begin? Shall I tell the queen what I heard? No! She would lose her cheerful spirit and become embarrassed, and the embarrassment would be in the king's eyes the most convincing proof of her guilt. No, I must take this paper out of the rosette without the queen's being aware of it. Boldly to work, then! I must have this paper, and tweak these hypocrites by the nose. How it can be done, it is not clear to me yet; but I will do it--that is enough.
Halloo, forward to the queen!"
With precipitant haste he ran through the halls and corridors, while with a smile he muttered away to himself: "Thank God, I enjoy the honor of being the fool; for only the king and the fool have the privilege of being able to enter unannounced every room, even the queen's."Catharine was alone in her boudoir, when the small door, through which the king was accustomed to resort to her, was softly opened.
"Oh, the king is coming!" said she, walking to the door to greet her husband.
"Yes, the king is coming, for the fool is already here," said John Heywood, who entered through the private door. "Are we alone, queen?
Does nobody overhear us?"
"No, John Heywood, we are all alone. What do you bring me?""A letter, queen.""From whom?" asked she, and a glowing crimson flitted over her cheek.
"From whom?" repeated John Heywood, with a waggish smile. "I do not know, queen; but at any rate it is a begging letter; and without doubt you would do well not to read it at all; for I bet you, the shameless writer of this letter demands of you some impossibility--it may be a smile, or a pressure of the hand, a lock of your hair, or perchance even a kiss. So, queen, do not read the begging letter at all.""John," said she, smiling, and yet trembling with impatience, "John, give me the letter.""I will sell it to you, queen. I have learned that from the king, who likewise gives nothing away generously, without taking in return more than he gives. So let us trade. I give you the letter; you give me the rosette which you wear on your shoulder there.""Nay, indeed, John; choose something else--I cannot give you the rosette.""And by the gods be it sworn!" exclaimed John, with comic pathos, "Igive you not the letter, if you do not give me the rosette.""Silly loon," said the queen, "I tell you I cannot! Choose something else, John; and I conjure you, dear John, give me the letter.""Then only, when you give me the rosette. I have sworn it by the gods, and what I vow to them, that I stick to! No, no, queen--not those sullen airs, not that angry frown. For if I cannot in earnest receive the rosette as a present, then let us do like the Jesuits and papists, who even trade with the dear God, and snap their fingers at Him. I must keep my oath! I give you the letter, and you give me the rosette; but listen--you only lend it to me; and when Ihave it in my hand a moment, I am generous and bountiful, like the king, and I make you a present of your own property."With a quick motion the queen tore the rosette from her shoulder, and handed it to John Heywood.
"Now give me the letter, John."
"Here it is," said John Heywood as he received the rosette. "Take it; and you will see that Thomas Seymour is my brother.""Your brother?" asked Catharine with a smile, as with trembling hand she broke the seal.
"Yes, my brother, for he is a fool! Ah, I have a great many brothers. The family of fools is so very large!"The queen no longer heard. She was reading the letter of her lover.
She had eyes only for those lines, that told her that Thomas Seymour loved her, adored her, and was pining away with longing after her.
She did not see how John Heywood, with nimble hand, unfastened the diamond clasp from the rosette, and took out of it the little paper that was concealed in the folds of the ribbon.
