When Knighthood Was in Flower

by Charles Major

  _CHAPTER XV_

  _To Make a Man of Her_

  So it was all arranged, and I converted part of Mary's jewels intomoney. She said she was sorry now she had not taken de Longueville'sdiamonds, as they would have added to her treasure; I, however,procured quite a large sum, to which I secretly added a goodly portionout of my own store. At Mary's request I sent part to Bradhurst atBristol, and retained the rest for Brandon to take with him.

  A favorable answer soon came from Bristol, giving the young nobleman aseparate room in consideration of the large purse he had sent.

  The next step was to procure the gentleman's wardrobe for Mary. Thiswas a little troublesome at first, for, of course, she could not bemeasured in the regular way. We managed to overcome this difficulty byhaving Jane take the measurements under instructions received from thetailor, which measurements, together with the cloth, I took to thefractional little man who did my work.

  He looked at the measurements with twinkling eyes, and remarked: "SirEdwin, that be the curiousest shaped man ever I see the measures of.Sure it would make a mighty handsome woman, or I know nothing of humandimensions."

  "Never you mind about dimensions; make the garments as they areordered and keep your mouth shut, if you know what is to yourinterest. Do you hear?"

  He delivered himself of a labored wink. "I do hear and understand,too, and my tongue is like the tongue of an obelisk."

  In due time I brought the suits to Mary, and they were soon adjustedto her liking.

  The days passed rapidly, till it was a matter of less than a fortnightuntil the Royal Hind would sail, and it really looked as if theadventure might turn out to our desire.

  Jane was in tribulation, and thought she ought to be taken along.This, you may be sure, was touching me very closely, and I began towish the whole infernal mess at the bottom of the sea. If Jane went,his august majesty, King Henry VIII, would be without a Master of theDance, just as sure as the stars twinkled in the firmament. It was,however, soon decided that Brandon would have his hands more than fullto get off with one woman, and that two would surely spoil the plan.So Jane was to be left behind, full of tribulation and indignation,firmly convinced that she was being treated very badly.

  Although at first Jane was violently opposed to the scheme, she sooncaught the contagious ardor of Mary's enthusiasm, and knowing that herdear lady's every chance of happiness was staked upon the throw, grewmore reconciled. To a person of Jane's age, this venture for loveoffers itself as the last and only cast--the cast for all--and in thisparticular case there was enough of romance to catch the fancy of anygirl. Nothing was lacking to make it truly romantic. The exaltedstation of at least one of the lovers; the rough road of their truelove; the elopement, and, above all, the elopement to a new world,with a cosy hut nestling in fragrant shades and glad with the notes oflove from the throats of countless song-birds--what more could aromantic girl desire? So, to my surprise, Jane became more thanreconciled, and her fever of anticipation and excitement grew apacewith Mary's as the time drew on.

  Mary's vanity was delighted with her elopement _trousseau_, for ofcourse it was of the finest. Not that the quality was better than herusual wear, but doublet and hose were so different on her. She paradedfor an hour or so before Jane, and as she became accustomed to the newgarb, and as the steel reflected a most beautiful image, shedetermined to show herself to Brandon and me. She said she wanted tobecome accustomed to being seen in her doublet and hose, and wouldbegin with us. She thought if she could not bear our gaze she wouldsurely make a dismal failure on shipboard among so many strange men.There was some good reasoning in this, and it, together with hervanity, overruled her modesty, and prompted her to come to see us inher character of young nobleman. Jane made one of her mightyprotests, so infinitely disproportionate in size to her littleladyship, but the self-willed princess would not listen to her, andwas for coming alone if Jane would not come with her. Once havingdetermined, as usual with her, she wasted no time about it, butthrowing a long cloak over her shoulders, started for our rooms, withangry, weeping, protesting Jane at her heels.

  When I heard the knock I was sure it was the girls, for though Maryhad promised Brandon she would not, under any circumstances, attemptanother visit, I knew so well her utter inability to combat herdesire, and her reckless disregard of danger where there was a motivesufficient to furnish the nerve tension, that I was sure she wouldcome, or try to come, again.

  I have spoken before about the quality of bravery. What is it, afterall, and how can we analyze it? Women, we say, are cowardly, but Ihave seen a woman take a risk that the bravest man's nerve would turnon edge against. How is it? Can it be possible that they are braverthan we? That our bravery is of the vaunting kind that telleth ofitself? My answer, made up from a long life of observation, is: "Yes!Given the motive, and women are the bravest creatures on earth." Yethow foolishly timid they are at times!

  I admitted the girls, and when the door was shut Mary unclasped thebrooch at her throat and the great cloak fell to her heels. Out shestepped, with a little laugh of delight, clothed in doublet, hose andconfusion, the prettiest picture mortal eyes ever rested on. Her hat,something on the broad, flat style with a single white plumeencircling the crown, was of purple velvet trimmed in gold braid andtouched here and there with precious stones. Her doublet was of thesame purple velvet as her hat, trimmed in lace and gold braid. Hershort trunks were of heavy black silk slashed by yellow satin, withhose of lavender silk; and her little shoes were of russet Frenchleather. Quite a rainbow, you will say--but such a rainbow!

  Brandon and I were struck dumb with admiration and could not keep fromshowing it. This disconcerted the girl, and increased herembarrassment until we could not tell which was the prettiest--thegarments, the girl or the confusion; but this I know, the wholepicture was as sweet and beautiful as the eyes of man could behold.

  Fine feathers will not make fine birds, and Mary's masculine attirecould no more make her look like a man than harness can disguise thegraces of a gazelle. Nothing could conceal her intense, exquisitewomanhood. With our looks of astonishment and admiration Mary'sblushes deepened.

  "What is the matter? Is anything wrong?" she asked.

  "Nothing is wrong," answered Brandon, smiling in spite of himself;"nothing on earth is wrong with you, you may be sure. You areperfect--that is, for a woman; and one who thinks there is anythingwrong about a perfect woman is hard to please. But if you flatteryourself that you, in any way, resemble a man, or that your dress inthe faintest degree conceals your sex, you are mistaken. It makes itonly more apparent."

  "How can that be?" asked Mary, in comical tribulation; "is not this aman's doublet and hose, and this hat--is it not a man's hat? They areall for a man; then why do I not look like one, I ask? Tell me what iswrong. Oh! I thought I looked just like a man; I thought the disguisewas perfect."

  "Well," returned Brandon, "if you will permit me to say so, you areentirely too symmetrical and shapely ever to pass for a man."

  The flaming color was in her cheeks, as Brandon went on: "Your feetare too small, even for a boy's feet. I don't think you could be madeto look like a man if you worked from now till doomsday."

  Brandon spoke in a troubled tone, for he was beginning to see inMary's perfect and irrepressible womanhood an insurmountabledifficulty right across his path.

  "As to your feet, you might find larger shoes, or, better still,jack-boots; and, as to your hose, you might wear longer trunks, butwhat to do about the doublet I am sure I do not know."

  Mary looked up helpless and forlorn, and the hot face went into herbended elbow as a realization of the situation seemed to dawn uponher.

  "Oh! I wish I had not come. But I wanted to grow accustomed so that Icould wear them before others. I believe I could bear it more easilywith any one else. I did not think of it in that way," and shesnatched her cloak from where it had fallen on the floor and threw itaround her.

  "What way, Mary?" asked Brandon gently, and receiving no answer
. "Butyou will have to bear my looking at you all the time if you go withme."

  "I don't believe I can do it."

  "No, no," answered he, bravely attempting cheerfulness; "we may aswell give it up. I have had no hope from the first. I knew it couldnot be done, and it should not. I was both insane and criminal tothink of permitting you to try it."

  Brandon's forced cheerfulness died out with his words, and he sankinto a chair with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.Mary ran to him at once. There had been a little moment of faltering,but there was no real surrender in her.

  Dropping on her knee beside him, she said coaxingly: "Don't give up;you are a man; you must not surrender, and let me, a girl, prove thestronger. Shame upon you when I look up to you so much and expect youto help me be brave. I will go. I will arrange myself in some way. Oh!why am I not different; I wish I were as straight as the queen," andfor that first time in her life she bewailed her beauty, because itstood between her and Brandon.

  She soon coaxed him out of his despondency, and we began again to planthe matter in detail.

  The girls sat on Brandon's cloak and he and I on the camp-stool and abox.

  Mary's time was well occupied in vain attempts to keep herself coveredwith the cloak, which seemed to have a right good will toward Brandonand me, but she kept track of our plans, which, in brief, were asfollows: As to her costume, we would substitute long trunks andjack-boots for shoes and hose, and as to doublet, Mary laughed andblushingly said she had a plan which she would secretly impart toJane, but would not tell us. She whispered it to Jane, who, as seriousas the Lord Chancellor, gave judgment, and "thought it would do." Wehoped so, but were full of doubts.

  This is all tame enough to write and read about, but I can tell you itwas sufficiently exciting at the time. Three of us at least wereplaying with that comical old fellow, Death, and he gave the gameinterest and point to our hearts' content.

  Through the thick time-layers of all these years, I can still see thegroup as we sat there, haloed by a hazy cloud of tear-mist. Thefigures rise before my eyes, so young and fair and rich in life andyet so pathetic in their troubled earnestness that a great flood ofpity wells up in my heart for the poor young souls, so danger-boundand suffering, and withal so daring and so recklessly confident in themight and right of love, and the omnipotence of youth. Ah! If God hadseen fit in his infinite wisdom to save just one treasure from thewreck of Eden, what a race of thankful hearts this earth would bear,had he saved us youth alone therewith to compensate us for every otherill.

  As to the elopement, it was determined that Brandon should leaveLondon the following day for Bristol, and make all arrangements alongthe line. He would carry with him two bundles, his own and Mary'sclothing, and leave them to be taken up when they should goa-shipboard. Eight horses would be procured; four to be left as arelay at an inn between Berkeley Castle and Bristol, and four to bekept at the rendezvous some two leagues the other side of Berkeley forthe use of Brandon, Mary and the two men from Bristol who were to actas an escort on the eventful night. There was one disagreeable littlefeature that we could not provide against nor entirely eliminate. Itwas the fact that Jane and I should be suspected as accomplices beforethe fact of Mary's elopement; and, as you know, to assist in theabduction of a princess is treason--for which there is but one remedy.I thought I had a plan to keep ourselves safe if I could only stiflefor the once Jane's troublesome and vigorous tendency to preach thetruth to all people, upon all subjects and at all times and places.She promised to tell the story I would drill into her, but I knew thetruth would seep out in a thousand ways. She could no more hold itthan a sieve can hold water. We were playing for great stakes, which,if I do say it, none but the bravest hearts, bold and daring as thetruest knights of chivalry, would think of trying for. Nothing lessthan the running away with the first princess of the first blood royalof the world. Think of it! It appalls me even now. Discovery meantdeath to one of us surely--Brandon; possibly to two others--Jane andme; certainly, if Jane's truthfulness should become unmanageable, asit was so apt to do.

  After we had settled everything we could think of, the girls tooktheir leave; Mary slyly kissing Brandon at the door. I tried to induceJane to follow her lady's example, but she was as cool and distant asthe new moon.

  I saw Jane again that night and told her in plain terms what I thoughtof her treatment of me. I told her it was selfish and unkind to takeadvantage of my love for her and treat me so cruelly. I told her thatif she had one drop of generous blood she would tell me of her love,if she had any, or let me know it in some way; and if she carednothing for me she was equally bound to be honest and tell me plainly,so that I should not waste my time and energy in a hopeless cause. Ithought it rather clever in me to force her into a position where herrefusal to tell me that she did not care for me would drive her to ahalf avowal. Of course, I had little fear of the former, or perhaps Ishould not have been so anxious to precipitate the issue.

  She did not answer me directly, but said: "From the way you looked atMary to-day, I was led to think you cared little for any other girl'sopinion."

  "Ah! Mistress Jane!" cried I joyfully; "I have you at last; you arejealous."

  "I give you to understand, sir, that your vanity has led you into agreat mistake."

  "As to your caring for me, or your jealousy? Which?" I askedseriously. Adroit, wasn't that?

  "As to the jealousy, Edwin. There, now; I think that is saying a gooddeal. Too much," she said pleadingly; but I got something more beforeshe left, even if it was against her will; something that made italmost impossible for me to hold my feet to the ground.

  Jane pouted, gave me a sharp little slap and then ran away, but at thedoor she turned and threw back a rare smile that was priceless to me;for it told me she was not angry; and furthermore shed an illuminatingray upon a fact which I was blind not to have seen long before; thatis, that Jane was one of those girls who must be captured _vi etarmis_.

  Some women cannot be captured at all; they must give themselves; ofthis class pre-eminently was Mary. Others again will meet you half wayand kindly lend a helping hand; while some, like Jane, are always onthe run, and are captured only by pursuit. They are usually well worththe trouble though, and make docile captives. After that smile fromthe door I felt that Jane was mine; all I had to do was to keep offoutside enemies, charge upon her defenses when the times were ripe andaccept nothing short of her own sweet self as ransom.

  The next day Brandon paid his respects to the king and queen, made hisadieus to his friends and rode off alone to Bristol. You may be surethe king showed no signs of undue grief at his departure.