"
Her words and manner caused me uneasiness in two respects: first, it led
me to fear that she loved Hamilton; and second, in view of the rumors I
had heard connecting his name with Roger Wentworth's death, it flashed
upon me that possibly he was the man she had recognized by the light of
Noah's lanthorn. Either of these surmises, if true, was enough to mar my
peace of mind, but together they brought me trouble indeed.
I had come to look for a speedy accomplishment of my cousin's good
fortune, and also to regard Hamilton as my dearest friend among men.
Still I was helpless to remedy these evils if they really existed. What I
did at the time was to insist, first, that Frances regain her senses as
soon as possible, and second, that she say nothing of her intention to
leave Whitehall for at least ten days. To my first request she replied
that she had never been so completely in possession of her senses as at
that present moment, and my second, she positively refused to consider.
The best of women want their way, at least in part, so I said, "I abandon
my first request as unreasonable."
She looked up to me, hardly knowing whether to laugh or to frown, but she
chose the former, and I continued, "And as to my second suggestion, I
amend it to, say, five or six days."
"Three!" she insisted. So we let it stand at that, each with a sense of
triumph.
We returned to the palace, and soon I had an opportunity to ask the king
for a word privately.
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