He protested by all things
holy his total disbelief in the scandalous story, and begged Frances not
to remember what he had said in jealous anger.
"Be careful, my lord. Do not make another mistake," said Frances,
laughing in his face. "I did visit the Old Swan this morning, and the
king told me less than thirty minutes ago that Master Hamilton lives
there. It is said by those who claim to know that he is in France, but
they must be wrong, and I must have seen him. The king says I did, and
he can do no wrong. I neither deny nor affirm, though I fancy that my
real friends will not believe me guilty of the indiscretion."
"I do not believe it," protested Tyrconnel. "I know you are all that is
good."
"Thank you, my lord," returned Frances. "If I am good, I remain so for my
own sake. As for the gossips, they may think what they please, talk about
me to their hearts' content, and go to the devil for his content, if he
can find it in them."
Seeing that Tyrconnel wanted to speak with Frances alone, I drew to a
little distance for the purpose of giving him an opportunity to press his
suit, in which I so heartily wished him success.
It is uphill work making love to a woman whose heart is filled to
overflowing with love of another man, and I was sorry for poor earnest
Tyrconnel as I watched him pleading his case with Frances. He was not a
burning light intellectually, but he entertained a just estimate of
himself and was wise enough not to take any one of the daintily baited
hooks that were dangled before him by some of the fairest anglers in
England.
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