The Midnight Queen [56]
to sell his life as dearly as possible."
Angry eyes and fierce faces were on every hand, and his dreams of
matrimony and Leoline seemed about to terminate then and there,
when luck came to his side, in the shape of her most gracious
majesty the queen. Springing to her feet, she waved her sceptre,
while her black eyes flashed as fiercely as the best of them, and
her voice rang out like a trumpet-tone.
"Sheathe your swords, my lords, and back every man of you! Not
one hair of his head shall fall without my permission; and the
first who lays hands on him until that consent is given, shall
die, if I have to shoot him myself! Sir Norman Kingsley, stand
near, and fear not. At his peril, let one of them touch you: "
Sir Norman bent on one knee, and raised the gracious hand to his
lips. At the fierce, ringing, imperious tone, all involuntarily
fell back, as if they were accustomed to obey it; and the prince,
who seemed to-night in an uncommonly facetious mood, laughed
again, long and shrill.
"What are your majesty's commands?" asked the discomfited duke,
rather sulkily. "Is this insulting interloper to go free?"
"That is no affair of yours, my lord duke!" answered the spirited
voice of the queen. "Be good enough to finish Lord Gloucester's
trial; and until then I will be responsible for the safekeeping
of Sir Norman Kingsley."
"And after that, he is to go free eh, your majesty?" said the
dwarf, laughing to that extent that he ran the risk of rupturing
an artery.
"After that, it shall be precisely as I please!" replied the
ringing voice; while the black eyes flashed anything but loving
glances upon him. "While I am queen here, I shall be obeyed;
when I am queen no longer, you may do as you please! My lords"
(turning her passionate, beautiful face to the hushed audience),
am I or am I not sovereign here!"
"Madame, you alone are our sovereign lady and queen!"
"Then, when I condescend to command, you shall obey! Do you,
your highness, and you, lord duke, go on with the Earl of
Gloucester's trial, and I will be the stranger's jailer."
"She is right," said the dwarf, his fierce little eyes gleaming
with a malignant light; "let us do one thing before another; and
after we have settled Gloucester here, we will attend to this
man's case. Guards keep a sharp eye on your new prisoner.
Ladies and gentlemen, be good enough to resume your seats. Now,
your grace, continue the trial."
"Where did we leave off?" inquired his grace, looking rather at a
loss, and scowling vengeance dire at the handsome queen and her
handsome protege, as he sank back in his chair of state.
"The earl was confessing his guilt, or about to do so. Pray, my
lord," said the dwarf, glaring upon the pallid prisoner, "were
you not saying you had betrayed us to the king?"
A breathless silence followed the question - everybody seemed to
hold his very breath to listen. Even the queen leaned forward
and awaited the answer eagerly, and the many eyes that had been
riveted on Sir Norman since his entrance, left him now for the
first time and settled on the prisoner. A piteous spectacle that
prisoner was - his face whiter than the snowy nymphs behind the
throne, and so distorted with fear, fury, and guilt, that it
looked scarcely human. Twice he opened his eyes to reply, and
twice all sounds died away in a choking gasp.
"Do you hear his highness?" sharply inquired the lord high
chancellor, reaching over the great seal, and giving the unhappy
Earl of Gloucester a rap on the head with it, "Why do you not
answer?"
"Pardon! Pardon!" exclaimed the earl, in a husky whisper. "Do
not believe the tales they tell you of me. For Heaven's sake,
spare my life!"
"Confess!" thundered the dwarf, striking the table with his
clinched fist, until all the papers thereon jumped spasmodically
into the air-"confess at once, or I shall
Angry eyes and fierce faces were on every hand, and his dreams of
matrimony and Leoline seemed about to terminate then and there,
when luck came to his side, in the shape of her most gracious
majesty the queen. Springing to her feet, she waved her sceptre,
while her black eyes flashed as fiercely as the best of them, and
her voice rang out like a trumpet-tone.
"Sheathe your swords, my lords, and back every man of you! Not
one hair of his head shall fall without my permission; and the
first who lays hands on him until that consent is given, shall
die, if I have to shoot him myself! Sir Norman Kingsley, stand
near, and fear not. At his peril, let one of them touch you: "
Sir Norman bent on one knee, and raised the gracious hand to his
lips. At the fierce, ringing, imperious tone, all involuntarily
fell back, as if they were accustomed to obey it; and the prince,
who seemed to-night in an uncommonly facetious mood, laughed
again, long and shrill.
"What are your majesty's commands?" asked the discomfited duke,
rather sulkily. "Is this insulting interloper to go free?"
"That is no affair of yours, my lord duke!" answered the spirited
voice of the queen. "Be good enough to finish Lord Gloucester's
trial; and until then I will be responsible for the safekeeping
of Sir Norman Kingsley."
"And after that, he is to go free eh, your majesty?" said the
dwarf, laughing to that extent that he ran the risk of rupturing
an artery.
"After that, it shall be precisely as I please!" replied the
ringing voice; while the black eyes flashed anything but loving
glances upon him. "While I am queen here, I shall be obeyed;
when I am queen no longer, you may do as you please! My lords"
(turning her passionate, beautiful face to the hushed audience),
am I or am I not sovereign here!"
"Madame, you alone are our sovereign lady and queen!"
"Then, when I condescend to command, you shall obey! Do you,
your highness, and you, lord duke, go on with the Earl of
Gloucester's trial, and I will be the stranger's jailer."
"She is right," said the dwarf, his fierce little eyes gleaming
with a malignant light; "let us do one thing before another; and
after we have settled Gloucester here, we will attend to this
man's case. Guards keep a sharp eye on your new prisoner.
Ladies and gentlemen, be good enough to resume your seats. Now,
your grace, continue the trial."
"Where did we leave off?" inquired his grace, looking rather at a
loss, and scowling vengeance dire at the handsome queen and her
handsome protege, as he sank back in his chair of state.
"The earl was confessing his guilt, or about to do so. Pray, my
lord," said the dwarf, glaring upon the pallid prisoner, "were
you not saying you had betrayed us to the king?"
A breathless silence followed the question - everybody seemed to
hold his very breath to listen. Even the queen leaned forward
and awaited the answer eagerly, and the many eyes that had been
riveted on Sir Norman since his entrance, left him now for the
first time and settled on the prisoner. A piteous spectacle that
prisoner was - his face whiter than the snowy nymphs behind the
throne, and so distorted with fear, fury, and guilt, that it
looked scarcely human. Twice he opened his eyes to reply, and
twice all sounds died away in a choking gasp.
"Do you hear his highness?" sharply inquired the lord high
chancellor, reaching over the great seal, and giving the unhappy
Earl of Gloucester a rap on the head with it, "Why do you not
answer?"
"Pardon! Pardon!" exclaimed the earl, in a husky whisper. "Do
not believe the tales they tell you of me. For Heaven's sake,
spare my life!"
"Confess!" thundered the dwarf, striking the table with his
clinched fist, until all the papers thereon jumped spasmodically
into the air-"confess at once, or I shall