The humour of the thing rushed upon the Queen. Never before were two such naive folk at court. There was not a hair of duplicity in the heads of the two, and she judged them well in her mind. "I will see you stand together--you and your henchman," she said to Rozel, and moved on to the antechapel, the Court following. Standing still just inside the doorway, she motioned Buonespoir to come near. The pirate, unconfused, undismayed, with his wide blue asking eyes, came forward and dropped upon his knees. Elizabeth motioned Lempriere to stand a little apart. Thereupon she set a few questions to Buonespoir, whose replies, truthfully given, showed that he had no real estimate of his crimes, and was indifferent to what might be their penalties. He had no moral sense on the one hand, on the other, no fear. Suddenly she turned to Lempriere again. "You came, then, to speak for this Michel de la Foret, the exile--?" "And for the demoiselle Angele Aubert, who loves him, your Majesty." "I sent for this gentleman exile a fortnight ago--" She turned towards Leicester inquiringly. "I have the papers here, your Majesty," said Leicester, and gave a packet over. "And where have you De la Foret?" said Elizabeth. "In durance, your Majesty." "When came he hither?" "Three days gone," answered Leicester, a little gloomily, for there was acerbity in Elizabeth's voice. Elizabeth seemed about to speak, then dropped her eyes upon the papers, and glanced hastily at their contents. "You will have this Michel de la Foret brought to my presence as fast as horse can bring him, my Lord," she said to Leicester. "This rascal of the sea--Buonespoir--you will have safe bestowed till I recall his existence again," she said to a captain of men-at-arms; "and you, Monsieur of Rozel, since you are my butler, will get you to my dining- room, and do your duty--the office is not all perquisites," she added smoothly. She was about to move on, when a thought seemed to strike her, and she added, "This Mademoiselle and her father whom you brought hither- where are they?" "They are even within the palace grounds, your imperial Majesty," answered Lempriere. "You will summon them when I bid you," she said to the Seigneur; "and you shall see that they have comforts and housing as befits their station," she added to the Lord Chamberlain. So did Elizabeth, out of a whimsical humour, set the highest in the land to attend upon unknown, unconsidered exiles. ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: Boldness without rashness, and hope without vain thinking Nothing is futile that is right Religion to him was a dull recreation invented chiefly for women