Let him at any rate become the husband
of the princess; perhaps this would be the surest means of freeing
the queen from her unfortunate love."
He was silent, and still gazed up thoughtfully at the sky. "Yes,"
said he then, quite cheerfully, "thus shall it be. I will combat the
one love with the other. For the queen to love him, is dangerous. I
will therefore so conduct matters that she must hate him. I will
remain her confidant. I will receive her letters and her
commissions, but I will burn her letters and not execute her
commissions. I am not at liberty to tell her that the faithless
Thomas Seymour is false to her, for I have solemnly pledged my word
to the princess never to breathe her secret to any one; and I will
and must keep my word. Smile and love, then; dream on thy sweet
dream of love, queen; I wake for thee; I will cause the dark cloud
resting on thee to pass by. It may, perhaps, touch thine heart; but
thy noble and beautiful head--that at least it shall not be allowed
to crush; that--"
"Now, then, what are you staring up at the sky for, as if you read
there a new epigram with which to make the king laugh, and the
parsons rave?" asked a voice near him; and a hand was laid heavily
on his shoulder.
John Heywood did not look round at all; he remained in the same
attitude, gazing up steadily at the sky. He had very readily
recognized the voice of him who had addressed him; he knew very well
that he who stood near him was no other than the bold sorcerer whom
he was just then cursing at the bottom of his heart; no other than
Thomas Seymour, Earl of Sudley.
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