Come to your couch, king, and I will lull your ear to
sleep with the sayings of my wisdom, and enliven your soul with the
manna of my learning."
While John Heywood thus spoke, it did not escape him that the
features of the earl suddenly clouded and a dark frown settled on
his brow.
"Spare your wisdom for to-day, John," said the king; "for you would
indeed be preaching only to deaf ears. I am tired, and I require not
your erudition, but sleep. Good-night, John."
The king left the hall, leaning on Earl Douglas's arm.
"Earl Douglas does not wish me to accompany the king," whispered
John Heywood. "He is afraid the king might blab out to me a little
of that diabolical work which they will commence at midnight. Well,
I call the devil, as well as the king, my brother, and with his help
I too will be in the green-room at midnight. Ah, the queen is
retiring; and there is the Duke of Norfolk leaving the hall. I have
a slight longing to see whether the duke goes hence luckily and
without danger, or if the soldiers who stand near the coach, as
Wriothesley says, will perchance be the duke's bodyguard for this
night."
Slipping out of the hall with the quickness of a cat, John Heywood
passed the duke in the anteroom and hurried on to the outer gateway,
before which the carriages were drawn up.
John Heywood leaned against a pillar and watched. A few minutes, and
the duke's tall and proud form appeared in the entrance-hall; and
the footman, hurrying forward, called his carriage.
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