SERIAL STORY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6269, 24 July 1907, Page 2

SERIAL STORY.

FAIR MARGARET. (By H. Ridor Haggard). CHARTER X. HOW FITTER. MET THE SPAR LARD. It was a spring afternoon in the cixth year of tlio reign of Ring Henry VII. of England. There had boon a groat show in London, for that day his Graoo opened the newly convened Parliament, and announced to his faithful people—who received the news with much cheering, since war is over popu. lar at first—his intention. of invading ir-j-auce, and of leading the English armies in person. Ln Parliament itself, it is true, the general enthusiasm was somewhat dashed when allusion was made to the finding of the needful funds; but the crowds without, formed for the most part of persons who could not bo called upon to pay the money, did not suffer that side of the question to trouble, them. So when their gracious liege appeared, surrounded by his glittering escort of nobles and men-at-arms, they threw their caps into the air, and shouted themselves hoarse. The Icing himself, although ho was still young in years, already a wearylooking mar: "with a fine, punched face, smiled a little sarcastically wt their clamour; but, remembering - how glad ho should bo to hear it -who still sat upon a somewhat doubtful throne, said a few Solti words 1 and sending for :wo or three of the leaders of the people, gave thpni his royal hand, and suffered oortain' chi Idron to touch In’s robe that they might bo cured of the Evil. Then, having paused a \vh»lo to receive petitions from poor folk, which lie handed to one of his officers to be read, amidst renewed shouting ho passed on to the great feast that was made ready in his palaoo of W-ostminstor. Among tliose who rode near to him was the ambassador, do Ayala, accredited to the EAglisU Court by the bpanish sovereigns, Ferdinand and Isabella, and his, following of splendidly attired lords and secretaries. That Spam was ir.uch in favour there was evident from his ' placo in the ’ procession/ How could it bo otherwise, indeed, seeing that already, four years or more before, at the ago of twelve months, Prince Arthur,- the eldest son of the kin", had boon .formally affianced to tho Infanta Catherine, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, aged one year and nine months? For in those days it was thought well that the affections of princes and princesses should bo directed early into such paths as, their royal parents and governors considered likely to prove most profitable to themselves. . At tho ambassador's left hand, mount--etl on a line black horse, and dressed richly, but simply, in black velvet, with a cap of the same material in which was fastened a single poarl, rode a tall cavalier. He, wa!s about fivoand-thirty years of age, and very handsome, having piercing .blank eyes and a stern, clean cut face. In every man, it is said,, there can be found a resemblance, often far off and xanciful enough, to some beast or bird or- other creature, and certainly in this case it was not hard to discover. The man resembled an eagle, which, whether by, chance or (design, the crest he bore upon his servants’ livery and the trappings nf his horse. ; The unflinching eyes, the liooked nose,' the air of pride and mastery, the thin, long hand, the quick grace of movement, all suggested that king of birds, suggested -also, as his motto ‘said, that what ho sought ho would find, and what ho found he would keep, Just now he was watching the interview between tho English king, and the leaders of tho crowd-whom his Grace had been pleased to summon, with an air of mingled 'amusement 'and contempt. “You find tho scent strange, Marquis,” said the ambassador, glancing at him - shrewdly. “Sanor, hero in England, if it pleases your Excellency,” ho answered gravely, “Senor d’Aguiilar. The marquis you mentioned lives in Spain—an accredited envoy to tho Moors of Granada; the Senor d’Aguilar, a humble servant of Holy Church,” and he crossed himself, “travels abroad —upon the Church’s business, and that of their Majesties.” “And his own too, sometimes,.! believe,” answered the ambassador drily. “Hut"to be frank, what I do not understand about you, Senor d’Aguilor, as I know that you have abandoned political ambitions, is Kvhy you do not enter my profession, and put on tho black robe onoo and for all. What did I say—black ? With your opportunities and connections it might be red by now, with a hat to match.” The senor d’Aguilar' smiled a little as he replied. “You said, I think, that sometimes I-. travel on by own business. Well, there is your answer. You. are right, I have abandoned worldly ambitions—moat of them. They are troublesome, and for some people, if they be born too 1 high and'yet not altogether rightly, very dangerous. Tho scorn of ambition often grows into an oak from which men hang.” “Or into a log upon which men’s heads can be cut off. Senor, I congratulate you. You have tho wisdom that grasps the substance -and lets the shadows flit.' It ia really very rare.”

“You asked why I do not change the cut of my garments,” went on d’Aguilar, without noticing tlie interruption. “Excellency; to be frank, because of my own business. I have failings like other men. For instance, wealth is that substance of which you spoke, rule is the shadow; ho who has the wealth has the real rule. Again, .bright eyes may draw me, or a hate nihyjseek its slaking, and these things' do hot suit robes, black or red.”

“Yet many such things -have been done by those who wore them,’’ replied the ambassador with meaning. “Ay, Excellency, to the discredit of Holy Church, as you, a priest, know better than most men. Let die earth bo evil as it 1 must; but let the Church bo like heaven above it, xmre, unstained, the vault of prayer, tho house of mercy and of righteous judgment, wherein walks no sinner such as I,” and again ho crossed'himself. There was a ring of earnestness in the speakers voice tihat caused de Ayala, -who knew. something of his private (reputation, to look {at him curiously, “A true fanatic, and therefore to us a useful man,” ho thought to himself,

“though one who knows how to make the best of two worlds as well as most of them”: but aloud he said, “No wonder that her enemies tremble when he lifts her sword. But, Senor, you have not told mo what you think of all this ceremony and people.” “The people 1 know well. Excellency, for I dwelt among tlnkn in past years and spoak their language; and that is why i have loft Granada to look after itself for a while, and am here today, to watch and make report ” Ho checked himself, then added, “Ab for the ceremony, .were I a king 1 would have it otherwise. "Why, in that house just now (those vulgar Commons —for so they call them,, do they not ? almost threatened their royal master when he, humbly craved a tithe of the country’s wealth to fight the country’s ■war. Yes, and I saw him turn pale and tremble at the rough voices, as though their echoes shook his throne. I tell you, Excellency, that the time will oomo in this, land when those Commons will be king. Look now at that follow' whom his Grace holds by tho hand calling him‘siri and ‘master,' and yet whom ho knows to be, as I do, a heretic, a Jew* in disguise, whose sins, if he had his rights, should be purged by fire. Why, to my knowledge, last night that Israelite said things against the Church ”

“\v hereof tho Church, or its servant, doubtless made notes to* bo used when the time comes,” broke in do Ayala. “But the audience is done, and his Highness beckons us forward to tho feast, where there will be no heretics to vox us, and, as it is Lont, not much to cat. Como Senor! for Wo stop the way.”

Three hours had gone by, and the sun sank redly, for even, at that spring season it was cold upon the marshy lands of Westminster, and there was frost in tho air. On the open space opposite to tho ■ banqueting-hall, in front of which were gathered squires and grooms with horses, stood and walked many citizens of London, who, their day’s work done, came to see the king pass by in state. Among these woro a man and a lady, tho latter attended by a handsome young woman, .'who were all three sufficiently striking in appearance to attract some notice ; in the throng. Tho man, a person of ; about thirty years of dressed in a merchants robo of cloth, and wearing a knife in his girdle, seemed over six feet in height, while his companion, in her flowing fur-trimmed cloak, was, for a woman, also of unusual stature. He was-not, strictly spejiking, a handsome ; inan,. being . somewhat too high of-forehead- and prominent of feature; moreover, one of his clean-shaven cheeks, tho right, was marred by ; the long, red scar of a sword-cut which stretched' from the temple to the strong chin. His face, however, was open and manly, .if rather stern, . aiid the grey.,eyes were steady and frank. It was not the, face of a '■merchant,' but •father'that''of one of good degree, accustomed to camps and "war. For the rest, bis figure was well-built and active, and his voice when he spoke, ’which was seldom, clear and distinct to loudness, but cultivated and pleasant—again, not the voice of - a merchant.

Of tiie lady’s figure littlo could be soon because ■ of the long clock that hid it, but the face .which appeared within its hood wheai she turned and the dying sunlight filled her eyes was lovely indeed, for from her birth to her doathday : Margaret Castell—Fair Maragaret, as she was- called—had tliis gift to a degree that is rarely granted to woman. Hounded and flower-like was that face,, most delicately tinted also, with rich and curling lips and a broad, snow-white brow. But thd wonder of it, what distinguished her above everything else from either beautiful , women of her time, was to be found in' her- eyes, for these were not blue or - grey, as might have teen expected from her general colouring, but large, black, and lustrous, soft,. too, as the eyes of a deer, and overhung by curving lashes of an ebon Clack. /The effect of these eyes of hers shining ’ above those tinted cheeks and beneath the brow of ivory whiteness was so strange as to be almost startling. They caught the beholder and held him, as might the sudden sight of a roso in snow, or the morning star hanging 'luminous among the mists of dawn. Also, although they were so gentle and modest, if that beholder chanced to bo a man on the good side of fifty it was often long before he could forget them, especially if - he were to see how well they matched the hair of chestnut, shading into black, that waved above them and fell, tress u lion ‘ tress upon the shapely shoulders and down to the slender waist.

Perter Bronx©,. for ho was so named, looked a little anxiously about him at the crowd, then, turning, addressed Margaret in his strong, clear voice.

“There are rough folk around,” he said; “do you think you should stop hero? Your father might be angered, Cousin.”

Here it may be ©xx>lained that in reality their kinship was of the slight, cst, a more dash of blood that came to her through her mother. Still they called each other thus, since it is a convenient title that may mean much or nothing. , • . “Oh I why not ?” she answered-in her rich, slow.tones, that had in them some foreign quality, something soft and sn'eet aa the caress of a southern wind at night. “With you, Cousin,” and she glanced approvingly at his stalwart, soldier-like form, “I have nothing to fear from men, however rough, and I do greatly want to seo the king close b>% and/so does Betty. Don’t you, Betty?'’ and she turned to her companion. {To be continued To-morrow.)