"Now she 's my wife."
"You'll find that the Court of High Commission will not agree with
you."
My rapier lay across my knees, and I ran my hand down its worn
scabbard. "Here 's one that agrees with me," I said. "And up there
is Another," and I lifted my hat.
He stared. "God and my good sword!" he cried. "A very knightly
dependence, but not to be mentioned nowadays in the same breath
with gold and the King's favor. Better bend to the storm, man; sing
low while it roars past. You can swear that you did n't know her to
be of finer weave than dowlas. Oh, they'll call it in some sort a
marriage, for the lady's own sake; but they'll find flaws enough to
crack a thousand such mad matches. The divorce is the thing!
There's precedent, you know. A fair lady was parted from a brave
man not a thousand years ago, because a favorite wanted her. True,
Frances Howard wanted the favorite, whilst this beauty of yours" -
"You will please not couple the name of my wife with the name of
that adulteress!" I interrupted fiercely.
He started; then cried out somewhat hurriedly: "No offense, no
offense! I meant no comparisons; comparisons are odorous, saith
Dogberry. All at court know the Lady Jocelyn Leigh for a very
Britomart, a maid as cold as Dian!"
I rose, and began to pace up and down the bit of green before the
door.
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