"
He left my lord, and came over to me. "Since when have you been
upon my Lord Warwick's side, Ralph Percy?" he demanded,
lowering his voice.
"I am not so," I said.
"Then appearances are mightily deceitful," he retorted.
"I know what you mean, Sir George," I answered. "I know that if
the King's darling should meet death or maiming in this fashion,
upon Virginian soil, the Company, already so out of favor, might
find some difficulty in explaining things to his Majesty's
satisfaction. But I think my Lord Southampton and Sir Edwyn
Sandys and Sir George Yeardley equal to the task, especially if
they are able to deliver to his Majesty the man whom his Majesty
will doubtless consider the true and only rebel and murderer. Let
us fight it out, sir. You can all retire to a distance and remain in
profound ignorance of any such affair. If I fall, you have nothing to
fear. If he falls, - why, I shall not run away, and the Due Return
sails to-morrow."
He eyed me closely from under frowning brows.
"And when your wife's a widow, what then?" he asked abruptly.
I have not known many better men than this simple,
straightforward, soldierly Governor. The manliness of his
character begot trust, invited confidence. Men told him of their
hidden troubles almost against their will, and afterward felt neither
shame nor fear, knowing the simplicity of his thoughts and the
reticence of his speech.
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