Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rewards and Fairies
acting, but in a softer voice. ‘All this while—hark to it—the ons awfully—thus! They come up for judgement. Their lives
wind blows through Brickwall Oak, the music plays, and, and estates lie at her mercy whom they have doubly offended,
with the company’s eyes upon her, the Queen of England both as Queen and woman. But la! what will not foolish
must think what this means. She cannot remember the name young men do for a beautiful maid?’
of Pedro de Avila, nor what he did to the Huguenots, nor ‘Why? What did she do? What had they done?’ said Una.
when, nor where. She can only see darkly some dark motion ‘Hsh! You mar the play! Gloriana had guessed the cause of
moving in Philip’s dark mind, for he hath never written be- the trouble. They were handsome lads. So she frowns a while
fore in this fashion. She must smile above the letter as though and tells ‘em not to be bigger fools than their mothers had
it were good news from her ministers—the smile that tires made ‘em, and warns ‘em, if they do not kiss and be friends
the mouth and the poor heart. What shall she do?’ Again her on the instant, she’ll have Chris Hatton horse and birch ‘em
voice changed.
in the style of the new school at Harrow. (Chris looks sour at
‘You are to fancy that the music of a sudden wavers away. that.) Lastly, because she needed time to think on Philip’s
Chris Hatton, Captain of her bodyguard, quits the table all letter burning in her pocket, she signifies her pleasure to dance
red and ruffled, and Gloriana’s virgin ear catches the clash of with ‘em and teach ‘em better manners. Whereat the revived
swords at work behind a wall. The mothers of Sussex look company call down Heaven’s blessing on her gracious head;
round to count their chicks—I mean those young gamecocks Chris and the others prepare Brickwall House for a dance;
that waited on her. Two dainty youths have stepped aside and she walks in the clipped garden between those two lovely
into Brickwall garden with rapier and dagger on a private point young sinners who are both ready to sink for shame. They
of honour. They are haled out through the gate, disarmed confess their fault. It appears that midway in the banquet the
and glaring—the lively image of a brace of young Cupids elder—they were cousins—conceived that the Queen looked
transformed into pale, panting Cains. Ahem! Gloriana beck- upon him with special favour. The younger, taking the look
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