第44章

"My Lord of Gloucester, you have been tried by a council of your fellow-peers, presided over by her royal self, and found guilty of high treason.Your sentence is that you be taken hence, immediately, to the block, and there be beheaded, in punishment of your crime."His highness wound up this somewhat solemn speech, rather inconsistently, bursting out into one of his shrillest peals of laughter; and the miserable Earl of Gloucester, with a gasping, unearthly cry, fell back in the arms of the attendants.Dead and oppressive silence reigned; and Sir Norman, who half believed all along the whole thing was a farce, began to feel an uncomfortable sense of chill creeping over him, and to think that, though practical jokes were excellent things in their way, there was yet a possibility of carrying them a little too far.The disagreeable silence was first broken by the dwarf, who, after gloating for a moment over his victim's convulsive spasms, sprang nimbly from his chair of dignity and held out his arm for the queen.The queen arose, which seemed to be a sign for everybody else to do the same, and all began forming themselves in a sort of line of march.

"Whist is to be done with this other prisoner, your highness?"inquired the duke, making a poke with his forefinger at Sir Norman."Is he to stay here, or is he to accompany us?"His highness turned round, and putting his face close up to Sir Norman's favored him with a malignant grin.

"You'd like to come, wouldn't you, my dear young friend?""Really," said Sir Norman, drawing back and returning the dwarf's stare with compound interest, "that depends altogether on the nature of the entertainment; but, at the same time, I'm much obliged to you for consulting my inclinations."This reply nearly overset his highness's gravity once more, but he checked his mirth after the first irresistible squeal; and finding the company were all arranged in the order of going, and awaiting his sovereign pleasure, he turned.

"Let him come," he said, with his countenance still distorted by inward merriment; "It will do him good to see how we punish offenders here, and teach him what he is to expect himself.Is your majesty ready?""My majesty has been ready and waiting for the last five minutes," replied the lady, over-looking his proffered hand with grand disdain, and stepping lightly down from her throne.

Her rising was the signal for the unseen band to strike up a grand triumphant "Io paean," though, had the "Rogue's March" been a popular melody in those times, it would have suited the procession much more admirably.The queen and the dwarf went first, and a vivid contrast they were - she so young, so beautiful, so proud, so disdainfully cold; he so ugly, so stunted, so deformed, so fiendish.After them went the band of sylphs in white, then the chancellor, archbishop, and embassadors; next the whole court of ladies and gentlemen; and after them Sir Norman, in the custody of two of the soldiers.