He had no sooner uttered these words than, by a sudden jerk, disengaging his tunic from the Count's grasp, he retreated with a quick step through the thicket, and soon arrived at the postern, which he found, as he had left it, open. CHAPTER XIX. THE King being one morning, during Robert's absence, in the apartments of Inez, she adroitly contrived to turn the conversation to a certain gem of great value, of which Philip had a short time before made her a present. "Ah, true," he said, " 'tis well thought of, Inez: I'm glad thou hast thus minded me on't. It was but yesternight that I was thinking of that gem, and it hath ever since scaped my mind till now. Fetch it, Inez, I want to look at it; there is a trifling change which I would fain have made in the workmanship." "I have it there locked up in my casket," replied Inez, rising from her seat, and going towards that part of the room where it was. "Please you, my Lord, wait but a moment, and I will give it you." Notwithstanding Inez's humble prayer that the King would remain where he was, he nevertheless followed her to her toilet table, on which the jewel case was standing. "Here it is," she said, unlocking the box: and then, returning to her seat,—without apparently noticing the King, who staid to tumble over the other things within the case,— she seemed to have all her attention taken up with admiring the beauty of the stone, and the fashion in which it was set. It was, indeed, a remarkably fine gem-a topaz of great lustre and transparency, which had been set in curiously wrought gold, so as to serve as an ornament for the hair, or to be worn around the neck. Inez's thoughts seemed to be entirely absolved in the contemplation of this piece of finery, and of the effect which it would have upon her person, and her person upon it; sometimes she fastened it in her hair, then loosening it again, attached it, by means of a slight gold chain, around her neck: each time looking at herself in the mirror, and at each time seeming very much delighted at the figure she made. As she was thus occupied, and not apparently in the slightest degree attending to the King, or thinking of what he was doing in thus rummaging her jewel box: where also, as a place of greatest safety, she kept some letters and other papers: a sudden thought seemed to strike her, and, as if recollecting herself, she started up hastily, and rushing towards him, held back his arm, and closed his hand upon a scroll of paper on which it had at that very point of time chanced to light, and which he was drawing forth from between the trays of the casket. "Oh, Sire!" she exclaimed, in great agitation of voice and manner,-" Pardon !-I did forget myself,-please your Grace to lay down. that scroll, it may not-indeed it may notmust not meet your Grace's eyes "And wherefore so, my gentle Inez, my pretty pet,-what meanest thou? Why may I not behold it,-hast thou then ought in thy possession which thou wouldst withhold from me? It is some pretty poesy," he continued, playfully evading her attempts to get it from him. "It is some poesy of thine own writing, I'll engage, and thou art silly enough to be ashamed of it." By this time Philip had disengaged his arm from her grasp,-which was not indeed very forcible; and had begun to look at the superscription; the appearance of it at the first glance startled him.” -- "How! 'tis an epistle then-and to thee!" Inez sank her head upon her bosom, and dropping both her arms, stood mutely with her hands clasped before her. The King unfolded the paper, and glanced over its contents; he lifted his eyes upon herthey were inflamed with anger. "Inez! why-thou false one!—what is this?-Faithless-perjured-cankered creature-whence is this?" |