follow, can hardly be so for these ladies.”
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Madame glanced at the Comte de Guiche, and perceived that
his face was burning with confusion. This look had escaped
Buckingham, who had eyes for nothing but Norfolk, of whom he
was evidently very jealous; he seemed anxious to remove the
princesses from the deck of a vessel where the admiral
reigned supreme. “In that case,” returned Buckingham, “I
appeal to Madame herself.”
“And I, my lord,” retorted the admiral, “I appeal to my own
conscience, and to my own sense of responsibility. I have
undertaken to convey Madame safe and sound to France, and I
shall keep my promise.”
“But sir —- ” continued Buckingham.
“My lord, permit me to remind you that I command here.”
“Are you aware what you are saying, my lord?” replied
Buckingham, haughtily.
“Perfectly so; I therefore repeat it: I alone command here,
all yield obedience to me; the sea and the winds, the ships
and men too.” This remark was made in a dignified and
authoritative manner. Raoul observed its effect upon
Buckingham, who trembled with anger from head to foot, and
leaned against one of the poles of the tent to prevent
himself falling; his eyes became suffused with blood, and
the hand which he did not need for his support wandered
towards the hilt of his sword.
“My lord,” said the queen, “permit me to observe that I
agree in every particular with the Duke of Norfolk; if the
heavens, instead of being clouded as they are at the present
moment, were perfectly serene and propitious, we can still
afford to bestow a few hours upon the officer who has
conducted us so successfully, and with such extreme
attention, to the French coast, where he is to take leave of
us.”
Buckingham, instead of replying, seemed to seek counsel from
the expression of Madame’s face. She, however,
half-concealed beneath the thick curtains of the velvet and
gold which sheltered her, had not listened to the
discussion, having been occupied in watching the Comte de
Guiche, who was conversing with Raoul. This was a fresh
misfortune for Buckingham, who fancied he perceived in
Madame Henrietta’s look a deeper feeling than that of
curiosity. He withdrew, almost tottering in his gait, and
nearly stumbled against the mainmast of the ship.
“The duke has not acquired a steady footing yet,” said the
queen-mother, in French, “and that may possibly be his
reason for wishing to find himself on firm land again.”
The young man overheard this remark, turned suddenly pale,
and, letting his hands fall in great discouragement by his
side, drew aside, mingling in one sigh his old affection and
his new hatreds. The admiral, however, without taking any
further notice of the duke’s ill-humor, led the princesses
into the quarter-deck cabin, where dinner had been served
with a magnificence worthy in every respect of his guests.
The admiral seated himself at the right hand of the
princess, and placed the Comte de Guiche on her left. This
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was the place Buckingham usually occupied; and when he
entered the cabin, how profound was his unhappiness to see
himself banished by etiquette from the presence of his
sovereign, to a position inferior to that which, by rank, he
was entitled to. De Guiche, on the other hand, paler still
perhaps from happiness, than his rival was from anger,
seated himself tremblingly next the princess, whose silken
robe, as it lightly touched him, caused a tremor of mingled
regret and happiness to pass through his whole frame. The
repast finished, Buckingham darted forward to hand Madame
Henrietta from the table; but this time it was De Guiche’s
turn to give the duke a lesson. “Have the goodness, my lord,
from this moment,” said he, “not to interpose between her
royal highness and myself. From this moment, indeed, her
royal highness belongs to France, and when she deigns to
honor me by touching my hand it is the hand of Monsieur, the
brother of the king of France, she touches.”
And saying this, he presented his hand to Madame Henrietta
with such marked deference, and at the same time with a