"Thousand devils, thou infernal, lying pot-house brawler--" and Cedric
glared fiercely upon her and bent forward, his hand falling upon his
sword-hilt; then he grew red at his hot action, and looked about to
see if 'twas noticed. "Get thee gone, thou saucy, lisping minx." The
poor thing was well-nigh distraught with fear of this man whose anger
came like a thunderbolt, and she fell heavy upon the lackey who
conducted her forth. She slipped through the corridors like a fast
fleeting shadow, and Janet followed her close and saw her enter a
certain chamber apart where she was met by one of the dancers; and
'twas Lady Constance that threw from her the gipsy attire and put a
bag of gold in the celebrated Babbet's waiting fingers; and with a
warning pressure of finger-on-lip, she came forth and fled to her own
grand apartments, and Janet watched until the latch clicked upon this
great mistress of beauty, title, wealth and virtue.




CHAPTER VI

JANET'S PHILOSOPHY


"This world of ours hangs midway 'twixt zenith and nadir: the superior
and inferior: the positive and negative; and 'tis a pertinent thought
that susceptible human nature takes on the characteristic of the one
or the other. One is away up in zenithdom or away down in nadirdom,
one is not content to go along the halfway place and see the good that
lies ever before them. But, again, there are natures that are not