As Talbots, the Bridgefield family were spectators of the wedding,
after which, one by one, the seneschal paired them off. Richard was
called away first, then a huge old Yorkshire knight came and bore
away Mrs. Susan, and after an interval, during which the young people
entertained hopes of keeping together in enviable obscurity, the
following summons to the board was heard in a loud voice--

"Master Antony Babington, Esquire, of Dethick; Mistress Cicely
Talbot, of Bridgefield."

Humfrey's brow grew dark with disappointment, but cleared into a
friendly greeting, as there advanced a tall, slender gentleman, of
the well-known fair, pink and white colouring, and yellow hair,
apparelled point device in dark green velvet, with a full delicately
crimped ruff, bowing low as he extended his hand to take that of the
young lady, exchanging at the same time a friendly greeting with his
old comrade, before leading Cis to her place.

On the whole, she was pleased. Tete-a-tetes with Humfrey were
dreadfully embarrassing, and she felt life so flat without her
nocturnal romance that she was very glad to have some one who would
care to talk to her of the Queen. In point of fact, such
conversation was prohibited. In the former days, when there had been
much more intercourse between the Earl's household and the
neighbourhood, regular cautions had been given to every member of it
not to discuss the prisoner or make any communication about her
habits. The younger generation who had grown up in the time of the
closer captivity had never been instructed in these laws, for the
simple reason that they hardly saw any one. Antony and Cicely were
likewise most comfortably isolated, for she was flanked by a young