think of such a thing."

"Oh, no, mother; I am sure it will do us a lot of good. And we may
see the queen, mother. And as for drowning, why, we can both swim
ever so far. Besides, people don't get drowned going to London. Do
they, Master Lirriper?"

John was standing bashfully at the door of the kitchen. "Well,
not as a rule, Master Geoffrey," he replied. "They comes and they
goes, them that are used to it, maybe a hundred times without
anything happening to them."

"There! You hear that, mother? They come and go hundreds of times.
Oh, I am sure you are not going to say no. That would be too bad
when father has agreed to it. Now, mother, please tell Ruth to run
away at once and get a wallet packed with our things. Of course we
shall want our best clothes; because people dress finely in London,
and it would never do if we saw the queen and we hadn't our best
doublets on, for she would think that we didn't know what was seemly
down at Hedingham."

"Well, my dears, of course if it is all settled --"

"Oh, yes, mother, it is quite all settled."

"Then it's no use my saying anything more about it, but I think
your father might have consulted me before he gave his consent to
your going on such a hazardous journey as this."

"He did want to consult you, mother. But then, you see, he wanted