During this conference between the brothers, Edward, in his palace,
was seized with consternation and dismay on hearing that the Lady Anne
could not be found in her chamber. He sent forthwith to summon Adam
Warner to his presence, and learned from the simple sage, who
concealed nothing, the mode in which Anne had fled from the Tower.
The king abruptly dismissed Adam, after a few hearty curses and vague
threats; and awaking to the necessity of inventing some plausible
story, to account to the wonder of the court for the abrupt
disappearance of his guest, he saw that the person who could best
originate and circulate such a tale was the queen; and he sought her
at once, with the resolution to choose his confidant in the connection
most rarely honoured by marital trust in similar offences. He,
however, so softened his narrative as to leave it but a venial error.
He had been indulging over-freely in the wine-cup, he had walked into
the corridor for the refreshing coolness of the air, he had seen the
figure of a female whom he did not recognize; and a few gallant words,
he scarce remembered what, had been misconstrued. On perceiving whom
he had thus addressed, he had sought to soothe the anger or alarm of
the Lady Anne; but still mistaking his intention, she had hurried into
Warner's chamber; he had followed her thither, and now she had fled
the palace. Such was his story, told lightly and laughingly, but
ending with a grave enumeration of the dangers his imprudence had
incurred.

Whatever Elizabeth felt, or however she might interpret the
confession, she acted with her customary discretion; affected, after a
few tender reproaches, to place implicit credit in her lord's account,
and volunteered to prevent all scandal by the probable story that the
earl, being prevented from coming in person for his daughter, as he
had purposed, by fresh news of the rebellion which might call him from