"
"Thou hast overreached artifice, Janet, and gone back to Bible days
and corrupted them by borrowing parabolic speech to waste upon
deaf-eared seventeenth century maid."
"Ah, Lambkin; with closed ears thou dost not becalm sight and wit,
they cease not to fructify under suasion of childhood impregnations.
I fear not for thee, if thou art forewarned. If thou art taken to the
King, he will straightway be enamoured of thy beauteous face and will
wish to have thee near him, and because he is of so great a title, he
will expect to mould thee to his desires, whether 'tis thy will or
not. He may perhaps overawe thee, and thou wilt feel flattered by his
approaches, which will seem sincere to thy untutored perceptions.
'Twill be thy first meeting with a King. There is one thing most sure,
thou wilt not think him handsome; he has not the rich colouring that
so marks Lord Cedric's face, nor yet the clearness of countenance. The
King is most swarthy, gross featured and unfitted to thy fancy.
And how wouldst thou like such to approach thee and fondle thy
hand--perhaps imprint thy cheek with a caress, or his long fingers to
go a foraging on thy slender neck?"
"Nay, nay, Janet; I should most surely hate such an one.
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