Mr. Chiffinch told me this, as shortly almost as I have written it
down, glancing at His Majesty once or twice, and at the Duke, as if he
wished to know whether he were telling it properly; and as soon as he
ended His Majesty began:

"That is where we stand now, Mr. Mallock. As for me, I do not believe
one word of the tale, as I have said before: and I say that it is best
to destroy the letters, to tell Doctor Tonge that he is a damned fool,
if not worse, so to be cozened, and to say no more of it. I would not
have this made public for a thousand pounds. It is as I said before: I
knew that the matter would grow."

"And I say, Sir," put in the Duke savagely, "that Your Majesty forgets
who it is who are implicated--that it is these good Jesuit Fathers, and
my own confessor, too"--(he bowed slightly to the fair man, who returned
it)--"and that if the matter be not probed to the bottom, the names of
all will suffer, in the long run."

"Brother, brother," said Charles, "I entreat you not to speak so
violently. We all know how good the Fathers are, and do not suspect any
one of them. It is to save their name--"

"And I tell you," burst in James again, "that mine is the only way to do
it! Do you think, Sir, that these folks who are behind it all will let
the matter rest? It will grow and grow, as Your Majesty said; and we
shall have half the kingdom involved."

Here was a very pretty dispute, with sense on both sides, and yet there
appeared to me that there was more on His Majesty's than on the other.
If even then Dr. Tonge had been sent for and soundly rated, and made to