said the favorite. “I had to wait for the honor until the prince had been gratified.”

The Governor’s round eyes grew rounder. Young Hamor, a-tiptoe behind him, drew a long, low whistle.

“In so small a community,” went on my lord, “sure you must all know one another. There can be no masks worn, no false colors displayed. Everything must be as open as daylight. But we all have a past as well as a present. Now, for instance” —

I interrupted him. “In Virginia, my lord, we live in the present. At present, my lord, I like not the color of your lordship’s cloak.”

He stared at me, with his black brows drawn together. “It is not of your choosing nor for your wearing, sir,”