The old man got into good spirits again very soon. It pleased him to
think that God had honoured him by imprisonment; and he said as much once
or twice in his letters to his wife. He was also pleased with a sense of
the part he was playing in the _role_ of a conspirator; and he underlined
and put signs and exclamation marks all over his letters of which he
thought his wife would understand the significance, but no one else;
whereas in reality the old lady was sorely puzzled by them, and the
authorities who opened the letters generally read them of course like a
printed book.
One morning about ten days after his arrival the Governor of the prison
looked in with the gaoler, and announced to Sir Nicholas, after greeting
him, that he was to appear before the Council that very day. This, of
course, was what Sir Nicholas desired, and he thanked the Governor
cordially for his good news.
"They will probably keep you at the Tower, Sir Nicholas," said the
Governor, "and we shall lose you. However, sir, I hope you will be more
comfortable there than we have been able to make you."
The knight thanked the Governor again, and said good-day to him with
great warmth; for they had been on the best of terms with one another
during his short detention at the Marshalsea.
The following day Sir Nicholas wrote a long letter to his wife describing
his examination.
"We are in _royal lodgings_ here at last, sweetheart; Mr. Boyd brought my
luggage over yesterday; and I am settled _for the present_ in a room of
my own in the White Tower; with a prospect over the Court.
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