What a friend you are in case of need. Would I
had one like you."
"Your majesty has two of whom I know; one riding humbly by your royal
side, and the other lying in the worst dungeon in Christendom."
With this the king wheeled about and started west toward Guildhall.
Oh, how I hated Henry for that cold-blooded, selfish forgetfulness
worse than crime; and how I hoped the Blessed Virgin would forget him
in time to come, and leave his soul an extra thousand years in purging
flames, just to show him how it goes to be forgotten--in hell.
To the lord mayor we accordingly went without further delay. He was
only too glad to liberate Brandon when he heard my story, which the
king had ordered me to repeat. The only hesitancy was from a doubt of
its truth.
The lord mayor was kind enough to say that he felt little doubt of my
word, but that friendship would often drive a man to any extremity,
even falsehood, to save a friend.
Then I offered to go into custody myself and pay the penalty, death,
for helping a convicted felon to escape, if I told not the truth, to
be confirmed or denied by the princess and her first lady in waiting.
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