Some women cannot be captured at all; they must give themselves; of
this class pre-eminently was Mary. Others again will meet you half way
and kindly lend a helping hand; while some, like Jane, are always on
the run, and are captured only by pursuit. They are usually well worth
the trouble though, and make docile captives. After that smile from
the door I felt that Jane was mine; all I had to do was to keep off
outside enemies, charge upon her defenses when the times were ripe and
accept nothing short of her own sweet self as ransom.
The next day Brandon paid his respects to the king and queen, made his
adieus to his friends and rode off alone to Bristol. You may be sure
the king showed no signs of undue grief at his departure.
_CHAPTER XVI_
_A Hawking Party_
A few days after Brandon's departure, Mary, with the king's consent,
organized a small party to go over to Windsor for a few weeks during
the warm weather.
There were ten or twelve of us, including two chaperons, the old Earl
of Hertford and the dowager Duchess of Kent.
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