132 MASTER SKYLARK

and between them hung a painted cloth or arras behind
which the prompter stood. Over these doors were two
plastered rooms, twopenny private boxes for gentlefolk.
In one of them were three young men and a beautiful
girl, wonderfully dressed. The men were speaking to her,
but she looked down at Nick instead. “What a pretty
boy!” she said, and tossed him a flower that one of the
men had just given her. Itfellat Nick’sfeet. He started
back, looking up. The girl smiled, so he took off his cap
and bowed; but the men looked sour.

At the side of the stage was a screen with long leather
fire-buckets and a pole-ax hanging upon it, and behind it
was a door through which Nick saw the river and the gray
walls of the old Dominican friary. As he came down to
it, some one thrust out a staff and barred the way. It
was the bandy-legged man with the ribbon in his ear.
Nick looked out longingly ; it seemed so near !

“Master Carew saith thou art not to stir outside—dost
hear?” said the bandy-legged man.

“ Ay,” said Nick, and turned back.

There was a narrow stairway leading to the second
gallery. He went up softly. There was no one in the
gallery, and there was a window on the side next to the
river; he had seen it from below. He went toward it
slowly that he might not arouse suspicion. It was above
his head.

There were stools for hire standing near. He brought
one and set it under the window. It stood unevenly upon
the floor, and made a wabbling noise. He was afraid