Emma Orczy

His Majesty's Well-Beloved Emma Orczy

After that memorable Day, Mistress, we were like naughty Children who were beingpunished for playing truant out of School. For Weeks and Months our Lives went on withdreary monotony, with never a chance of seeing Something of that outside World of whichwe had caught a glimpse. You continued to sew and to scrub and to be at the beck and callof a Scold. I went on copying legal Documents till my very Brain appeared atrophied, incapable of a single happy Thought or of a joyous Hope. Out there in the great World, many things were happening. The Lord Protector died;his Son succeeded. And then England woke to the fact that she had never cared for theseRegicides, Republicans and Puritans; that in her Heart she had always loved the martyredKing and longed to set his Son once more upon his Throne. I often thought of my loquacious Neighbour at the Play, with his talk of Old Noll andMaster Richard and of George. For George Monk in truth had become the Man of the hour;for he it was who was bringing King Charles back into his Kingdom again. Two years had gone by since our memorable Day at the Play, and as that sameNeighbour had also foretold, England was hearing a great deal about Tom Betterton. HisName was on every one's lips. Mr. Rhodes, the Bookseller, had obtained a licence fromGeneral Monk to get a Company of Actors together, and the palmy Days of the Cockpit hadbegun. Then it was that some faint Echo of the Life of our great City penetrated as far as thedull Purlieus of Mr. Baggs' Household; then it was that the ring of the Fame of Mr. Bettertoneven caused Mistress Euphrosine to recall her former arbitrary Judgments