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HOUSE OF TORMENT

A Tale of the Remarkable Adventures of Mr. John Commendone
Gentleman to King Philip II of Spain at the English Court

by

C. RANGER-GULL

Author of "The Serf," etc.







New York
Dodd, Mead and Company
1911

Published September, 1911

The Quinn & Boden Co. Press
Rahway, N. J.




DEDICATION TO DAVID WHITELAW

SOUVENIR OF A LONG FRIENDSHIP


     _My dear David,_

     _Since I first met you, considerably more than a decade ago, in
     a little studio high up in a great London building, we have
     both seen much water flow under the bridges of our lives._

     _We have all sorts of memories, have we not?_

     _Late midnights and famishing morrows, in the gay hard days
     when we were endeavouring to climb the ladder of our Art; a
     succession of faces, a welter of experiences. Some of us fell
     in the struggle; others failed and still haunt the reprobate
     purlieus of Fleet Street and the Strand! There was one who
     achieved a high and delicate glory before he died--"Tant va la
     cruche a l'eau qu'a la fin elle se casse."_

     _There is another who is slowly and surely finding his way to a
     certainty of fame._

     _And the rest of us have done something, if not--as yet--all we
     hoped to do. At any rate, the <DW72>s of the first hills lie
     beneath us. We are in good courage and resolute for the
     mountains._

     _The mist eddies and is spiralled below in the valleys from
     which we have come, but already we are among the deep sweet
     billows of the mountain winds, and I think it is because we
     have both found our "Princess Galvas" that we have got this far
     upon the way._

     _We may never stand upon the summit and find that tempest of
     fire we call the Sun full upon us. But the pleasure of going on
     is ours still--there will always be that._

     _Ever your friend,
     C. RANGER-GULL._




CONTENTS


       I IN THE QUEEN'S CLOSET; THE FOUR FACES

      II THE HOUSE OF SHAME; THE LADDER OF GLORY

     III THE MEETING WITH JOHN HULL AT CHELMSFORD

      IV PART TAKEN IN AFFAIRS BY THE HALF TESTOON

       V THE FINDING OF ELIZABETH

      VI A KING AND A VICTIM. TWO GRIM MEN

     VII HEY HO! AND A RUMBELOW!

    VIII "WHY, WHO BUT YOU, JOHNNIE!"

      IX "MISERICORDIA ET JUSTITIA"

       X THE SILENT MEN IN BLACK

      XI IN THE BOX

     XII "TENDIMUS IN LATIUM"




CHAPTER I

IN THE QUEEN'S CLOSET; THE FOUR FACES


Sir Henry Commendone sat upon an oak box clamped with bands of iron and
watched his son completing his morning toilette.

"And how like you this life of the Court, John?" he said.

The young man smoothed out the feather of his tall cone-shaped hat.
"Truly, father," he answered, "in respect of itself it seems a very good
life, but in respect that it is far from the fields and home it is
naught. But I like it very well. And I think I am likely to rise high. I
am now attached to the King Consort, by the Queen's pleasure. His
Highness has spoken frequently with me, and I have my commission duly
written out as _caballerizo_."

"I never could learn Spanish," the elder man replied, wagging his head.
"Father Chilches tried to teach me often of an afternoon when you were
hawking. What does the word mean in essence?"

"Groom of the body, father--equerry. It is doubtless because I speak
Spanish that it hath been given me."

"Very like, Johnnie. But since the Queen, God bless her, has come to the
throne, and England is reconciled to Holy Church, thou wert bound to
get a post at Court. They could not ignore our name. I wrote to the
Bishop of London myself, he placed my request before the Queen's Grace,
and hence thou art here and in high favour."

The young man smiled. "Which I shall endeavour to keep," he answered.
"And now I must soon go to the Queen's lodging. I am in attendance on
King Philip."

"And I to horse with my men at noon and so home