laid onThe line proceeded slowly, until the captain and Dickon, his jerks already diminished by atmosphere and awe, mounted the last, small stair and paused at the top. Coke had no desire to be recognized, though he was sure Charles, with the thousands that he had met, would not remember him. Still, to distract all attention from himself, he bent swiftly and, while pretending to mouth calming words, dug his fingers into the boy’s armpit.
Dickon exploded. “G-g-go!” he yelped, squirming sideways. Coke took a firm hold with one hand, removed his hat with the other; then, keeping his eyes and voice low, and returning to his accent of the West, beseeched, “This is my son, majesty. Will y’elp him?”
“I will.”
The king’s attention was off him now, so Coke could watch as Charles reached hands to
