They were led back to the hall.
The masters of the guild were all at their places on the dais.
Moll Cutpurse had rejoined them. Mayhew sat where Shakespeare had left him, at the table. He looked a little haggard, but someone had brought him a pitcher of ale and some bread and cheese. He had not touched the bread and cheese, but he had partaken liberally of the ale. His tankard was half full and the pitcher was half empty.
"Do not go getting yourself drunk," Shakespeare told him. "Why the hell not?" asked Mayhew with a grimace. Shakespeare opened his mouth, then shut it once again.
"'Strewth, you have a point. I cannot think of a single reason."
"Nor could I," said Mayhew. He quaffed the remainder of the ale in his tankard and poured himself another.
Locke struck his hammer on the table several times. "Master Shakespeare, are you prepared to begin?"
"I am," Shakespeare replied, rising to his feet.
"Proceed, then."
"I sh
ould like to call for my first witness my good friend Tuck Smythe," he said.
Tuck got up and walked over to the seat placed before the dais. "Do you swear before God, upon pain of your immortal soul, that what you say before this court shall be the truth?" asked Locke.
"I do," said Smythe.
"Be seated."
"Would you please give your full name to this assemblage?" Shakespeare asked him.
"Symington Smythe II," said Tuck.
Winifred caught her breath and stared at him with astonishment.
"And what is your occupation?"
"I am a player with Lord Strange's Men, and a sometime smith and farrier."
"Could you explain to this court how it happened that you met Thomas Locke and what was the nature of your acquaintance?"
"You and I had gone together to the shop of Ben Dickens, the armorer," said Smythe, "who is a friend of ours. "Whilst there, we met Thomas Locke, another friend of Ben's, who had arrived in a state of great agitation because the father of his betrothed, Portia Mayhew, had just withdrawn his consent to the marriage and forbidden him from seeing her again."
"Did he say why this consent had been withdrawn?" asked Shakespeare.
"Because his mother was a Jew," said Smythe.
"And how did Thomas respond to this?"
"He was most distressed. He said he loved this girl with all his heart and soul and could not live without her. He could not bear the thought of never seeing her again."
"And what was your response to this?" asked Shakespeare. Smythe hesitated slightly. "I advised him to elope with her."
"Indeed?" said Shakespeare. "And did you know him well?" Smythe hesitated yet again. "Nay, we had never before met."
"And yet you took it upon yourself to advise him to elope?"
"Aye."
"Were you acquainted at all with his intended, Mistress Mayhew?"