At times he felt sure that the man was Leicester, and again he flouted the thought as impossible.

If it were Leicester, and if he wished to marry Dorothy, Sir George thought the match certainly would be illustrious.

Halting between the questions, "Is he Leicester ?" and "Is he not Leicester ?" Sir George did not press the Stanley nuptials, nor did he insist upon the signing of the contract.

Dorothy received from her father full permission to go where and when she wished.

But her father's willingness to give her liberty excited her suspicions.