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Each garment in its turn had to go through this slow and solemn
process; consequently Tom grew very weary of the ceremony; so
weary that he felt an almost gushing gratefulness when he at last
saw his long silken hose begin the journey down the line and knew
that the end of the matter was drawing near. But he exulted too
soon. The First Lord of the Bedchamber received the hose and was
about to encase Tom's legs in them, when a sudden flush invaded
his face and he hurriedly hustled the things back into the hands
of the Archbishop of Canterbury with an astounded look and a
whispered, "See, my lord!" pointing to a something connected with
the hose. The Archbishop paled, then flushed, and passed the hose
to the Lord High Admiral, whispering, "See, my lord!" The Admiral
passed the hose to the Hereditary Grand Diaperer, and had hardly
breath enough in his body to ejaculate, "See, my lord!" The hose
drifted backward along the line, to the Chief Steward of the
Household, the Constable of the Tower, Norroy King-at-Arms, the
Master of the Wardrobe, the Chancellor Royal of the Duchy of
Lancaster, the Third Groom of the Stole, the Head Ranger of
Windsor Forest, the Second Gentleman of the Bedchamber, the First
Lord of the Buckhounds,--accompanied always with that amazed and
frightened "See! see!"--till they finally reached the hands of the
Chief Equerry in Waiting, who gazed a moment, with a pallid face,
upon what had caused all this dismay, then hoarsely whispered,
"Body of my life, a tag gone from a truss-point!--to the Tower
with the Head Keeper of the King's Hose!"--after which he leaned
upon the shoulder of the First Lord of the Buckhounds to regather
his vanished strength whilst fresh hose, without any damaged
strings to them, were brought.
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