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diff --git a/2744-8.txt b/2744-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3a59e3e..0000000 --- a/2744-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7813 +0,0 @@ - MARY STUART--1587 - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Mary Stuart -Author: Alexandre Dumas, Pere -Release Date: September 22, 2004 [EBook #2744] -Reposted: November 27, 2016 [corrections made] -Language: English -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARY STUART *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger. - - - - - - *MARY STUART* - - _By_ - - *Alexandre Dumas, Pere* - - _From the Eight Volume set "Celebrated Crimes"_ - - - 1910 - - - - -CONTENTS - - - *MARY STUART--1587* - CHAPTER I - CHAPTER II - CHAPTER III - CHAPTER IV - CHAPTER V - CHAPTER VI - CHAPTER VII - CHAPTER VIII - CHAPTER IX - CHAPTER X - - - - -*MARY STUART--1587* - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -Some royal names are predestined to misfortune: in France, there is the -name "Henry". Henry I was poisoned, Henry II was killed in a tournament, -Henry III and Henry IV were assassinated. As to Henry V, for whom the -past is so fatal already, God alone knows what the future has in store -for him. - -In Scotland, the unlucky name is "Stuart". Robert I, founder of the -race, died at twenty-eight of a lingering illness. Robert II, the most -fortunate of the family, was obliged to pass a part of his life, not -merely in retirement, but also in the dark, on account of inflammation -of the eyes, which made them blood-red. Robert III succumbed to grief, -the death of one son and the captivity of other. James I was stabbed by -Graham in the abbey of the Black Monks of Perth. James II was killed at -the siege of Roxburgh, by a splinter from a burst cannon. James III was -assassinated by an unknown hand in a mill, where he had taken refuge -during the battle of Sauchie. James IV, wounded by two arrows and a blow -from a halberd, fell amidst his nobles on the battlefield of Flodden. -James V died of grief at the loss of his two sons, and of remorse for -the execution of Hamilton. James VI, destined to unite on his head the -two crowns of Scotland and England, son of a father who had been -assassinated, led a melancholy and timorous existence, between the -scaffold of his mother, Mary Stuart, and that of his son, Charles I. -Charles II spent a portion of his life in exile. James II died in it. -The Chevalier Saint-George, after having been proclaimed King of -Scotland as James VIII, and of England and Ireland as James III, was -forced to flee, without having been able to give his arms even the -lustre of a defeat. His son, Charles Edward, after the skirmish at Derby -and the battle of Culloden, hunted from mountain to mountain, pursued -from rock to rock, swimming from shore to shore, picked up half naked by -a French vessel, betook himself to Florence to die there, without the -European courts having ever consented to recognise him as a sovereign. -Finally, his brother, Henry Benedict, the last heir of the Stuarts, -having lived on a pension of three thousand pounds sterling, granted him -by George III, died completely forgotten, bequeathing to the House of -Hanover all the crown jewels which James II had carried off when he -passed over to the Continent in 1688--a tardy but complete recognition -of the legitimacy of the family which had succeeded his. - -In the midst of this unlucky race, Mary Stuart was the favourite of -misfortune. As Brantome has said of her, "Whoever desires to write about -this illustrious queen of Scotland has, in her, two very, large -subjects, the one her life, the other her death," Brantome had known her -on one of the most mournful occasions of her life--at the moment when -she was quitting France for Scotland. - -It was on the 9th of August, 1561, after having lost her mother and her -husband in the same year, that Mary Stuart, Dowager of France and Queen -of Scotland at nineteen, escorted by her uncles, Cardinals Guise and -Lorraine, by the Duke and Duchess of Guise, by the Duc d'Aumale and M. -de Nemours, arrived at Calais, where two galleys were waiting to take -her to Scotland, one commanded by M. de Mevillon and the other by -Captain Albize. She remained six days in the town. At last, on the 15th -of the month, after the saddest adieus to her family, accompanied by -Messieurs d'Aumale, d'Elboeuf, and Damville, with many nobles, among -whom were Brantome and Chatelard, she embarked in M. Mevillon's galley, -which was immediately ordered to put out to sea, which it did with the -aid of oars, there not being sufficient wind to make use of the sails. - -Mary Stuart was then in the full bloom of her beauty, beauty even more -brilliant in its mourning garb--a beauty so wonderful that it shed -around her a charm which no one whom she wished to please could escape, -and which was fatal to almost everyone. About this time, too, someone -made her the subject of a song, which, as even her rivals confessed, -contained no more than the truth. It was, so it was said, by M. de -Maison-Fleur, a cavalier equally accomplished in arms and letters: Here -it is:-- - -"In robes of whiteness, lo, Full sad and mournfully, Went pacing to and -fro Beauty's divinity; A shaft in hand she bore From Cupid's cruel -store, And he, who fluttered round, Bore, o'er his blindfold eyes And -o'er his head uncrowned, A veil of mournful guise, Whereon the words -were wrought: 'You perish or are caught.'" - -Yes, at this moment, Mary Stuart, in her deep mourning of white, was -more lovely than ever; for great tears were trickling down her cheeks, -as, weaving a handkerchief, standing on the quarterdeck, she who was so -grieved to set out, bowed farewell to those who were so grieved to -remain. - -At last, in half an hour's time, the harbour was left behind; the vessel -was out at sea. Suddenly, Mary heard loud cries behind her: a boat -coming in under press of sail, through her pilot's ignorance had struck -upon a rock in such a manner that it was split open, and after having -trembled and groaned for a moment like someone wounded, began to be -swallowed up, amid the terrified screams of all the crew. Mary, -horror-stricken, pale, dumb, and motionless, watched her gradually sink, -while her unfortunate crew, as the keel disappeared, climbed into the -yards and shrouds, to delay their death-agony a few minutes; finally, -keel, yards, masts, all were engulfed in the ocean's gaping jaws. For a -moment there remained some black specks, which in turn disappeared one -after another; then wave followed upon wave, and the spectators of this -horrible tragedy, seeing the sea calm and solitary as if nothing had -happened, asked themselves if it was not a vision that had appeared to -them and vanished. - -"Alas!" cried Mary, falling on a seat and leaning both arms an the -vessel's stern, "what a sad omen for such a sad voyage!" Then, once more -fixing on the receding harbour her eyes, dried for a moment by terror, -and beginning to moisten anew, "Adieu, France!" she murmured, "adieu, -France!" and for five hours she remained thus, weeping and murmuring, -"Adieu, France! adieu, France!" - -Darkness fell while she was still lamenting; and then, as the view was -blotted out and she was summoned to supper, "It is indeed now, dear -France," said she, rising, "that I really lose you, since jealous night -heaps mourning upon mourning, casting a black veil before my sight. -Adieu then, one last time, dear France; for never shall I see you more." - -With these words, she went below, saying that she was the very opposite -of Dido, who, after the departure of AEneas, had done nothing but look -at the waves, while she, Mary, could not take her eyes off the land. -Then everyone gathered round her to try to divert and console her. But -she, growing sadder, and not being able to respond, so overcome was she -with tears, could hardly eat; and, having had a bed got ready on the -stern deck, she sent for the steersman, and ordered him if he still saw -land at daybreak, to come and wake her immediately. On this point Mary -was favoured; for the wind having dropped, when daybreak came the vessel -was still within sight of France. - -It was a great joy when, awakened by the steersman, who had not -forgotten the order he had received, Mary raised herself on her couch, -and through the window that she had had opened, saw once more the -beloved shore. But at five o'clock in the morning, the wind having -freshened, the vessel rapidly drew farther away, so that soon the land -completely disappeared. Then Mary fell back upon her bed, pale as death, -murmuring yet once again--"Adieu, France! I shall see thee no more." - -Indeed, the happiest years of her life had just passed away in this -France that she so much regretted. Born amid the first religious -troubles, near the bedside of her dying father, the cradle mourning was -to stretch for her to the grave, and her stay in France had been a ray -of sunshine in her night. Slandered from her birth, the report was so -generally spread abroad that she was malformed, and that she could not -live to grow up, that one day her mother, Mary of Guise, tired of these -false rumours, undressed her and showed her naked to the English -ambassador, who had come, on the part of Henry VIII, to ask her in -marriage for the Prince of Wales, himself only five years old. Crowned -at nine months by Cardinal Beaton, archbishop of St. Andrews, she was -immediately hidden by her mother, who was afraid of treacherous dealing -in the King of England, in Stirling Castle. Two years later, not finding -even this fortress safe enough, she removed her to an island in the -middle of the Lake of Menteith, where a priory, the only building in the -place, provided an asylum for the royal child and for four young girls -born in the same year as herself, having like her the sweet name which -is an anagram of the word "aimer," and who, quitting her neither in her -good nor in her evil fortune, were called the "Queen's Marys". They were -Mary Livingston, Mary Fleming, Mary Seyton, and Mary Beaton. Mary stayed -in this priory till Parliament, having approved her marriage with the -French dauphin, son of Henry II, she was taken to Dumbarton Castle, to -await the moment of departure. There she was entrusted to M. de Breze, -sent by Henry II to fetch her. Having set out in the French galleys -anchored at the mouth of the Clyde, Mary, after having been hotly -pursued by the English fleet, entered Brest harbour, 15th August, 1548, -one year after the death of Francis! Besides the queen's four Marys, the -vessels also brought to France three of her natural brothers, among whom -was the Prior of St. Andrews, James Stuart, who was later to abjure the -Catholic faith, and with the title of Regent, and under the name of the -Earl of Murray, to become so fatal to poor Mary. From Brest, Mary went -to St. Germain-en-Laye, where Henry II, who had just ascended the -throne, overwhelmed her with caresses, and then sent her to a convent -where the heiresses of the noblest French houses were brought up. There -Mary's happy qualities developed. Born with a woman's heart and a man's -head, Mary not only acquired all the accomplishments which constituted -the education of a future queen, but also that real knowledge which is -the object of the truly learned. - -Thus, at fourteen, in the Louvre, before Henry II, Catherine de Medici, -and the whole court, she delivered a discourse in Latin of her own -composition, in which she maintained that it becomes women to cultivate -letters, and that it is unjust and tyrannical to deprive flowery of -their perfumes, by banishing young girls from all but domestic cares. -One can imagine in what manner a future queen, sustaining such a thesis, -was likely to be welcomed in the most lettered and pedantic court in -Europe. Between the literature of Rabelais and Marot verging on their -decline, and that of Ronsard and Montaigne reaching their zenith, Mary -became a queen of poetry, only too happy never to have to wear another -crown than that which Ronsard, Dubellay, Maison-Fleur, and Brantome -placed daily on her head. But she was predestined. In the midst of those -fetes which a waning chivalry was trying to revive came the fatal joust -of Tournelles: Henry II, struck by a splinter of a lance for want of a -visor, slept before his time with his ancestors, and Mary Stuart -ascended the throne of France, where, from mourning for Henry, she -passed to that for her mother, and from mourning for her mother to that -for her husband. Mary felt this last loss both as woman and as poet; her -heart burst forth into bitter tears and plaintive harmonies. Here are -some lines that she composed at this time: - - "Into my song of woe, - Sung to a low sad air, - My cruel grief I throw, - For loss beyond compare; - In bitter sighs and tears - Go by my fairest years. - - Was ever grief like mine - Imposed by destiny? - Did ever lady pine, - In high estate, like me, - Of whom both heart and eye - Within the coffin lie? - - Who, in the tender spring - And blossom of my youth, - Taste all the sorrowing - Of life's extremest ruth, - And take delight in nought - Save in regretful thought. - - All that was sweet and gay - Is now a pain to see; - The sunniness of day - Is black as night to me; - All that was my delight - Is hidden from my sight. - - My heart and eye, indeed, - One face, one image know, - The which this mournful weed - On my sad face doth show, - Dyed with the violet's tone - That is the lover's own. - - Tormented by my ill, - I go from place to place, - But wander as I will - My woes can nought efface; - My most of bad and good - I find in solitude. - - But wheresoe'er I stay, - In meadow or in copse, - Whether at break of day - Or when the twilight drops, - My heart goes sighing on, - Desiring one that's gone. - - If sometimes to the skies - My weary gaze I lift, - His gently shining eyes - Look from the cloudy drift, - Or stooping o'er the wave - I see him in the grave. - - Or when my bed I seek, - And sleep begins to steal, - Again I hear him speak, - Again his touch I feel; - In work or leisure, - he is ever near to me. - - No other thing I see, - However fair displayed, - By which my heart will be - A tributary made, - Not having the perfection - Of that, my lost affection. - - Here make an end, my verse, - Of this thy sad lament, - Whose burden shall rehearse - Pure love of true intent, - Which separation's stress - Will never render less." - -"It was then," says Brantome, "that it was delightful to see her; for -the whiteness of her countenance and of her veil contended together; but -finally the artificial white yielded, and the snow-like pallor of her -face vanquished the other. For it was thus," he adds, "that from the -moment she became a widow, I always saw her with her pale hue, as long -as I had the honour of seeing her in France, and Scotland, where she had -to go in eighteen months' time, to her very great regret, after her -widowhood, to pacify her kingdom, greatly divided by religious troubles. -Alas! she had neither the wish nor the will for it, and I have often -heard her say so, with a fear of this journey like death; for she -preferred a hundred times to dwell in France as a dowager queen, and to -content herself with Touraine and Poitou for her jointure, than to go -and reign over there in her wild country; but her uncles, at least some -of them, not all, advised her, and even urged her to it, and deeply -repented their error." - -Mary was obedient, as we have seen, and she began her journey under such -auspices that when she lost sight of land she was like to die. Then it -was that the poetry of her soul found expression in these famous lines: - - "Farewell, delightful land of France, - My motherland, - The best beloved! - Foster-nurse of my young years! - Farewell, France, and farewell my happy days! - The ship that separates our loves - Has borne away but half of me; - One part is left thee and is throe, - And I confide it to thy tenderness, - That thou may'st hold in mind the other part."' - -_[Translator's note.-It has not been found possible to make a rhymed -version of these lines without sacrificing the simplicity which is their -chief charm.]_ - -This part of herself that Mary left in France was the body of the young -king, who had taken with him all poor Mary's happiness into his tomb. - -Mary had but one hope remaining, that the sight of the English fleet -would compel her little squadron to turn back; but she had to fulfil her -destiny. This same day, a fog, a very unusual occurrence in summer-time, -extended all over the Channel, and caused her to escape the fleet; for -it was such a dense fog that one could not see from stern to mast. It -lasted the whole of Sunday, the day after the departure, and did not -lift till the following day, Monday, at eight o'clock in the morning. -The little flotilla, which all this time had been sailing haphazard, had -got among so many reefs that if the fog had lasted some minutes longer -the galley would certainly have grounded on some rock, and would have -perished like the vessel that had been seen engulfed on leaving port. -But, thanks to the fog's clearing, the pilot recognised the Scottish -coast, and, steering his four boats with great skill through all the -dangers, on the 20th August he put in at Leith, where no preparation had -been made for the queen's reception. Nevertheless, scarcely had she -arrived there than the chief persons of the town met together and came -to felicitate her. Meanwhile, they hastily collected some wretched nags, -with harness all falling in pieces, to conduct the queen to Edinburgh. - -At sight of this, Mary could not help weeping again; for she thought of -the splendid palfreys and hackneys of her French knights and ladies, and -at this first view Scotland appeared to her in all its poverty. Next day -it was to appear to her in all its wildness. - -After having passed one night at Holyrood Palace, "during which," says -Brantome, "five to six hundred rascals from the town, instead of letting -her sleep, came to give her a wild morning greeting on wretched fiddles -and little rebecks," she expressed a wish to hear mass. Unfortunately, -the people of Edinburgh belonged almost entirely to the Reformed -religion; so that, furious at the queen's giving such a proof of -papistry at her first appearance, they entered the church by force, -armed with knives, sticks and stones, with the intention of putting to -death the poor priest, her chaplain. He left the altar, and took refuge -near the queen, while Mary's brother, the Prior of St. Andrews, who was -more inclined from this time forward to be a soldier than an -ecclesiastic, seized a sword, and, placing himself between the people -and the queen, declared that he would kill with his own hand the first -man who should take another step. This firmness, combined with the -queen's imposing and dignified air, checked the zeal of the Reformers. - -As we have said, Mary had arrived in the midst of all the heat of the -first religious wars. A zealous Catholic, like all her family on the -maternal side, she inspired the Huguenots with the gravest fears: -besides, a rumour had got about that Mary, instead of landing at Leith, -as she had been obliged by the fog, was to land at Aberdeen. There, it -was said, she would have found the Earl of Huntly, one of the peers who -had remained loyal to the Catholic faith, and who, next to the family of -Hamilton, was, the nearest and most powerful ally of the royal house. -Seconded by him and by twenty thousand soldiers from the north, she -would then have marched upon Edinburgh, and have re-established the -Catholic faith throughout Scotland. Events were not slow to prove that -this accusation was false. - -As we have stated, Mary was much attached to the Prior of St. Andrews, a -son of James V and of a noble descendant of the Earls of Mar, who had -been very handsome in her youth, and who, in spite of the well-known -love for her of James V, and the child who had resulted, had none the -less wedded Lord Douglas of Lochleven, by whom she had had two other -sons, the elder named William and the younger George, who were thus -half-brothers of the regent. Now, scarcely had she reascended the throne -than Mary had restored to the Prior of St. Andrews the title of Earl of -Mar, that of his maternal ancestors, and as that of the Earl of Murray -had lapsed since the death of the famous Thomas Randolph, Mary, in her -sisterly friendship for James Stuart, hastened to add, this title to -those which she had already bestowed upon him. - -But here difficulties and complications arose; for the new Earl of -Murray, with his character, was not a man to content himself with a -barren title, while the estates which were crown property since the -extinction of the male branch of the old earls, had been gradually -encroached upon by powerful neighbours, among whom was the famous Earl -of Huntly, whom we have already mentioned: the result was that, as the -queen judged that in this quarter her orders would probably encounter -opposition, under pretext of visiting her possessions in the north, she -placed herself at the head of a small army, commanded by her brother, -the Earl of Mar and Murray. - -The Earl of Huntly was the less duped by the apparent pretext of this -expedition, in that his son, John Cordon, for some abuse of his powers, -had just been condemned to a temporary imprisonment. He, -notwithstanding, made every possible submission to the queen, sending -messengers in advance to invite her to rest in his castle; and following -up the messengers in person, to renew his invitation viva voce. -Unfortunately, at the very moment when he was about to join the queen, -the governor of Inverness, who was entirely devoted to him, was refusing -to allow Mary to enter this castle, which was a royal one. It is true -that Murray, aware that it does not do to hesitate in the face of such -rebellions, had already had him executed for high treason. - -This new act of firmness showed Huntly that the young queen was not -disposed to allow the Scottish lords a resumption of the almost -sovereign power humbled by her father; so that, in spite of the -extremely kind reception she accorded him, as he learned while in camp -that his son, having escaped from prison, had just put himself at the -head of his vassals, he was afraid that he should be thought, as -doubtless he was, a party to the rising, and he set out the same night -to assume command of his troops, his mind made up, as Mary only had with -her seven to eight thousand men, to risk a battle, giving out, however, -as Buccleuch had done in his attempt to snatch James V from the hands of -the Douglases, that it was not at the queen he was aiming, but solely at -the regent, who kept her under his tutelage and perverted her good -intentions. - -Murray, who knew that often the entire peace of a reign depends on the -firmness one displays at its beginning, immediately summoned all the -northern barons whose estates bordered on his, to march against Huntly. -All obeyed, for the house of Cordon was already so powerful that each -feared it might become still more so; but, however, it was clear that if -there was hatred for the subject there was no great affection for the -queen, and that the greater number came without fixed intentions and -with the idea of being led by circumstances. - -The two armies encountered near Aberdeen. Murray at once posted the -troops he had brought from Edinburgh, and of which he was sure, on the -top of rising ground, and drew up in tiers on the hill slope all his -northern allies. Huntly advanced resolutely upon them, and attacked his -neighbours the Highlanders, who after a short resistance retired in -disorder. His men immediately threw away their lances, and, drawing -their swords, crying, "Cordon, Cordon!" pursued the fugitives, and -believed they had already gained the battle, when they suddenly ran -right against the main body of Murray's army, which remained motionless -as a rampart of iron, and which, with its long lances, had the advantage -of its adversaries, who were armed only with their claymores. It was -then the turn of the Cordons to draw back, seeing which, the northern -clans rallied and returned to the fight, each soldier having a sprig of -heather in his cap that his comrades might recognise him. This -unexpected movement determined the day: the Highlanders ran down the -hillside like a torrent, dragging along with them everyone who could -have wished to oppose their passage. Then Murray seeing that the moment -had come for changing the defeat into a rout, charged with his entire -cavalry: Huntly, who was very stout and very heavily armed, fell and was -crushed beneath the horses' feet; John Cordon, taken prisoner in his -flight, was executed at Aberdeen three days afterwards; finally, his -brother, too young to undergo the same fate at this time, was shut up in -a dungeon and executed later, the day he reached the age of sixteen. - -Mary had been present at the battle, and the calm and courage she -displayed had made a lively impression on her wild defenders, who all -along the road had heard her say that she would have liked to be a man, -to pass her days on horseback, her nights under a tent, to wear a coat -of mail, a helmet, a buckler, and at her side a broadsword. - -Mary made her entry into Edinburgh amid general enthusiasm; for this -expedition against the Earl of Huntly, who was a Catholic, had been very -popular among the inhabitants, who had no very clear idea of the real -motives which had caused her to undertake it: They were of the Reformed -faith, the earl was a papist, there was an enemy the less; that is all -they thought about. Now, therefore; the Scotch, amid their acclamations, -whether viva voce or by written demands, expressed the wish that their -queen, who was without issue by Francis II, should re-marry: Mary agreed -to this, and, yielding to the prudent advice of those about her, she -decided to consult upon this marriage Elizabeth, whose heir she was, in -her title of granddaughter of Henry VII, in the event of the Queen of -England's dying without posterity. Unfortunately, she had not always -acted with like circumspection; for at the death of Mary Tudor, known as -Bloody Mary, she had laid claim to the throne of Henry VIII, and, -relying on the illegitimacy of Elizabeth's birth, had with the dauphin -assumed sovereignty over Scotland, England, and Ireland, and had had -coins struck with this new title, and plate engraved with these new -armorial bearings. - -Elizabeth was nine years older than Mary--that is to say, that at this -time she had not yet attained her thirtieth year; she was not merely her -rival as queen, then, but as woman. As regards education, she could -sustain comparison with advantage; for if she had less charm of mind, -she had more solidity of judgment: versed in politics, philosophy, -history; rhetoric, poetry and music, besides English, her maternal -tongue, she spoke and wrote to perfection Greek, Latin, French, Italian -and Spanish; but while Elizabeth excelled Mary on this point, in her -turn Mary was more beautiful, and above all more attractive, than her -rival. Elizabeth had, it is true, a majestic and agreeable appearance, -bright quick eyes, a dazzlingly white complexion; but she had red hair, -a large foot,--[Elizabeth bestowed a pair of her shoes on the University -of Oxford; their size would point to their being those of a man of -average stature.]--and a powerful hand, while Mary, on the contrary, -with her beautiful ashy-fair hair,--[Several historians assert that Mary -Stuart had black hair; but Brantome, who had seen it, since, as we have -said, he accompanied her to Scotland, affirms that it was fair. And, so -saying, he (the executioner) took off her headdress, in a contemptuous -manner, to display her hair already white, that while alive, however, -she feared not to show, nor yet to twist and frizz as in the days when -it was so beautiful and so fair.]--her noble open forehead, eyebrows -which could be only blamed for being so regularly arched that they -looked as if drawn by a pencil, eyes continually beaming with the -witchery of fire, a nose of perfect Grecian outline, a mouth so ruby red -and gracious that it seemed that, as a flower opens but to let its -perfume escape, so it could not open but to give passage to gentle -words, with a neck white and graceful as a swan's, hands of alabaster, -with a form like a goddess's and a foot like a child's, Mary was a -harmony in which the most ardent enthusiast for sculptured form could -have found nothing to reproach. - -This was indeed Mary's great and real crime: one single imperfection in -face or figure, and she would not have died upon the scaffold. Besides, -to Elizabeth, who had never seen her, and who consequently could only -judge by hearsay, this beauty was a great cause of uneasiness and of -jealousy, which she could not even disguise, and which showed itself -unceasingly in eager questions. One day when she was chatting with James -Melville about his mission to her court, Mary's offer to be guided by -Elizabeth in her choice of a husband,--a choice which the queen of -England had seemed at first to wish to see fixed on the Earl of -Leicester,--she led the Scotch ambassador into a cabinet, where she -showed him several portraits with labels in her own handwriting: the -first was one of the Earl of Leicester. As this nobleman was precisely -the suitor chosen by Elizabeth, Melville asked the queen to give it him -to show to his mistress; but Elizabeth refused, saying that it was the -only one she had. Melville then replied, smiling, that being in -possession of the original she might well part with the copy; but -Elizabeth would on no account consent. This little discussion ended, she -showed him the portrait of Mary Stuart, which she kissed very tenderly, -expressing to Melville a great wish to see his mistress. "That is very -easy, madam," he replied: "keep your room, on the pretext that you are -indisposed, and set out incognito for Scotland, as King James V set out -for France when he wanted to see Madeleine de Valois, whom he afterwards -married." - -"Alas!" replied Elizabeth, "I would like to do so, but it is not so easy -as you think. Nevertheless, tell your queen that I love her tenderly, -and that I wish we could live more in friendship than we have done up to -the present". Then passing to a subject which she seemed to have wanted -to broach for a long time, "Melville," she continued, "tell me frankly, -is my sister as beautiful as they say?" - -"She has that reputation," replied Melville; "but I cannot give your -Majesty any idea of her beauty, having no point of comparison." - -"I will give you one," the queen said. "Is she more beautiful than I?" - -"Madam," replied Melville, "you are the most beautiful woman in England, -and Mary Stuart is the most beautiful woman in Scotland." - -"Then which of the two is the taller?" asked Elizabeth, who was not -entirely satisfied by this answer, clever as it was. - -"My mistress, madam," responded Melville; "I am obliged to confess it." - -"Then she is too tall," Elizabeth said sharply, "for I am tall enough. -And what are her favourite amusements?" she continued. - -"Madam," Melville replied, "hunting, riding, performing on the lute and -the harpsichord." - -"Is she skilled upon the latter?" Elizabeth inquired. "Oh yes, madam," -answered Melville; "skilled enough for a queen." - -There the conversation stopped; but as Elizabeth was herself an -excellent musician, she commanded Lord Hunsdon to bring Melville to her -at a time when she was at her harpischord, so that he could hear her -without her seeming to have the air of playing for him. In fact, the -same day, Hunsdon, agreeably to her instructions, led the ambassador -into a gallery separated from the queen's apartment merely by tapestry, -so that his guide having raised it, Melville at his leisure could hear -Elizabeth, who did not turn round until she had finished the piece, -which, however, she was playing with much skill. When she saw Melville, -she pretended to fly into a passion, and even wanted to strike him; but -her anger calmed down by little and little at the ambassador's -compliments, and ceased altogether when he admitted that Mary Stuart was -not her equal. But this was not all: proud of her triumph, Elizabeth -desired also that Melville should see her dance. Accordingly, she kept -back her despatches for two days that he might be present at a ball that -she was giving. These despatches, as we have said, contained the wish -that Mary Stuart should espouse Leicester; but this proposal could not -be taken seriously. Leicester, whose personal worth was besides -sufficiently mediocre, was of birth too inferior to aspire to the hand -of the daughter of so many kings; thus Mary replied that such an -alliance would not become her. Meanwhile, something strange and tragic -came to pass. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -Among the lords who had followed Mary Stuart to Scotland was, as we have -mentioned, a young nobleman named Chatelard, a true type of the nobility -of that time, a nephew of Bayard on his mother's side, a poet and a -knight, talented and courageous, and attached to Marshal Damville, of -whose household he formed one. Thanks to this high position, Chatelard, -throughout her stay in France, paid court to Mary Stuart, who, in the -homage he rendered her in verse, saw nothing more than those poetical -declarations of gallantry customary in that age, and with which she -especially was daily overwhelmed. But it happened that about the time -when Chatelard was most in love with the queen she was obliged to leave -France, as we have said. Then Marshal Damville, who knew nothing of -Chatelard's passion, and who himself, encouraged by Mary's kindness, was -among the candidates to succeed Francis II as husband, set out for -Scotland with the poor exile, taking Chatelard with him, and, not -imagining he would find a rival in him, he made a confidant of him, and -left him with Mary when he was obliged to leave her, charging the young -poet to support with her the interests of his suit. This post as -confidant brought Mary and Chatelard more together; and, as in her -capacity as poet, the queen treated him like a brother, he made bold in -his passion to risk all to obtain another title. Accordingly, one -evening he got into Mary Stuart's room, and hid himself under the bed; -but at the moment when the queen was beginning to undress, a little dog -she had began to yelp so loudly that her women came running at his -barking, and, led by this indication, perceived Chatelard. A woman -easily pardons a crime for which too great love is the excuse: Mary -Stuart was woman before being queen--she pardoned. - -But this kindness only increased Chatelard's confidence: he put down the -reprimand he had received to the presence of the queen's women, and -supposed that if she had been alone she would have forgiven him still -more completely; so that, three weeks after, this same scene was -repeated. But this time, Chatelard, discovered in a cupboard, when the -queen was already in bed, was placed under arrest. - -The moment was badly chosen: such a scandal, just when the queen was -about to re-marry, was fatal to Mary, let alone to Chatelard. Murray -took the affair in hand, and, thinking that a public trial could alone -save his sister's reputation, he urged the prosecution with such vigour, -that Chatelard, convicted of the crime of lese-majeste, was condemned to -death. Mary entreated her brother that Chatelard might be sent back to -France; but Murray made her see what terrible consequences such a use of -her right of pardon might have, so that Mary was obliged to let justice -take its course: Chatelard was led to execution. Arrived on the -scaffold, which was set up before the queen's palace, Chatelard, who had -declined the services of a priest, had Ronsard's Ode on Death read; and -when the reading, which he followed with evident pleasure, was ended, he -turned--towards the queen's windows, and, having cried out for the last -time, "Adieu, loveliest and most cruel of princesses!" he stretched out -his neck to the executioner, without displaying any repentance or -uttering any complaint. This death made all the more impression upon -Mary, that she did not dare to show her sympathy openly. - -Meanwhile there was a rumour that the queen of Scotland was consenting -to a new marriage, and several suitors came forward, sprung from the -principal reigning families of Europe: first, the Archduke Charles, -third son of the Emperor of Germany; then the Duke of Anjou, who -afterwards became Henry III. But to wed a foreign prince was to give up -her claims to the English crown. So Mary refused, and, making a merit of -this to Elizabeth, she cast her eyes on a relation of the latter's, -Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, son of the Earl of Lennox. Elizabeth, who -had nothing plausible to urge against this marriage, since the Queen of -Scotland not only chose an Englishman for husband, but was marrying into -her own family, allowed the Earl of Lennox and his son to go to the -Scotch court, reserving it to herself, if matters appeared to take a -serious turn, to recall them both--a command which they would be -constrained to obey, since all their property was in England. - -Darnley was eighteen years of age: he was handsome, well-made, elegant; -he talked in that attractive manner of the young nobles of the French -and English courts that Mary no longer heard since her exile in -Scotland; she let herself be deceived by these appearances, and did not -see that under this brilliant exterior Darnley hid utter insignificance, -dubious courage, and a fickle and churlish character. It is true that he -came to her under the auspices of a man whose influence was as striking -as the risen fortune which gave him the opportunity to exert it. We -refer to David Rizzio. - -David Rizzio, who played such a great part in the life of Mary Stuart, -whose strange favour for him has given her enemies, probably without any -cause, such cruel weapons against her, was the son of a Turin musician -burdened with a numerous family, who, recognising in him a pronounced -musical taste, had him instructed in the first principles of the art. At -the age of fifteen he had left his father's house and had gone on foot -to Nice, where the Duke of Savoy held his court; there he entered the -service of the Duke of Moreto, and this lord having been appointed, some -years afterwards, to the Scottish embassy, Rizzio followed him to -Scotland. As this young man had a very fine voice, and accompanied on -the viol and fiddle songs of which both the airs and the words were of -his own composition, the ambassador spoke of him to Mary, who wished to -see him. Rizzio, full of confidence in himself, and seeing in the -queen's desire a road to success, hastened to obey her command, sang -before her, and pleased her. She begged him then of Moreto, making no -more of it than if she had asked of him a thoroughbred dog or a -well-trained falcon. Moreto presented him to her, delighted at finding -such an opportunity to pay his court; but scarcely was Rizzio in her -service than Mary discovered that music was the least of his gifts, that -he possessed, besides that, education if not profound at least varied, a -supple mind, a lively imagination, gentle ways, and at the same time -much boldness and presumption. He reminded her of those Italian artists -whom she had seen at the French court, and spoke to her the tongue of -Marot and Ronsard, whose most beautiful poems he knew by heart: this was -more than enough to please Mary Stuart. In a short time he became her -favourite, and meanwhile the place of secretary for the French -despatches falling vacant, Rizzio was provided for with it. - -Darnley, who wished to succeed at all costs, enlisted Rizzio in his -interests, unconscious that he had no need of this support; and as, on -her side, Mary, who had fallen in love with him at first sight, fearing -some new intrigue of Elizabeth's, hastened on this union so far as the -proprieties permitted, the affair moved forward with wonderful rapidity; -and in the midst of public rejoicing, with the approbation of the -nobility, except for a small minority, with Murray at its head, the -marriage was solemnised under the happiest auspices, 29th July 1565. Two -days before, Darnley and his father, the Earl of Lennox, had received a -command to return to London, and as they had not obeyed it, a week after -the celebration of the marriage they learned that the Countess of -Lennox, the only one of the family remaining in Elizabeth's power, had -been arrested and taken to the Tower. Thus Elizabeth, in spite of her -dissimulation, yielding to that first impulse of violence that she -always had such trouble to overcome, publicly displayed her resentment. - -However, Elizabeth was not the woman to be satisfied with useless -vengeance: she soon released the countess, and turned her eyes towards -Murray, the most discontented of the nobles in opposition, who by this -marriage was losing all his personal influence. It was thus easy for -Elizabeth to put arms in his hand. In fact, when he had failed in his -first attempt to seize Darnley, he called to his aid the Duke of -Chatellerault, Glencairn, Argyll, and Rothes, and collecting what -partisans they could, they openly rebelled against the queen. This was -the first ostensible act of that hatred which was afterwards so fatal to -Mary. - -The queen, on her side, appealed to her nobles, who in response hastened -to rally to her, so that in a month's time she found herself at the head -of the finest army that ever a king of Scotland had raised. Darnley -assumed the command of this magnificent assembly, mounted on a superb -horse, arrayed in gilded armour; and accompanied by the queen, who, in a -riding habit, with pistols at her saddle-bow, wished to make the -campaign with him, that she might not quit his side for a moment. Both -were young, both were handsome, and they left Edinburgh amidst the -cheers of the people and the army. - -Murray and his accomplices did not even try to stand against them, and -the campaign consisted of such rapid and complex marches and -counter-marches, that this rebellion is called the Run-about Raid-that -is to say, the run in every sense of the word. Murray and the rebels -withdrew into England, where Elizabeth, while seeming to condemn their -unlucky attempt, afforded them all the assistance they needed. - -Mary returned to Edinburgh delighted at the success of her two first -campaigns, not suspecting that this new good fortune was the last she -would have, and that there her short-lived prosperity would cease. -Indeed, she soon saw that in Darnley she had given herself not a devoted -and very attentive husband, as she had believed, but an imperious and -brutal master, who, no longer having any motive for concealment, showed -himself to her just as he was, a man of disgraceful vices, of which -drunkenness and debauchery was the least. Accordingly, serious -differences were not long in springing up in this royal household. - -Darnley in wedding Mary had not become king, but merely the queen's -husband. To confer on him authority nearly equalling a regent's, it was -necessary that Mary should grant him what was termed the crown -matrimonial--a crown Francis II had worn during his short royalty, and -that Mary, after Darnley's conduct to herself, had not the slightest -intention of bestowing on him. Thus, to whatever entreaties he made, in -whatever form they were wrapped, Mary merely replied with an unvaried -and obstinate refusal. Darnley, amazed at this force of will in a young -queen who had loved him enough to raise him to her, and not believing -that she could find it in herself, sought in her entourage for some -secret and influential adviser who might have inspired her with it. His -suspicions fell on Rizzio. - -In reality, to whatever cause Rizzio owed his power (and to even the -most clear-sighted historians this point has always remained obscure), -be it that he ruled as lover, be it that he advised as minister, his -counsels as long as he lived were always given for the greater glory of -the queen. Sprung from so low, he at least wished to show himself -worthy, of having risen so high, and owing everything to Mary, he tried -to repay her with devotion. Thus Darnley was not mistaken, and it was -indeed Rizzio who, in despair at having helped to bring about a union -which he foresaw must become so unfortunate, gave Mary the advice not to -give up any of her power to one who already possessed much more than he -deserved, in possessing her person. - -Darnley, like all persons of both weak and violent character, -disbelieved in the persistence of will in others, unless this will was -sustained by an outside influence. He thought that in ridding himself of -Rizzio he could not fail to gain the day, since, as he believed, he -alone was opposing the grant of this great desire of his, the crown -matrimonial. Consequently, as Rizzio was disliked by the nobles in -proportion as his merits had raised him above them, it was easy for -Darnley to organise a conspiracy, and James Douglas of Morton, -chancellor of the kingdom, consented to act as chief. - -This is the second time since the beginning of our narrative that we -inscribe this name Douglas, so often pronounced, in Scottish history, -and which at this time, extinct in the elder branch, known as the Black -Douglases, was perpetuated in the younger branch, known as the Red -Douglases. It was an ancient, noble, and powerful family, which, when -the descent in the male line from Robert Bruce had lapsed, disputed the -royal title with the first Stuart, and which since then had constantly -kept alongside the throne, sometimes its support, sometimes its enemy, -envying every great house, for greatness made it uneasy, but above all -envious of the house of Hamilton, which, if not its equal, was at any -rate after itself the next most powerful. - -During the whole reign of James V, thanks to the hatred which the king -bore them, the Douglases had not only lost all their influence, but had -also been exiled to England. This hatred was on account of their having -seized the guardianship of the young prince and kept him prisoner till -he was fifteen. Then, with the help of one of his pages, James V had -escaped from Falkland, and had reached Stirling, whose governor was in -his interests. Scarcely was he safe in the castle than he made -proclamation that any Douglas who should approach within a dozen miles -of it would be prosecuted for high treason. This was not all: he -obtained a decree from Parliament, declaring them guilty of felony, and -condemning them to exile; they remained proscribed, then, during the -king's lifetime, and returned to Scotland only upon his death. The -result was that, although they had been recalled about the throne, and -though, thanks to the past influence of Murray, who, one remembers, was -a Douglas on the mother's side, they filled the most important posts -there, they had not forgiven to the daughter the enmity borne them by -the father. - -This was why James Douglas, chancellor as he was, and consequently -entrusted with the execution of the laws, put himself at the head of a -conspiracy which had for its aim the violation of all laws; human and -divine. - -Douglas's first idea had been to treat Rizzio as the favourites of James -III had been treated at the Bridge of Lauder--that is to say, to make a -show of having a trial and to hang him afterwards. But such a death did -not suffice for Darnley's vengeance; as above everything he wished to -punish the queen in Rizzio's person, he exacted that the murder should -take place in her presence. - -Douglas associated with himself Lord Ruthven, an idle and dissolute -sybarite, who under the circumstances promised to push his devotion so -far as to wear a cuirass; then, sure of this important accomplice, he -busied himself with finding other agents. - -However, the plot was not woven with such secrecy but that something of -it transpired; and Rizzio received several warnings that he despised. -Sir James Melville, among others, tried every means to make him -understand the perils a stranger ran who enjoyed such absolute -confidence in a wild, jealous court like that of Scotland. Rizzio -received these hints as if resolved not to apply them to himself; and -Sir James Melville, satisfied that he had done enough to ease his -conscience, did not insist further. Then a French priest, who had a -reputation as a clever astrologer, got himself admitted to Rizzio, and -warned him that the stars predicted that he was in deadly peril, and -that he should beware of a certain bastard above all. Rizzio replied -that from the day when he had been honoured with his sovereign's -confidence, he had sacrificed in advance his life to his position; that -since that time, however, he had had occasion to notice that in general -the Scotch were ready to threaten but slow to act; that, as to the -bastard referred to, who was doubtless the Earl of Murray, he would take -care that he should never enter Scotland far enough for his sword to -reach him, were it as long as from Dumfries to Edinburgh; which in other -words was as much as to say that Murray should remain exiled in England -for life, since Dumfries was one of the principal frontier towns. - -Meanwhile the conspiracy proceeded, and Douglas and Ruthven, having -collected their accomplices and taken their measures, came to Darnley to -finish the compact. As the price of the bloody service they rendered the -king, they exacted from him a promise to obtain the pardon of Murray and -the nobles compromised with him in the affair of the "run in every -sense". Darnley granted all they asked of him, and a messenger was sent -to Murray to inform him of the expedition in preparation, and to invite -him to hold himself in readiness to reenter Scotland at the first notice -he should receive. Then, this point settled, they made Darnley sign a -paper in which he acknowledged himself the author and chief of the -enterprise. The other assassins were the Earl of Morton, the Earl of -Ruthven, George Douglas the bastard of Angus, Lindley, and Andrew Carew. -The remainder were soldiers, simple murderers' tools, who did not even -know what was afoot. Darnley reserved it for himself to appoint the -time. - -Two days after these conditions were agreed upon, Darnley having been -notified that the queen was alone with Rizzio, wished to make himself -sure of the degree of her favour enjoyed by the minister. He accordingly -went to her apartment by a little door of which he always kept the key -upon him; but though the key turned in the lock, the door did not open. -Then Darnley knocked, announcing himself; but such was the contempt into -which he had fallen with the queen, that Mary left him outside, -although, supposing she had been alone with Rizzio, she would have had -time to send him away. Darnley, driven to extremities by this, summoned -Morton, Ruthven, Lennox, Lindley, and Douglas's bastard, and fixed the -assassination of Rizzio for two days later. - -They had just completed all the details, and had, distributed the parts -that each must play in this bloody tragedy, when suddenly, and at the -moment when they least expected it, the door opened and, Mary Stuart -appeared on the threshold. - -"My lords," said she, "your holding these secret counsels is useless. I -am informed of your plots, and with God's help I shall soon apply a -remedy". - -With these words, and before the conspirators had time to collect -themselves, she shut the door again, and vanished like a passing but -threatening vision. All remained thunderstruck. Morton was the first to -find his tongue. - -"My lords," said he, "this is a game of life and death, and the winner -will not be the cleverest or the strongest, but the readiest. If we do -not destroy this man, we are lost. We must strike him down, this very -evening, not the day after to-morrow." - -Everyone applauded, even Ruthven, who, still pale and feverish from -riotous living, promised not to be behindhand. The only point changed, -on Morton's suggestion, was that the murder should take place next day; -for, in the opinion of all, not less than a day's interval was needed to -collect the minor conspirators, who numbered not less than five hundred. - -The next day, which was Saturday, March 9th, 1566, Mary Stuart, who had -inherited from her father, James V, a dislike of ceremony and the need -of liberty, had invited to supper with her six persons, Rizzio among the -number. Darnley, informed of this in the morning, immediately gave -notice of it to the conspirators, telling them that he himself would let -them into the palace between six and seven o'clock in the evening. The -conspirators replied that they would be in readiness. - -The morning had been dark and stormy, as nearly all the first days of -spring are in Scotland, and towards evening the snow and wind redoubled -in depth and violence. So Mary had remained shut up with Rizzio, and -Darnley, who had gone to the secret door several times, could hear the -sound of instruments and the voice of the favourite, who was singing -those sweet melodies which have come down to our time, and which -Edinburgh people still attribute to him. These songs were for Mary a -reminder of her stay in France, where the artists in the train of the -Medicis had already brought echoes from Italy; but for Darnley they were -an insult, and each time he had withdrawn strengthened in his design. - -At the appointed time, the conspirators, who had been given the password -during the day, knocked at the palace gate, and were received there so -much the more easily that Darnley himself, wrapped in a great cloak, -awaited them at the postern by which they were admitted. The five -hundred soldiers immediately stole into an inner courtyard, where they -placed themselves under some sheds, as much to keep themselves from the -cold as that they might not be seen on the snow-covered ground. A -brightly lighted window looked into this courtyard; it was that of the -queen's study: at the first signal given them from this window, the -soldiers were to break in the door and go to the help of the chief -conspirators. - -These instructions given, Darnley led Morton, Ruthven, Lennox, Lindley, -Andrew Carew, and Douglas's bastard into the room adjoining the study, -and only separated from it by a tapestry hanging before the door. From -there one could overhear all that was being said, and at a single bound -fall upon the guests. - -Darnley left them in this room, enjoining silence; then, giving them as -a signal to enter the moment when they should hear him cry, "To me, -Douglas!" he went round by the secret passage, so that seeing him come -in by his usual door the queen's suspicions might not be roused by his -unlooked-for visit. - -Mary was at supper with six persons, having, say de Thou and Melville, -Rizzio seated on her right; while, on the contrary, Carapden assures us -that he was eating standing at a sideboard. The talk was gay and -intimate; for all were giving themselves up to the ease one feels at -being safe and warm, at a hospitable board, while the snow is beating -against the windows and the wind roaring in the chimneys. Suddenly Mary, -surprised that the most profound silence had succeeded to the lively and -animated flow of words among her guests since the beginning of supper, -and suspecting, from their glances, that the cause of their uneasiness -was behind her, turned round and saw Darnley leaning on the back of her -chair. The queen shuddered; for although her husband was smiling when -looking at Rizzio, this smile had assumed such a strange expression that -it was clear that something terrible was about to happen. At the same -moment, Mary heard in the next room a heavy, dragging step draw near the -cabinet, then the tapestry was raised, and Lord Ruthven, in armour of -which he could barely support the weight, pale as a ghost, appeared on -the threshold, and, drawing his sword in silence, leaned upon it. - -The queen thought he was delirious. - -"What do you want, my lord?" she said to him; "and why do you come to -the palace like this?" - -"Ask the king, madam," replied Ruthven in an indistinct voice. "It is -for him to answer." - -"Explain, my lord," Mary demanded, turning again towards Darnley; "what -does such a neglect of ordinary propriety mean?" - -"It means, madam," returned Darnley, pointing to Rizzio, "that that man -must leave here this very minute." - -"That man is mine, my lord," Mary said, rising proudly, "and -consequently takes orders only from me." - -"To me, Douglas!" cried Darnley. - -At these words, the conspirators, who for some moments had drawn nearer -Ruthven, fearing, so changeable was Darnley's character, lest he had -brought them in vain and would not dare to utter the signal--at these -words, the conspirators rushed into the room with such haste that they -overturned the table. Then David Rizzio, seeing that it was he alone -they wanted, threw himself on his knees behind the queen, seizing the -hem of her robe and crying in Italian, "Giustizia! giustizia!" Indeed, -the queen, true to her character, not allowing herself to be intimidated -by this terrible irruption, placed herself in front of Rizzio and -sheltered him behind her Majesty. But she counted too much on the -respect of a nobility accustomed to struggle hand to hand with its kings -for five centuries. Andrew Carew held a dagger to her breast and -threatened to kill her if she insisted on defending any longer him whose -death was resolved upon. Then Darnley, without consideration for the -queen's pregnancy, seized her round the waist and bore her away from -Rizzio, who remained on his knees pale and trembling, while Douglas's -bastard, confirming the prediction of the astrologer who had warned -Rizzio to beware of a certain bastard, drawing the king's own dagger, -plunged it into the breast of the minister, who fell wounded, but not -dead. Morton immediately took him by the feet and dragged him from the -cabinet into the larger room, leaving on the floor that long track of -blood which is still shown there; then, arrived there, each rushed upon -him as upon a quarry, and set upon the corpse, which they stabbed in -fifty-six places. Meanwhile Darnley held the queen, who, thinking that -all was not over, did not cease crying for mercy. But Ruthven came back, -paler than at first, and at Darnley's inquiry if Rizzio were dead, he -nodded in the affirmative; then, as he could not bear further fatigue in -his convalescent state, he sat down, although the queen, whom Darnley -had at last released, remained standing on the same spot. At this Mary -could not contain herself. - -"My lord," cried she, "who has given you permission to sit down in my -presence, and whence comes such insolence?" - -"Madam," Ruthven answered, "I act thus not from insolence, but from -weakness; for, to serve your husband, I have just taken more exercise -than my doctors allow". Then turning round to a servant, "Give me a -glass of wine," said he, showing Darnley his bloody dagger before -putting it back in its sheath, "for here is the proof that I have well -earned it". The servant obeyed, and Ruthven drained his glass with as -much calmness as if he had just performed the most innocent act. - -"My lord," the queen then said, taking a step towards him, "it may be -that as I am a woman, in spite of my desire and my will, I never find an -opportunity to repay you what you are doing to me; but," she added, -energetically striking her womb with her hand, "he whom I bear there, -and whose life you should have respected, since you respect my Majesty -so little, will one day revenge me for all these insults". Then, with a -gesture at once superb and threatening, she withdrew by Darnley's door, -which she closed behind her. - -At that moment a great noise was heard in the queen's room. Huntly, -Athol, and Bothwell, who, we are soon about to see, play such an -important part in the sequel of this history, were supping together in -another hall of the palace, when suddenly they had heard outcries and -the clash of arms, so that they had run with all speed. When Athol, who -came first, without knowing whose it was, struck against the dead body -of Rizzio, which was stretched at the top of the staircase, they -believed, seeing someone assassinated, that the lives of the king and -queen were threatened, and they had drawn their swords to force the door -that Morton was guarding. But directly Darnley understood what was going -on, he darted from the cabinet, followed by Ruthven, and showing himself -to the newcomers-- - -"My lords," he said, "the persons of the queen and myself are safe, and -nothing has occurred here but by our orders. Withdraw, then; you will -know more about it in time. As to him," he added, holding up Rizzio's -head by the hair, whilst the bastard of Douglas lit up the face with a -torch so that it could be recognised, "you see who it is, and whether it -is worth your while to get into trouble for him". - -And in fact, as soon as Huntly, Athol, and Bothwell had recognised the -musician-minister, they sheathed their swords, and, having saluted the -king, went away. - -Mary had gone away with a single thought in her heart, vengeance. But -she understood that she could not revenge herself at one and the same -time on her husband and his companions: she set to work, then, with all -the charms of her wit and beauty to detach the King from his -accomplices. It was not a difficult task: when that brutal rage which -often carried Darnley beyond all bounds was spent, he was frightened -himself at the crime he had committed, and while the assassins, -assembled by Murray, were resolving that he should have that greatly -desired crown matrimonial, Darnley, as fickle as he was violent, and as -cowardly as he was cruel, in Mary's very room, before the scarcely dried -blood, made another compact, in which he engaged to deliver up his -accomplices. Indeed, three days after the event that we have just -related, the murderers learned a strange piece of news--that Darnley and -Mary, accompanied by Lord Seyton, had escaped together from Holyrood -Palace. Three days later still, a proclamation appeared, signed by Mary -and dated from Dunbar, which summoned round the queen, in her own name -and the king's, all the Scottish lords and barons, including those who -had been compromised in the affair of the "run in every sense," to whom -she not only granted full and complete pardon, but also restored her -entire confidence. In this way she separated Murray's cause from that of -Morton and the other assassins, who, in their turn, seeing that there -was no longer any safety for them in Scotland, fled to England, where -all the queen's enemies were always certain to find a warm welcome, in -spite of the good relations which reigned in appearance between Mary and -Elizabeth. As to Bothwell, who had wanted to oppose the assassination, -he was appointed Warden of all the Marches of the Kingdom. - -Unfortunately for her honour, Mary, always more the woman than the -queen, while, on the contrary, Elizabeth was always more the queen than -the woman, had no sooner regained her power than her first royal act was -to exhume Rizzio, who had been quietly buried on the threshold of the -chapel nearest Holyrood Palace, and to have him removed to the -burial-place of the Scottish kings, compromising herself still more by -the honours she paid him dead than by the favour she had granted him -living. - -Such an imprudent demonstration naturally led to fresh quarrels between -Mary and Darnley: these quarrels were the more bitter that, as one can -well understand, the reconciliation between the husband and wife, at -least on the latter's side, had never been anything but a pretence; so -that, feeling herself in a stronger position still on account of her -pregnancy, she restrained herself no longer, and, leaving Darnley, she -went from Dunbar to Edinburgh Castle, where on June 19th, 1566, three -months after the assassination of Rizzio, she gave birth to a son who -afterwards became James VI. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -Directly she was delivered, Mary sent for James Melville, her usual -envoy to Elizabeth, and charged him to convey this news to the Queen of -England, and to beg her to be godmother to the royal child at the same -time. On arriving in London, Melville immediately presented himself at -the palace; but as there was a court ball, he could not see the queen, -and contented himself with making known the reason for his journey to -the minister Cecil, and with begging him to ask his mistress for an -audience next day. Elizabeth was dancing in a quadrille at the moment -when Cecil, approaching her, said in a low voice, "Queen Mary of -Scotland has just given birth to a son". At these words she grew -frightfully pale, and, looking about her with a bewildered air, and as -if she were about to faint, she leaned against an arm-chair; then, soon, -not being able to stand upright, she sat down, threw back her head, and -plunged into a mournful reverie. Then one of the ladies of her court, -breaking through the circle which had formed round the queen, approached -her, ill at ease, and asked her of what she was thinking so sadly. "Ah! -madam," Elizabeth replied impatiently, "do you not know that Mary Stuart -has given birth to a son, while I am but a barren stock, who will die -without offspring?" - -Yet Elizabeth was too good a politician, in spite of her liability to be -carried away by a first impulse, to compromise herself by a longer -display of her grief. The ball was not discontinued on that account, and -the interrupted quadrille was resumed and finished. - -The next day, Melville had his audience. Elizabeth received him to -perfection, assuring him of all the pleasure that the news he brought -had caused her, and which, she said, had cured her of a complaint from -which she had suffered for a fortnight. Melville replied that his -mistress had hastened to acquaint her with her joy, knowing that she had -no better friend; but he added that this joy had nearly cost Mary her -life, so grievous had been her confinement. As he was returning to this -point for the third time, with the object of still further increasing -the queen of England's dislike to marriage-- - -"Be easy, Melville," Elizabeth answered him; "you need not insist upon -it. I shall never marry; my kingdom takes the place of a husband for me, -and my subjects are my children. When I am dead, I wish graven on my -tombstone: 'Here lies Elizabeth, who reigned so many years, and who died -a virgin.'" - -Melville availed himself of this opportunity to remind Elizabeth of the -desire she had shown to see Mary, three or four years before; but -Elizabeth said, besides her country's affairs, which necessitated her -presence in the heart of her possessions, she did not care, after all -she had heard said of her rival's beauty, to expose herself to a -comparison disadvantageous to her pride. She contented herself, then, -with choosing as her proxy the Earl of Bedford, who set out with several -other noblemen for Stirling Castle, where the young prince was -christened with great pomp, and received the name of Charles James. - -It was remarked that Darnley did not appear at this ceremony, and that -his absence seemed to scandalise greatly the queen of England's envoy. -On the contrary, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, had the most important -place there. - -This was because, since the evening when Bothwell, at Mary's cries, had -run to oppose the murder of Rizzio, he had made great way in the queen's -favour; to her party he himself appeared to be really attached, to the -exclusion of the two others, the king's and the Earl of Murray's. -Bothwell was already thirty-five years old, head of the powerful family -of Hepburn, which had great influence in East Lothian and the county of -Berwick; for the rest, violent, rough, given to every kind of -debauchery, and capable of anything to satisfy an ambition that he did -not even give himself the trouble to hide. In his youth he had been -reputed courageous, but for long he had had no serious opportunity to -draw the sword. - -If the king's authority had been shaken by Rizzio's influence, it was -entirely upset by Bothwell's. The great nobles, following the -favourite's example, no longer rose in the presence of Darnley, and -ceased little by little to treat him as their equal: his retinue was cut -down, his silver plate taken from him, and some officers who remained -about him made him buy their services with the most bitter vexations. As -for the queen, she no longer even took the trouble to conceal her -dislike for him, avoiding him without consideration, to such a degree -that one day when she had gone with Bothwell to Alway, she left there -again immediately, because Darnley came to join her. The king, however, -still had patience; but a fresh imprudence of Mary's at last led to the -terrible catastrophe that, since the queen's liaison with Bothwell, some -had already foreseen. - -Towards the end of the month of October, 1566, while the queen was -holding a court of justice at Jedburgh, it was announced to her that -Bothwell, in trying to seize a malefactor called John Elliot of Park, -had been badly wounded in the hand; the queen, who was about to attend -the council, immediately postponed the sitting till next day, and, -having ordered a horse to be saddled, she set out for Hermitage Castle, -where Bothwell was living, and covered the distance at a stretch, -although it was twenty miles, and she had to go across woods, marshes, -and rivers; then, having remained some hours tete-a-tete with him, she -set out again with the same sped for Jedburgh, to which she returned in -the night. - -Although this proceeding had made a great deal of talk, which was -inflamed still more by the queen's enemies, who chiefly belonged to the -Reformed religion, Darnley did not hear of it till nearly two months -afterwards--that is to say, when Bothwell, completely recovered, -returned with the queen to Edinburgh. - -Then Darnley thought that he ought not to put up any longer with such -humiliations. But as, since his treason to his accomplices, he had not -found in all Scotland a noble who would have drawn the sword for him, he -resolved to go and seek the Earl of Lennox, his father, hoping that -through his influence he could rally the malcontents, of whom there were -a great number since Bothwell had been in favour. Unfortunately, -Darnley, indiscreet and imprudent as usual, confided this plan to some -of his officers, who warned Bothwell of their master's intention. -Bothwell did not seem to oppose the journey in any way; but Darnley was -scarcely a mile from Edinburgh when he felt violent pains none the less, -he continued his road, and arrived very ill at Glasgow. He immediately -sent for a celebrated doctor, called James Abrenets, who found his body -covered with pimples, and declared without any hesitation that he had -been poisoned. However, others, among them Walter Scott, state that this -illness was nothing else than smallpox. - -Whatever it may have been, the queen, in the presence of the danger her -husband ran, appeared to forget her resentment, and at the risk of what -might prove troublesome to herself, she went to Darnley, after sending -her doctor in advance. It is true that if one is to believe in the -following letters, dated from Glasgow, which Mary is accused of having -written to Bothwell, she knew the illness with which he was attacked too -well to fear infection. As these letters are little known, and seem to -us very singular we transcribe them here; later we shall tell how they -fell into the power of the Confederate lords, and from their hands -passed into Elizabeth's, who, quite delighted, cried on receiving them, -"God's death, then I hold her life and honour in my hands!" - -FIRST LETTER - -"When I set out from the place where I had left my heart, judge in what -a condition I was, poor body without a soul: besides, during the whole -of dinner I have not spoken to anyone, and no one has dared to approach -me, for it was easy to see that there was something amiss. When I -arrived within a league of the town, the Earl of Lennox sent me one of -his gentlemen to make me his compliments, and to excuse himself for not -having come in person; he has caused me to be informed, moreover, that -he did not dare to present himself before me after the reprimand that I -gave Cunningham. This gentleman begged me, as if of his own accord, to -examine his master's conduct, to ascertain if my suspicions were well -founded. I have replied to him that fear was an incurable disease, that -the Earl of Lennox would not be so agitated if his conscience reproached -him with nothing, and that if some hasty words had escaped me, they were -but just reprisals for the letter he had written me. - -"None of the inhabitants visited me, which makes me think they are all -in his interests; besides, they speak of him very favourably, as well as -of his son. The king sent for Joachim yesterday, and asked him why I did -not lodge with him, adding that my presence would soon cure him, and -asked me also with what object I had come: if it were to be reconciled -with him; if you were here; if I had taken Paris and Gilbert as -secretaries, and if I were still resolved to dismiss Joseph? I do not -know who has given him such accurate information. There is nothing, down -to the marriage of Sebastian, with which he has not made himself -acquainted. I have asked him the meaning of one of his letters, in which -he complains of the cruelty of certain people. He replied that he -was--stricken, but that my presence caused him so much joy that he -thought he should die of it. He reproached me several times for being -dreamy; I left him to go to supper; he begged me to return: I went back. -Then he told me the story of his illness, and that he wished to make a -will leaving me everything, adding that I was a little the cause of his -trouble, and that he attributed it to my coldness. 'You ask me,' added -he, 'who are the people of whom I complain: it is of you, cruel one, of -you, whom I have never been able to appease by my tears and my -repentance. I know that I have offended you, but not on the matter that -you reproach me with: I have also offended some of your subjects, but -that you have forgiven me. I am young, and you say that I always relapse -into my faults; but cannot a young man like me, destitute of experience, -gain it also, break his promises, repent directly, and in time improve? -If you will forgive me yet once more, I will promise to offend you never -again. All the favour I ask of you is that we should live together like -husband and wife, to have but one bed and one board: if you are -inflexible, I shall never rise again from here. I entreat you, tell me -your decision: God alone knows what I suffer, and that because I occupy -myself with you only, because I love and adore only you. If I have -offended you sometimes, you must bear the reproach; for when someone -offends me, if it were granted me to complain to you, I should not -confide my griefs to others; but when we are on bad terms, I am obliged -to keep them to myself, and that maddens me.' - -"He then urged me strongly to stay with him and lodge in his house; but -I excused myself, and replied that he ought to be purged, and that he -could not be, conveniently, at Glasgow; then he told me that he knew I -had brought a letter for him, but that he would have preferred to make -the journey with me. He believed, I think, that I meant to send him to -some prison: I replied that I should take him to Craigmiller, that he -would find doctors there, that I should remain near him, and that we -should be within reach of seeing my son. He has answered that he will go -where I wish to take him, provided that I grant him what he has asked. -He does not, however, wish to be seen by anyone. - -"He has told me more than a hundred pretty things that I cannot repeat -to you, and at which you yourself would be surprised: he did not want to -let me go; he wanted to make me sit up with him all night. As for me, I -pretended to believe everything, and I seemed to interest myself really -in him. Besides, I have never seen him so small and humble; and if I had -not known how easily his heart overflows, and how mine is impervious to -every other arrow than those with which you have wounded it, I believe -that I should have allowed myself to soften; but lest that should alarm -you, I would die rather than give up what I have promised you. As for -you, be sure to act in the same way towards those traitors who will do -all they can to separate you from me. I believe that all those people -have been cast in the same mould: this one always has a tear in his eye; -he bows down before everyone, from the greatest to the smallest; he -wishes to interest them in his favour, and make himself pitied. His -father threw up blood to-day through the nose and mouth; think what -these symptoms mean. I have not seen him yet, for he keeps to the house. -The king wants me to feed him myself; he won't eat unless I do. But, -whatever I may do, you will be deceived by it no more than I shall be -deceiving myself. We are united, you and I, to two kinds of very -detestable people [Mary means Miss Huntly, Bothwell's wife, whom he -repudiated, at the king's death, to marry the queen.]: that hell may -sever these knots then, and that heaven may form better ones, that -nothing can break, that it may make of us the most tender and faithful -couple that ever was; there is the profession of faith in which I would -die. - -"Excuse my scrawl: you must guess more than the half of it, but I know -no help for this. I am obliged to write to you hastily while everyone is -asleep here: but be easy, I take infinite pleasure in my watch; for I -cannot sleep like the others, not being able to sleep as I would -like--that is to say, in your arms. - -"I am going to get into bed; I shall finish my letter tomorrow: I have -too many things to tell to you, the night is too far advanced: imagine -my despair. It is to you I am writing, it is of myself that I converse -with you, and I am obliged to make an end. - -"I cannot prevent myself, however, from filling up hastily the rest of -my paper. Cursed be the crazy creature who torments me so much! Were it -not for him, I could talk to you of more agreeable things: he is not -greatly changed; and yet he has taken a great deal of it. But he has -nearly killed me with the fetid smell of his breath; for now his is -still worse than your cousin's: you guess that this is a fresh reason -for my not approaching him; on the contrary, I go away as far as I can, -and sit on a chair at the foot of his bed. - -"Let us see if I forget anything: - - "His father's messenger on the road; - The question about Joachim; - The-state of my house; - The people of my suite; - Subject of my arrival; - Joseph; - Conversation between him and me; - His desire to please me and his repentance; - The explanation of his letter; - Mr. Livingston. - -"Ah! I was forgetting that. Yesterday Livingston during supper told de -Rere in a low voice to drink to the health of one I knew well, and to -beg me to do him the honour. After supper, as I was leaning on his -shoulder near the fire, he said to me, 'Is it not true that there are -visits very agreeable for those who pay them and those who receive them? -But, however satisfied they seem with your arrival, I challenge their -delight to equal the grief of one whom you have left alone to-day, and -who will never be content till he sees you again.' I asked him of whom -he wished to speak to me. He then answered me by pressing my arm: 'Of -one of those who have not followed you; and among those it is easy for -you to guess of whom I want to speak.' - -"I have worked till two o'clock at the bracelet; I have enclosed a -little key which is attached by two strings: it is not as well worked as -I should like, but I have not had time to make it better; I will make -you a finer one on the first occasion. Take care that it is not seen on -you; for I have worked at it before everyone, and it would be recognised -to a certainty. - -"I always return, in spite of myself, to the frightful attempt that you -advise. You compel me to concealments, and above all to treacheries that -make me shudder; I would rather die, believe me, than do such things; -for it makes my heart bleed. He does not want to follow me unless I -promise him to have the selfsame bed and board with him as before, and -not to abandon him so often. If I consent to it, he says he will do all -I wish, and will follow me everywhere; but he has begged me to put off -my departure for two days. I have pretended to agree to all he wishes; -but I have told him not to speak of our reconciliation to anyone, for -fear it should make some lords uneasy. At last I shall take him -everywhere I wish.... Alas! I have never deceived anyone; but what would -I not do to please you? Command, and whatever happens, I shall obey. But -see yourself if one could not contrive some secret means in the shape of -a remedy. He must purge himself at Craigmiller and take baths there; he -will be some days without going out. So far as I can see, he is very -uneasy; but he has great trust in what I tell him: however, his -confidence does not go so far as to allow him to open his mind to me. If -you like, I will tell him every thing: I can have no pleasure in -deceiving someone who is trusting. However, it will be just as you wish: -do not esteem me the less for that. It is you advised it; never would -vengeance have taken me so far. Sometimes he attacks me in a very -sensitive place, and he touches me to the quick when he tells me that -his crimes are known, but that every day greater ones are committed that -one uselessly attempts to hide, since all crimes, whatsoever they be, -great or small, come to men's knowledge and form the common subject of -their discourse. He adds sometimes, in speaking to me of Madame de Rere, -'I wish her services may do you honour.' He has assured me that many -people thought, and that he thought himself, that I was not my own -mistress; this is doubtless because I had rejected the conditions he -offered me. Finally, it is certain that he is very uneasy about you know -what, and that he even suspects that his life is aimed at. He is in -despair whenever the conversation turns on you, Livingston, and my -brother. However, he says neither good nor ill of absent people; but, on -the contrary, he always avoids speaking of them. His father keeps to the -house: I have not seen him yet. A number of the Hamiltons are here, and -accompany me everywhere; all the friends of the other one follow me each -time I go to see him. He has begged me to be at his rising to-morrow. My -messenger will tell you the rest. - -"Burn my letter: there would be danger in keeping it. Besides, it is -hardly worth the trouble, being filled only with dark thoughts. - -"As for you, do not be offended if I am sad and uneasy to-day, that to -please you I rise above honour, remorse, and dangers. Do not take in bad -part what I tell you, and do not listen to the malicious explanations of -your wife's brother; he is a knave whom you ought not to hear to the -prejudice of the most tender and most faithful mistress that ever was. -Above all, do not allow yourself to be moved by that woman: her sham -tears are nothing in comparison with the real tears that I shed, and -with what love and constancy make me suffer at succeeding her; it is for -that alone that in spite of myself I betray all those who could cross my -love. God have mercy on me, and send you all the prosperity that a -humble and tender friend who awaits from you soon another reward wishes -you. It is very late; but it is always with regret that I lay down my -pen when I write to you; however, I shall not end my letter until I -shall have kissed your hands. Forgive me that it is so ill-written: -perhaps I do so expressly that you may be obliged to re-read it several -times: I have transcribed hastily what I had written down on my tablets, -and my paper has given out. Remember a tender friend, and write to her -often: love me as tenderly as I love you, and remember: - - "Madame de Rere's words; - The English; - His mother; - The Earl of Argyll; - The Earl of Bothwell; - The Edinburgh dwelling." - -SECOND LETTER - -"It seems that you have forgotten me during your absence, so much the -more that you had promised me, at setting out, to let me know in detail -everything fresh that should happen. The hope of receiving your news was -giving me almost as much delight as your return could have brought me: -you have put it off longer than you promised me. As for me, although you -do not write, I play my part always. I shall take him to Craigmiller on -Monday, and he will spend the whole of Wednesday there. On that day I -shall go to Edinburgh to be bled there, unless you arrange otherwise at -least. He is more cheerful than usual, and he is better than ever. - -"He says everything he can to persuade me that he loves me; he has a -thousand attentions for me, and he anticipates me in everything: all -that is so pleasant for me, that I never go to him but the pain in my -side comes on again, his company weighs on me so much. If Paris brought -me what I asked him, I should be soon cured. If you have not yet -returned when I go you know where, write to me, I beg you, and tell me -what you wish me to do; for if you do not manage things prudently, I -foresee that the whole burden will fall on me: look into everything and -weigh the affair maturely. I send you my letter by Beaton, who will set -out the day which has been assigned to Balfour. It only remains for me -to beg you to inform me of your journey. - -"Glasgow, this Saturday morning." - -THIRD LETTER - -"I stayed you know where longer than I should have done, if it had not -been to get from him something that the bearer of these presents will -tell you it was a good opportunity for covering up our designs: I have -promised him to bring the person you know to-morrow. Look after the -rest, if you think fit. Alas! I have failed in our agreement, for you -have forbidden me to write to you, or to despatch a messenger to you. -However, I do not intend to offend you: if you knew with what fears I am -agitated, you would not have yourself so many doubts and suspicions. But -I take them in good part, persuaded as I am that they have no other -cause than love--love that I esteem more than anything on earth. - -"My feelings and my favours are to me sure warrants for that love, and -answer to me for your heart; my trust is entire on this head: but -explain yourself, I entreat you, and open your soul to me; otherwise, I -shall fear lest, by the fatality of my star, and by the too fortunate -influence of the stars on women less tender and less faithful than I, I -may be supplanted in your heart as Medea was in Jason's; not that I wish -to compare you to a lover as unfortunate as Jason, and to parallel -myself with a monster like Medea, although you have enough influence -over me to force me to resemble her each time our love exacts it, and -that it concerns me to keep your heart, which belongs to me, and which -belongs to me only. For I name as belonging to me what I have purchased -with the tender and constant love with which I have burned for you, a -love more alive to-day than ever, and which will end only with my life; -a love, in short, which makes me despise both the dangers and the -remorse which will be perhaps its sad sequel. As the price of this -sacrifice, I ask you but one favour, it is to remember a spot not far -from here: I do not exact that you should keep your promise to-morrow; -but I want to see you to disperse your suspicions. I ask of God only one -thing: it is that He should make you read my heart, which is less mine -than yours, and that He should guard you from every ill, at least during -my life: this life is dear to me only in so far as it pleases you, and -as I please you myself. I am going to bed: adieu; give me your news -to-morrow morning; for I shall be uneasy till I have it. Like a bird -escaped from its cage, or the turtle-dove which has lost her mate, I -shall be alone, weeping your absence, short as it may be. This letter, -happier than I, will go this evening where I cannot go, provided that -the messenger does not find you asleep, as I fear. I have not dared to -write it in the presence of Joseph, of Sebastian, and of Joachim, who -had only just left me when I began it." - -Thus, as one sees, and always supposing these letters to be genuine, -Mary had conceived for Bothwell one of those mad passions, so much the -stronger in the women who are a prey to them, that one the less -understands what could have inspired them. Bothwell was no longer young, -Bothwell was not handsome, and yet Mary sacrificed for him a young -husband, who was considered one of the handsomest men of his century. It -was like a kind of enchantment. Darnley, the sole obstacle to the union, -had been already condemned for a long time, if not by Mary, at least by -Bothwell; then, as his strong constitution had conquered the poison, -another kind of death was sought for. - -The queen, as she announces in her letter to Bothwell, had refused to -bring back Darnley with her, and had returned alone to Edinburgh. -Arrived there, she gave orders for the king to be moved, in his turn, in -a litter; but instead of taking him to Stirling or Holyrood, she decided -to lodge him in the abbey of the Kirk of Field. The king made some -objections when he knew of this arrangement; however, as he had no power -to oppose it, he contented himself with complaining of the solitude of -the dwelling assigned him; but the queen made answer that she could not -receive him at that moment, either at Holyrood or at Stirling, for fear, -if his illness were infectious, lest he might give it to his son: -Darnley was then obliged to make the best of the abode allotted him. - -It was an isolated abbey, and little calculated by its position to -dissipate the fears that the king entertained; for it was situated -between two ruined churches and two cemeteries: the only house, which -was distant about a shot from a cross-bow, belonged to the Hamiltons, -and as they were Darnley's mortal enemies the neighbourhood was none the -more reassuring: further, towards the north, rose some wretched huts, -called the "Thieves' cross-roads". In going round his new residence, -Darnley noticed that three holes, each large enough for a man to get -through, had been made in the walls; he asked that these holes, through -which ill-meaning persons could get in, should be stopped up: it was -promised that masons should be sent; but nothing was done, and the holes -remained open. - -The day after his arrival at Kirk of Field, the king saw a light in that -house near his which he believed deserted; next day he asked Alexander -Durham whence it came, and he heard that the Archbishop of St. Andrew's -had left his palace in Edinburgh and had housed there since the -preceding evening, one didn't know why: this news still further -increased the king's uneasiness; the Archbishop of St. Andrew's was one -of his most declared enemies. - -The king, little by little abandoned by all his servants lived on the -first floor of an isolated pavilion, having about him only this same -Alexander Durham, whom we have mentioned already, and who was his valet. -Darnley, who had quite a special friendship for him, and who besides, as -we have said, feared some attack on his life at every moment, had made -him move his bed into his own apartment, so that both were sleeping in -the same room. - -On the night of the 8th February, Darnley awoke Durham: he thought he -heard footsteps in the apartment beneath him. Durham rose, took a sword -in one hand, a taper in the other, and went down to the ground floor; -but although Darnley was quite certain he had not been deceived, Durham -came up again a moment after, saying he had seen no one. - -The morning of the next day passed without bringing anything fresh. The -queen was marrying one of her servants named Sebastian: he was an -Auvergnat whom she had brought with her from France, and whom she liked -very much. However, as the king sent word that he had not seen her for -two days, she left the wedding towards six o'clock in the evening, and -came to pay him a visit, accompanied by the Countess of Argyll and the -Countess of Huntly. While she was there, Durham, in preparing his bed, -set fire to his palliasse, which was burned as well as a part of the -mattress; so that, having thrown them out of the window all in flames, -for fear lest the fire should reach the rest of the furniture, he found -himself without a bed, and asked permission to return to the town to -sleep; but Darnley, who remembered his terror the night before, and who -was surprised at the promptness that had made Durham throw all his -bedding out of the window, begged him not to go away, offering him one -of his mattresses, or even to take him into his own bed. However, in -spite of this offer, Durham insisted, saying that he felt unwell, and -that he should like to see a doctor the same evening. So the queen -interceded for Durham, and promised Darnley to send him another valet to -spend the night with him: Darnley was then obliged to yield, and, making -Mary repeat that she would send him someone, he gave Durham leave for -that evening. At that moment Paris; of whom the queen speaks in her -letters, came in: he was a young Frenchman who had been in Scotland for -some years, and who, after having served with Bothwell and Seyton, was -at present with the queen. Seeing him, she got up, and as Darnley still -wished to keep her-- - -"Indeed, my lord, it is impossible," said she, "to come and see you. I -have left this poor Sebastian's wedding, and I must return to it; for I -promised to came masked to his ball." - -The king dared not insist; he only reminded her of the promise that she -had made to send him a servant: Mary renewed it yet once again, and went -away with her attendants. As for Durham, he had set out the moment he -received permission. - -It was nine o'clock in the evening. Darnley, left alone, carefully shut -the doors within, and retired to rest, though in readiness to rise to -let in the servant who should come to spend the night with him. Scarcely -was he in bed than the same noise that he had heard the night before -recommenced; this time Darnley listened with all the attention fear -gives, and soon he had no longer any doubt but that several men were -walking about beneath him. It was useless to call, it was dangerous to -go out; to wait was the only course that remained to the king. He made -sure again that the doors were well fastened, put his sword under his -pillow, extinguished his lamp for fear the light might betray him, and -awaited in silence for his servant's arrival; but the hours passed away, -and the servant did not come. At one o'clock in the morning, Bothwell, -after having talked some while with the queen, in the presence of the -captain of the guard, returned home to change his dress; after some -minutes, he came out wrapped up in the large cloak of a German hussar, -went through the guard-house, and had the castle gate opened. Once -outside, he took his way with all speed to Kirk of Field, which he -entered by the opening in the wall: scarcely had he made a step in the -garden than he met James Balfour, governor of the castle. - -"Well," he said to him, "how far have we got? - -"Everything is ready," replied Balfour, "and we were waiting for you to -set fire to the fuse". "That is well," Bothwell answered--"but first I -want to make sure that he is in his room." - -At these words, Bothwell opened the pavilion door with a false key, and, -having groped his way up the stairs; he went to listen at Darnley's -door. Darnley, hearing no further noise, had ended by going to sleep; -but he slept with a jerky breathing which pointed to his agitation. -Little mattered it to Bothwell what kind of sleep it was, provided that -he was really in his room. He went down again in silence, then, as he -had come up, and taking a lantern from one of the conspirators, he went -himself into the lower room to see if everything was in order: this room -was full of barrels of powder, and a fuse ready prepared wanted but a -spark to set the whole on fire. Bothwell withdrew, then, to the end of -the garden with Balfour, David, Chambers, and three or four others, -leaving one man to ignite the fuse. In a moment this man rejoined them. - -There ensued some minutes of anxiety, during which the five men looked -at one another in silence and as if afraid of themselves; then, seeing -that nothing exploded, Bothwell impatiently turned round to the -engineer, reproaching him for having, no doubt through fear, done his -work badly. He assured his master that he was certain everything was all -right, and as Bothwell, impatient, wanted to return to the house -himself, to make sure, he offered to go back and see how things stood. -In fact, he went back to the pavilion, and, putting his head through a -kind of air-hole, he saw the fuse, which was still burning. Some seconds -afterwards, Bothwell saw him come running back, making a sign that all -was going well; at the same moment a frightful report was heard, the -pavilion was blown to pieces, the town and the firth were lit up with a -clearness exceeding the brightest daylight; then everything fell back -into night, and the silence was broken only by the fall of stones and -joists, which came down as fast as hail in a hurricane. - -Next day the body of the king was found in a garden in the -neighbourhood: it had been saved from the action of the fire by the -mattresses on which he was lying, and as, doubtless, in his terror he -had merely thrown himself on his bed wrapped in his dressing-gown and in -his slippers, and as he was found thus, without his slippers, which were -flung some paces away, it was believed that he had been first strangled, -then carried there; but the most probable version was that the murderers -simply relied upon powder--an auxiliary sufficiently powerful in itself -for them to have no fear it would fail them. - -Was the queen an accomplice or not? No one has ever known save herself, -Bothwell, and God; but, yes or no, her conduct, imprudent this time as -always, gave the charge her enemies brought against her, if not -substance, at least an appearance of truth. Scarcely had she heard the -news than she gave orders that the body should be brought to her, and, -having had it stretched out upon a bench, she looked at it with more -curiosity than sadness; then the corpse, embalmed, was placed the same -evening, without pomp, by the side of Rizzio's. - -Scottish ceremonial prescribes for the widows of kings retirement for -forty days in a room entirely closed to the light of day: on the twelfth -day Mary had the windows opened, and on the fifteenth set out with -Bothwell for Seaton, a country house situated five miles from the -capital, where the French ambassador, Ducroc, went in search of her, and -made her remonstrances which decided her to return to Edinburgh; but -instead of the cheers which usually greeted her coming, she was received -by an icy silence, and a solitary woman in the crowd called out, "God -treat her as she deserves!" - -The names of the murderers were no secret to the people. Bothwell having -brought a splendid coat which was too large for him to a tailor, asking -him to remake it to his measure, the man recognised it as having -belonged to the king. "That's right," said he; "it is the custom for the -executioner to inherit from the condemned". Meanwhile, the Earl of -Lennox, supported by the people's murmurs, loudly demanded justice for -his son's death, and came forward as the accuser of his murderers. The -queen was then obliged, to appease paternal clamour and public -resentment, to command the Earl of Argyll, the Lord Chief Justice of the -kingdom, to make investigations; the same day that this order was given, -a proclamation was posted up in the streets of Edinburgh, in which the -queen promised two thousand pounds sterling to whoever would make known -the king's murderers. Next day, wherever this letter had been affixed, -another placard was found, worded thus: - -"As it has been proclaimed that those who should make known the king's -murderers should have two thousand pounds sterling, I, who have made a -strict search, affirm that the authors of the murder are the Earl of -Bothwell, James Balfour, the priest of Flisk, David, Chambers, -Blackmester, Jean Spens, and the queen herself." - -This placard was torn down; but, as usually happens, it had already been -read by the entire population. - -The Earl of Lennox accused Bothwell, and public opinion, which also -accused him, seconded the earl with such violence, that Mary was -compelled to bring him to trial: only every precaution was taken to -deprive the prosecutor of the power of convicting the accused. On the -28th March, the Earl of Lennox received notice that the 12th April was -fixed for the trial: he was granted a fortnight to collect decisive -proofs against the most powerful man in all Scotland; but the Earl of -Lennox, judging that this trial was a mere mockery, did not appear. -Bothwell, on the contrary, presented himself at the court, accompanied -by five thousand partisans and two hundred picked fusiliers, who guarded -the doors directly he had entered; so that he seemed to be rather a king -who is about to violate the law than an accused who comes to submit to -it. Of course there happened what was certain to happen--that is to say, -the jury acquitted Bothwell of the crime of which everyone, the judges -included, knew him to be guilty. - -The day of the trial, Bothwell had this written challenge placarded: - -"Although I am sufficiently cleared of the murder of the king, of which -I have been falsely accused, yet, the better to prove my innocence, I -am, ready to engage in combat with whomsoever will dare to maintain that -I have killed the king." - -The day after, this reply appeared: - -"I accept the challenge, provided that you select neutral ground." - -However, judgment had been barely given, when rumours of a marriage -between the queen and the Earl of Bothwell were abroad. However strange -and however mad this marriage, the relations of the two lovers were so -well known that no one doubted but that it was true. But as everyone -submitted to Bothwell, either through fear or through ambition, two men -only dared to protest beforehand against this union: the one was Lord -Herries, and the other James Melville. - -Mary was at Stirling when Lord Herries, taking advantage of Bothwell's -momentary absence, threw himself at her feet, imploring her not to lose -her honour by marrying her husband's murderer, which could not fail to -convince those who still doubted it that she was his accomplice. But the -queen, instead of thanking Herries for this devotion, seemed very much -surprised at his boldness, and scornfully signing to him to rise, she -coldly replied that her heart was silent as regarded the Earl of -Bothwell, and that, if she should ever re-marry, which was not probable, -she would neither forget what she owed to her people nor what she owed -to herself. - -Melville did not allow himself to be discouraged by this experience, and -pretended, to have received a letter that one of his friends, Thomas -Bishop, had written him from England. He showed this letter to the -queen; but at the first lines Mary recognised the style, and above all -the friendship of her ambassador, and giving the letter to the Earl of -Livingston, who was present, "There is a very singular letter," said -she. "Read it. It is quite in Melvine's manner." - -Livingston glanced through the letter, but had scarcely read the half of -it when he took Melville by the hand, and drawing him into the embrasure -of a window, - -"My dear Melville," said he, "you were certainly mad when you just now -imparted this letter to the queen: as soon as the Earl of Bothwell gets -wind of it, and that will not be long, he will have you assassinated. -You have behaved like an honest man, it is true; but at court it is -better to behave as a clever man. Go away, then, as quickly as possible; -it is I who recommend it." - -Melville did not require to be told twice, and stayed away for a week. -Livingston was not mistaken: scarcely had Bothwell returned to the queen -than he knew all that had passed. He burst out into curses against -Melville, and sought for him everywhere; but he could not find him. - -This beginning of opposition, weak as it was, none the less disquieted -Bothwell, who, sure of Mary's love, resolved to make short work of -things. Accordingly, as the queen was returning from Stirling to -Edinburgh some days after the scenes we have just related, Bothwell -suddenly appeared at the Bridge of Grammont with a thousand horsemen, -and, having disarmed the Earl of Huntly, Livingston, and Melville, who -had returned to his mistress, he seized the queen's horse by the bridle, -and with apparent violence he forced Mary to turn back and follow him to -Dunbar; which the queen did without any resistance--a strange thing for -one of Mary's character. - -The day following, the Earls of Huntly, Livingston, Melville, and the -people in their train were set at liberty; then, ten days afterwards, -Bothwell and the queen, perfectly reconciled, returned to Edinburgh -together. - -Two days after this return, Bothwell gave a great dinner to the nobles -his partisans in a tavern. When the meal was ended, on the very same -table, amid half-drained glasses and empty bottles, Lindsay, Ruthven, -Morton, Maitland, and a dozen or fifteen other noblemen signed a bond -which not only set forth that upon their souls and consciences Bothwell -was innocent, but which further denoted him as the most suitable husband -for the queen. This bond concluded with this sufficiently strange -declaration: - -"After all, the queen cannot do otherwise, since the earl has carried -her off and has lain with her." - -Yet two circumstances were still opposed to this marriage: the first, -that Bothwell had already been married three times, and that his three -wives were living; the second, that having carried off the queen, this -violence might cause to be regarded as null the alliance which she -should contract with him: the first of these objections was attended to, -to begin with, as the one most difficult to solve. - -Bothwell's two first wives were of obscure birth, consequently he -scorned to disquiet himself about them; but it was not so with the -third, a daughter of that Earl of Huntly who been trampled beneath the -horses' feet, and a sister of Gordon, who had been decapitated. -Fortunately for Bothwell, his past behaviour made his wife long for a -divorce with an eagerness as great as his own. There was not much -difficulty, then, in persuading her to bring a charge of adultery -against her husband. Bothwell confessed that he had had criminal -intercourse with a relative of his wife, and the Archbishop of St. -Andrews, the same who had taken up his abode in that solitary house at -Kirk of Field to be present at Darnley's death, pronounced the marriage -null. The case was begun, pushed on, and decided in ten days. - -As to the second obstacle, that of the violence used to the queen, Mary -undertook to remove it herself; for, being brought before the court, she -declared that not only did she pardon Bothwell for his conduct as -regarded her, but further that, knowing him to be a good and faithful -subject, she intended raising him immediately to new honours. In fact, -some days afterwards she created him Duke of Orkney, and on the 15th of -the same month--that is to say, scarcely four months after the death of -Darnley--with levity that resembled madness, Mary, who had petitioned -for a dispensation to wed a Catholic prince, her cousin in the third -degree, married Bothwell, a Protestant upstart, who, his divorce -notwithstanding, was still bigamous, and who thus found himself in the -position of having four wives living, including the queen. - -The wedding was dismal, as became a festival under such outrageous -auspices. Morton, Maitland, and some base flatterers of Bothwell alone -were present at it. The French ambassador, although he was a creature of -the House of Guise, to which the queen belonged, refused to attend it. - -Mary's delusion was short-lived: scarcely was she in Bothwell's power -than she saw what a master she had given herself. Gross, unfeeling, and -violent, he seemed chosen by Providence to avenge the faults of which he -had been the instigator or the accomplice. Soon his fits of passion -reached such a point, that one day, no longer able to endure them, Mary -seized a dagger from Erskine, who was present with Melville at one of -these scenes, and would have struck herself, saying that she would -rather die than continue living unhappily as she did; yet, inexplicable -as it seems, in spite of these miseries, renewed without ceasing, Mary, -forgetting that she was wife and queen, tender and submissive as a -child, was always the first to be reconciled with Bothwell. - -Nevertheless, these public scenes gave a pretext to the nobles, who only -sought an opportunity for an outbreak. The Earl of Mar, the young -prince's tutor, Argyll, Athol, Glencairn, Lindley, Boyd, and even Morton -and Maitland themselves, those eternal accomplices of Bothwell, rose, -they said, to avenge the death of the king, and to draw the son from -hands which had killed the father and which were keeping the mother -captive. As to Murray, he had kept completely in the background during -all the last events; he was in the county of Fife when the king was -assassinated, and three days before the trial of Bothwell he had asked -and obtained from his sister permission to take a journey on the -Continent. - -The insurrection took place in such a prompt and instantaneous manner, -that the Confederate lords, whose plan was to surprise and seize both -Mary and Bothwell, thought they would succeed at the first attempt. - -The king and queen were at table with Lord Borthwick, who was -entertaining them, when suddenly it was announced that a large body of -armed men was surrounding the castle: Bothwell and Mary suspected that -they were aimed at, and as they had no means of resistance, Bothwell -dressed himself as a squire, Mary as a page, and both immediately taking -horse, escaped by one door just as the Confederates were coming in by -the other. The fugitives withdrew to Dunbar. - -There they called together all Bothwell's friends, and made them sign a -kind of treaty by which they undertook to defend the queen and her -husband. In the midst of all this, Murray arrived from France, and -Bothwell offered the document to him as to the others; but Murray -refused to put his signature to it, saying that it was insulting him to -think he need be bound by a written agreement when it was a question of -defending his sister and his queen. This refusal having led to an -altercation between him and Bothwell, Murray, true to his system of -neutrality, withdrew into his earldom, and let affairs follow without -him the fatal decline they had taken. - -In the meantime the Confederates, after having failed at Borthwick, not -feeling strong enough to attack Bothwell at Dunbar, marched upon -Edinburgh, where they had an understanding with a man of whom Bothwell -thought himself sure. This man was James Balfour, governor of the -citadel, the same who had presided over the preparation of the mine -which had blown up Darnley, and whom Bothwell had, met on entering the -garden at Kirk of Field. Not only did Balfour deliver Edinburgh Castle -into the hands of the Confederates, but he also gave them a little -silver coffer of which the cipher, an "F" crowned, showed that it had -belonged to Francis II; and in fact it was a gift from her first -husband, which the queen had presented to Bothwell. Balfour stated that -this coffer contained precious papers, which in the present -circumstances might be of great use to Mary's enemies. The Confederate -lords opened it, and found inside the three genuine or spurious letters -that we have quoted, the marriage contract of Mary and Bothwell, and -twelve poems in the queen's handwriting. As Balfour had said, therein -lay, for her enemies, a rich and precious find, which was worth more -than a victory; for a victory would yield them only the queen's life, -while Balfour's treachery yielded them her honour. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -Meanwhile Bothwell had levied some troops, and thought himself in a -position to hold the country: accordingly, he set out with his army, -without even waiting for the Hamiltons, who were assembling their -vassals, and June 15th, 1567, the two opposed forces were face to face. -Mary, who desired to try to avoid bloodshed, immediately sent the French -ambassador to the Confederate lords to exhort them to lay aside their -arms; but they replied "that the queen deceived herself in taking them -for rebels; that they were marching not against her, but against -Bothwell." Then the king's friends did what they could to break off the -negotiations and give battle: it was already too late; the soldiers knew -that they were defending the cause of one man, and that they were going -to fight for a woman's caprice, and not for the good of the country: -they cried aloud, then, that "since Bothwell alone was aimed at, it was -for Bothwell to defend his cause". And he, vain and blustering as usual, -gave out that he was ready to prove his innocence in person against -whomsoever would dare to maintain that he was guilty. Immediately -everyone with any claim to nobility in the rival camp accepted the -challenge; and as the honour was given to the bravest, Kirkcaldy of -Grange, Murray of Tullibardine, and Lord Lindsay of Byres defied him -successively. But, be it that courage failed him, be it that in the -moment of danger he did not himself believe in the justice of his cause, -he, to escape the combat, sought such strange pretexts that the queen -herself was ashamed; and his most devoted friends murmured. - -Then Mary, perceiving the fatal humour of men's minds, decided not to -run the risk of a battle. She sent a herald to Kirkcaldy of Grange, who -was commanding an outpost, and as he was advancing without distrust to -converse with the queen, Bothwell, enraged at his own cowardice, ordered -a soldier to fire upon him; but this time Mary herself interposed, -forbidding him under pain of death to offer the least violence. In the -meanwhile, as the imprudent order given by Bothwell spread through the -army, such murmurs burst forth that he clearly saw that his cause was -for ever lost. - -That is what the queen thought also; for the result of her conference -with Lord Kirkcaldy was that she should abandon Bothwell's cause, and -pass over into the camp of the Confederates, on condition that they -would lay down their arms before her and bring her as queen to -Edinburgh. Kirkcaldy left her to take these conditions to the nobles, -and promised to return next day with a satisfactory answer. But at the -moment of leaving Bothwell, Mary was seized again with that fatal love -for him that she was never able to surmount, and felt herself overcome -with such weakness, that, weeping bitterly, and before everyone, she -wanted Kirkcaldy to be told that she broke off all negotiations; -however, as Bothwell had understood that he was no longer safe in camp, -it was he who insisted that things should remain as they were; and, -leaving Mary in tears, he mounted, and setting off at full speed, he did -not stop till he reached Dunbar. - -Next day, at the time appointed, the arrival of Lord Kirkcaldy of Grange -was announced by the trumpeters preceding him. Mary mounted directly and -went to meet him; them, as he alighted to greet her, "My lord;" said -she, "I surrender to you, on the conditions that you have proposed to me -on the part of the nobles, and here is my hand as a sign of entire -confidence". Kirkcaldy then knelt down, kissed the queen's hand -respectfully; and, rising, he took her horse by the bridle and led it -towards the Confederates' camp. - -Everyone of any rank in the army received her with such marks of respect -as entirely to satisfy her; but it was not so at all with the soldiers -and common people. Hardly had the queen reached the second line, formed -by them, than great murmurs arose, and several voices cried, "To the -stake, the adulteress! To the stake, the parricide!" However, Mary bore -these outrages stoically enough but a more terrible trial yet was in -store for her. Suddenly she saw rise before her a banner, on which was -depicted on one side the king dead and stretched out in the fatal -garden, and on the other the young prince kneeling, his hands joined and -his eyes raised to heaven, with this inscription, "O Lord! judge and -revenge my cause!" Mary reined in her horse abruptly at this sight, and -wanted to turn back; but she had scarcely moved a few paces when the -accusing banner again blocked her passage. Wherever she went, she met -this dreadful apparition. For two hours she had incessantly under her -eyes the king's corpse asking vengeance, and the young prince her son -praying God to punish the murderers. At last she could endure it no -longer, and, crying out, she threw herself back, having completely lost -consciousness, and would have fallen, if someone had not caught hold of -her. In the evening she entered Edinburgh, always preceded by the cruel -banner, and she already had rather the air of a prisoner than of a -queen; for, not having had a moment during the day to attend to her -toilet, her hair was falling in disorder about her shoulders, her face -was pale and showed traces of tears; and finally, her clothes were -covered with dust and mud. As she proceeded through the town, the -hootings of the people and the curses of the crowd followed her. At -last, half dead with fatigue, worn out with grief, bowed down with -shame, she reached the house of the Lord Provost; but scarcely had she -got there when the entire population of Edinburgh crowded into the -square, with cries that from time to time assumed a tone of terrifying -menace. Several times, then, Mary wished to go to the window, hoping -that the sight of her, of which she had so often proved the influence, -would disarm this multitude; but each time she saw this banner unfurling -itself like a bloody curtain between herself and the people--a terrible -rendering of their feelings. - -However, all this hatred was meant still more for Bothwell than for her: -they were pursuing Bothwell in Darnley's widow. The curses were for -Bothwell: Bothwell was the adulterer, Bothwell was the murderer, -Bothwell was the coward; while Mary was the weak, fascinated woman, who, -that same evening, gave afresh proof of her folly. - -In fact, directly the falling night had scattered the crowd and a little -quiet was regained, Mary, ceasing to be uneasy on her own account, -turned immediately to Bothwell, whom she had been obliged to abandon, -and who was now proscribed and fleeing; while she, as she believed, was -about to reassume her title and station of queen. With that eternal -confidence of the woman in her own love, by which she invariably -measures the love of another, she thought that Bothwell's greatest -distress was to have lost, not wealth and power, but to have lost -herself. So she wrote him a long letter, in which, forgetful of herself, -she promised him with the most tender expressions of love never to -desert him, and to recall him to her directly the breaking up of the -Confederate lords should give her power to do so; then, this letter -written, she called a soldier, gave him a purse of gold, and charged him -to take this letter to Dunbar, where Bothwell ought to be, and if he -were already gone, to follow him until he came up with him. - -Then she went to bed and slept more calmly; for, unhappy as she was, she -believed she had just sweetened misfortunes still greater than hers. - -Next day the queen was awakened by the step of an armed man who entered -her room. Both astonished and frightened at this neglect of propriety, -which could augur nothing good, Mary sat up in bed, and parting the -curtains, saw standing before her Lord Lindsay of Byres: she knew he was -one of her oldest friends, so she asked him in a voice which she vainly -tried to make confident, what he wanted of her at such a time. - -"Do you know this writing, madam?" Lord Lindsay asked in a rough voice, -presenting to the queen the letter she had written to Bothwell at night, -which the soldier had carried to the Confederate lords, instead of -taking to its address. - -"Yes, doubtless, my lord," the queen answered; "but am I already a -prisoner, then, that my correspondence is intercepted? or is it no -longer allowed to a wife to write to her husband?" - -"When the husband is a traitor," replied Lindsay, "no, madam, it is no -longer allowed to a wife to write to her husband--at least, however, if -this wife have a part in his treason; which seems to me, besides, quite -proved by the promise you make to this wretch to recall him to you." - -"My lord," cried Mary, interrupting Lindsay, "do you forget that you are -speaking to your queen." - -"There was a time, madam," Lindsay replied, "when I should have spoken -to you in a more gentle voice, and bending the knee, although it is not -in the nature of us old Scotch to model ourselves on your French -courtiers; but for some time, thanks to your changing loves, you have -kept us so often in the field, in harness, that our voices are hoarse -from the cold night air, and our stiff knees can no longer bend in our -armour: you must then take me just as I am, madam; since to-day, for the -welfare of Scotland, you are no longer at liberty to choose your -favourites." - -Mary grew frightfully pale at this want of respect, to which she was not -yet accustomed; but quickly containing her anger, as far as possible-- - -"But still, my lord," said she, "however disposed I may be to take you -as you are, I must at least know by what right you come here. That -letter which you are holding in your hand would lead me to think it is -as a spy, if the ease with which you enter my room without being asked -did not make me believe it is as a gaoler. Have the goodness, then, to -inform me by which of these two names I must call you." - -"Neither by one nor the other, madam; for I am simply your -fellow-traveller, chief of the escort which is to take you to Lochleven -Castle, your future residence. And yet, scarcely have I arrived there -than I shall be obliged to leave you to go and assist the Confederate -lords choose a regent for the kingdom." - -"So," said Mary, "it was as prisoner and not as queen that I surrendered -to Lord Kirkcaldy. It seems to me that things were agreed upon -otherwise; but I am glad to see how much time Scotch noblemen need to -betray their sworn undertakings". - -"Your Grace forgets that these engagements were made on one condition," -Lindsay answered. - -"On which?" Mary asked. - -"That you should separate for ever from your husband's murderer; and -there is the proof," he added, showing the letter, "that you had -forgotten your promise before we thought of revoking ours." - -"And at what o'clock is my departure fixed?" said Mary, whom this -discussion was beginning to fatigue. - -"At eleven o'clock, madam." - -"It is well, my lord; as I have no desire to make your lordship wait, -you will have the goodness, in withdrawing, to send me someone to help -me dress, unless I am reduced to wait upon myself." - -And, in pronouncing these words, Mary made a gesture so imperious, that -whatever may have been Lindsay's wish to reply, he bowed and went out. -Behind him entered Mary Seyton. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -At the time appointed the queen was ready: she had suffered so much at -Edinburgh that she left it without any regret. Besides, whether to spare -her the humiliations of the day before, or to conceal her departure from -any partisans who might remain to her, a litter had been made ready. -Mary got into it without any resistance, and after two hours' journey -she reached Duddington; there a little vessel was waiting for her, which -set sail directly she was on board, and next day at dawn she disembarked -on the other side of the Firth of Forth in the county of Fife. - -Mary halted at Rosythe Castle only just long enough to breakfast, and -immediately recommenced her journey; for Lord Lindsay had declared that -he wished to reach his destination that same evening. Indeed, as the sun -was setting, Mary perceived gilded with his last rays the high towers of -Lochleven Castle, situated on an islet in the midst of the lake of the -same name. - -No doubt the royal prisoner was already expected at Lochleven Castle, -for, on reaching the lake side, Lord Lindsay's equerry unfurled his -banner, which till then had remained in its case, and waved it from -right to left, while his master blew a little hunting bugle which he -wore hanging from his neck. A boat immediately put off from the island -and came towards the arrivals, set in motion by four vigorous oarsmen, -who had soon propelled it across the space which separated it from the -bank. Mary silently got into it, and sat down at the stern, while Lord -Lindsay and his equerry stood up before her; and as her guide did not -seem any more inclined to speak than she was herself to respond, she had -plenty of time to examine her future dwelling. - -The castle, or rather the fortress of Lochleven, already somewhat gloomy -in its situation and architecture, borrowed fresh mournfulness still -from the hour at which it appeared to the queen's gaze. It was, so far -as she could judge amid the mists rising from the lake, one of those -massive structures of the twelfth century which seem, so fast shut up -are they, the stone armour of a giant. As she drew near, Mary began to -make out the contours of two great round towers, which flanked the -corners and gave it the severe character of a state prison. A clump of -ancient trees enclosed by a high wall, or rather by a rampart, rose at -its north front, and seemed vegetation in stone, and completed the -general effect of this gloomy abode, while, on the contrary, the eye -wandering from it and passing from islands to islands, lost itself in -the west, in the north, and in the south, in the vast plain of Kinross, -or stopped southwards at the jagged summits of Ben Lomond, whose -farthest slopes died down on the shores of the lake. - -Three persons awaited Mary at the castle door: Lady Douglas, William -Douglas her son, and a child of twelve who was called Little Douglas, -and who was neither a son nor a brother of the inhabitants of the -castle, but merely a distant relative. As one can imagine, there were -few compliments between Mary and her hosts; and the queen, conducted to -her apartment, which was on the first floor, and of which the windows -overlooked the lake, was soon left with Mary Seyton, the only one of the -four Marys who had been allowed to accompany her. - -However, rapid as the interview had been, and short and measured the -words exchanged between the prisoner and her gaolers, Mary had had time, -together with what she knew of them beforehand, to construct for herself -a fairly accurate idea of the new personages who had just mingled in her -history. - -Lady Lochleven, wife of Lord William Douglas, of whom we have already -said a few words at the beginning of this history, was a woman of from -fifty-five to sixty years of age, who had been handsome enough in her -youth to fix upon herself the glances of King James V, and who had had a -son by him, who was this same Murray whom we have already seen figuring -so often in Mary's history, and who, although his birth was -illegitimate, had always been treated as a brother by the queen. - -Lady Lochleven had had a momentary hope, so great was the king's love -for her, of becoming his wife, which upon the whole was possible, the -family of Mar, from which she was descended, being the equal of the most -ancient and the noblest families in Scotland. But, unluckily, perhaps -slanderously, certain talk which was circulating among the young -noblemen of the time came to James's ears; it was said that together -with her royal lover the beautiful favourite had another, whom she had -chosen, no doubt from curiosity, from the very lowest class. It was -added that this Porterfeld, or Porterfield, was the real father of the -child who had already received the name of James Stuart, and whom the -king was educating as his son at the monastery of St. Andrews. These -rumours, well founded or not, had therefore stopped James V at the -moment when, in gratitude to her who had given him a son, he was on the -point of raising her to the rank of queen; so that, instead of marrying -her himself, he had invited her to choose among the nobles at court; and -as she was very handsome, and the king's favour went with the marriage, -this choice, which fell on Lord William Douglas of Lochleven, did not -meet with any resistance on his part. However, in spite of this direct -protection, that James V preserved for her all his life, Lady Douglas -could never forget that she had fingered higher fortune; moreover, she -had a hatred for the one who, according to herself, had usurped her -place, and poor Mary had naturally inherited the profound animosity that -Lady Douglas bore to her mother, which had already come to light in the -few words that the two women had exchanged. Besides, in ageing, whether -from repentance for her errors or from hypocrisy, Lady Douglas had -become a prude and a puritan; so that at this time she united with the -natural acrimony of her character all the stiffness of the new religion -she had adopted. - -William Douglas, who was the eldest son of Lord Lochleven, on his -mother's side half-brother of Murray, was a man of from thirty-five to -thirty-six years of age, athletic, with hard and strongly pronounced -features, red-haired like all the younger branch, and who had inherited -that paternal hatred that for a century the Douglases cherished against -the Stuarts, and which was shown by so many plots, rebellions, and -assassinations. According as fortune had favoured or deserted Murray, -William Douglas had seen the rays of the fraternal star draw near or -away from him; he had then felt that he was living in another's life, -and was devoted, body and soul, to him who was his cause of greatness or -of abasement. Mary's fall, which must necessarily raise Murray, was thus -a source of joy for him, and the Confederate lords could not have chosen -better than in confiding the safe-keeping of their prisoner to the -instinctive spite of Lady Douglas and to the intelligent hatred of her -son. - -As to Little Douglas, he was, as we have said, a child of twelve, for -some months an orphan, whom the Lochlevens had taken charge of, and whom -they made buy the bread they gave him by all sorts of harshness. The -result was that the child, proud and spiteful as a Douglas, and knowing, -although his fortune was inferior, that his birth was equal to his proud -relatives, had little by little changed his early gratitude into lasting -and profound hatred: for one used to say that among the Douglases there -was an age for loving, but that there was none for hating. It results -that, feeling his weakness and isolation, the child was self-contained -with strength beyond his years, and, humble and submissive in -appearance, only awaited the moment when, a grown-up young man, he could -leave Lochleven, and perhaps avenge himself for the proud protection of -those who dwelt there. But the feelings that we have just expressed did -not extend to all the members of the family: as much as from the bottom -of his heart the little Douglas detested William and his mother, so much -he loved George, the second of Lady Lochleven's sons, of whom we have -not yet spoken, because, being away from the castle when the queen -arrived, we have not yet found an opportunity to present him to our -readers. - -George, who at this time might have been about twenty-five or twenty-six -years old, was the second son of Lord Lochleven; but by a singular -chance, that his mother's adventurous youth had caused Sir William to -interpret amiss, this second son had none of the characteristic features -of the Douglases' full cheeks, high colour, large ears, and red hair. -The result was that poor George, who, on the contrary, had been given by -nature pale cheeks, dark blue eyes, and black hair, had been since -coming into the world an object of indifference to his father and of -dislike to his elder brother. As to his mother, whether she were indeed -in good faith surprised like Lord Douglas at this difference in race, -whether she knew the cause and inwardly reproached herself, George had -never been, ostensibly at least, the object of a very lively maternal -affection; so the young man, followed from his childhood by a fatality -that he could not explain, had sprung up like a wild shrub, full of sap -and strength, but uncultivated and solitary. Besides, from the time when -he was fifteen, one was accustomed to his motiveless absences, which the -indifference that everyone bore him made moreover perfectly explicable; -from time to time, however, he was seen to reappear at the castle, like -those migratory birds which always return to the same place but only -stay a moment, then take their way again without one's knowing towards -what spot in the world they are directing their flight. - -An instinct of misfortune in common had drawn Little Douglas to George. -George, seeing the child ill-treated by everyone, had conceived an -affection for him, and Little Douglas, feeling himself loved amid the -atmosphere of indifference around him, turned with open arms and heart -to George: it resulted from this mutual liking that one day, when the -child had committed I do not know what fault, and that William Douglas -raised the whip he beat his dogs with to strike him, that George, who -was sitting on a stone, sad and thoughtful, had immediately sprung up, -snatched the whip from his brother's hands and had thrown it far from -him. At this insult William had drawn his sword, and George his, so that -these two brothers, who had hated one another for twenty years like two -enemies, were going to cut one another's throats, when Little Douglas, -who had picked up the whip, coming back and kneeling before William, -offered him the ignominious weapon, saying, - -"Strike, cousin; I have deserved it." - -This behaviour of the child had caused some minutes' reflection to the -two young men, who, terrified at the crime they were about to commit, -had returned their swords to their scabbards and had each gone away in -silence. Since this incident the friendship of George and Little Douglas -had acquired new strength, and on the child's side it had become -veneration. - -We dwell upon all these details somewhat at length, perhaps, but no -doubt our readers will pardon us when they see the use to be made of -them. - -This is the family, less George, who, as we have said, was absent at the -time of her arrival, into the midst of which the queen had fallen, -passing in a moment from the summit of power to the position of a -prisoner; for from the day following her arrival Mary saw that it was by -such a title she was an inmate of Lochleven Castle. In fact, Lady -Douglas presented herself before her as soon as it was morning, and with -an embarrassment and dislike ill disguised beneath an appearance of -respectful indifference, invited Mary to follow her and take stock of -the several parts of the fortress which had been chosen beforehand for -her private use. She then made her go through three rooms, of which one -was to serve as her bedroom, the second as sitting-room, and the third -as ante-chamber; afterwards, leading the way down a spiral staircase, -which looked into the great hall of the castle, its only outlet, she had -crossed this hall, and had taken Mary into the garden whose trees the -queen had seen topping the high walls on her arrival: it was a little -square of ground, forming a flower-bed in the midst of which was an -artificial fountain. It was entered by a very low door, repeated in the -opposite wall; this second door looked on to the lake and, like all the -castle doors, whose keys, however, never left the belt or the pillow of -William Douglas, it was guarded night and day by a sentinel. This was -now the whole domain of her who had possessed the palaces, the plains, -and the mountains of an entire kingdom. - -Mary, on returning to her room, found breakfast ready, and William -Douglas standing near the table he was going to fulfil about the queen -the duties of carver and taster. - -In spite of their hatred for Mary, the Douglases would have considered -it an eternal blemish on their honour if any accident should have -befallen the queen while she was dwelling in their castle; and it was in -order that the queen herself should not entertain any fear in this -respect that William Douglas, in his quality of lord of the manor, had -not only desired to carve before the queen, but even to taste first in -her presence, all the dishes served to her, as well as the water and the -several wines to be brought her. This precaution saddened Mary more than -it reassured her; for she understood that, while she stayed in the -castle, this ceremony would prevent any intimacy at table. However, it -proceeded from too noble an intention for her to impute it as a crime to -her hosts: she resigned herself, then, to this company, insupportable as -it was to her; only, from that day forward, she so cut short her meals -that all the time she was at Lochleven her longest dinners barely lasted -more than a quarter of an hour. - -Two days after her arrival, Mary, on sitting down to table for -breakfast, found on her plate a letter addressed to her which had been -put there by William Douglas. Mary recognised Murray's handwriting, and -her first feeling was one of joy; for if a ray of hope remained to her, -it came from her brother, to whom she had always been perfectly kind, -whom from Prior of St. Andrew's she had made an earl in bestowing on him -the splendid estates which formed part of the old earldom of Murray, and -to whom, which was of more importance, she had since pardoned, or -pretended to pardon, the part he had taken in Rizzio's assassination. - -Her astonishment was great, then, when, having opened the letter, she -found in it bitter reproaches for her conduct, an exhortation to do -penance, and an assurance several times repeated that she should never -leave her prison. He ended his letter in announcing to her that, in -spite of his distaste for public affairs, he had been obliged to accept -the regency, which he had done less for his country than for his sister, -seeing that it was the sole means he had of standing in the way of the -ignominious trial to which the nobles wished to bring her, as author, or -at least as chief accomplice, of Darnley's death. This imprisonment was -then clearly a great good fortune for her, and she ought to thank Heaven -for it, as an alleviation of the fate awaiting her if he had not -interceded for her. - -This letter was a lightning stroke for Mary: only, as she did not wish -to give her enemies the delight of seeing her suffer, she contained her -grief, and, turning to William Douglas-- - -"My lord," said she, "this letter contains news that you doubtless know -already, for although we are not children by the same mother, he who -writes to me is related to us in the same degree, and will not have -desired to write to his sister without writing to his brother at the -same time; besides, as a good son, he will have desired to acquaint his -mother with the unlooked-for greatness that has befallen him." - -"Yes, madam," replied William, "we know since yesterday that, for the -welfare of Scotland, my brother has been named regent; and as he is a -son as respectful to his mother as he is devoted to his country, we hope -that he will repair the evil that for five years favourites of every -sort and kind have done to both." - -"It is like a good son, and at the same time like a courteous host, to -go back no farther into the history of Scotland," replied Mary Stuart, -"and not to make the daughter blush for the father's errors; for I have -heard say that the evil which your lordship laments was prior to the -time to which you assign it, and that King James V. also had formerly -favourites, both male and female. It is true that they add that the ones -as ill rewarded his friendship as the others his love. In this, if you -are ignorant of it, my lord, you can be instructed, if he is still -living, by a certain Porterfeld or Porterfield, I don't know which, -understanding these names of the lower classes too ill to retain and -pronounce them, but about which, in my stead, your noble mother could -give you information." - -With these words, Mary Stuart rose, and, leaving William Douglas crimson -with rage, she returned into her bedroom, and bolted the door behind -her. - -All that day Mary did not come down, remaining at her window, from which -she at least enjoyed a splendid view over the plains and village of -Kinross; but this vast extent only contracted her heart the more, when, -bringing her gaze back from the horizon to the castle, she beheld its -walls surrounded on all sides by the deep waters of the lake, on whose -wide surface a single boat, where Little Douglas was fishing, was -rocking like a speck. For some moments Mary's eyes mechanically rested -on this child, whom she had already seen upon her arrival, when suddenly -a horn sounded from the Kinross side. At the same moment Little Douglas -threw away his line, and began to row towards the shore whence the -signal had come with skill and strength beyond his years. Mary, who had -let her gaze rest on him absently, continued to follow him with her -eyes, and saw him make for a spot on the shore so distant that the boat -seemed to her at length but an imperceptible speck; but soon it -reappeared, growing larger as it approached, and Mary could then observe -that it was bringing back to the castle a new passenger, who, having in -his turn taken the oars, made the little skiff fly over the tranquil -water of the lake, where it left a furrow gleaming in the last rays of -the sun. Very soon, flying on with the swiftness of a bird, it was near -enough for Mary to see that the skilful and vigorous oarsman was a young -man from twenty-five to twenty-six years of age, with long black hair, -clad in a close coat of green cloth, and wearing a Highlander's cap, -adorned with an eagle's feather; then, as with his back turned to the -window he drew nearer, Little Douglas, who was leaning on his shoulder, -said a few words which made him turn round towards the queen: -immediately Mary, with an instinctive movement rather than with the -dread of being an object of idle curiosity, drew back, but not so -quickly, however, but that she had been able to see the handsome pale -face of the unknown, who, when she returned to the window, had -disappeared behind one of the corners of the castle. - -Everything is a cause of conjecture to a prisoner: it seemed to Mary -that this young man's face was not unknown to her, and that he had seen -her already; but though great the care with which she questioned her -memory, she could not recall any distinct remembrance, so much so that -the queen ended in thinking it the play of her imagination, or that some -vague and distinct resemblance had deceived her. - -However, in spite of Mary, this idea had taken an important place in her -mind: she incessantly saw this little boat skimming the water, and the -young man and the child who were in it drawing near her, as if to bring -her help. It followed that, although there had been nothing real in all -these captive's dreams, she slept that night a calmer sleep than she had -yet done since she had been in Lochleven Castle. - -Next day, on rising, Mary ran to her window: the weather was fine, and -everything seemed to smile on her, the water, the heavens and the earth. -But, without being able to account for the restraining motive, she did -not want to go down into the ga den before breakfast. When the door -opened, 'she turned quickly round: it was, as on the day before, William -Douglas, who came to fulfil his duty as taster. - -The breakfast was a short and silent one; then, as soon as Douglas had -withdrawn, Mary descended in her turn: in crossing the courtyard she saw -two horses ready saddled, which pointed to the near departure of a -master and a squire. Was it the young man with the black hair already -setting out again? This is what Mary did not dare or did not wish to -ask. She consequently went her way, and entered the garden: at the first -glance she took it in in its full extent; it was deserted. - -Mary walked there a moment; then, soon tiring of the promenade, she went -up again to her room: in passing back through the courtyard she had -noticed that the horses were no longer there. Directly she returned into -her apartment, she went then to the window to see if she could discover -anything upon the lake to guide her in her conjectures: a boat was in -fact receding, and in this boat were the two horses and the two -horsemen; one was William Douglas, the other a simple squire from the -house. - -Mary continued watching the boat until it had touched the shore. Arrived -there, the two horsemen got out, disembarked their horses, and went away -at full gallop, taking the same road by which the queen had come; so -that, as the horses were prepared for a long journey, Mary thought that -William Douglas was going to Edinburgh. As to the boat, scarcely had it -landed its two passengers on the opposite shore than it returned towards -the castle. - -At that moment Mary Seyton announced to the queen that Lady Douglas was -asking permission to visit her. - -It was the second time, after long hatred on Lady Douglas's part and -contemptuous indifference on the queen's, that the two women were face -to face; therefore the queen, with that instinctive impulse of coquetry -which urges women, in whatever situation they find themselves, to desire -to be beautiful, above all for women, made a sign to Mary Seyton, and, -going to a little mirror fastened to the wall in a heavy Gothic frame, -she arranged her curls, and readjusted the lace of her collar; then; -having seated herself in the pose most favourable to her, in a great -arm-chair, the only one in her sitting-room, she said smilingly to Mary -Seyton that she might admit Lady Douglas, who was immediately -introduced. - -Mary's expectation was not disappointed: Lady Douglas, in spite of her -hatred for James V's daughter, and mistress of herself as she thought -she as, could not prevent herself from showing by a movement of surprise -the impression that this marvelous beauty was making on her: she thought -she should find Mary crushed by her unhappiness, pallid from her -fatigues, humbled by captivity, and she saw her calm, lovely, and -haughty as usual. Mary perceived the effect that she was producing, and -addressing herself with an ironical smile partly to Mary Seyton, who was -leaning on the back of her chair, and partly to her who was paying her -this unforeseen visit. - -"We are fortunate to-day," said she, "for we are going as it seems to -enjoy the society of our good hostess, whom we thank besides for having -kindly maintained with us the empty ceremony of announcing herself--a -ceremony with which, having the keys of our apartment, she could have -dispensed." - -"If my presence is inconvenient to your grace," replied Lady Lochleven, -"I am all the more sorry for it, as circumstances will oblige me to -impose it twice daily, at least during the absence of my son, who is -summoned to Edinburgh by the regent; this is of what I came to inform -your grace, not with the empty ceremonial of the court, but with the -consideration which Lady Lochleven owes to everyone who has received -hospitality in her castle." - -"Our good hostess mistakes our intention," Mary answered, with affected -good-nature; "and the regent himself can bear witness to the pleasure we -have always had in bringing nearer to us the persons who can recall to -us, even indirectly, our well-beloved father, James V. It will be -therefore unjustly that Lady Douglas will interpret in a manner -disagreeable to herself our surprise at seeing her; and the hospitality -that she offers us so obligingly does not promise us, in spite of her -goodwill, sufficient distractions that we should deprive ourselves of -those that her visits cannot fail to procure us." - -"Unfortunately, madam," replied Lady Lochleven, whom Mary was keeping -standing before her, "whatever pleasure I myself derive from these -visits, I shall be obliged to deprive myself of, except at the times I -have mentioned. I am now too old to bear fatigue, and I have, always -been too proud to endure sarcasms." - -"Really, Seyton," cried Mary, seeming to recollect herself, "we had not -dreamed that Lady Lochleven, having won her right to a stool at the -court of the king my father, would have need to preserve it in the -prison of the queen his daughter. Bring forward a seat, Seyton, that we -be not deprived so soon, and by a failure of memory on our part, of our -gracious hostess's company; or even," went on Mary, rising and pointing -out her own seat to Lady Lochleven, who was making a motion to withdraw, -"if a stool does not suit you, my lady, take this easy-chair: you will -not be the first member of your family to sit in my place." - -At this last allusion, which recalled to her Murray's usurpation, Lady -Lochleven was no doubt about to make some exceedingly bitter reply, when -the young man with the dark hair appeared on the threshold, without -being announced, and, advancing towards Lady Lochleven, without saluting -Mary-- - -"Madam," said he, bowing to the former, "the boat which took my brother -has just returned, and one of the men in it is charged with a pressing -charge that Lord William forgot to make to you himself." - -Then, saluting the old lady with the same respect, he immediately went -out of the room, without even glancing at the queen, who, hurt by this -impertinence, turned round to Mary Seyton, and, with her usual calm-- - -"What have they told us, Seyton, of injurious rumours which were spread -about our worthy hostess apropos of a child with a pale face and dark -hair? If this child, as I have every reason to believe, has become the -young man who just went out of the room, I am ready to affirm to all the -incredulous that he is a true Douglas, if not for courage, of which we -cannot judge, then for insolence, of which he has just given us proofs. -Let us return, darling," continued the queen, leaning on Mary Seyton's -arm; "for our good hostess, out of courtesy, might think herself obliged -to keep us company longer, while we know that she is impatiently awaited -elsewhere." - -With these words, Mary went into her bedroom; while the old lady, still -quite stunned with the shower of sarcasms that the queen had rained on -her, withdrew, murmuring, "Yes, yes, he is a Douglas, and with God's -help he will prove it, I hope." - -The queen had had strength as long as she was sustained by her enemy's -presence, but scarcely was she alone than she sank into a chair, and no -longer having any witness of her weakness than Mary Seyton, burst into -tears. Indeed, she had just been cruelly wounded: till then no man had -come near her who had not paid homage either to the majesty of her rank -or to the beauty of her countenance. But precisely he, on whom she had -reckoned, without knowing why, with instinctive hopes, insulted her at -one and the same time in her double pride of queen and woman: thus she -remained shut up till evening. - -At dinner-time, just as Lady Lochleven had informed Mary, she ascended -to the queen's apartment, in her dress of honour, and preceding four -servants who were carrying the several dishes composing the prisoner's -repast, and who, in their turn, were followed by the old castle steward, -having, as on days of great ceremony, his gold chain round his neck and -his ivory stick in his hand. The servants placed the dishes on the -table, and waited in silence for the moment when it should please the -queen to come out of her room; but at this moment the door opened, and -in place of the queen Mary Seyton appeared. - -"Madam," said she on entering, "her grace was indisposed during the day, -and will take nothing this evening; it will be useless, then, for you to -wait longer." - -"Permit me to hope," replied Lady Lochleven, "that she will change her -decision; in any case, see me perform my office." - -At these words, a servant handed Lady Lochleven bread and salt on a -silver salver, while the old steward, who, in the absence of William -Douglas, fulfilled the duties of carver, served to her on a plate of the -same metal a morsel from each of the dishes that had been brought; then, -this transaction ended. - -"So the queen will not appear to-day?" Lady Lochleven inquired. - -"It is her Majesty's resolve," replied Mary Seyton. - -"Our presence is then needless," said the old lady; "but in any case the -table is served, and if her grace should have need of anything else, she -would have but to name it." - -With these words, Lady Lochleven, with the same stiffness and the same -dignity with which she had come, withdrew, followed by her four servants -and her steward. - -As Lady Lochleven had foreseen, the queen, yielding to the entreaties of -Mary Seyton, came out of her room at last, towards eight o'clock in the -evening, sat down to table, and, served by the only maid of honour left -her, ate a little; then, getting up, she went to the window. - -It was one of those magnificent summer evenings on which the whole of -nature seems making holiday: the sky was studded with stars, which were -reflected in the lake, and in their midst, like a more fiery star, the -flame of the chafing-dish shone, burning at the stern of a little boat: -the queen, by the gleam of the light it shed, perceived George Douglas -and Little Douglas, who were fishing. However great her wish to profit -by this fine evening to breathe the pure night air, the sight of this -young man who had so grossly insulted her this very day made such a keen -impression on her that she shut her window directly, and, retiring into -her room, went to bed, and made her companion in captivity read several -prayers aloud; then, not being able to sleep, so greatly was she -agitated, she rose, and throwing on a mantle went again to the window. -The boat had disappeared. - -Mary spent part of the night gazing into the immensity of the heavens, -or into the depths of the lake; but in spite of the nature of the -thoughts agitating her, she none the less found very great physical -alleviation in contact with this pure air and in contemplation of this -peaceful and silent night: thus she awoke next day calmer and more -resigned. Unfortunately, the sight of Lady Lochleven, who presented -herself at breakfast-time, to fulfil her duties as taster, brought back -her irritability. Perhaps, however, things would have gone on smoothly -if Lady Lochleven, instead of remaining standing by the sideboard, had -withdrawn after having tasted the various dishes of the courses; but -this insisting on remaining throughout the meal, which was at bottom a -mark of respect, seemed to the queen unbearable tyranny. - -"Darling," said she, speaking to Mary Seyton, "have you already -forgotten that our good hostess complained yesterday of the fatigue she -felt in standing? Bring her, then, one of the two stools which compose -our royal furniture, and take care that it is not the one with the leg -broken". "If the furniture of Lochleven Castle is in such bad condition, -madam," the old lady replied, "it is the fault of the kings of Scotland: -the poor Douglases for nearly a century have had such a small part of -their sovereigns' favour, that they have not been able to keep up the -splendour of their ancestors to the level of that of private -individuals, and because there was in Scotland a certain musician, as I -am informed, who spent their income for a whole year in one month." - -"Those who know how to take so well, my lady," the queen answered, "have -no need of being given to: it seems to me the Douglases have lost -nothing by waiting, and there is not a younger son of this noble family -who might not aspire to the highest alliances; it is truly vexatious -that our sister the queen of England has taken a vow of virginity; as is -stated." - -"Or rather," interrupted Lady Lochleven, "that the Queen of Scotland is -not a widow by her third husband. But," continued the old lady, -pretending to recollect herself, "I do not say that to reproach your -grace. Catholics look upon marriage as a sacrament, and on this head -receive it as often as they can." - -"This, then," returned Mary, "is the difference between them and the -Huguenots; for they, not having the same respect for it, think it is -allowed them to dispense with it in certain circumstances." - -At this terrible sarcasm Lady Lochleven took a step towards Mary Stuart, -holding in her hand the knife which she had just been using to cut off a -piece of meat brought her to taste; but the queen rose up with so great -a calm and with such majesty, that either from involuntary respect or -shame of her first impulse, she let fall the weapon she was holding, and -not finding anything sufficiently strong in reply to express her -feelings, she signed to the servants to follow her, and went out of the -apartment with all the dignity that anger permitted her to summon to her -aid. - -Scarcely had Lady Lochleven left the room than the queen sat down again, -joyful and triumphant at the victory she had just gained, and ate with a -better appetite than she had yet done since she was a prisoner, while -Mary Seyton deplored in a low tone and with all possible respect this -fatal gift of repartee that Mary had received, and which, with her -beauty, was one of the causes of all her misfortunes; but the queen did -nothing but laugh at all her observations, saying she was curious to see -the figure her good hostess would cut at dinnertime. - -After breakfast, the queen went down into the garden: her satisfied -pride had restored some of her cheerfulness, so much so that, seeing, -while crossing the hall, a mandolin lying forgotten on a chair, she told -Mary Seyton to take it, to see, she said, if she could recall her old -talent. In reality the queen was one of the best musicians of the time, -and played admirably, says Brantome, on the lute and viol d'amour, an -instrument much resembling the mandolin. - -Mary Seyton obeyed. - -Arrived in the garden, the queen sat down in the deepest shade, and -there, having tuned her instrument, she at first drew from it lively and -light tones, which soon darkened little by little, at the same time that -her countenance assumed a hue of deep melancholy. Mary Seyton looked at -her with uneasiness, although for a long time she had been used to these -sudden changes in her mistress's humour, and she was about to ask the -reason of this gloomy veil suddenly spread over her face, when, -regulating her harmonies, Mary began to sing in a low voice, and as if -for herself alone, the following verses: - - "Caverns, meadows, plains and mounts, - Lands of tree and stone, - Rivers, rivulets and founts, - By which I stray alone, - Bewailing as I go, - With tears that overflow, - Sing will I - The miserable woe - That bids me grieve and sigh. - - Ay, but what is here to lend - Ear to my lament? - What is here can comprehend - My dull discontent? - Neither grass nor reed, - Nor the ripples heed, - Flowing by, - While the stream with speed - Hastens from my eye. - - Vainly does my wounded heart - Hope, alas, to heal; - Seeking, to allay its smart, - Things that cannot feel. - Better should my pain - Bitterly complain, - Crying shrill, - To thee who dost constrain - My spirit to such ill. - - Goddess, who shalt never die, - List to what I say; - Thou who makest me to lie - Weak beneath thy sway, - If my life must know - Ending at thy blow, - Cruellest! - Own it perished so - But at thy behest. - - Lo! my face may all men see - Slowly pine and fade, - E'en as ice doth melt and flee - Near a furnace laid. - Yet the burning ray - Wasting me away - Passion's glow, - Wakens no display - Of pity for my woe. - - Yet does every neighbour tree, - Every rocky wall, - This my sorrow know and see; - So, in brief, doth all - Nature know aright - This my sorry plight; - Thou alone - Takest thy delight - To hear me cry and moan. - - But if it be thy will, - To see tormented still - Wretched me, - Then let my woful ill - Immortal be." - -This last verse died away as if the queen were exhausted, and at the -same time the mandolin slipped from her hands, and would have fallen to -the ground had not Mary Seyton thrown herself on her knees and prevented -it. The young girl remained thus at her mistress's feet for some time, -gazing at her silently, and as she saw that she was losing herself more -and more in gloomy reverie-- - -"Have those lines brought back to your Majesty some sad remembrance?" -she asked hesitatingly. - -"Oh, yes," answered the queen; "they reminded me of the unfortunate -being who composed them." - -"And may I, without indiscretion, inquire of your grace who is their -author?" - -"Alas! he was a noble, brave, and handsome young man, with a faithful -heart and a hot head, who would defend me to-day, if I had defended him -then; but his boldness seemed to me rashness, and his fault a crime. -What was to be done? I did not love him. Poor Chatelard! I was very -cruel to him." - -"But you did not prosecute him, it was your brother; you did not condemn -him, the judges did." - -"Yes, yes; I know that he too was Murray's victim, and that is no doubt -the reason that I am calling him to mind just now. But I was able to -pardon him, Mary, and I was inflexible; I let ascend the scaffold a man -whose only crime was in loving me too well; and now I am astonished and -complain of being abandoned by everyone. Listen, darling, there is one -thing that terrifies me: it is, that when I search within myself I find -that I have not only deserved my fate, but even that God did not punish -me severely enough." - -"What strange thoughts for your grace!" cried Mary; "and see where those -unlucky lines which returned to your mind have led you, the very day -when you were beginning to recover a little of your cheerfulness." - -"Alas!" replied the queen, shaking her head and uttering a deep sigh, -"for six years very few days have passed that I have not repeated those -lines to myself, although it may be for the first time to-day that I -repeat them aloud. He was a Frenchman too, Mary: they have exiled from -me, taken or killed all who came to me from France. Do you remember that -vessel which was swallowed up before our eyes when we came out of Calais -harbour? I exclaimed then that it was a sad omen: you all wanted to -reassure me. Well, who was right, now, you or I?" - -The queen was in one of those fits of sadness for which tears are the -sole remedy; so Mary Seyton, perceiving that not only would every -consolation be vain, but also unreasonable, far from continuing to react -against her mistress's melancholy, fully agreed with her: it followed -that the queen, who was suffocating, began to weep, and that her tears -brought her comfort; then little by little she regained self-control, -and this crisis passed as usual, leaving her firmer and more resolute -than ever, so that when she went up to her room again it was impossible -to read the slightest alteration in her countenance. - -The dinner-hour was approaching, and Mary, who in the morning was -looking forward impatiently to the enjoyment of her triumph over Lady -Lochleven, now saw her advance with uneasiness: the mere idea of again -facing this woman, whose pride one was always obliged to oppose with -insolence, was, after the moral fatigues of the day, a fresh weariness. -So she decided not to appear for dinner, as on the day before: she was -all the more glad she had taken this resolution, that this time it was -not Lady Lochleven who came to fulfil the duties enjoined on a member of -the family to make the queen easy, but George Douglas, whom his mother -in her displeasure at the morning scene sent to replace her. Thus, when -Mary Seyton told the queen that she saw the young man with dark hair -cross the courtyard on his way to her, Mary still further congratulated -herself on her decision; for this young man's insolence had wounded her -more deeply than all his mother's haughty insults. The queen was not a -little astonished, then, when in a few minutes Mary Seyton returned and -informed her that George Douglas, having sent away the servants, desired -the honour of speaking to her on a matter of importance. At first the -queen refused; but Mary Seyton told her that the young man's air and -manner this time were so different from what she had seen two days -before, that she thought her mistress would be wrong to refuse his -request. - -The queen rose then, and with the pride and majesty habitual to her, -entered the adjoining room, and, having taken three steps, stopped with -a disdainful air, waiting for George to address her. - -Mary Seyton had spoken truly: George Douglas was now another man. To-day -he seemed to be as respectful and timid as the preceding day he had -seemed haughty and proud. He, in his turn, made a step towards the -queen; but seeing Mary Seyton standing behind her-- - -"Madam," said he, "I wished to speak with your Majesty alone: shall I -not obtain this favour?" - -"Mary Seyton is not a stranger to me, Sir: she is my sister, my friend; -she is more than all that, she is my companion in captivity." - -"And by all these claims, madam, I have the utmost veneration for her; -but what I have to tell you cannot be heard by other ears than yours. -Thus, madam, as the opportunity furnished now may perhaps never present -itself again, in the name of what is dearest to you, grant me what I -ask." - -There was such a tone of respectful prayer in George's voice that Mary -turned to the young girl, and, making her a friendly sign with her -hand-- - -"Go, then, darling," said she; "but be easy, you will lose nothing by -not hearing. Go." - -Mary Seyton withdrew; the queen smilingly looked after her, till the -door was shut; then, turning to George-- - -"Now, sir," said she, "we are alone, speak." - -But George, instead of replying, advanced to the queen, and, kneeling on -one knee, drew from his breast a paper which he presented to her. Mary -took it with amazement, unfolded it, glancing at Douglas, who remained -in the same posture, and read as follows: - -We, earls, lords, and barons, in consideration that our queen is -detained at Lochleven, and that her faithful subjects cannot have access -to her person; seeing, on the other hand, that our duty pledges us to -provide for her safety, promise and swear to employ all reasonable means -which will depend on us to set her at liberty again on conditions -compatible with the honour of her Majesty, the welfare of the kingdom, -and even with the safety of those who keep her in prison, provided that -they consent to give her up; that if they refuse, we declare that we are -prepared to make use of ourselves, our children, our friends, our -servants, our vassals, our goods, our persons, and our lives, to restore -her to liberty, to procure the safety of the prince, and to co-operate -in punishing the late king's murderers. If we are assailed for this -intent, whether as a body or in private, we promise to defend ourselves, -and to aid one another, under pain of infamy and perjury. So may God -help us. - -"Given with our own hands at Dumbarton, - -"St. Andrews, Argyll, Huntly, Arbroath, Galloway, Ross, Fleming, -Herries, Stirling, Kilwinning, Hamilton, and Saint-Clair, Knight." - -"And Seyton!" cried Mary, "among all these signatures, I do not see that -of my faithful Seyton." - -Douglas, still kneeling, drew from his breast a second paper, and -presented it to the queen with the same marks of respect. It contained -only these few words: - -"Trust George Douglas; for your Majesty has no more devoted friend in -the entire kingdom. "SEYTON." - -Mary lowered her eyes to Douglas with an expression which was hers only; -then, giving him her hand to raise him-- - -"Ah!" said she, with a sigh more of joy than of sadness, "now I see that -God, in spite of my faults, has not yet abandoned me. But how is it, in -this castle, that you, a Douglas.... oh! it is incredible!" - -"Madam," replied George, "seven years have passed since I saw you in -France for the first time, and for seven years I have loved you". Mary -moved; but Douglas put forth his hand and shook his head with an air of -such profound sadness, that she understood that she might hear what the -young man had to say. He continued: "Reassure yourself, madam; I should -never have made this confession if, while explaining my conduct to you, -this confession would not have given you greater confidence in me. Yes, -for seven years I have loved you, but as one loves a star that one can -never reach, a madonna to whom one can only pray; for seven years I have -followed you everywhere without you ever having paid attention to me, -without my saying a word or making a gesture to attract your notice. I -was on the knight of Mevillon's galley when you crossed to Scotland; I -was among the regent's soldiers when you beat Huntly; I was in the -escort which accompanied you when you went to see the sick king at -Glasgow; I reached Edinburgh an hour after you had left it for -Lochleven; and then it seemed to me that my mission was revealed to me -for the first time, and that this love for which till then, I had -reproached myself as a crime, was on the contrary a favour from God. I -learned that the lords were assembled at Dumbarton: I flew thither. I -pledged my name, I pledged my honour, I pledged my life; and I obtained -from them, thanks to the facility I had for coming into this fortress, -the happiness of bringing you the paper they have just signed. Now, -madam, forget all I have told you, except the assurance of my devotion -and respect: forget that I am near you; I am used to not being seen: -only, if you have need of my life, make a sign; for seven years my life -has been yours." - -"Alas!" replied Mary, "I was complaining this morning of no longer being -loved, and I ought to complain, on the contrary, that I am still loved; -for the love that I inspire is fatal and mortal. Look back, Douglas, and -count the tombs that, young as I am, I have already left on my -path--Francis II, Chatelard, Rizzio, Darnley.... Oh to attach one's self -to my fortunes more than love is needed now heroism and devotion are -requisite so much the more that, as you have said, Douglas, it is love -without any possible reward. Do you understand?" - -"Oh, madam, madam," answered Douglas, "is it not reward beyond my -deserts to see you daily, to cherish the hope that liberty will be -restored to you through me, and to have at least, if I do not give it -you, the certainty of dying in your sight?" - -"Poor young man!" murmured Mary, her eyes raised to heaven, as if she -were reading there beforehand the fate awaiting her new defender. - -"Happy Douglas, on the contrary," cried George, seizing the queen's hand -and kissing it with perhaps still more respect than love, "happy -Douglas! for in obtaining a sigh from your Majesty he has already -obtained more than he hoped." - -"And upon what have you decided with my friends?" said the queen, -raising Douglas, who till then had remained on his knees before her. - -"Nothing yet," George replied; "for we scarcely had time to see one -another. Your escape, impossible without me, is difficult even with me; -and your Majesty has seen that I was obliged publicly to fail in -respect, to obtain from my mother the confidence which gives me the good -fortune of seeing you to-day: if this confidence on my mother's or my -brother's part ever extends to giving up to me the castle keys, then you -are saved! Let your Majesty not be surprised at anything, then: in the -presence of others, I shall ever be always a Douglas, that is an enemy; -and except your life be in danger, madam, I shall not utter a word, I -shall not make a gesture which might betray the faith that I have sworn -you; but, on your side, let your grace know well, that present or -absent, whether I am silent or speak, whether I act or remain inert, all -will be in appearance only, save my devotion. Only," continued Douglas, -approaching the window and showing to the queen a little house on -Kinross hill,--"only, look every evening in that direction, madam, and -so long as you see a light shine there, your friends will be keeping -watch for you, and you need not lose hope." - -"Thanks, Douglas, thanks," said the queen; "it does one good to meet -with a heart like yours from time to time--oh! thanks." - -"And now, madam," replied the young man, "I must leave your Majesty; to -remain longer with you would be to raise suspicions, and a single doubt -of me, think of it well, madam, and that light which is your sole beacon -is extinguished, and all returns into night." - -With these words, Douglas bowed more respectfully than he had yet done, -and withdrew, leaving Mary full of hope, and still more full of pride; -for this time the homage that she had just received was certainly for -the woman and not for the queen. - -As the queen had told him, Mary Seyton was informed of everything, even -the love of Douglas, and, the two women impatiently awaited the evening -to see if the promised star would shine on the horizon. Their hope was -not in vain: at the appointed time the beacon was lit. The queen -trembled with joy, for it was the confirmation of her hopes, and her -companion could not tear her from the window, where she remained with -her gaze fastened on the little house in Kinross. At last she yielded to -Mary Seyton's prayers, and consented to go to bed; but twice in the -night she rose noiselessly to go to the window: the light was always -shining, and was not extinguished till dawn, with its sisters the stars. - -Next day, at breakfast, George announced to the queen the return of his -brother, William Douglas: he arrived the same evening; as to himself, -George, he had to leave Lochleven next morning, to confer with the -nobles who had signed the declaration, and who had immediately separated -to raise troops in their several counties. The queen could not attempt -to good purpose any escape but at a time when she would be sure of -gathering round her an army strong enough to hold the country; as to -him, Douglas, one was so used to his silent disappearances and to his -unexpected returns, that there was no reason to fear that his departure -would inspire any suspicion. - -All passed as George had said: in the evening the sound of a bugle -announced the arrival of William Douglas; he had with him Lord Ruthven, -the son of him who had assassinated Rizzio, and who, exiled with Morton -after the murder, died in England of the sickness with which he was -already attacked the day of the terrible catastrophe in which we have -seen him take such a large share. He preceded by one day Lord Lindsay of -Byres and Sir Robert Melville, brother of Mary's former ambassador to -Elizabeth: all three were charged with a mission from the regent to the -queen. - -On the following day everything fell back into the usual routine, and -William Douglas reassumed his duties as carver. Breakfast passed without -Mary's having learned anything of George's departure or Ruthven's -arrival. On rising from the table she went to her window: scarcely was -she there than she heard the sound of a horn echoing on the shores of -the lake, and saw a little troop of horsemen halt, while waiting for the -boat to come and take those who were going to the castle. - -The distance was too great for Mary to recognise any of the visitors; -but it was clear, from the signs of intelligence exchanged between the -little troop and the inhabitants of the fortress, that the newcomers -were her enemies. This was a reason why the queen, in her uneasiness, -should not lose sight for a moment of the boat which was going to fetch -them. She saw only two men get into it; and immediately it put off again -for the castle. - -As the boat drew nearer, Mary's presentiments changed to real fears, for -in one of the men coming towards her she thought she made out Lord -Lindsay of Byres, the same who, a week before, had brought her to her -prison. It was indeed he himself, as usual in a steel helmet without a -visor, which allowed one to see his coarse face designed to express -strong passions, and his long black beard with grey hairs here and -there, which covered his chest: his person was protected, as if it were -in time of war, with his faithful suit of armour, formerly polished and -well gilded, but which, exposed without ceasing to rain and mist, was -now eaten up with rust; he had slung on his back, much as one slings a -quiver, a broadsword, so heavy that it took two hands to manage it, and -so long that while the hilt reached the left shoulder the point reached -the right spur: in a word, he was still the same soldier, brave to -rashness but brutal to insolence, recognising nothing but right and -force, and always ready to use force when he believed himself in the -right. - -The queen was so much taken up with the sight of Lord Lindsay of Byres, -that it was only just as the boat reached the shore that she glanced at -his companion and recognised Robert Melville: this was some consolation, -for, whatever might happen, she knew that she should find in him if not -ostensible at least secret sympathy. Besides, his dress, by which one -could have judged him equally with Lord Lindsay, was a perfect contrast -to his companion's. It consisted of a black velvet doublet, with a cap -and a feather of the same hue fastened to it with a gold clasp; his only -weapon, offensive or defensive, was a little sword, which he seemed to -wear rather as a sign of his rank than for attack or defence. As to his -features and his manners, they were in harmony with this peaceful -appearance: his pale countenance expressed both acuteness and -intelligence; his quick eye was mild, and his voice insinuating; his -figure slight and a little bent by habit rather than by years, since he -was but forty-five at this time, indicated an easy and conciliatory -character. - -However, the presence of this man of peace, who seemed entrusted with -watching over the demon of war, could not reassure the queen, and as to -get to the landing-place, in front of the great door of the castle, the -boat had just disappeared behind the corner of a tower, she told Mary -Seyton to go down that she might try to learn what cause brought Lord -Lindsay to Lochleven, well knowing that with the force of character with -which she was endowed, she need know this cause but a few minutes -beforehand, whatever it might be, to give her countenance that calm and -that majesty which she had always found to influence her enemies. - -Left alone, Mary let her glance stray back to the little house in -Kinross, her sole hope; but the distance was too great to distinguish -anything; besides, its shutters remained closed all day, and seemed to -open only in the evening, like the clouds, which, having covered the sky -for a whole morning, scatter at last to reveal to the lost sailor a -solitary star. She had remained no less motionless, her gaze always -fixed on the same object, when she was drawn from this mute -contemplation by the step of Mary Seyton. - -"Well, darling?" asked the queen, turning round. - -"Your Majesty is not mistaken," replied the messenger: "it really was -Sir Robert Melville and Lord Lindsay; but there came yesterday with Sir -William Douglas a third ambassador, whose name, I am afraid, will be -still more odious to your Majesty than either of the two I have just -pronounced." - -"You deceive yourself, Mary," the queen answered: "neither the name of -Melville nor that of Lindsay is odious to me. Melville's, on the -contrary, is, in my present circumstances, one of those which I have -most pleasure in hearing; as to Lord Lindsay's, it is doubtless not -agreeable to me, but it is none the less an honourable name, always -borne by men rough and wild, it is true, but incapable of treachery. -Tell me, then, what is this name, Mary; for you see I am calm and -prepared." - -"Alas! madam," returned Mary, "calm and prepared as you may be, collect -all your strength, not merely to hear this name uttered, but also to -receive in a few minutes the man who bears it; for this name is that of -Lord Ruthven." - -Mary Seyton had spoken truly, and this name had a terrible influence -upon the queen; for scarcely had it escaped the young girl's lips than -Mary Stuart uttered a cry, and turning pale, as if she were about to -faint, caught hold of the window-ledge. - -Mary Seyton, frightened at the effect produced by this fatal name, -immediately sprang to support the queen; but she, stretching one hand -towards her, while she laid the other on her heart-- - -"It is nothing," said she; "I shall be better in a moment. Yes, Mary, -yes, as you said, it is a fatal name and mingled with one of my most -bloody memories. What such men are coming to ask of me must be dreadful -indeed. But no matter, I shall soon be ready to receive my brother's -ambassadors, for doubtless they are sent in his name. You, darling, -prevent their entering, for I must have some minutes to myself: you know -me; it will not take me long." - -With these words the queen withdrew with a firm step to her bedchamber. - -Mary Seyton was left alone, admiring that strength of character which -made of Mary Stuart, in all other respects so completely woman-like, a -man in the hour of danger. She immediately went to the door to close it -with the wooden bar that one passed between two iron rings, but the bar -had been taken away, so that there was no means of fastening the door -from within. In a moment she heard someone coming up the stairs, and -guessing from the heavy, echoing step that this must be Lord Lindsay, -she looked round her once again to see if she could find something to -replace the bar, and finding nothing within reach, she passed her arm -through the rings, resolved to let it be broken rather than allow anyone -to approach her mistress before it suited her. Indeed, hardly had those -who were coming up reached the landing than someone knocked violently, -and a harsh voice cried: - -"Come, come, open the door; open directly." - -"And by what right," said Mary Seyton, "am I ordered thus insolently to -open the Queen of Scotland's door?" - -"By the right of the ambassador of the regent to enter everywhere in his -name. I am Lord Lindsay, and I am come to speak to Lady Mary Stuart." - -"To be an ambassador," answered Mary Seyton, "is not to be exempted from -having oneself announced in visiting a woman, and much more a queen; and -if this ambassador is, as he says, Lord Lindsay, he will await his -sovereign's leisure, as every Scottish noble would do in his place." - -"By St. Andrew!" cried Lord Lindsay, "open, or I will break in the -door." - -"Do nothing to it, my lord, I entreat you," said another voice, which -Mary recognised as Meville's. "Let us rather wait for Lord Ruthven, who -is not yet ready." - -"Upon my soul," cried Lindsay, shaking the door, "I shall not wait a -second". Then, seeing that it resisted, "Why did you tell me, then, you -scamp," Lindsay went on, speaking to the steward, "that the bar had been -removed? - -"It is true," replied he. - -"Then," returned Lindsay, "with what is this silly wench securing the -door?" - -"With my arm, my lord, which I have passed through the rings, as a -Douglas did for King James I, at a time when Douglases had dark hair -instead of red, and were faithful instead of being traitors." - -"Since you know your history so well," replied Lindsay, in a rage," you -should remember that that weak barrier did not hinder Graham, that -Catherine Douglas's arm was broken like a willow wand, and that James I -was killed like a dog." - -"But you, my lord," responded the courageous young girl, "ought also to -know the ballad that is still sung in our time-- - -"'Now, on Robert Gra'am, The king's destroyer, shame! To Robert Graham -cling Shame, who destroyed our king.'" - -"Mary," cried the queen, who had overheard this altercation from her -bedroom,--"Mary, I command you to open the door directly: do you hear?" - -Mary obeyed, and Lord Lindsay entered, followed by Melville, who walked -behind him, with slow steps and bent head. Arrived in the middle of the -second room, Lord Lindsay stopped, and, looking round him-- - -"Well, where is she, then?" he asked; "and has she not already kept us -waiting long enough outside, without making us wait again inside? Or -does she imagine that, despite these walls and these bars, she is always -queen?" - -"Patience, my lord," murmured Sir Robert: "you see that Lord Ruthven has -not come yet, and since we can do nothing without him, let us wait." - -"Let wait who will," replied Lindsay, inflamed with anger; "but it will -not be I, and wherever she may be, I shall go and seek her." - -With these words, he made some steps towards Mary Stuart's bedroom; but -at the same moment the queen opened the door, without seeming moved -either at the visit or at the insolence of the visitors, and so lovely -and so full of majesty, that each, even Lindsay himself, was silent at -her appearance, and, as if in obedience to a higher power, bowed -respectfully before her. - -"I fear I have kept you waiting, my lord," said the queen, without -replying to the ambassador's salutation otherwise than by a slight -inclination of the head; "but a woman does not like to receive even -enemies without having spent a few minutes over her toilet. It is true -that men are less tenacious of ceremony," added she, throwing a -significant glance at Lord Lindsay's rusty armour and soiled and pierced -doublet. "Good day, Melville," she continued, without paying attention -to some words of excuse stammered by Lindsay; "be welcome in my prison, -as you were in my palace; for I believe you as devoted to the one as to -the other". - -Then, turning to Lindsay, who was looking interrogatively at the door, -impatient as he was for Ruthven to come-- - -"You have there, my lord," said she, pointing to the sword he carried -over his shoulder, "a faithful companion, though it is a little heavy: -did you expect, in coming here, to find enemies against whom to employ -it? In the contrary case, it is a strange ornament for a lady's -presence. But no matter, my lord, I, am too much of a Stuart to fear the -sight of a sword, even if it were naked, I warn you." - -"It is not out of place here, madam," replied Lindsay, bringing it -forward and leaning his elbow on its cross hilt, "for it is an old -acquaintance of your family." - -"Your ancestors, my lord, were brave and loyal enough for me not to -refuse to believe what you tell me. Besides, such a good blade must have -rendered them good service." - -"Yes, madam, yes, surely it has done so, but that kind of service that -kings do not forgive. He for whom it was made was Archibald -Bell-the-Cat, and he girded himself with it the day when, to justify his -name, he went to seize in the very tent of King James III, your -grandfather, his unworthy favourites, Cochran, Hummel, Leonard, and -Torpichen, whom he hanged on Louder Bridge with the halters of his -soldiers' horses. It was also with this sword that he slew at one blow, -in the lists, Spens of Kilspindie, who had insulted him in the presence -of King James IV, counting on the protection his master accorded him, -and which did not guard him against it any more than his shield, which -it split in two. At his master's death, which took place two years after -the defeat of Flodden, on whose battlefield he left his two sons and two -hundred warriors of the name of Douglas, it passed into the hands of the -Earl of Angus, who drew it from the scabbard when he drove the Hamiltons -out of Edinburgh, and that so quickly and completely that the affair was -called the 'sweeping of the streets.' Finally, your father James V saw -it glisten in the fight of the bridge over the Tweed, when Buccleuch, -stirred up by him, wanted to snatch him from the guardianship of the -Douglases, and when eighty warriors of the name of Scott remained on the -battlefield." - -"But," said the queen, "how is it that this weapon, after such exploits, -has not remained as a trophy in the Douglas family? No doubt the Earl of -Angus required a great occasion to decide him to renounce in your favour -this modern Excalibur". [History of Scotland, by Sir Walter Scott.--"The -Abbott": historical part.] - -"Yes, no doubt, madam, it was upon a great occasion," replied Lindsay, -in spite of the imploring signs made by Melville, "and this will have at -least the advantage of the others, in being sufficiently recent for you -to remember. It was ten days ago, on the battlefield of Carberry Hill, -madam, when the infamous Bothwell had the audacity to make a public -challenge in which he defied to single combat whomsoever would dare to -maintain that he was not innocent of the murder of the king your -husband. I made him answer then, I the third, that he was an assassin. -And as he refused to fight with the two others under the pretext that -they were only barons, I presented myself in my turn, I who am earl and -lord. It was on that occasion that the noble Earl of Morton gave me this -good sword to fight him to the death. So that, if he had been a little -more presumptuous or a little less cowardly, dogs and vultures would be -eating at this moment the pieces that, with the help of this good sword, -I should have carved for them from that traitor's carcass." - -At these words, Mary Seyton and Robert Melville looked at each other in -terror, for the events that they recalled were so recent that they were, -so to speak, still living in the queen's heart; but the queen, with -incredible impassibility and a smile of contempt on her lips-- - -"It is easy, my lord," said she, "to vanquish an enemy who does not -appear in the lists; however, believe me, if Mary had inherited the -Stuarts' sword as she has inherited their sceptre, your sword, long as -it is, would yet have seemed to you too short. But as you have only to -relate to us now, my lord, what you intended doing, and not what you -have done, think it fit that I bring you back to something of more -reality; for I do not suppose you have given yourself the trouble to -come here purely and simply to add a chapter to the little treatise Des -Rodomontades Espagnolles by M. de Brantome." - -"You are right, madam," replied Lindsay, reddening with anger, "and you -would already know the object of our mission if Lord Ruthven did not so -ridiculously keep us waiting. But," added he, "have patience; the matter -will not be long now, for here he is." - -Indeed, at that moment they heard steps mounting the staircase and -approaching the room, and at the sound of these steps, the queen, who -had borne with such firmness Lindsay's insults, grew so perceptibly -paler, that Melville, who did not take his eyes off her,--put out his -hand towards the arm-chair as if to push it towards her; but the queen -made a sign that she had no need of it, and gazed at the door with -apparent calm. Lord Ruthven appeared; it was the first time that she had -seen the son since Rizzio had been assassinated by the father. - -Lord Ruthven was both a warrior and a statesman, and at this moment his -dress savoured of the two professions: it consisted of a close coat of -embroidered buff leather, elegant enough to be worn as a court undress, -and on which, if need were, one could buckle a cuirass, for battle: like -his father, he was pale; like his father, he was to die young, and, even -more than his father, his countenance wore that ill-omened melancholy by -which fortune-tellers recognise those who are to die a violent death. - -Lord Ruthven united in himself the polished dignity of a courtier and -the inflexible character of a minister; but quite resolved as he was to -obtain from Mary Stuart, even if it were by violence, what he had come -to demand in the regent's name, he none the less made her, on entering, -a cold but respectful greeting, to which the queen responded with a -courtesy; then the steward drew up to the empty arm-chair a heavy table -on which had been prepared everything necessary for writing, and at a -sign from the two lords he went out, leaving the queen and her companion -alone with the three ambassadors. Then the queen, seeing that this table -and this arm-chair were put ready for her, sat down; and after a moment, -herself breaking this silence more gloomy than any word could have -been-- - -"My lords," said she, "you see that I wait: can it be that this message -which you have to communicate to me is so terrible that two soldiers as -renowned as Lord Lindsay and Lord Ruthven hesitate at the moment of -transmitting it?" - -"Madam," answered Ruthven, "I am not of a family, as you know, which -ever hesitates to perform a duty, painful as it may be; besides, we hope -that your captivity has prepared you to hear what we have to tell you on -the part of the Secret Council." - -"The Secret Council!" said the queen. "Instituted by me, by what right -does it act without me? No matter, I am waiting for this message: I -suppose it is a petition to implore my mercy for the men who have dared -to reach to a power that I hold only from God." - -"Madam," replied Ruthven, who appeared to have undertaken the painful -role of spokesman, while Lindsay, mute and impatient, fidgeted with the -hilt of his long sword, "it is distressing to me to have to undeceive -you on this point: it is not your mercy that I come to ask; it is, on -the contrary, the pardon of the Secret Council that I come to offer -you." - -"To me, my lord, to me!" cried Mary: "subjects offer pardon to their -queen! Oh! it is such a new and wonderful thing, that my amazement -outweighs my indignation, and that I beg you to continue, instead of -stopping you there, as perhaps I ought to do." - -"And I obey you so much the more willingly, madam," went on Ruthven -imperturbably, "that this pardon is only granted on certain conditions, -stated in these documents, destined to re-establish the tranquillity of -the State, so cruelly compromised by the errors that they are going to -repair." - -"And shall I be permitted, my lord, to read these documents, or must I, -allured by my confidence in those who present them to me, sign them with -my eyes shut?" - -"No, madam," Ruthven returned; "the Secret Council desire, on the -contrary, that you acquaint yourself with them, for you must sign them -freely." - -"Read me these documents, my lord; for such a reading is, I think, -included in the strange duties you have accepted." - -Lord Ruthven took one of the two papers that he had in his hand, and -read with the impassiveness of his usual voice the following: - -"Summoned from my tenderest youth to the government of the kingdom and -to the crown of Scotland, I have carefully attended to the -administration; but I have experienced so much fatigue and trouble that -I no longer find my mind free enough nor my strength great enough to -support the burden of affairs of State: accordingly, and as Divine -favour has granted us a son whom we desire to see during our lifetime -bear the crown which he has acquired by right of birth, we have resolved -to abdicate, and we abdicate in his favour, by these presents, freely -and voluntarily, all our rights to the crown and to the government of -Scotland, desiring that he may immediately ascend the throne, as if he -were called to it by our natural death, and not as the effect of our own -will; and that our present abdication may have a more complete and -solemn effect, and that no one should put forward the claim of -ignorance, we give full powers to our trusty and faithful cousins, the -lords Lindsay of Byres and William Ruthven, to appear in our name before -the nobility, the clergy, and the burgesses of Scotland, of whom they -will convoke an assembly at Stirling, and to there renounce, publicly -and solemnly, on our part, all our claims to the crown and to the -government of Scotland. - -"Signed freely and as the testimony of one of our last royal wishes, in -our castle of Lochleven, the ___ June 1567". (The date was left blank.) - -There was a moment's silence after this reading, then - -"Did you hear, madam?" asked Ruthven. - -"Yes," replied Mary Stuart,--"yes, I have heard rebellious words that I -have not understood, and I thought that my ears, that one has tried to -accustom for some time to a strange language, still deceived me, and -that I have thought for your honour, my lord William Ruthven, and my -lord Lindsay of Byres." - -"Madam," answered Lindsay, out of patience at having kept silence so -long, "our honour has nothing to do with the opinion of a woman who has -so ill known how to watch over her own." - -"My lord!" said Melville, risking a word. - -"Let him speak, Robert," returned the queen. "We have in our conscience -armour as well tempered as that with which Lord Lindsay is so prudently -covered, although, to the shame of justice, we no longer have a sword. -Continue, my lord," the queen went on, turning to Lord Ruthven: "is this -all that my subjects require of me? A date and a signature? Ah! -doubtless it is too little; and this second paper, which you have kept -in order to proceed by degrees, probably contains some demand more -difficult to grant than that of yielding to a child scarcely a year old -a crown which belongs to me by birthright, and to abandon my sceptre to -take a distaff." - -"This other paper," replied Ruthven, without letting himself be -intimidated by the tone of bitter irony adopted by the queen, "is the -deed by which your Grace confirms the decision of the Secret Council -which has named your beloved brother, the Earl of Murray, regent of the -kingdom." - -"Indeed!" said Mary. "The Secret Council thinks it needs my confirmation -to an act of such slight importance? And my beloved brother, to bear it -without remorse, needs that it should be I who add a fresh title to -those of Earl of Mar and of Murray that I have already bestowed upon -him? But one cannot desire anything more respectful and touching than -all this, and I should be very wrong to complain. My lords," continued -the queen, rising and changing her tone, "return to those who have sent -you, and tell them that to such demands Mary Stuart has no answer to -give." - -"Take care, madam," responded Ruthven; "for I have told you it is only -on these conditions that your pardon can be granted you." - -"And if I refuse this generous pardon," asked Mary, "what will happen?" - -"I cannot pronounce beforehand, madam; but your Grace has enough -knowledge of the laws, and above all of the history of Scotland and -England, to know that murder and adultery are crimes for which more than -one queen has been punished with death." - -"And upon what proofs could such a charge be founded, my lord? Pardon my -persistence, which takes up your precious time; but I am sufficiently -interested in the matter to be permitted such a question." - -"The proof, madam?" returned Ruthven. "There is but one, I know; but -that one is unexceptionable: it is the precipitate marriage of the widow -of the assassinated with the chief assassin, and the letters which have -been handed over to us by James Balfour, which prove that the guilty -persons had united their adulterous hearts before it was permitted them -to unite their bloody hands." - -"My lord," cried the queen, "do you forget a certain repast given in an -Edinburgh tavern, by this same Bothwell, to those same noblemen who -treat him to-day as an adulterer and a murderer; do you forget that at -the end of that meal, and on the same table at which it had been given, -a paper was signed to invite that same woman, to whom to-day you make -the haste of her new wedding a crime, to leave off a widow's mourning to -reassume a marriage robe? for if you have forgotten it, my lords, which -would do no more honour to your sobriety than to your memory, I -undertake to show it to you, I who have preserved it; and perhaps if we -search well we shall find among the signatures the names of Lindsay of -Byres and William Ruthven. O noble Lord Herries," cried Mary, "loyal -James Melville, you alone were right then, when you threw yourselves at -my feet, entreating me not to conclude this marriage, which, I see it -clearly to-day, was only a trap set for an ignorant woman by perfidious -advisers or disloyal lords." - -"Madam," cried Ruthven, in spite of his cold impassivity beginning to -lose command of himself, while Lindsay was giving still more noisy and -less equivocal signs of impatience, "madam, all these discussions are -beside our aim: I beg you to return to it, then, and inform us if, your -life and honour guaranteed, you consent to abdicate the crown of -Scotland." - -"And what safeguard should I have that the promises you here make me -will be kept?" - -"Our word, madam," proudly replied Ruthven. - -"Your word, my lord, is a very feeble pledge to offer, when one so -quickly forgets one's signature: have you not some trifle to add to it, -to make me a little easier than I should be with it alone?" - -"Enough, Ruthven, enough," cried Lindsay. "Do you not see that for an -hour this woman answers our proposals only by insults?" - -"Yes, let us go," said Ruthven; "and thank yourself only, madam, for the -day when the thread breaks which holds the sword suspended over your -head." - -"My lords," cried Melville, "my lords, in Heaven's name, a little -patience, and forgive something to her who, accustomed to command, is -today forced to obey." - -"Very well," said Lindsay, turning round, "stay with her, then, and try -to obtain by your smooth words what is refused to our frank and loyal -demand. In a quarter of an hour we shall return: let the answer be ready -in a quarter of an hour!" - -With these words, the two noblemen went out, leaving Melville with the -queen; and one could count their footsteps, from the noise that -Lindsay's great sword made, in resounding on each step of the staircase. - -Scarcely were they alone than Melville threw himself at the queen's -feet. - -"Madam," said he, "you remarked just now that Lord Herries and my -brother had given your Majesty advice that you repented not having -followed; well, madam, reflect on that I in my turn give you; for it is -more important than the other, for you will regret with still more -bitterness not having listened to it. Ah! you do not know what may -happen, you are ignorant of what your brother is capable." - -"It seems to me, however," returned the queen, "that he has just -instructed me on that head: what more will he do than he has done -already? A public trial! Oh! it is all I ask: let me only plead my -cause, and we shall see what judges will dare to condemn me." - -"But that is what they will take good care not to do, madam; for they -would be mad to do it when they keep you here in this isolated castle, -in the care of your enemies, having no witness but God, who avenges -crime, but who does not prevent it. Recollect, madam, what Machiavelli -has said, 'A king's tomb is never far from his prison.' You come of a -family in which one dies young, madam, and almost always of a sudden -death: two of your ancestors perished by steel, and one by poison." - -"Oh, if my death were sudden and easy," cried Mary, "yes, I should -accept it as an expiation for my faults; for if I am proud when I -compare myself with others, Melville, I am humble when I judge myself. I -am unjustly accused of being an accomplice of Darnley's death, but I am -justly condemned for having married Bothwell." - -"Time presses, madam; time presses," cried Melville, looking at the -sand, which, placed on the table, was marking the time. "They are coming -back, they will be here in a minute; and this time you must give them an -answer. Listen, madam, and at least profit by your situation as much as -you can. You are alone here with one woman, without friends, without -protection, without power: an abdication signed at such a juncture will -never appear to your people to have been freely given, but will always -pass as having been torn from you by force; and if need be, madam, if -the day comes when such a solemn declaration is worth something, well, -then you will have two witnesses of the violence done you: the one will -be Mary Seyton, and the other," he added in a low voice and looking -uneasily about him,--"the other will be Robert Melville." - -Hardly had he finished speaking when the footsteps of the two nobles -were again heard on the staircase, returning even before the quarter of -an hour had elapsed; a moment afterwards the door opened, and Ruthven -appeared, while over his shoulder was seen Lindsay's head. - -"Madam," said Ruthven, "we have returned. Has your Grace decided? We -come for your answer." - -"Yes," said Lindsay, pushing aside Ruthven, who stood in his way, and -advancing to the table,--"yes, an answer, clear, precise, positive, and -without dissimulation." - -"You are exacting, my lord," said the queen: "you would scarcely have -the right to expect that from me if I were in full liberty on the other -side of the lake and surrounded with a faithful escort; but between -these walls, behind these bars, in the depths of this fortress, I shall -not tell you that I sign voluntarily, lest you should not believe it. -But no matter, you want my signature; well, I am going to give it to -you. Melville, pass me the pen." - -"But I hope," said Lord Ruthven, "that your Grace is not counting on -using your present position one day in argument to protest against what -you are going to do?" - -The queen had already stooped to write, she had already set her hand to -the paper, when Ruthven spoke to her. But scarcely had he done so, than -she rose up proudly, and letting fall the pen, "My lord," said she, -"what you asked of me just now was but an abdication pure and simple, -and I was going to sign it. But if to this abdication is joined this -marginal note, then I renounce of my own accord, and as judging myself -unworthy, the throne of Scotland. I would not do it for the three united -crowns that I have been robbed of in turn." - -"Take care, madam," cried Lord Lindsay, seizing the queen's wrist with -his steel gauntlet and squeezing it with all his angry strength--"take -care, for our patience is at an end, and we could easily end by breaking -what would not bend." - -The queen remained standing, and although a violent flush had passed -like a flame over her countenance, she did not utter a word, and did not -move: her eyes only were fixed with such a great expression of contempt -on those of the rough baron, that he, ashamed of the passion that had -carried him away, let go the hand he had seized and took a step back. -Then raising her sleeve and showing the violet marks made on her arm by -Lord Lindsay's steel gauntlet. - -"This is what I expected, my lords," said she, "and nothing prevents me -any longer from signing; yes, I freely abdicate the throne and crown of -Scotland, and there is the proof that my will has not been forced." - -With these words, she took the pen and rapidly signed the two documents, -held them out to Lord Ruthven, and bowing with great dignity, withdrew -slowly into her room, accompanied by Mary Seyton. Ruthven looked after -her, and when she had disappeared, "It doesn't matter," he said; "she -has signed, and although the means you employed, Lindsay, may be -obsolete enough in diplomacy, it is not the less efficacious, it seems." - -"No joking, Ruthven," said Lindsay; "for she is a noble creature, and if -I had dared, I should have thrown myself at her feet to ask her -forgiveness." - -"There is still time," replied Ruthven, "and Mary, in her present -situation, will not be severe upon you: perhaps she has resolved to -appeal to the judgment of God to prove her innocence, and in that case a -champion such as you might well change the face of things." - -"Do not joke, Ruthven," Lindsay answered a second time, with more -violence than the first; "for if I were as well convinced of her -innocence as I am of her crime, I tell you that no one should touch a -hair of her head, not even the regent." - -"The devil! my lord," said Ruthven. "I did not know you were so -sensitive to a gentle voice and a tearful eye; you know the story of -Achilles' lance, which healed with its rust the wounds it made with its -edge: do likewise my lord, do likewise." - -"Enough, Ruthven, enough," replied Lindsay; "you are like a corselet of -Milan steel, which is three times as bright as the steel armour of -Glasgow, but which is at the same time thrice as hard: we know one -another, Ruthven, so an end to railleries or threats; enough, believe -me, enough." - -And after these words, Lord Lindsay went out first, followed by Ruthven -and Melville, the first with his head high and affecting an air of -insolent indifference, and the second, sad, his brow bent, and not even -trying to disguise the painful impression which this scene had made on -him.' ["History of Scotland, by Sir Walter Scott.--'The Abbott": -historical part.] - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -The queen came out of her room only in the evening, to take her place at -the window which looked over the lake: at the usual time she saw the -light which was henceforth her sole hope shine in the little house in -Kinross; for a whole long month she had no other consolation than seeing -it, every night, fixed and faithful. - -At last, at the end of this time, and as she was beginning to despair of -seeing George Douglas again, one morning, on opening the window, she -uttered a cry. Mary Seyton ran to her, and the queen, without having -strength to speak, showed her in the middle of the lake the tiny boat at -anchor, and in the boat Little Douglas and George, who were absorbed in -fishing, their favourite amusement. The young man had arrived the day -before, and as everyone was accustomed to his unexpected returns, the -sentinel had not even blown the horn, and the queen had not known that -at last a friend had come. - -However, she was three days yet without seeing this friend otherwise -than she had just done--that is, on the lake. It is true that from -morning till evening he did not leave that spot, from which he could -view the queen's windows and the queen herself, when, to gaze at a wider -horizon, she leaned her face against the bars. At last, on the morning -of the fourth day, the queen was awakened by a great noise of dogs and -horns: she immediately ran to the window, for to a prisoner everything -is an event, and she saw William Douglas, who was embarking with a pack -of hounds and some huntsmen. In fact, making a truce, for a day, with -his gaoler's duties, to enjoy a pleasure more in harmony with his rank -and birth, he was going to hunt in the woods which cover the last ridge -of Ben Lomond, and which, ever sinking, die down on the banks of the -lake. - -The queen trembled with delight, for she hoped that Lady Lochleven would -maintain her ill-will, and that then George would replace his brother: -this hope was not disappointed. At the usual time the queen heard the -footsteps of those who were bringing her her breakfast; the door opened, -and she saw George Douglas enter, preceded by the servants who were -carrying the dishes. George barely bowed; but the queen, warned by him -not to be surprised at anything, returned him his greeting with a -disdainful air; then the servants performed their task and went out, as -they were accustomed. - -"At last," said the queen, "you are back again, then." - -George motioned with his finger, went to the door to listen if all the -servants had really gone away, and if no one had remained to spy. Then, -returning more at ease, and bowing respectfully-- - -"Yes, madam," returned he; "and, Heaven be thanked, I bring good news." - -"Oh, tell me quickly!" cried the queen; "for staying in this castle is -hell. You knew that they came, did you not, and that they made me sign -an abdication?" - -"Yes, madam," replied Douglas; "but we also knew that your signature had -been obtained from you by violence alone, and our devotion to your -Majesty is increased thereby, if possible." - -"But, after all, what have you done?" - -"The Seytons and the Hamiltons, who are, as your Majesty knows, your -most faithful servants,"--Mary turned round, smiling, and put out her -hand to Mary Seyton,--"have already," continued George, "assembled their -troops, who keep themselves in readiness for the first signal; but as -they alone would not be sufficiently numerous to hold the country, we -shall make our way directly to Dumbarton, whose governor is ours, and -which by its position and its strength can hold out long enough against -all the regent's troops to give to the faithful hearts remaining to you -time to come and join us." - -"Yes, yes," said the queen; "I see clearly what we shall do once we get -out of this; but how are we to get out?" - -"That is the occasion, madam," replied Douglas, "for which your Majesty -must call to your aid that courage of which you have given such great -proofs." - -"If I have need only of courage and coolness," replied the queen, "be -easy; neither the one nor the other will fail me." - -"Here is a file," said George, giving Mary Seyton that instrument which -he judged unworthy to touch the queen's hands, "and this evening I shall -bring your Majesty cords to construct a ladder. You will cut through one -of the bars of this window, it is only at a height of twenty feet; I -shall come up to you, as much to try it as to support you; one of the -garrison is in my pay, he will give us passage by the door it is his -duty to guard, and you will be free." - -"And when will that be?" cried the queen. - -"We must wait for two things, madam," replied Douglas: "the first, to -collect at Kinross an escort sufficient for your Majesty's safety; the -second, that the turn for night watch of Thomas Warden should happen to -be at an isolated door that we can reach without being seen." - -"And how will you know that? Do you stay at the castle, then?" - -"Alas! no, madam," replied George; "at the castle I am a useless and -even a dangerous friend for you, while once beyond the lake I can serve -you in an effectual manner." - -"And how will you know when Warden's turn to mount guard has come?" - -"The weathercock in the north tower, instead of turning in the wind with -the others, will remain fixed against it." - -"But I, how shall I be warned?" - -"Everything is already provided for on that side: the light which shines -each night in the little house in Kinross incessantly tells you that -your friends keep watch for you; but when you would like to know if the -hour of your deliverance approaches or recedes, in your turn place a -light in this window. The other will immediately disappear; then, -placing your hand on your breast, count your heartbeats: if you reach -the number twenty without the light reappearing, nothing is yet settled; -if you only reach ten, the moment approaches; if the light does not -leave you time to count beyond five, your escape is fixed for the -following night; if it reappears no more, it is fixed for the same -evening; then the owl's cry, repeated thrice in the courtyard, will be -the signal; let down the ladder when you hear it". - -"Oh, Douglas," cried the queen, "you alone could foresee and calculate -everything thus. Thank you, thank you a hundred times!" And she gave him -her hand to kiss. - -A vivid red flushed the young man's cheeks; but almost directly -mastering his emotion, he kneeled down, and, restraining the expression -of that love of which he had once spoken to the queen, while promising -her never more to speak of it, he took the hand that Mary extended, and -kissed it with such respect that no one could have seen in this action -anything but the homage of devotion and fidelity. - -Then, having bowed to the queen, he went out, that a longer stay with -her should not give rise to any suspicions. - -At the dinner-hour Douglas brought, as he had said, a parcel of cord. It -was not enough, but when evening came Mary Seyton was to unroll it and -let fall the end from the window, and George would fasten the remainder -to it: the thing was done as arranged, and without any mishap, an hour -after the hunters had returned. - -The following day George left the castle. - -The queen and Mary Seyton lost no time in setting about the rope ladder, -and it was finished on the third day. The same evening, the queen in her -impatience, and rather to assure herself of her partisans' vigilance -than in the hope that the time of her deliverance was so near, brought -her lamp to the window: immediately, and as George Douglas had told her, -the light in the little house at Kinross disappeared: the queen then -laid her hand on her heart and counted up to twenty-two; then the light -reappeared; they were ready for everything, but nothing was yet settled. -For a week the queen thus questioned the light and her heart-beats -without their number changing; at last, on the eighth day, she counted -only as far as ten; at the eleventh the light reappeared. - -The queen believed herself mistaken: she did not dare to hope what this -announced. She withdrew the lamp; then, at the end of a quarter of an -hour, showed it again: her unknown correspondent understood with his -usual intelligence that a fresh trial was required of him, and the light -in the little house disappeared in its turn. Mary again questioned the -pulsations of her heart, and, fast as it leaped, before the twelfth beat -the propitious star was shining on the horizon: there was no longer any -doubt; everything was settled. - -Mary could not sleep all night: this persistency of her partisans -inspired her with gratitude to the point of tears. The day came, and the -queen several times questioned her companion to assure herself that it -was not all a dream; at every sound it seemed to her that the scheme on -which her liberty hung was discovered, and when, at breakfast and at -dinner time, William Douglas entered as usual, she hardly dared look at -him, for fear of reading on his face the announcement that all was lost. - -In the evening the queen again questioned the light: it made the same -answer; nothing had altered; the beacon was always one of hope. - -For four days it thus continued to indicate that the moment of escape -was at hand; on the evening of the fifth, before the queen had counted -five beats, the light reappeared: the queen leaned upon Mary Seyton; she -was nearly fainting, between dread and delight. Her escape was fixed for -the next evening. - -The queen tried once more, and obtained the same reply: there was no -longer a doubt; everything was ready except the prisoner's courage, for -it failed her for a moment, and if Mary Seyton had not drawn up a seat -in time, she would have fallen prone; but, the first moment over, she -collected herself as usual, and was stronger and more resolute than -ever. - -Till midnight the queen remained at the window, her eyes fixed on that -star of good omen: at last Mary Seyton persuaded her to go to bed, -offering, if she had no wish to sleep, to read her some verses by M. -Ronsard, or some chapters from the Mer des Histoires; but Mary had no -desire now for any profane reading, and had her Hours read, making the -responses as she would have done if she had been present at a mass said -by a Catholic priest: towards dawn, however, she grew drowsy, and as -Mary Seyton, for her part, was dropping with fatigue, she fell asleep -directly in the arm-chair at the head of the queen's bed. - -Next day she awoke, feeling that someone was tapping her on the -shoulder: it was the queen, who had already arisen. - -"Come and see, darling," said she,--"come and see the fine day that God -is giving us. Oh! how alive is Nature! How happy I shall be to be once -more free among those plains and mountains! Decidedly, Heaven is on our -side." - -"Madam," replied Mary, "I would rather see the weather less fine: it -would promise us a darker night; and consider, what we need is darkness, -not light." - -"Listen," said the queen; "it is by this we are going to see if God is -indeed for us; if the weather remains as it is, yes, you are right, He -abandons us; but if it clouds over, oh! then, darling, this will be a -certain proof of His protection, will it not?" - -Mary Seyton smiled, nodding that she adopted her mistress's -superstition; then the queen, incapable of remaining idle in her great -preoccupation of mind, collected the few jewels that she had preserved, -enclosed them in a casket, got ready for the evening a black dress, in -order to be still better hidden in the darkness: and, these preparations -made, she sat down again at the window, ceaselessly carrying her eyes -from the lake to the little house in Kinross, shut up and dumb as usual. - -The dinner-hour arrived: the queen was so happy that she received -William Douglas with more goodwill than was her wont, and it was with -difficulty she remained seated during the time the meal lasted; but she -restrained herself, and William Douglas withdrew, without seeming to -have noticed her agitation. - -Scarcely had he gone than Mary ran to the window; she had need of air, -and her gaze devoured in advance those wide horizons which she was about -to cross anew; it seemed to her that once at liberty she would never -shut herself up in a palace again, but would wander about the -countryside continually: then, amid all these tremors of delight, from -time to time she felt unexpectedly heavy at heart. She then turned round -to Mary Seyton, trying to fortify her strength with hers, and the young -girl kept up her hopes, but rather from duty than from conviction. - -But slow as they seemed to the queen, the hours yet passed: towards the -afternoon some clouds floated across the blue sky; the queen remarked -upon them joyfully to her companion; Mary Seyton congratulated her upon -them, not on account of the imaginary omen that the queen sought in -them, but because of the real importance that the weather should be -cloudy, that darkness might aid them in their flight. While the two -prisoners were watching the billowy, moving vapours, the hour of dinner -arrived; but it was half an hour of constraint and dissimulation, the -more painful that, no doubt in return for the sort of goodwill shown him -by the queen in the morning, William Douglas thought himself obliged, in -his turn, to accompany his duties with fitting compliments, which -compelled the queen to take a more active part in the conversation than -her preoccupation allowed her; but William Douglas did not seem in any -way to observe this absence of mind, and all passed as at breakfast. - -Directly he had gone the queen ran to the window: the few clouds which -were chasing one another in the sky an hour before had thickened and -spread, and--all the blue was blotted out, to give place to a hue dull -and leaden as pewter. Mary Stuart's presentiments were thus realised: as -to the little house in Kinross, which one could still make out in the -dusk, it remained shut up, and seemed deserted. - -Night fell: the light shone as usual; the queen signalled, it -disappeared. Mary Stuart waited in vain; everything remained in -darkness: the escape was for the same evening. The queen heard eight -o'clock, nine o'clock, and ten o'clock strike successively. At ten -o'clock the sentinels were relieved; Mary Stuart heard the patrols pass -beneath her windows, the steps of the watch recede: then all returned to -silence. Half an hour passed away thus; suddenly the owl's cry resounded -thrice, the queen recognised George Douglas's signal: the supreme moment -had come. - -In these circumstances the queen found all her strength revive: she -signed to Mary Seyton to take away the bar and to fix the rope ladder, -while, putting out the lamp, she felt her way into the bedroom to seek -the casket which contained her few remaining jewels. When she came back, -George Douglas was already in the room. - -"All goes well, madam," said he. "Your friends await you on the other -side of the lake, Thomas Warden watches at the postern, and God has sent -us a dark night." - -The queen, without replying, gave him her hand. George bent his knee and -carried this hand to his lips; but on touching it, he felt it cold and -trembling. - -"Madam," said he, "in Heaven's name summon all your courage, and do not -let yourself be downcast at such a moment." - -"Our Lady-of-Good-Help," murmured Seyton, "come to our aid!" - -"Summon to you the spirit of the kings your ancestors," responded -George, "for at this moment it is not the resignation of a Christian -that you require, but the strength and resolution of a queen" - -"Oh, Douglas! Douglas," cried Mary mournfully, "a fortune-teller -predicted to me that I should die in prison and by a violent death: has -not the hour of the prediction arrived?" - -"Perhaps," George said, "but it is better to die as a queen than to live -in this ancient castle calumniated and a prisoner." - -"You are right, George," the queen answered; "but for a woman the first -step is everything: forgive me". Then, after a moment's pause, "Come," -said she; "I am ready." - -George immediately went to the window, secured the ladder again and more -firmly, then getting up on to the sill and holding to the bars with one -hand, he stretched out the other to the queen, who, as resolute as she -had been timid a moment before, mounted on a stool, and had already set -one foot on the window-ledge, when suddenly the cry, "Who goes there?" -rang out at the foot of the tower. The queen sprang quickly back, partly -instinctively and partly pushed by George, who, on the contrary, leaned -out of the window to see whence came this cry, which, twice again -renewed, remained twice unanswered, and was immediately followed by a -report and the flash of a firearm: at the same moment the sentinel on -duty on the tower blew his bugle, another set going the alarm bell, and -the cries, "To arms, to arms!" and "Treason, treason!" resounded -throughout the castle. - -"Yes, yes, treason, treason!" cried George Douglas, leaping down into -the room. "Yes, the infamous Warden has betrayed us!" Then, advancing to -Mary, cold and motionless as a statue, "Courage, madam," said he, -"courage! Whatever happens, a friend yet remains for you in the castle; -it is Little Douglas." - -Scarcely had he finished speaking when the door of the queen's apartment -opened, and William Douglas and Lady Lochleven, preceded by servants -carrying torches and armed soldiers, appeared on the threshold: the room -was immediately filled with people and light. - -"Mother," said William Douglas, pointing to his brother standing before -Mary Stuart and protecting her with his body, "do you believe me now? -Look!" - -The old lady was for a moment speechless; then finding a word at last, -and taking a step forward-- - -"Speak, George Douglas," cried she, "speak, and clear yourself at once -of the charge which weighs on your honour; say but these words, 'A -Douglas was never faithless to his trust,' and I believe you". - -"Yes, mother," answered William, "a Douglas!... but he--he is not a -Douglas." - -"May God grant my old age the strength needed to bear on the part of one -of my sons such a misfortune, and on the part of the other such an -injury!" exclaimed Lady Lochleven. "O woman born under a fatal star," -she went on, addressing the queen, "when will you cease to be, in the -Devil's hands, an instrument of perdition and death to all who approach -you? O ancient house of Lochleven, cursed be the hour when this -enchantress crossed thy threshold!" - -"Do not say that, mother, do not say that," cried George; "blessed be, -on the contrary, the moment which proves that, if there are Douglases -who no longer remember what they owe to their sovereigns, there are -others who have never forgotten it." - -"Douglas! Douglas!" murmured Mary Stuart, "did I not tell you?" - -"And I, madam," said George, "what did I reply then? That it was an -honour and a duty to every faithful subject of your Majesty to die for -you." - -"Well, die, then!" cried William Douglas, springing on his brother with -raised sword, while he, leaping back, drew his, and with a movement -quick as thought and eager as hatred defended himself. But at the same -moment Mary Stuart darted between the two young people. - -"Not another step, Lord Douglas," said she. "Sheathe your sword, George, -or if you use it, let be to go hence, and against everyone but your -brother. I still have need of your life; take care of it." - -"My life, like my arm and my honour, is at your service, madam, and from -the moment you command it I shall preserve it for you." - -With these words, rushing to the door with a violence and resolve which -prevented anyone's stopping him-- - -"Back!" cried he to the domestics who were barring the passage; "make -way for the young master of Douglas, or woe to you!". - -"Stop him!" cried William. "Seize him, dead or alive! Fire upon him! -Kill him like a dog!" - -Two or three soldiers, not daring to disobey William, pretended to -pursue his brother. Then some gunshots were heard, and a voice crying -that George Douglas had just thrown himself into the lake. - -"And has he then escaped?" cried William. - -Mary Stuart breathed again; the old lady raised her hands to Heaven. - -"Yes, yes," murmured William,--"yes, thank Heaven for your son's flight; -for his flight covers our entire house with shame; counting from this -hour, we shall be looked upon as the accomplices of his treason." - -"Have pity on me, William!" cried Lady Lochleven, wringing her hands. -"Have compassion on your old mother! See you not that I am dying?" - -With these words, she fell backwards, pale and tottering; the steward -and a servant supported her in their arms. - -"I believe, my lord," said Mary Seyton, coming forward, "that your -mother has as much need of attention just now as the queen has need of -repose: do you not consider it is time for you to withdraw?" - -"Yes, yes," said William, "to give you time to spin fresh webs, I -suppose, and to seek what fresh flies you can take in them? It is well, -go on with your work; but you have just seen that it is not easy to -deceive William Douglas. Play your game, I shall play mine". Then -turning to the servants, "Go out, all of you," said he; "and you, -mother, come." - -The servants and the soldiers obeyed; then William Douglas went out -last, supporting Lady Lochleven, and the queen heard him shut behind him -and double-lock the two doors of her prison. - -Scarcely was Mary alone, and certain that she was no longer seen or -heard, than all her strength deserted her, and, sinking into an -arm-chair, she burst out sobbing. - -Indeed, all her courage had been needed to sustain her so far, and the -sight of her enemies alone had given her this courage; but hardly had -they gone than her situation appeared before her in all its fatal -hardship. Dethroned, a prisoner, without another friend in this -impregnable castle than a child to whom she had scarce given attention, -and who was the sole and last thread attaching her past hopes to her -hopes for the future, what remained to Mary Stuart of her two thrones -and her double power? Her name, that was all; her, name with which, -free, she had doubtless stirred Scotland, but which little by little was -about to be effaced in the hearts of her adherents, and which during her -lifetime oblivion was to cover perhaps as with a shroud. Such an idea -was insupportable to a soul as lofty as Mary Stuart's, and to an -organisation which, like that of the flowers, has need, before -everything, of air, light, and sun. - -Fortunately there remained to her the best beloved of her four Marys, -who, always devoted and consoling, hastened to succour and comfort her; -but this time it was no easy matter, and the queen let her act and speak -without answering her otherwise than with sobs and tears; when suddenly, -looking through the window to which she had drawn up her mistress's -armchair-- - -"The light!" cried she, "madam, the light!" - -At the same time she raised the queen, and with arm outstretched from -the window, she showed her the beacon, the eternal symbol of hope, -relighted in the midst of this dark night on Kinross hill: there was no -mistake possible, not a star was shining in the sky. - -"Lord God, I give Thee thanks," said the queen, falling on her knees and -raising her arms to heaven with a gesture of gratitude: "Douglas has -escaped, and my friends still keep watch." - -Then, after a fervent prayer, which restored to her a little strength, -the queen re-entered her room, and, tired out by her varied successive -emotions, she slept an uneasy, agitated sleep, over which the -indefatigable Mary Seyton kept watch till daybreak. - -As William Douglas had said, from this time forward the queen was a -prisoner indeed, and permission to go down into the garden was no longer -granted but under the surveillance of two soldiers; but this annoyance -seemed to her so unbearable that she preferred to give up the -recreation, which, surrounded with such conditions, became a torture. So -she shut herself up in her apartments, finding a certain bitter and -haughty pleasure in the very excess of her misfortune. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -A week after the events we have related, as nine o'clock in the evening -had just sounded from the castle bell, and the queen and Mary Seyton -were sitting at a table where they were working at their tapestry, a -stone thrown from the courtyard passed through the window bars, broke a -pane of glass, and fell into the room. The queen's first idea was to -believe it accidental or an insult; but Mary Seyton, turning round, -noticed that the stone was wrapped up in a paper: she immediately picked -it up. The paper was a letter from George Douglas, conceived in these -terms: - -"You have commanded me to live, madam: I have obeyed, and your Majesty -has been able to tell, from the Kinross light, that your servants -continue to watch over you. However, not to raise suspicion, the -soldiers collected for that fatal night dispersed at dawn, and will not -gather again till a fresh attempt makes their presence necessary. But, -alas! to renew this attempt now, when your Majesty's gaolers are on -their guard, would be your ruin. Let them take every precaution, then, -madam; let them sleep in security, while we, we, in our devotion, shall -go on watching. - -"Patience and courage!" - -"Brave and loyal heart!" cried Mary, "more constantly devoted to -misfortune than others are to prosperity! Yes, I shall have patience and -courage, and so long as that light shines I shall still believe in -liberty." - -This letter restored to the queen all her former courage: she had means -of communication with George through Little Douglas; for no doubt it was -he who had thrown that stone. She hastened, in her turn, to write a -letter to George, in which she both charged him to express her gratitude -to all the lords who had signed the protestation; and begged them, in -the name of the fidelity they had sworn to her, not to cool in their -devotion, promising them, for her part, to await the result with that -patience and courage they asked of her. - -The queen was not mistaken: next day, as she was at her window, Little -Douglas came to play at the foot of the tower, and, without raising his -head, stopped just beneath her to dig a trap to catch birds. The queen -looked to see if she were observed, and assured that that part of the -courtyard was deserted, she let fall the stone wrapped in her letter: at -first she feared to have made a serious error; for Little Douglas did -not even turn at the noise, and it was only after a moment, during which -the prisoner's heart was torn with frightful anxiety, that -indifferently, and as if he were looking for something else, the child -laid his hand on the stone, and without hurrying, without raising his -head, without indeed giving any sign of intelligence to her who had -thrown it, he put the letter in his pocket, finishing the work he had -begun with the greatest calm, and showing the queen, by this coolness -beyond his years, what reliance she could place in him. - -From that moment the queen regained fresh hope; but days, weeks, months -passed without bringing any change in her situation: winter came; the -prisoner saw snow spread over the plains and mountains, and the lake -afforded her, if she had only been able to pass the door, a firm road to -gain the other bank; but no letter came during all this time to bring -her the consoling news that they were busy about her deliverance; the -faithful light alone announced to her every evening that a friend was -keeping watch. - -Soon nature awoke from her death-sleep: some forward sun-rays broke -through the clouds of this sombre sky of Scotland; the snow melted, the -lake broke its ice-crust, the first buds opened, the green turf -reappeared; everything came out of its prison at the joyous approach of -spring, and it was a great grief to Mary to see that she alone was -condemned to an eternal winter. - -At last; one evening, she thought she observed in the motions of the -light that something fresh was happening: she had so often questioned -this poor flickering star, and she had so often let it count her -heart-beats more than twenty times, that to spare herself the pain of -disappointment, for a long time she had no longer interrogated it; -however, she resolved to make one last attempt, and, almost hopeless, -she put her light near the window, and immediately took it away; still, -faithful to the signal, the other disappeared at the same moment, and -reappeared at the eleventh heart-beat of the queen. At the same time, by -a strange coincidence, a stone passing through the window fell at Mary -Seyton's feet. It was, like the first, wrapped in a letter from George: -the queen took it from her companion's hands, opened it, and read: - -"The moment draws near; your adherents are assembled; summon all your -courage." - -"To-morrow, at eleven o'clock in the evening, drop a cord from your -window, and draw up the packet that will be fastened to it." - -There remained in the queen's apartments the rope over and above what -had served for the ladder taken away by the guards the evening of the -frustrated escape: next day, at the appointed hour, the two prisoners -shut up the lamp in the bedroom, so that no light should betray them, -and Mary Seyton, approaching the window, let down the cord. After a -minute, she felt from its movements that something was being attached to -it. Mary Seyton pulled, and a rather bulky parcel appeared at the bars, -which it could not pass on account of its size. Then the queen came to -her companion's aid. The parcel was untied, and its contents, -separately, got through easily. The two prisoners carried them into the -bedroom, and, barricaded within, commenced an inventory. There were two -complete suits of men's clothes in the Douglas livery. The queen was at -a loss, when she saw a letter fastened to the collar of one of the two -coats. Eager to know the meaning of this enigma, she immediately opened -it, and read as follows: - -"It is only by dint of audacity that her Majesty can recover her -liberty: let her Majesty read this letter, then, and punctually follow, -if she deign to adopt them, the instructions she will find therein. - -"In the daytime the keys of the castle do not leave the belt of the old -steward; when curfew is rung and he has made his rounds to make sure -that all the doors are fast shut, he gives them up to William Douglas, -who, if he stays up, fastens them to his sword-belt, or, if he sleeps, -puts them under his pillow. For five months, Little Douglas, whom -everyone is accustomed to see working at the armourer's forge of the -castle, has been employed in making some keys like enough to the others, -once they are substituted for them, for William to be deceived. -Yesterday Little Douglas finished the last. - -"On the first favourable opportunity that her Majesty will know to be -about to present itself, by carefully questioning the light each day, -Little Douglas will exchange the false keys for the true, will enter the -queen's room, and will find her dressed, as well as Miss Mary Seyton, in -their men's clothing, and he will go before them to lead them, by the -way which offers the best chances for their escape; a boat will be -prepared and will await them. - -"Till then, every evening, as much to accustom themselves to these new -costumes as to give them an appearance of having been worn, her Majesty -and Miss Mary Seyton will dress themselves in the suits, which they must -keep on from nine o'clock till midnight. Besides, it is possible that, -without having had time to warn them, their young guide may suddenly -come to seek them: it is urgent, then, that he find them ready. - -"The garments ought to fit perfectly her Majesty and her companion, the -measure having been taken on Miss Mary Fleming and Miss Mary Livingston, -who are exactly their size. - -"One cannot too strongly recommend her Majesty to summon to her aid on -the supreme occasion the coolness and courage of which she has given -such frequent proofs at other times." - -The two prisoners were astounded at the boldness of this plan: at first -they looked at one another in consternation, for success seemed -impossible. They none the less made trial of their disguise: as George -had said, it fitted each of them as if they had been measured for it. - -Every evening the queen questioned the light, as George had urged, and -that for a whole long month, during which each evening the queen and -Mary Seyton, although the light gave no fresh tidings, arrayed -themselves in their men's clothes, as had been arranged, so that they -both acquired such practice that they became as familiar to them as -those of their own sex. - -At last, the 2nd May, 1568, the queen was awakened by the blowing of a -horn: uneasy as to what it announced, she slipped on a cloak and ran to -the window, where Mary Seyton joined her directly. A rather numerous -band of horsemen had halted on the side of the lake, displaying the -Douglas pennon, and three boats were rowing together and vying with each -other to fetch the new arrivals. - -This event caused the queen dismay: in her situation the least change in -the castle routine was to be feared, for it might upset all the -concerted plans. This apprehension redoubled when, on the boats drawing -near, the queen recognised in the elder Lord Douglas, the husband of -Lady Lochleven, and the father of William and George. The venerable -knight, who was Keeper of the Marches in the north, was coming to visit -his ancient manor, in which he had not set foot for three years. - -It was an event for Lochleven; and, some minutes after the arrival of -the boats, Mary Stuart heard the old steward's footsteps mounting the -stairs: he came to announce his master's arrival to the queen, and, as -it must needs be a time of rejoicing to all the castle inhabitants when -its master returned, he came to invite the queen to the dinner in -celebration of the event: whether instinctively or from distaste, the -queen declined. - -All day long the bell and the bugle resounded: Lord Douglas, like a true -feudal lord, travelled with the retinue of a prince. One saw nothing but -new soldiers and servants passing and repassing beneath the queen's -windows: the footmen and horsemen were wearing, moreover, a livery -similar to that which the queen and Mary Seyton had received. - -Mary awaited the night with impatience. The day before, she had -questioned her light, and it had informed her as usual, in reappearing -at her eleventh or twelfth heart-beat, that the moment of escape was -near; but she greatly feared that Lord Douglas's arrival might have -upset everything, and that this evening's signal could only announce a -postponement. But hardly had she seen the light shine than she placed -her lamp in the window; the other disappeared directly, and Mary Stuart, -with terrible anxiety, began to question it. This anxiety increased when -she had counted more than fifteen beats. Then she stopped, cast down, -her eyes mechanically fixed on the spot where the light had been. But -her astonishment was great when, at the end of a few minutes, she did -not see it reappear, and when, half an hour having elapsed, everything -remained in darkness. The queen then renewed her signal, but obtained no -response: the escape was for the same evening. - -The queen and Mary Seyton were so little expecting this issue, that, -contrary to their custom, they had not put on their men's clothes that -evening. They immediately flew to the queen's bed-chamber, bolted the -door behind them, and began to dress. - -They had hardly finished their hurried toilette when they heard a key -turn in the lock: they immediately blew out the lamp. Light steps -approached the door. The two women leaned one against the other; for -they both were near falling. Someone tapped gently. The queen asked who -was there, and Little Douglas's voice answered in the two first lines of -an old ballad-- - -"Douglas, Douglas, Tender and true." - -Mary opened, directly: it was the watchword agreed upon with George -Douglas. - -The child was without a light. He stretched out his hand and encountered -the queen's: in the starlight, Mary Stuart saw him kneel down; then she -felt the imprint of his lips on her fingers. - -"Is your Majesty ready to follow me?" he asked in a low tone, rising. - -"Yes, my child," the queen answered: "it is for this evening, then?" - -"With your Majesty's permission, yes, it is for this evening." - -"Is everything ready?" - -"Everything." - -"What are we to do?" - -"Follow me everywhere." - -"My God! my God!" cried Mary Stuart, "have pity on us!" Then, having -breathed a short prayer in a low voice, while Mary Seyton was taking the -casket in which were the queen's jewels, "I am ready," said she: "and -you, darling?" - -"I also," replied Mary Seyton. - -"Come, then," said Little Douglas. - -The two prisoners followed the child; the queen going first, and Mary -Seyton after. Their youthful guide carefully shut again the door behind -him, so that if a warder happened to pass he would see nothing; then he -began to descend the winding stair. Half-way down, the noise of the -feast reached them, a mingling of shouts of laughter, the confusion of -voices, and the clinking of glasses. The queen placed her hand on her -young guide's shoulder. - -"Where are you leading us?" she asked him with terror. - -"Out of the castle," replied the child. - -"But we shall have to pass through the great hall?" - -"Without a doubt; and that is exactly what George foresaw. Among the -footmen, whose livery your Majesty is wearing, no one will recognise -you." - -"My God! my God!" the queen murmured, leaning against the wall. - -"Courage, madam," said Mary Seyton in a low voice, "or we are lost." - -"You are right," returned the queen; "let us go". And they started again -still led by their guide. - -At the foot of the stair he stopped, and giving the queen a stone -pitcher full of wine-- - -"Set this jug on your right shoulder, madam," said he; "it will hide -your face from the guests, and your Majesty will give rise to less -suspicion if carrying something. You, Miss Mary, give me that casket, -and put on your head this basket of bread. Now, that's right: do you -feel you have strength?" - -"Yes," said the queen. - -"Yes," said Mary Seyton. - -"Then follow me." - -The child went on his way, and after a few steps the fugitives found -themselves in a kind of antechamber to the great hall, from which -proceeded noise and light. Several servants were occupied there with -different duties; not one paid attention to them, and that a little -reassured the queen. Besides, there was no longer any drawing back: -Little Douglas had just entered the great hall. - -The guests, seated on both sides of a long table ranged according to the -rank of those assembled at it, were beginning dessert, and consequently -had reached the gayest moment of the repast. Moreover, the hall was so -large that the lamps and candles which lighted it, multiplied as they -were, left in the most favourable half-light both sides of the -apartment, in which fifteen or twenty servants were coming and going. -The queen and Mary Seyton mingled with this crowd, which was too much -occupied to notice them, and without stopping, without slackening, -without looking back, they crossed the whole length of the hall, reached -the other door, and found themselves in the vestibule corresponding to -the one they had passed through on coming in. The queen set down her jug -there, Mary Seyton her basket, and both, still led by the child, entered -a corridor at the end of which they found themselves in the courtyard. A -patrol was passing at the moment, but he took no notice of them. - -The child made his way towards the garden, still followed by the two -women. There, for no little while, it was necessary to try which of all -the keys opened the door; it--was a time of inexpressible anxiety. At -last the key turned in the lock, the door opened; the queen and Mary -Seyton rushed into the garden. The child closed the door behind them. - -About two-thirds of the way across, Little Douglas held out his hand as -a sign to them to stop; then, putting down the casket and the keys on -the ground, he placed his hands together, and blowing into them, thrice -imitated the owl's cry so well that it was impossible to believe that a -human voice was uttering the sounds; then, picking up the casket and the -keys, he kept on his way on tiptoe and with an attentive ear. On getting -near the wall, they again stopped, and after a moment's anxious waiting -they heard a groan, then something like the sound of a falling body. -Some seconds later the owl's cry was--answered by a tu-whit-tu-whoo. - -"It is over," Little Douglas said calmly; "come." - -"What is over?" asked the queen; "and what is that groan we heard?" - -"There was a sentry at the door on to the lake," the child answered, -"but he is no longer there." - -The queen felt her heart's blood grow cold, at the same tine that a -chilly sweat broke out to the roots of her hair; for she perfectly -understood: an unfortunate being had just lost his life on her account. -Tottering, she leaned on Mary Seyton, who herself felt her strength -giving way. Meanwhile Little Douglas was trying the keys: the second -opened the door. - -"And the queen?" said in a low voice a man who was waiting on the other -side of the wall. - -"She is following me," replied the child. - -George Douglas, for it was he, sprang into the garden, and, taking the -queen's arm on one side and Mary Seyton's on the other, he hurried them -away quickly to the lake-side. When passing through the doorway Mary -Stuart could not help throwing an uneasy look about her, and it seemed -to her that a shapeless object was lying at the bottom of the wall, and -as she was shuddering all over. - -"Do not pity him," said George in a low voice, "for it is a judgment -from heaven. That man was the infamous Warden who betrayed us." - -"Alas!" said the queen, "guilty as he was, he is none the less dead on -my account." - -"When it concerned your safety, madam, was one to haggle over drops of -that base blood? But silence! This way, William, this way; let us keep -along the wall, whose shadow hides us. The boat is within twenty steps, -and we are saved." - -With these words, George hurried on the two women still more quickly, -and all four, without having been detected, reached the banks of the -lake. 'As Douglas had said, a little boat was waiting; and, on seeing -the fugitives approach, four rowers, couched along its bottom, rose, and -one of them, springing to land, pulled the chain, so that the queen and -Mary Seyton could get in. Douglas seated them at the prow, the child -placed himself at the rudder, and George, with a kick, pushed off the -boat, which began to glide over the lake. - -"And now," said he, "we are really saved; for they might as well pursue -a sea swallow on Solway Firth as try to reach us. Row, children, row; -never mind if they hear us: the main thing is to get into the open." - -"Who goes there?" cried a voice above, from the castle terrace. - -"Row, row," said Douglas, placing himself in front of the queen. - -"The boat! the boat!" cried the same voice; "bring to the boat!" Then, -seeing that it continued to recede, "Treason! treason!" cried the -sentinel. "To arms!" - -At the same moment a flash lit up the lake; the report of a firearm was -heard, and a ball passed, whistling. The queen uttered a little cry, -although she had run no danger, George, as we have said, having placed -himself in front of her, quite protecting her with his body. - -The alarm bell now rang, and all the castle lights were seen moving and -glancing about, as if distracted, in the rooms. - -"Courage, children!" said Douglas. "Row as if your lives depended on -each stroke of the oar; for ere five minutes the skiff will be out after -us." - -"That won't be so easy for them as you think, George," said Little -Douglas; "for I shut all the doors behind me, and some time will elapse -before the keys that I have left there open them. As to these," added -he, showing those he had so skilfully abstracted, "I resign them to the -Kelpie, the genie of the lake, and I nominate him porter of Lochleven -Castle." - -The discharge of a small piece of artillery answered William's joke; but -as the night was too dark for one to aim to such a distance as that -already between the castle and the boat, the ball ricochetted at twenty -paces from the fugitives, while the report died away in echo after echo. -Then Douglas drew his pistol from his belt, and, warning the ladies to -have no fear, he fired in the air, not to answer by idle bravado the -castle cannonade, but to give notice to a troop of faithful friends, who -were waiting for them on the other shore of the lake, that the queen had -escaped. Immediately, in spite of the danger of being so near Kinross, -cries of joy resounded on the bank, and William having turned the -rudder, the boat made for land at the spot whence they had been heard. -Douglas then gave his hand to the queen, who sprang lightly ashore, and -who, falling on her knees, immediately began to give thanks to God for -her happy deliverance. - -On rising, the queen found herself surrounded by her most faithful -servants--Hamilton, Herries, and Seyton, Mary's father. Light-headed -with joy, the queen extended her hands to them, thanking them with -broken words, which expressed her intoxication and her gratitude better -than the choicest phrases could have done, when suddenly, turning round, -she perceived George Douglas, alone and melancholy. Then, going to him -and taking him by the hand-- - -"My lords," said she, presenting George to them, and pointing to -William, "behold my two deliverers: behold those to whom, as long as I -live, I shall preserve gratitude of which nothing will ever acquit me." - -"Madam," said Douglas, "each of us has only done what he ought, and he -who has risked most is the happiest. But if your Majesty will believe -me, you will not lose a moment in needless words." - -"Douglas is right," said Lord Seyton. "To horse! to horse!" - -Immediately, and while four couriers set out in four different -directions to announce to the queen's friends her happy escape, they -brought her a horse saddled for her, which she mounted with her usual -skill; then the little troop, which, composed of about twenty persons, -was escorting the future destiny of Scotland, keeping away from the -village of Kinross, to which the castle firing had doubtless given the -alarm, took at a gallop the road to Seyton's castle, where was already a -garrison large enough to defend the queen from a sudden attack. - -The queen journeyed all night, accompanied on one side by Douglas, on -the other by Lord Seyton; then, at daybreak, they stopped at the gate of -the castle of West Niddrie, belonging to Lord Seyton, as we have said, -and situated in West Lothian. Douglas sprang from his horse to offer his -hand to Mary Stuart; but Lord Seyton claimed his privilege as master of -the house. The queen consoled Douglas with a glance, and entered the -fortress. - -"Madam," said Lord Seyton, leading her into a room prepared for her for -nine months, "your Majesty must have need of repose, after the fatigue -and the emotions you have gone through since yesterday morning; you may -sleep here in peace, and disquiet yourself for nothing: any noise you -may hear will be made by a reinforcement of friends which we are -expecting. As to our enemies, your Majesty has nothing to fear from them -so long as you inhabit the castle of a Seyton." - -The queen again thanked all her deliverers, gave her hand to Douglas to -kiss one last time, kissed Little William on the forehead, and named him -her favourite page for the future; then, profiting by the advice given -her, entered her room where Mary Seyton, to the exclusion of every other -woman, claimed the privilege of performing about her the duties with -which she had been charged during their eleven months' captivity in -Lochleven Castle. - -On opening her eyes, Mary Stuart thought she had had one of those dreams -so gainful to prisoners, when waking they see again the bolts on their -doors and the bars on their windows. So the queen, unable to believe the -evidence of her senses, ran, half dressed, to the window. The courtyard -was filled with soldiers, and these soldiers all friends who had -hastened at the news of her escape; she recognised the banners of her -faithful friends, the Seytons, the Arbroaths, the Herries, and the -Hamiltons, and scarcely had she been seen at the window than all these -banners bent before her, with the shouts a hundred times repeated of -"Long live Mary of Scotland! Long live our queen!" Then, without giving -heed to the disarray of her toilet, lovely and chaste with her emotion -and her happiness, she greeted them in her turn, her eyes full of tears; -but this time they were tears of joy. However, the queen recollected -that she was barely covered, and blushing at having allowed herself to -be thus carried away in her ecstasy, she abruptly drew back, quite rosy -with confusion. - -Then she had an instant's womanly fright: she had fled from Lochleven -Castle in the Douglas livery, and without either the leisure or the -opportunity for taking women's clothes with her. But she could not -remain attired as a man; so she explained her uneasiness to Mary Seyton, -who responded by opening the closets in the queen's room. They were -furnished, not only with robes, the measure for which, like that of the -suit, had been taken from Mary Fleming, but also with all the -necessaries for a woman's toilet. The queen was astonished: it was like -being in a fairy castle. - -"Mignonne," said she, looking one after another at the robes, all the -stuffs of which were chosen with exquisite taste, "I knew your father -was a brave and loyal knight, but I did not think him so learned in the -matter of the toilet. We shall name him groom of the wardrobe." - -"Alas! madam," smilingly replied Mary Seyton, "you are not mistaken: my -father has had everything in the castle furbished up to the last -corselet, sharpened to the last sword, unfurled to the last banner; but -my father, ready as he is to die for your Majesty, would not have -dreamed for an instant of offering you anything but his roof to rest -under, or his cloak to cover you. It is Douglas again who has foreseen -everything, prepared everything--everything even to Rosabelle, your -Majesty's favourite steed, which is impatiently awaiting in the stable -the moment when, mounted on her, your Majesty will make your triumphal -re-entry into Edinburgh." - -"And how has he been able to get her back again?" Mary asked. "I thought -that in the division of my spoils Rosabelle had fallen to the fair -Alice, my brother's favourite sultana?" - -"Yes, yes," said Mary Seyton, "it was so; and as her value was known, -she was kept under lock and key by an army of grooms; but Douglas is the -man of miracles, and, as I have told you, Rosabelle awaits your -Majesty." - -"Noble Douglas!" murmured the queen, with eyes full of tears; then, as -if speaking to herself, "And this is precisely one of those devotions -that we can never repay. The others will be happy with honours, places, -money; but to Douglas what matter all these things?" - -"Come, madam, come," said Mary Seyton, "God takes on Himself the debts -of kings; He will reward Douglas. As to your Majesty, reflect that they -are waiting dinner for you. I hope," added she, smiling, "that you will -not affront my father as you did Lord Douglas yesterday in refusing to -partake of his feast on his fortunate home-coming." - -"And luck has come to me for it, I hope," replied Mary. "But you are -right, darling: no more sad thoughts; we will consider when we have -indeed become queen again what we can do for Douglas." - -The queen dressed and went down. As Mary Seyton had told her, the chief -noblemen of her party, already gathered round her, were waiting for her -in the great hall of the castle. Her arrival was greeted with -acclamations of the liveliest enthusiasm, and she sat down to table, -with Lord Seyton on her right hand, Douglas on her left, and behind her -Little William, who the same day was beginning his duties as page. - -Next morning the queen was awakened by the sound of trumpets and bugles: -it had been decided the day before that she should set out that day for -Hamilton, where reinforcements were looked for. The queen donned an -elegant riding-habit, and soon, mounted on Rosabelle, appeared amid her -defenders. The shouts of joy redoubled: her beauty, her grace, and her -courage were admired by everyone. Mary Stuart became her own self once -more, and she felt spring up in her again the power of fascination she -had always exercised on those who came near her. Everyone was in good -humour, and the happiest of all was perhaps Little William, who for the -first time in his life had such a fine dress and such a fine horse. - -Two or three thousand men were awaiting the queen at Hamilton, which she -reached the same evening; and during the night following her arrival the -troops increased to six thousand. The 2nd of May she was a prisoner, -without another friend but a child in her prison, without other means of -communication with her adherents than the flickering and uncertain light -of a lamp, and three days afterwards--that is to say, between the Sunday -and the Wednesday--she found herself not only free, but also at the head -of a powerful confederacy, which counted at its head nine earls, eight -peers, nine bishops, and a number of barons and nobles renowned among -the bravest of Scotland. - -The advice of the most judicious among those about the queen was to shut -herself up in the strong castle of Dumbarton, which, being impregnable, -would give all her adherents time to assemble together, distant and -scattered as they were: accordingly, the guidance of the troops who were -to conduct the queen to that town was entrusted to the Earl of Argyll, -and the 11th of May she took the road with an army of nearly ten -thousand men. - -Murray was at Glasgow when he heard of the queen's escape: the place was -strong; he decided to hold it, and summoned to him his bravest and most -devoted partisans. Kirkcaldy of Grange, Morton, Lindsay of Byres, Lord -Lochleven, and William Douglas hastened to him, and six thousand of the -best troops in the kingdom gathered round them, while Lord Ruthven in -the counties of Berwick and Angus raised levies with which to join them. - -The 13th May, Morton occupied from daybreak the village of Langside, -through which the queen must pass to get to Dumbarton. The news of the -occupation reached the queen as the two armies were yet seven miles -apart. Mary's first instinct was to escape an engagement: she remembered -her last battle at Carberry Hill, at the end of which she had been -separated from Bothwell and brought to Edinburgh; so she expressed aloud -this opinion, which was supported by George Douglas, who, in black -armour, without other arms, had continued at the queen's side. - -"Avoid an engagement!" cried Lord Seyton, not daring to answer his -sovereign, and replying to George as if this opinion had originated with -him. "We could do it, perhaps, if we were one to ten; but we shall -certainly not do so when we are three to two. You speak a strange -tongue, my young master," continued he, with some contempt; "and you -forget, it seems to me, that you are a Douglas and that you speak to a -Seyton." - -"My lord," returned George calmly, "when we only hazard the lives of -Douglases and Seytons, you will find me, I hope, as ready to fight as -you, be it one to ten, be it three to two; but we are now answerable for -an existence dearer to Scotland than that of all the Seytons and all the -Douglases. My advice is then to avoid battle." - -"Battle! battle!" cried all the chieftains. - -"You hear, madam?" said Lord Seyton to Mary Stuart: "I believe that to -wish to act against such unanimity would be dangerous. In Scotland, -madam, there is an ancient proverb which has it that 'there is most -prudence in courage.'" - -"But have you not heard that the regent has taken up an advantageous -position?" the queen said. - -"The greyhound hunts the hare on the hillside as well as in the plain," -replied Seyton: "we will drive him out, wherever he is." - -"Let it be as you desire, then, my lords. It shall not be said that Mary -Stuart returned to the scabbard the sword her defenders had drawn for -her." - -Then, turning round to Douglas - -"George," she said to him, "choose a guard of twenty men for me, and -take command of them: you will not quit me." - -George bent low in obedience, chose twenty from among the bravest men, -placed the queen in their midst, and put himself at their head; then the -troops, which had halted, received the order to continue their road. In -two hours' time the advance guard was in sight of the enemy; it halted, -and the rest of the army rejoined it. - -The queen's troops then found themselves parallel with the city of -Glasgow, and the heights which rose in front of them were already -occupied by a force above which floated, as above that of Mary, the -royal banners of Scotland, On the other side, and on the opposite slope, -stretched the village of Langside, encircled with enclosures and -gardens. The road which led to it, and which followed all the variations -of the ground, narrowed at one place in such a way that two men could -hardly pass abreast, then, farther on, lost itself in a ravine, beyond -which it reappeared, then branched into two, of which one climbed to the -village of Langside, while the other led to Glasgow. - -On seeing the lie of the ground, the Earl of Argyll immediately -comprehended the importance of occupying this village, and, turning to -Lord Seyton, he ordered him to gallop off and try to arrive there before -the enemy, who doubtless, having made the same observation as the -commander of the royal forces, was setting in motion at that very moment -a considerable body of cavalry. - -Lord Seyton called up his men directly, but while he was ranging them -round his banner, Lord Arbroath drew his sword, and approaching the Earl -of Argyll-- - -"My lord," said he, "you do me a wrong in charging Lord Seyton to seize -that post: as commander of the vanguard, it is to me this honour -belongs. Allow me, then, to use my privilege in claiming it." - -"It is I who received the order to seize it; I will seize it!" cried -Seyton. - -"Perhaps," returned Lord Arbroath, "but not before me!" - -"Before you and before every Hamilton in the world!" exclaimed Seyton, -putting his horse to the gallop and rushing down into the hollow road-- - -"Saint Bennet! and forward!" - -"Come, my faithful kinsmen!" cried Lord Arbroath, dashing forward on his -side with the same object; "come, my men-at-arms! For God and the -queen!" - -The two troops precipitated themselves immediately in disorder and ran -against one another in the narrow way, where, as we have said, two men -could hardly pass abreast. There was a terrible collision there, and the -conflict began among friends who should have been united against the -enemy. Finally, the two troops, leaving behind them some corpses stifled -in the press, or even killed by their companions, passed through the -defile pell-mell and were lost sight of in the ravine. But during this -struggle Seyton and Arbroath had lost precious time, and the detachment -sent by Murray, which had taken the road by Glasgow, had reached the -village beforehand; it was now necessary not to take it, but to retake -it. - -Argyll saw that the whole day's struggle would be concentrated there, -and, understanding more and more the importance of the village, -immediately put himself at the head of the body of his army, commanding -a rearguard of two thousand men to remain there and await further orders -to take part in the fighting. But whether the captain who commanded them -had ill understood, or whether he was eager to distinguish himself in -the eyes of the queen, scarcely had Argyll vanished into the ravine, at -the end of which the struggle had already commenced between Kirkcaldy of -Grange and Morton on the one side, and on the other between Arbroath and -Seyton, than, without regarding the cries of Mary Stuart, he set off in -his turn at a gallop, leaving the queen without other guard than the -little escort of twenty men which Douglas had chosen for her. Douglas -sighed. - -"Alas!" said the queen, hearing him, "I am not a soldier, but there it -seems to me is a battle very badly begun." - -"What is to be done?" replied Douglas. "We are every one of us -infatuated, from first to last, and all these men are behaving to-day -like madmen or children." - -"Victory! victory!" said the queen; "the enemy is retreating, fighting. -I see the banners of Seyton and Arbroath floating near the first houses -in the village. Oh! my brave lords," cried she, clapping her hands. -"Victory! victory!" - -But she stopped suddenly on perceiving a body of the enemy's army -advancing to charge the victors in flank. - -"It is nothing, it is nothing," said Douglas; "so long as there is only -cavalry we have nothing much to fear, and besides the Earl of Argyll -will fall in in time to aid them." - -"George," said Little William. - -"Well?" asked Douglas. - -"Don't you see?" the child went on, stretching out his arms towards the -enemy's force, which was coming on at a gallop. - -"What?" - -"Each horseman carries a footman armed with an arquebuse behind him, so -that the troop is twice as numerous as it appears." - -"That's true; upon my soul, the child has good sight. Let someone go at -once full gallop and take news of this to the Earl or Argyll." - -"I! I!" cried Little William. "I saw them first; it is my right to bear -the tidings." - -"Go, then, my child," said Douglas; "and may God preserve thee!" - -The child flew, quick as lightning, not hearing or feigning not to hear -the queen, who was recalling him. He was seen to cross the gorge and -plunge into the hollow road at the moment when Argyll was debouching at -the end and coming to the aid of Seyton and Arbroath. Meanwhile, the -enemy's detachment had dismounted its infantry, which, immediately -formed up, was scattering on the sides of the ravine by paths -impracticable for horses. - -"William will come too late!" cried Douglas, "or even, should he arrive -in time, the news is now useless to them. Oh madmen, madmen that we are! -This is how we have always lost all our battles!" - -"Is the battle lost, then?" demanded Mary, growing pale. - -"No, madam, no," cried Douglas; "Heaven be thanked, not yet; but through -too great haste we have begun badly." - -"And William?" said Mary Stuart. - -"He is now serving his apprenticeship in arms; for, if I am not -mistaken, he must be at this moment at the very spot where those -marksmen are making such quick firing." - -"Poor child!" cried the queen; "if ill should befall him, I shall never -console myself." - -"Alas! madam," replied Douglas, "I greatly fear that his first battle is -his last, and that everything is already over for him; for, unless I -mistake, there is his horse returning riderless." - -"Oh, my God! my God!" said the queen, weeping, and raising her hands to -heaven, "it is then decreed that I should be fatal to all around me!" - -George was not deceived: it was William's horse coming back without his -young master and covered with blood. - -"Madam," said Douglas, "we are ill placed here; let us gain that hillock -on which is the Castle of Crookstone: from thence we shall survey the -whole battlefield." - -"No, not there! not there!" said the queen in terror: "within that -castle I came to spend the first days of my marriage with Darnley; it -will bring me misfortune." - -"Well, beneath that yew-tree, then," said George, pointing to another -slight rise near the first; "but it is important for us to lose no -detail of this engagement. Everything depends perhaps for your Majesty -on an ill-judged manoeuvre or a lost moment." - -"Guide me, then," the queen said; "for, as for me, I no longer see it. -Each report of that terrible cannonade echoes to the depths of my -heart." - -However well placed as was this eminence for overlooking from its summit -the whole battlefield, the reiterated discharge of cannon and musketry -covered it with such a cloud of smoke that it was impossible to make out -from it anything but masses lost amid a murderous fog. At last, when an -hour had passed in this desperate conflict, through the skirts of this -sea of smoke the fugitives were seen to emerge and disperse in all -directions, followed by the victors. Only, at that distance, it was -impossible to make out who had gained or lost the battle, and the -banners, which on both sides displayed the Scottish arms, could in no -way clear up this confusion. - -At that moment there was seen coming down from the Glasgow hillsides all -the remaining reserve of Murray's army; it was coming at full speed to -engage in the fighting; but this manoeuvre might equally well have for -its object the support of defeated friends as to complete the rout of -the enemy. However, soon there was no longer any doubt; for this reserve -charged the fugitives, amid whom it spread fresh confusion. The queen's -army was beaten. At the same time, three or four horsemen appeared on -the hither side of the ravine, advancing at a gallop. Douglas recognised -them as enemies. - -"Fly, madam," cried George, "fly without loss of a second; for those who -are coming upon us are followed by others. Gain the road, while I go to -check them. And you," added he, addressing the escort, "be killed to the -last man rather than let them take your queen." - -"George! George!" cried the queen, motionless, and as if riveted to the -spot. - -But George had already dashed away with all his horse's speed, and as he -was splendidly mounted, he flew across the space with lightning -rapidity, and reached the gorge before the enemy. There he stopped, put -his lance in rest, and alone against five bravely awaited the encounter. - -As to the queen, she had no desire to go; but, on the contrary, as if -turned to stone, she remained in the same place, her eyes fastened on -this combat which was taking place at scarcely five hundred paces from -her. Suddenly, glancing at her enemies, she saw that one of them bore in -the middle of his shield a bleeding heart, the Douglas arms. Then she -uttered a cry of pain, and drooping her head-- - -"Douglas against Douglas; brother against brother!" she murmured: "it -only wanted this last blow." - -"Madam, madam," cried her escort, "there is not an instant to lose: the -young master of Douglas cannot hold out long thus alone against five; -let us fly! let us fly!" And two of them taking the queen's horse by the -bridle, put it to the gallop, at the moment when George, after having -beaten down two of his enemies and wounded a third, was thrown down in -his turn in the dust, thrust to the heart by a lance-head. The queen -groaned on seeing him fall; then, as if he alone had detained her, and -as if he being killed she had no interest in anything else, she put -Rosabelle to the gallop, and as she and her troop were splendidly -mounted, they had soon lost sight of the battlefield. - -She fled thus for sixty miles, without taking any rest, and without -ceasing to weep or to sigh: at last, having traversed the counties of -Renfrew and Ayr, she reached the Abbey of Dundrennan, in Galloway, and -certain of being, for the time at least, sheltered from every danger, -she gave the order to stop. The prior respectfully received her at the -gate of the convent. - -"I bring you misfortune and ruin, father," said the queen, alighting -from her horse. - -"They are welcome," replied the prior, "since they come accompanied by -duty." - -The queen gave Rosabelle to the care of one of the men-at-arms who had -accompanied her, and leaning on Mary Seyton, who had not left her for a -moment, and on Lord Herries, who had rejoined her on the road, she -entered the convent. - -Lord Herries had not concealed her position from Mary Stuart: the day -had been completely lost, and with the day, at least for the present, -all hope of reascending the throne of Scotland. There remained but three -courses for the queen to take to withdraw into France, Spain or England. -On the advice of Lord Herries, which accorded with her own feeling, she -decided upon the last; and that same night she wrote this double missive -in verse and in prose to Elizabeth: - -"MY DEAR SISTER,--I have often enough begged you to receive my -tempest-tossed vessel into your haven during the storm. If at this pass -she finds a safe harbour there, I shall cast anchor there for ever: -otherwise the bark is in God's keeping, for she is ready and caulked for -defence on her voyage against all storms. I have dealt openly with you, -and still do so: do not take it in bad part if I write thus; it is not -in defiance of you, as it appears, for in everything I rely on your -friendship." - -"This sonnet accompanied the letter:-- - -"One thought alone brings danger and delight; Bitter and sweet change -places in my heart, With doubt, and then with hope, it takes its part, -Till peace and rest alike are put to flight. - -Therefore, dear sister, if this card pursue That keen desire by which I -am oppressed, To see you, 'tis because I live distressed, Unless some -swift and sweet result ensue. - -Beheld I have my ship compelled by fate To seek the open sea, when close -to port, And calmest days break into storm and gale; Wherefore full -grieved and fearful is my state, Not for your sake, but since, in evil -sort, Fortune so oft snaps strongest rope and sail." - -Elizabeth trembled with joy at receiving this double letter; for the -eight years that her enmity had been daily increasing to Mary Stuart, -she had followed her with her eyes continually, as a wolf might a -gazelle; at last the gazelle sought refuge in the wolf's den. Elizabeth -had never hoped as much: she immediately despatched an order to the -Sheriff of Cumberland to make known to Mary that she was ready to -receive her. One morning a bugle was heard blowing on the sea-shore: it -was Queen Elizabeth's envoy come to fetch Queen Mary Stuart. - -Then arose great entreaties to the fugitive not to trust herself thus to -a rival in power, glory, and beauty; but the poor dispossessed queen was -full of confidence in her she called her good sister, and believed -herself going, free and rid of care, to take at Elizabeth's court the -place due to her rank and her misfortunes: thus she persisted, in spite -of all that could be said. In our time, we have seen the same -infatuation seize another royal fugitive, who like Mary Stuart confided -himself to the generosity of his enemy England: like Mary Stuart, he was -cruelly punished for his confidence, and found in the deadly climate of -St. Helena the scaffold of Fotheringay. - -Mary Stuart set out on her journey, then, with her little following. -Arrived at the shore of Solway Firth, she found there the Warden of the -English Marches: he was a gentleman named Lowther, who received the -queen with the greatest respect, but who gave her to understand that he -could not permit more than three of her women to accompany her. Mary -Seyton immediately claimed her privilege: the queen held out to her her -hand. - -"Alas! mignonne," said she, "but it might well be another's turn: you -have already suffered enough for me and with me." - -But Mary, unable to reply, clung to her hand, making a sign with her -head that nothing in the world should part her from her mistress. Then -all who had accompanied the queen renewed their entreaties that she -should not persist in this fatal resolve, and when she was already a -third of the way along the plank placed for her to enter the skiff, the -Prior of Dundrennan, who had offered Mary Stuart such dangerous and -touching hospitality, entered the water up to his knees, to try to -detain her; but all was useless: the queen had made up her mind. - -At that, moment Lowther approached her. "Madam," said he, "accept anew -my regrets that I cannot offer a warm welcome in England to all who -would wish to follow you there; but our queen has given us positive -orders, and we must carry them out. May I be permitted to remind your -Majesty that the tide serves?" - -"Positive orders!" cried the prior. "Do you hear, madam? Oh! you are -lost if you quit this shore! Back, while there is yet time! Back; madam, -in Heaven's name! To me, sir knights, to me!" he cried, turning to Lord -Herries and the other lords who had accompanied Mary Stuart; "do not -allow your queen to abandon you, were it needful to struggle with her -and the English at the same time. Hold her back, my lords, in Heaven's -name! withhold her!" - -"What means this violence, sir priest?" said the Warden of the Marches. -"I came here at your queen's express command; she is free to return to -you, and there is no need to have recourse to force for that". Then, -addressing the queen-- - -"Madam," said he, "do you consent to follow me into England in full -liberty of choice? Answer, I entreat you; for my honour demands that the -whole world should be aware that you have followed me freely." - -"Sir," replied Mary Stuart, "I ask your pardon, in the name of this -worthy servant of God and his queen, for what he may have said of -offence to you. Freely I leave Scotland and place myself in your hands, -trusting that I shall be free either to remain in England with my royal -sister, or to return to France to my worthy relatives". Then, turning to -the priest, "Your blessing, father, and God protect you!" - -"Alas! alas!" murmured the abbot, obeying the queen, "it is not we who -are in need of God's protection, but rather you, my daughter. May the -blessing of a poor priest turn aside from you the misfortunes I foresee! -Go, and may it be with you as the Lord has ordained in His wisdom and in -His mercy!" - -Then the queen gave her hand to the sheriff, who conducted her to the -skiff, followed by Mary Seyton and two other women only. The sails were -immediately unfurled, and the little vessel began to recede from the -shores of Galloway, to make her way towards those of Cumberland. So long -as it could be seen, they who had accompanied the queen lingered on the -beach, waving her signs of adieu, which, standing on the deck of the -shallop which was bearing her, away, she returned with her handkerchief. -Finally, the boat disappeared, and all burst into lamentations or into -sobbing. They were right, for the good Prior of Dundrennan's -presentiments were only too true, and they had seen Mary Stuart for the -last time. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -On landing on the shores of England, the Queen of Scotland found -messengers from Elizabeth empowered to express to her all the regret -their mistress felt in being unable to admit her to her presence, or to -give her the affectionate welcome she bore her in her heart. But it was -essential, they added, that first of all the queen should clear herself -of the death of Darnley, whose family, being subjects of the Queen of -England, had a right to her protection and justice. - -Mary Stuart was so blinded that she did not see the trap, and -immediately offered to prove her innocence to the satisfaction of her -sister Elizabeth; but scarcely had she in her hands Mary Stuart's -letter, than from arbitress she became judge, and, naming commissioners -to hear the parties, summoned Murray to appear and accuse his sister. -Murray, who knew Elizabeth's secret intentions with regard to her rival, -did not hesitate a moment. He came to England, bringing the casket -containing the three letters we have quoted, some verses and some other -papers which proved that the queen had not only been Bothwell's mistress -during the lifetime of Darnley, but had also been aware of the -assassination of her husband. On their side, Lord Herries and the Bishop -of Ross, the queen's advocates, maintained that these letters had been -forged, that the handwriting was counterfeited, and demanded, in -verification, experts whom they could not obtain; so that this great -controversy, remained pending for future ages, and to this hour nothing -is yet affirmatively settled in this matter either by scholars or -historians. - -After a five months' inquiry, the Queen of England made known to the -parties, that not having, in these proceedings, been able to discover -anything to the dishonour of accuser or accused, everything would remain -in statu quo till one or the other could bring forward fresh proofs. - -As a result of this strange decision, Elizabeth should have sent back -the regent to Scotland, and have left Mary Stuart free to go where she -would. But, instead of that, she had her prisoner removed from Bolton -Castle to Carlisle Castle, from whose terrace, to crown her with grief, -poor Mary Stuart saw the blue mountains of her own Scotland. - -However, among the judges named by Elizabeth to examine into Mary -Stuart's conduct was Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. Be it that he was -convinced of Mary's innocence, be it that he was urged by the ambitious -project which since served as a ground for his prosecution, and which -was nothing else than to wed Mary Stuart, to affiance his daughter to -the young king, and to become regent of Scotland, he resolved to -extricate her from her prison. Several members of the high nobility of -England, among whom were the Earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland, -entered into the plot and under, took to support it with all their -forces. But their scheme had been communicated to the regent: he -denounced it to Elizabeth, who had Norfolk arrested. Warned in time, -Westmoreland and Northumberland crossed the frontiers and took refuge in -the Scottish borders which were favourable to Queen Mary. The former -reached Flanders, where he died in exile; the latter, given up to -Murray, was sent to the castle of Lochleven, which guarded him more -faithfully than it had done its royal prisoner. As to Norfolk, he was -beheaded. As one sees, Mary Stuart's star had lost none of its fatal -influence. - -Meanwhile the regent had returned to Edinburgh, enriched with presents -from Elizabeth, and having gained, in fact, his case with her, since -Mary remained a prisoner. He employed himself immediately in dispersing -the remainder of her adherents, and had hardly shut the gates of -Lochleven Castle upon Westmoreland than, in the name of the young King -James VI, he pursued those who had upheld his mother's cause, and among -them more particularly the Hamiltons, who since the affair of "sweeping -the streets of Edinburgh," had been the mortal enemies of the Douglases -personally; six of the chief members of this family were condemned to -death, and only obtained commutation of the penalty into an eternal -exile on the entreaties of John Knox, at that time so powerful in -Scotland that Murray dared not refuse their pardon. - -One of the amnestied was a certain Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, a man of -ancient Scottish times, wild and vindictive as the nobles in the time of -James I. He had withdrawn into the highlands, where he had found an -asylum, when he learned that Murray, who in virtue of the confiscation -pronounced against exiles had given his lands to one of his favourites, -had had the cruelty to expel his sick and bedridden wife from her own -house, and that without giving her time to dress, and although it was in -the winter cold. The poor woman, besides, without shelter, without -clothes, and without food, had gone out of her mind, had wandered about -thus for some time, an object of compassion but equally of dread; for -everyone had been afraid of compromising himself by assisting her. At -last, she had returned to expire of misery and cold on the threshold -whence she had been driven. - -On learning this news, Bothwellhaugh, despite the violence of his -character, displayed no anger: he merely responded, with a terrible -smile, "It is well; I shall avenge her." - -Next day, Bothwellhaugh left his highlands, and came down, disguised, -into the plain, furnished with an order of admission from the Archbishop -of St. Andrews to a house which this prelate--who, as one remembers, had -followed the queen's fortunes to the last moment--had at Linlithgow. -This house, situated in the main street, had a wooden balcony looking on -to the square, and a gate which opened out into the country. -Bothwellhaugh entered it at night, installed himself on the first floor, -hung black cloth on the walls so that his shadow should not be seen from -without, covered the floor with mattresses so that his footsteps might -not be heard on the ground floor, fastened a racehorse ready saddled and -bridled in the garden, hollowed out the upper part of the little gate -which led to the open country so that he could pass through it at a -gallop, armed himself with a loaded arquebuse, and shut himself up in -the room. - -All these preparations had been made, one imagines, because Murray was -to spend the following day in Linlithgow. But, secret as they were, they -were to be rendered useless, for the regent's friends warned him that it -would not be safe for him to pass through the town, which belonged -almost wholly to the Hamiltons, and advised him to go by it. However, -Murray was courageous, and, accustomed not to give way before a real -danger, he did nothing but laugh at a peril which he looked upon as -imaginary, and boldly followed his first plan, which was not to go out -of his way. Consequently, as the street into which the Archbishop of St. -Andrews' balcony looked was on his road, he entered upon it, not going -rapidly and preceded by guards who would open up a passage for him, as -his friends still counselled, but advancing at a foot's pace, delayed as -he was by the great crowd which was blocking up the streets to see him. -Arrived in front of the balcony, as if chance had been in tune with the -murderer, the crush became so great that Murray was obliged to halt for -a moment: this rest gave Bothwellhaugh time to adjust himself for a -steady shot. He leaned his arquebuse on the balcony, and, having taken -aim with the necessary leisure and coolness, fired. Bothwellhaugh had -put such a charge into the arquebuse, that the ball, having passed -through the regent's heart, killed the horse of a gentleman on his -right. Murray fell directly, saying, "My God! I am killed." - -As they had seen from which window the shot was fired, the persons in -the regent's train had immediately thrown themselves against the great -door of the house which looked on to the street, and had smashed it in; -but they only arrived in time to see Bothwellhaugh fly through the -little garden gate on the horse he had got ready: they immediately -remounted the horses they had left in the street, and, passing through -the house, pursued him. Bothwellhaugh had a good horse and the lead of -his enemies; and yet, four of them, pistol in hand, were so well mounted -that they were beginning to gain upon him. Then Bothwellhaugh; seeing -that whip and spur were not enough, drew his dagger and used it to goad -on his horse. His horse, under this terrible stimulus, acquired fresh -vigour, and, leaping a gully eighteen feet deep, put between his master -and his pursuers a barrier which they dared not cross. - -The murderer sought an asylum in France, where he retired under the -protection of the Guises. There, as the bold stroke he had attempted had -acquired him a great reputation, some days before the Massacre of St. -Bartholomew, they made him overtures to assassinate Admiral Coligny. But -Bothwellhaugh indignantly repulsed these proposals, saying that he was -the avenger of abuses and not an assassin, and that those who had to -complain of the admiral had only to come and ask him how he had done, -and to do as he. - -As to Murray, he died the night following his wound, leaving the regency -to the Earl of Lennox, the father of Darnley: on learning the news of -his death, Elizabeth wrote that she had lost her best friend. - -While these events were passing in Scotland, Mary Stuart was still a -prisoner, in spite of the pressing and successive protests of Charles IX -and Henry III. Taking fright at the attempt made in her favour, -Elizabeth even had her removed to Sheffield Castle, round which fresh -patrols were incessantly in motion. - -But days, months, years passed, and poor Mary, who had borne so -impatiently her eleven months' captivity in Lochleven Castle, had been -already led from prison to prison for fifteen or sixteen years, in spite -of her protests and those of the French and Spanish ambassadors, when -she was finally taken to Tutbury Castle and placed under the care of Sir -Amyas Paulet, her last gaoler: there she found for her sole lodging two -low and damp rooms, where little by little what strength remained to her -was so exhausted that there were days on which she could not walk, on -account of the pain in all her limbs. Then it was that she who had been -the queen of two kingdoms, who was born in a gilded cradle and brought -up in silk and velvet, was forced to humble herself to ask of her gaoler -a softer bed and warmer coverings. This request, treated as an affair of -state, gave rise to negotiations which lasted a month, after which the -prisoner was at length granted what she asked. And yet the -unhealthiness, cold, and privations of all kinds still did not work -actively enough on that healthy and robust organisation. They tried to -convey to Paulet what a service he would render the Queen of England in -cutting short the existence of her who, already condemned in her rival's -mind, yet delayed to die. But Sir Amyas Paulet, coarse and harsh as he -was to Mary Stuart, declared that, so long as she was with him she would -have nothing to fear from poison or dagger, because he would taste all -the dishes served to his prisoner, and that no one should approach her -but in his presence. In fact, some assassins, sent by Leicester, the -very same who had aspired for a moment to the hand of the lovely Mary -Stuart, were driven from the castle directly its stern keeper had -learned with what intentions they had entered it. Elizabeth had to be -patient, then, in contenting herself with tormenting her whom she could -not kill, and still hoping that a fresh opportunity would occur for -bringing her to trial. That opportunity, so long delayed, the fatal star -of Mary Stuart at length brought. - -A young Catholic gentleman, a last scion of that ancient chivalry which -was already dying out at that time, excited by the excommunication of -Pius V, which pronounced Elizabeth fallen from her kingdom on earth and -her salvation in heaven, resolved to restore liberty to Mary, who -thenceforth was beginning to be looked upon, no longer as a political -prisoner, but as a martyr for her faith. Accordingly, braving the law -which Elizabeth had had made in 1585, and which provided that, if any -attempt on her person was meditated by, or for, a person who thought he -had claims to the crown of England, a commission would be appointed -composed of twenty-five members, which, to the exclusion of every other -tribunal, would be empowered to examine into the offence, and to condemn -the guilty persons, whosoever they might be. Babington, not at all -discouraged by the example of his predecessors, assembled five of his -friends, Catholics as zealous as himself, who engaged their life and -honour in the plot of which he was the head, and which had as its aim to -assassinate Elizabeth, and as a result to place Mary Stuart on the -English throne. But this scheme, well planned as it was, was revealed to -Walsingham, who allowed the conspirators to go as far as he thought he -could without danger, and who, the day before that fixed for the -assassination, had them arrested. - -This imprudent and desperate attempt delighted Elizabeth, for, according -to the letter of the law, it finally gave her rival's life into her -hands. Orders were immediately given to Sir Amyas Paulet to seize the -prisoner's papers and to move her to Fotheringay Castle. The gaoler, -then, hypocritically relaxing his usual severity, suggested to Mary -Stuart that she should go riding, under the pretext that she had need of -an airing. The poor prisoner, who for three years had only seen the -country through her prison bars, joyfully accepted, and left Tutbury -between two guards, mounted, for greater security, on a horse whose feet -were hobbled. These two guards took her to Fotheringay Castle, her new -habitation, where she found the apartment she was to lodge in already -hung in black. Mary Stuart had entered alive into her tomb. As to -Babington and his accomplices, they had been already beheaded. - -Meanwhile, her two secretaries, Curle and Nau, were arrested, and all -her papers were seized and sent to Elizabeth, who, on her part, ordered -the forty commissioners to assemble, and proceed without intermission to -the trial of the prisoner. They arrived at Fotheringay the 14th October -1586; and next day, being assembled in the great hall of the castle, -they began the examination. - -At first Mary refused to appear before them, declaring that she did not -recognise the commissioners as judges, they not being her peers, and not -acknowledging the English law, which had never afforded her protection, -and which had constantly abandoned her to the rule of force. But seeing -that they proceeded none the less, and that every calumny was allowed, -no one being there to refute it, she resolved to appear before the -commissioners. We quote the two interrogatories to which Mary Stuart -submitted as they are set down in the report of M. de Bellievre to M. de -Villeroy. M. de Bellievre, as we shall see later, had been specially -sent by King Henry III to Elizabeth. [Intelligence for M. Villeroy of -what was done in England by M. de Bellievre about the affairs of the -Queen of Scotland, in the months of November and December 1586 and -January 1587.] - -The said lady being seated at the end of the table in the said hall, and -the said commissioners about her-- - -The Queen of Scotland began to speak in these terms: - -"I do not admit that any one of you here assembled is my peer or my -judge to examine me upon any charge. Thus what I do, and now tell you, -is of my own free will, taking God to witness that I am innocent and -pure in conscience of the accusations and slanders of which they wish to -accuse me. For I am a free princess and born a queen, obedient to no -one, save to God, to whom alone I must give an account of my actions. -This is why I protest yet again that my appearance before you be not -prejudicial either to me, or to the kings, princes and potentates, my -allies, nor to my son, and I require that my protest be registered, and -I demand the record of it." - -Then the chancellor, who was one of the commissioners, replied in his -turn, and protested against the protestation; then he ordered that there -should be read over to the Queen of Scotland the commission in virtue of -which they were proceeding--a commission founded on the statutes and law -of the kingdom. - -But to this Mary Stuart made answer that she again protested; that the -said statutes and laws were without force against her, because these -statutes and laws are not made for persons of her condition. - -To this the chancellor replied that the commission intended to proceed -against her, even if she refused to answer, and declared that the trial -should proceed; for she was doubly subject to indictment, the -conspirators having not only plotted in her favour, but also with her -consent: to which the said Queen of Scotland responded that she had -never even thought of it. - -Upon this, the letters it was alleged she had written to Babington and -his answers were read to her. - -Mary Stuart then affirmed that she had never seen Babington, that she -had never had any conference with him, had never in her life received a -single letter from him, and that she defied anyone in the world to -maintain that she had ever done anything to the prejudice of the said -Queen of England; that besides, strictly guarded as she was, away from -all news, withdrawn from and deprived of those nearest her, surrounded -with enemies, deprived finally of all advice, she had been unable to -participate in or to consent to the practices of which she was accused; -that there are, besides, many persons who wrote to her what she had no -knowledge of, and that she had received a number of letters without -knowing whence they came to her. - -Then Babington's confession was read to her; but she replied that she -did not know what was meant; that besides, if Babington and his -accomplices had said such things, they were base men, false and liars. - -"Besides," added she, "show me my handwriting and my signature, since -you say that I wrote to Babington, and not copies counterfeited like -these which you have filled at your leisure with the falsehoods it has -pleased you to insert." - -Then she was shown the letter that Babington, it was said, had written -her. She glanced at it; then said, "I have no knowledge of this letter". -Upon this, she was shown her reply, and she said again, "I have no more -knowledge of this answer. If you will show me my own letter and my own -signature containing what you say, I will acquiesce in all; but up to -the present, as I have already told you, you have produced nothing -worthy of credence, unless it be the copies you have invented and added -to with what seemed good to you." - -With these words, she rose, and with her eyes full of tears-- - -"If I have ever," said she, "consented to such intrigues, having for -object my sister's death, I pray God that He have neither pity nor mercy -on me. I confess that I have written to several persons, that I have -implored them to deliver me from my wretched prisons, where I -languished, a captive and ill-treated princess, for nineteen years and -seven months; but it never occurred to me, even in thought, to write or -even to desire such things against the queen. Yes, I also confess to -having exerted myself for the deliverance of some persecuted Catholics, -and if I had been able, and could yet, with my own blood, protect them -and save them from their pains, I would have done it, and would do it -for them with all my power, in order to save them from destruction." - -Then, turning to the secretary, Walsingham-- - -"But, my lord," said she, "from the moment I see you here, I know whence -comes this blow: you have always been my greatest enemy and my son's, -and you have moved everyone against me and to my prejudice." - -Thus accused to his face, Walsingham rose. - -"Madam," he replied, "I protest before God, who is my witness, that you -deceive yourself, and that I have never done anything against you -unworthy of a good man, either as an individual or as a public -personage." - -This is all that was said and done that day in the proceedings, till the -next day, when the queen was again obliged to appear before the -commissioners. - -And, being seated at the end of the table of the said hall, and the said -commissioners about her, she began to speak in a loud voice. - -"You are not unaware, my lords and gentlemen, that I am a sovereign -queen, anointed and consecrated in the church of God, and cannot, and -ought not, for any reason whatever, be summoned to your courts, or -called to your bar, to be judged by the law and statutes that you lay -down; for I am a princess and free, and I do not owe to any prince more -than he owes to me; and on everything of which I am accused towards my -said sister, I cannot reply if you do not permit me to be assisted by -counsel. And if you go further, do what you will; but from all your -procedure, in reiterating my protestations, I appeal to God, who is the -only just and true judge, and to the kings and princes, my allies and -confederates." - -This protestation was once more registered, as she had required of the -commissioners. Then she was told that she had further written several -letters to the princes of Christendom, against the queen and the kingdom -of England. - -"As to that," replied Mary Stuart, "it is another matter, and I do not -deny it; and if it was again to do, I should do as I have done, to gain -my liberty; for there is not a man or woman in the world, of less rank -than I, who would not do it, and who would not make use of the help and -succour of their friends to issue from a captivity as harsh as mine was. -You charge me with certain letters from Babington: well, I do not deny -that he has written to me and that I have replied to him; but if you -find in my answers a single word about the queen my sister, well, yes, -there will be good cause to prosecute me. I replied to him who wrote to -me that he would set me at liberty, that I accepted his offer, if he -could do it without compromising the one or the other of us: that is -all. - -"As to my secretaries," added the queen, "not they, but torture spoke by -their mouths: and as to the confessions of Babington and his -accomplices, there is not much to be made of them; for now that they are -dead you can say all that seems good to you; and let who will believe -you." - -With these words, the queen refused to answer further if she were not -given counsel, and, renewing her protestation, she withdrew into her -apartment; but, as the chancellor had threatened, the trial was -continued despite her absence. - -However, M. de Chateauneuf, the French ambassador to London, saw matters -too near at hand to be deceived as to their course: accordingly, at the -first rumour which came to him of bringing Mary Stuart to trial, he -wrote to King Henry III, that he might intervene in the prisoner's -favour. Henry III immediately despatched to Queen Elizabeth an embassy -extraordinary, of which M. de Bellievre was the chief; and at the same -time, having learned that James VI, Mary's son, far from interesting -himself in his mother's fate, had replied to the French minister, -Courcelles, who spoke to him of her, "I can do nothing; let her drink -what she has spilled," he wrote him the following letter, to decide the -young prince to second him in the steps he was going to take: - -"21st November, 1586. - -"COURCELLES, I have received your letter of the 4th October last, in -which I have seen the discourse that the King of Scotland has held with -you concerning what you have witnessed to him of the good affection I -bear him, discourse in which he has given proof of desiring to -reciprocate it entirely; but I wish that that letter had informed me -also that he was better disposed towards the queen his mother, and that -he had the heart and the desire to arrange everything in a way to assist -her in the affliction in which she now is, reflecting that the prison -where she has been unjustly detained for eighteen years and more has -induced her to lend an ear to many things which have been proposed to -her for gaining her liberty, a thing which is naturally greatly desired -by all men, and more still by those who are born sovereigns and rulers, -who bear being kept prisoners thus with less patience. He should also -consider that if the Queen of England, my good sister, allows herself to -be persuaded by the counsels of those who wish that she should stain -herself with Queen Mary's blood, it will be a matter which will bring -him to great dishonour, inasmuch as one will judge that he will have -refused his mother the good offices that he should render her with the -said Queen of England, and which would have perhaps been sufficient to -move her, if he would have employed them, as warmly, and as soon as his -natural duty commanded him. Moreover, it is to be feared for him, that, -his mother dead, his own turn may come, and that one may think of doing -as much for him, by some violent means, to make the English succession -easier to seize for those who are likely to have it after the said Queen -Elizabeth, and not only to defraud the said King of Scotland of the -claim he can put forward, but to render doubtful even that which he has -to his own crown. I do not know in what condition the affairs of my said -sister-in-law will be when you receive this letter; but I will tell you -that in every case I wish you to rouse strongly the said King of -Scotland, with remonstrances, and everything else which may bear on this -subject, to embrace the defence and protection of his said mother, and -to express to him, on my part, that as this will be a matter for which -he will be greatly praised by all the other kings and sovereign princes, -he must be assured that if he fails in it there will be great censure -for him, and perhaps notable injury to himself in particular. -Furthermore, as to the state of my own affairs, you know that the queen, -madam and mother, is about to see very soon the King of Navarre, and to -confer with him on the matter of the pacification of the troubles of -this kingdom, to which, if he bear as much good affection as I do for my -part, I hope that things may come to a good conclusion, and that my -subjects will have some respite from the great evils and calamities that -the war occasions them: supplicating the Creator, Courcelles, that He -may have you in His holy keeping. - -"Written at St. Germain-en-Laye, the 21st day of November 1586.(Signed) -HENRI, - -"And below, BRULART." - -This letter finally decided James VI to make a kind of demonstration in -his mother's favour: he sent Gray, Robert Melville, and Keith to Queen -Elizabeth. But although London was nearer Edinburgh than was Paris, the -French envoys reached it before the Scotch. - -It is true that on reaching Calais, the 27th of November, M. de -Bellievre had found a special messenger there to tell him not to lose an -instant, from M. de Chateauneuf, who, to provide for every difficulty, -had chartered a vessel ready in the harbour. But however great the speed -these noble lords wished to make, they were obliged to await the wind's -good-will, which did not allow them to put to sea till Friday 28th at -midnight; next day also, on reaching Dover at nine o'clock, they were so -shaken by sea-sickness that they were forced to stay a whole day in the -town to recover, so that it was not till Sunday 30th that M. de -Bellievre was able to set out in the coach that M. Chateauneuf sent him -by M. de Brancaleon, and take the road to London, accompanied by the -gentlemen of his suite, who rode on post-horses; but resting only a few -hours on the way to make up for lost time, they at last arrived in -London, Sunday the 1st of December at midday. M. de Bellievre -immediately sent one of the gentlemen of his suite, named M. de -Villiers, to the Queen of England, who was holding her court at Richmond -Castle: the decree had been secretly pronounced already six days, and -submitted to Parliament, which was to deliberate upon it with closed -doors. - -The French ambassadors could not have chosen a worse moment to approach -Elizabeth; and to gain time she declined to receive M. de Villiers, -returning the answer that he would himself know next day the reason for -this refusal. And indeed, next day, the rumour spread in London that the -French Embassy had contagion, and that two of the lords in it having -died of the plague at Calais, the queen, whatever wish she might have to -be agreeable to Henry III, could not endanger her precious existence by -receiving his envoys. Great was the astonishment of M. de Bellievre at -learning this news. He protested that the queen was led into error by a -false report, and insisted on being received. Nevertheless, the delays -lasted another six days; but as the ambassadors threatened to depart -without waiting longer, and as, upon the whole, Elizabeth, disquieted by -Spain, had no desire to embroil herself with France, she had M. de -Bellievre informed on the morning of the 7th of December that she was -ready to receive him after dinner at Richmond Castle, together with the -noblemen of his suite. - -At the appointed time the French ambassadors presented themselves at the -castle gates, and, having been brought to the queen, found her seated on -her throne and surrounded by the greatest lords in her kingdom. Then MM. -de Chateauneuf and de Bellievre, the one the ambassador in ordinary and -the other the envoy extraordinary, having greeted her on the part of the -King of France, began to make her the remonstrances with which they were -charged. Elizabeth replied, not only in the same French tongue, but also -in the most beautiful speech in use at that time, and, carried away by -passion, pointed out to the envoys of her brother Henry that the Queen -of Scotland had always proceeded against her, and that this was the -third time that she had wished to attempt her life by an infinity of -ways; which she had already borne too long and with too much patience, -but that never had anything so profoundly cut her to the heart as her -last conspiracy; that event, added she with sadness, having caused her -to sigh more and to shed more tears than the loss of all her relations, -so much the more that the Queen of Scotland was her near relative and -closely connected with the King of France; and as, in their -remonstrances, MM. de Chateauneuf and de Bellievre had brought forward -several examples drawn from history, she assumed, in reply to them on -this occasion, the pedantic style which was usual with her, and told -them that she had seen and read a great many books in her life, and a -thousand more than others of her sex and her rank were wont to, but that -she had never found in them a single example of a deed like that -attempted on her--a deed pursued by a relative, whom the king her -brother could not and ought not to support in her wickedness, when it -was, on the contrary, his duty to hasten the just punishment of it: then -she added, addressing herself specially to M. de Bellievre, and coming -down again from the height of her pride to a gracious countenance, that -she greatly regretted he was not deputed for a better occasion; that in -a few days she would reply to King Henry her brother, concerning whose -health she was solicitous, as well as that of the queen mother, who must -experience such great fatigue from the trouble she took to restore peace -to her son's kingdom; and then, not wishing to hear more, she withdrew -into her room. - -The envoys returned to London, where they awaited the promised reply; -but while they were expecting it unavailingly, they heard quietly the -sentence of death given against Queen Mary, which decided them to return -to Richmond to make fresh remonstrances to Queen Elizabeth. After two or -three fruitless journeys, they were at last, December 15th, admitted for -the second time to the royal presence. - -The queen did not deny that the sentence had been pronounced, and as it -was easy to see that she did not intend in this case to use her right of -pardon, M. de Bellievre, judging that there was nothing to be done, -asked for a safe-conduct to return to his king: Elizabeth promised it to -him within two or three days. - -On the following Tuesday, the 17th of the same month of December, -Parliament as well as the chief lords of the realm were convoked at the -Palace of Westminster, and there, in full court and before all, sentence -of death was proclaimed and pronounced against Mary Stuart: then this -same sentence, with great display and great solemnity, was read in the -squares and at the cross-roads of London, whence it spread throughout -the kingdom; and upon this proclamation the bells rang for twenty-four -hours, while the strictest orders were given to each of the inhabitants -to light bonfires in front of their houses, as is the custom in France -on the Eve of St. John the Baptist. - -Then, amid this sound of bells, by the light of these bonfires, M. de -Bellievre, wishing to make a last effort, in order to have nothing with -which to reproach himself, wrote the following letter to Queen -Elizabeth: - -"MADAM:--We quitted your Majesty yesterday, expecting, as it had pleased -you to inform us, to receive in a few days your reply touching the -prayer that we made you on behalf of our good master, your brother, for -the Queen of Scotland, his sister in-law and confederate; but as this -morning we have been informed that the judgment given against the said -queen has been proclaimed in London, although we had promised ourselves -another issue from your clemency and the friendship you bear to the said -lord king your good brother, nevertheless, to neglect no part of our -duty, and believing in so doing to serve the intentions of the king our -master, we have not wanted to fail to write to you this present letter, -in which we supplicate you once again, very humbly, not to refuse his -Majesty the very pressing and very affectionate prayer that he has made -you, that you will be pleased to preserve the life of the said lady -Queen of Scotland, which the said lord king will receive as the greatest -pleasure your Majesty could do him; while, on the contrary, he could not -imagine anything which would cause him more displeasure, and which would -wound him more, than if he were used harshly with regard to the said -lady queen, being what she is to him: and as, madam, the said king our -master, your good brother, when for this object he despatched us to your -Majesty, had not conceived that it was possible, in any case, to -determine so promptly upon such an execution, we implore you, madam, -very humbly, before permitting it to go further, to grant us some time -in which we can make known to him the state of the affairs of the said -Queen of Scotland, in order that before your Majesty takes a final -resolution, you may know what it may please his very Christian Majesty -to tell you and point out to you on the greatest affair which, in our -memory, has been submitted to men's judgment. Monsieur de Saint-Cyr, who -will give these presents to your Majesty, will bring us, if it pleases -you, your good reply. - -"London, this 16th day of December 1586. - -"(Signed) DE BELLIEVRE, - -"And DE L'AUBESPINE CHATEAUNEUF." - -The same day, M. de Saint-Cyr and the other French lords returned to -Richmond to take this letter; but the queen would not receive them, -alleging indisposition, so that they were obliged to leave the letter -with Walsingham, her first Secretary of State, who promised them to send -the queen's answer the following day. - -In spite of this promise, the French lords waited two days more: at -last, on the second day, towards evening, two English gentlemen sought -out M. de Fellievre in London, and, viva voce, without any letter to -confirm what they were charged to say, announced to him, on behalf of -their queen, that in reply to the letter that they had written her, and -to do justice to the desire they had shown to obtain for the condemned a -reprieve during which they would make known the decision to the King of -France, her Majesty would grant twelve days. As this was Elizabeth's -last word, and it was useless to lose time in pressing her further, M. -de Genlis was immediately despatched to his Majesty the King of France, -to whom, besides the long despatch of M. de Chateauneuf and de Bellievre -which he was charged to remit, he was to say 'viva voce' what he had -seen and heard relative to the affairs of Queen Mary during the whole -time he had been in England. - -Henry III responded immediately with a letter containing fresh -instructions for MM. de Chateauneuf and de Bellievre; but in spite of -all the haste M. de Genlis could make, he did not reach London till the -fourteenth day--that is to say, forty-eight hours after the expiration -of the delay granted; nevertheless, as the sentence had not yet been put -into execution, MM. de Bellievre and de Chateauneuf set out at once for -Greenwich Castle, some miles from London, where the queen was keeping -Christmas, to beg her to grant them an audience, in which they could -transmit to her Majesty their king's reply; but they could obtain -nothing for four or five days; however, as they were not disheartened, -and returned unceasingly to the charge, January 6th, MM. de Bellievre -and de Chateauneuf were at last sent for by the queen. - -As on the first occasion, they were introduced with all the ceremonial -in use at that time, and found Elizabeth in an audience-chamber. The -ambassadors approached her, greeted her, and M. de Bellievre began to -address to her with respect, but at the same time with firmness, his -master's remonstrances. Elizabeth listened to them with an impatient -air, fidgeting in her seat; then at last, unable to control herself, she -burst out, rising and growing red with anger-- - -"M. de Bellievre," said she, "are you really charged by the king, my -brother, to speak to me in such a way?" - -"Yes, madam," replied M. de Bellievre, bowing; "I am expressly commanded -to do so." - -"And have you this command under his hand?" continued Elizabeth. - -"Yes, madam," returned the ambassador with the same calmness; "and the -king, my master, your good brother, has expressly charged me, in letters -signed by his own hand, to make to your Majesty the remonstrances which -I have had the honour to address to you." - -"Well," cried Elizabeth, no longer containing herself, "I demand of you -a copy of that letter, signed by you; and reflect that you will answer -for each word that you take away or add." - -"Madam," answered M. de Bellievre, "it is not the custom of the kings of -France, or of their agents, to forge letters or documents; you will have -the copies you require to-morrow morning, and I pledge their accuracy on -my honour." - -"Enough, sir, enough!" said the queen, and signing to everyone in the -room to go out, she remained nearly an hour with MM. de Chateauneuf and -de Bellievre. No one knows what passed in that interview, except that -the queen promised to send an ambassador to the King of France, who, she -promised, would be in Paris, if not before, at least at the same time as -M. de Bellievre, and would be the bearer of her final resolve as to the -affairs of the Queen of Scotland; Elizabeth then withdrew, giving the -French envoys to understand that any fresh attempt they might make to -see her would be useless. - -On the 13th of January the ambassadors received their passports, and at -the same time notice that a vessel of the queen's was awaiting them at -Dover. - -The very day of their departure a strange incident occurred. A gentleman -named Stafford, a brother of Elizabeth's ambassador to the King of -France, presented himself at M. de Trappes's, one of the officials in -the French chancellery, telling him that he was acquainted with a -prisoner for debt who had a matter of the utmost importance to -communicate to him, and that he might pay the greater attention to it, -he told him that this matter was connected with the service of the King -of France, and concerned the affairs of Queen Mary of Scotland. M. de -Trappes, although mistrusting this overture from the first, did not -want, in case his suspicions deceived him, to have to reproach himself -for any neglect on such a pressing occasion. He repaired then, with Mr. -Stafford to the prison, where he who wished to converse with him was -detained. When he was with him, the prisoner told him that he was locked -up for a debt of only twenty crowns, and that his desire to be at -liberty was so great that if M. de Chateauneuf would pay that sum for -him he would undertake to deliver the Queen of Scotland from her danger, -by stabbing Elizabeth: to this proposal, M. de Trappes, who saw the -pitfall laid for the French ambassador, was greatly astonished, and said -that he was certain that M. de Chateauneuf would consider as very evil -every enterprise having as its aim to threaten in any way the life of -Queen Elizabeth or the peace of the realm; then, not desiring to hear -more, he returned to M. de Chateauneuf and related to him what had just -happened. M. de Chateauneuf, who perceived the real cause of this -overture, immediately said to Mr. Stafford that he thought it strange -that a gentleman like himself should undertake with another gentleman -such treachery, and requested him to leave the Embassy at once, and -never to set foot there again. Then Stafford withdrew, and, appearing to -think himself a lost man, he implored M. de Trappes to allow him to -cross the Channel with him and the French envoys. M. de Trappes referred -him to M. de Chateauneuf, who answered Mr. Stafford directly that he had -not only forbidden him his house, but also all relations with any person -from the Embassy, that he must thus very well see that his request could -not be granted; he added that if he were not restrained by the -consideration he desired to keep for his brother, the Earl of Stafford, -his colleague, he would at once denounce his treason to Elizabeth. The -same day Stafford was arrested. - -After this conference, M. de Trappes set out to rejoin his travelling -companions, who were some hours in advance of him, when, on reaching -Dover he was arrested in his turn and brought hack to prison in London. -Interrogated the same day, M. de Trappes frankly related what had -passed, appealing to M. de Chateauneuf as to the truth of what he said. - -The day following there was a second interrogatory, and great was his -amazement when, on requesting that the one of the day before should be -shown him, he was merely shown, according to custom in English law, -counterfeit copies, in which were avowals compromising him as well as M. -de Chateauneuf: he objected and protested, refused to answer or to sign -anything further, and was taken back to the Tower with redoubled -precaution, the object of which was the appearance of an important -accusation. - -Next day, M. de Chateauneuf was summoned before the queen, and there -confronted with Stafford, who impudently maintained that he had treated -of a plot with M. de Trappes and a certain prisoner for debt--a plot -which aimed at nothing less than endangering the Queen's life. M. de -Chateauneuf defended himself with the warmth of indignation, but -Elizabeth had too great an interest in being unconvinced even to attend -to the evidence. She then said to M. de Chateauneuf that his character -of ambassador alone prevented her having him arrested like his -accomplice M. de Trappes; and immediately despatching, as she had -promised, an ambassador to King Henry III, she charged him not to excuse -her for the sentence which had just been pronounced and the death which -must soon follow, but to accuse M. de Chateauneuf of having taken part -in a plot of which the discovery alone had been able to decide her to -consent to the death of the Queen of Scotland, certain as she was by -experience, that so long as her enemy lived her existence would be -hourly threatened. - -On the same day, Elizabeth made haste to spread, not only in London, but -also throughout England, the rumour of the fresh danger from which she -had just escaped, so that, when, two days after the departure of the -French envoys, the Scottish ambassadors, who, as one sees, had not used -much speed, arrived, the queen answered them that their request came -unseasonably, at a time when she had just had proof that, so long as -Mary Stuart existed, her own (Elizabeth's) life was in danger. Robert -Melville wished to reply to this; but Elizabeth flew into a passion, -saying that it was he, Melville, who had given the King of Scotland the -bad advice to intercede for his mother, and that if she had such an -adviser she would have him beheaded. To which Melville answered-- - -"That at the risk of his life he would never spare his master good -advice; and that, on the contrary, he who would counsel a son to let his -mother perish, would deserve to be beheaded." - -Upon this reply, Elizabeth ordered the Scotch envoys to withdraw, -telling them that she would let them have her answer. - -Three or four days passed, and as they heard nothing further, they asked -again for a parting audience to hear the last resolve of her to whom -they were sent: the queen then decided to grant it, and all passed, as -with M. de Bellievre, in recriminations and complaints. Finally, -Elizabeth asked them what guarantee they would give for her life in the -event of her consenting to pardon the Queen of Scotland. The envoys -responded that they were authorised to make pledges in the name of the -King of Scotland, their master, and all the lords of his realm, that -Mary Stuart should renounce in favour of her son all her claims upon the -English crown, and that she should give as security for this undertaking -the King of France, and all the princes and lords, his relations and -friends. - -To this answer, the queen, without her usual presence of mind, cried, -"What are you saying, Melville? That would be to arm my enemy with two -claims, while he has only one". - -"Does your Majesty then regard the king, my master, as your enemy?" -replied Melville. "He believed himself happier, madam, and thought he -was your ally." - -"No, no," Elizabeth said, blushing; "it is a way of speaking: and if you -find a means of reconciling everything, gentlemen, to prove to you, on -the contrary, that I regard King James VI as my good and faithful ally, -I am quite ready to incline to mercy. Seek, then, on your side" added -she, "while I seek on mine." - -With these words, she went out of the room, and the ambassadors retired, -with the light of the hope of which she had just let them catch a -glimpse. - -The same evening, a gentleman at the court sought out the Master of -Gray, the head of the Embassy, as if to pay him a civil visit, and while -conversing said to him, "That it was very difficult to reconcile the -safety of Queen Elizabeth with the life of her prisoner; that besides, -if the Queen of Scotland were pardoned, and she or her son ever came to -the English throne, there would be no security for the lords -commissioners who had voted her death; that there was then only one way -of arranging everything, that the King of Scotland should himself give -up his claims to the kingdom of England; that otherwise, according to -him, there was no security for Elizabeth in saving the life of the -Scottish queen". The Master of Gray then, looking at him fixedly, asked -him if his sovereign had charged him to come to him with this talk. But -the gentleman denied it, saying that all this was on his own account and -in the way of opinion. - -Elizabeth received the envoys from Scotland once more, and then told -them-- - -"That after having well considered, she had found no way of saving the -life of the Queen of Scotland while securing her own, that accordingly -she could not grant it to them". To this declaration, the Master of Gray -replied: "That since it was thus, he was, in this case, ordered by his -master to say that they protested in the name of King James that all -that had been done against his mother was of no account, seeing that -Queen Elizabeth had no authority over a queen, as she was her equal in -rank and birth; that accordingly they declared that immediately after -their return, and when their master should know the result of their -mission, he would assemble his Parliament and send messengers to all the -Christian princes, to take counsel with them as to what could be done to -avenge her whom they could not save." - -Then Elizabeth again flew into a passion, saying that they had certainly -not received from their king a mission to speak to her in such a way; -but they thereupon offered to give her this protest in writing under -their signatures; to which Elizabeth replied that she would send an -ambassador to arrange all that with her good friend and ally, the King -of Scotland. But the envoys then said that their master would not listen -to anyone before their return. Upon which Elizabeth begged them not to -go away at once, because she had not yet come to her final decision upon -this matter. On the evening following this audience, Lord Hingley having -come to see the Master of Gray, and having seemed to notice some -handsome pistols which came from Italy, Gray, directly he had gone, -asked this nobleman's cousin to take them to him as a gift from him. -Delighted with this pleasant commission, the young man wished to perform -it the same evening, and went to the queen's palace, where his relative -was staying, to give him the present which he had been told to take to -him. But hardly had he passed through a few rooms than he was arrested, -searched, and the arms he was taking were found upon him. Although these -were not loaded, he was immediately arrested; only he was not taken to -the Tower, but kept a prisoner in his own room. - -Next day there was a rumour that the Scotch ambassadors had wanted to -assassinate the queen in their turn, and that pistols, given by the -Master of Gray himself, had been found on the assassin. - -This bad faith could not but open the envoys' eyes. Convinced at last -that they could do nothing for poor Mary Stuart, they left her to her -fate, and set out next day for Scotland. - -Scarcely were they gone than Elizabeth sent her secretary, Davison, to -Sir Amyas Paulet. He was instructed to sound him again with regard to -the prisoner; afraid, in spite of herself, of a public execution, the -queen had reverted to her former ideas of poisoning or assassination; -but Sir Amyas Paulet declared that he would let no one have access to -Mary but the executioner, who must in addition be the bearer of a -warrant perfectly in order, Davison reported this answer to Elizabeth, -who, while listening to him, stamped her foot several times, and when he -had finished, unable to control herself, cried, "God's death! there's a -dainty fellow, always talking of his fidelity and not knowing how to -prove it!" - -Elizabeth was then obliged to make up her mind. She asked Davison for -the warrant; he gave it to her, and, forgetting that she was the -daughter of a queen who had died on the scaffold, she signed it without -any trace of emotion; then, having affixed to it the great seal of -England, "Go," said she, laughing, "tell Walsingham that all is ended -for Queen Mary; but tell him with precautions, for, as he is ill, I am -afraid he will die of grief when he hears it." - -The jest was the more atrocious in that Walsingham was known to be the -Queen of Scotland's bitterest enemy. - -Towards evening of that day, Saturday the 14th, Beale, Walsingham's -brother-in-law, was summoned to the palace! The queen gave into his -hands the death warrant, and with it an order addressed to the Earls of -Shrewsbury, Kent, Rutland, and other noblemen in the neighbourhood of -Fotheringay, to be present at the execution. Beale took with him the -London executioner, whom Elizabeth had had dressed in black velvet for -this great occasion; and set out two hours after he had received his -warrant. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -Queen Mary had known the decree of the commissioners these two months. -The very day it had been pronounced she had learned the news through her -chaplain, whom they had allowed her to see this once only. Mary Stuart -had taken advantage of this visit to give him three letters she had just -written-one for Pope Sixtus V, the other to Don Bernard Mendoza, the -third to the Duke of Guise. Here is that last letter:-- - -14th December, 1586 - -"My Good Cousin, whom I hold dearest in the world, I bid you farewell, -being prepared to be put to death by an unjust judgment, and to a death -such as no one of our race, thanks to God, and never a queen, and still -less one of my rank, has ever suffered. But, good cousin, praise the -Lord; for I was useless to the cause of God and of His Church in this -world, prisoner as I was; while, on the contrary, I hope that my death -will bear witness to my constancy in the faith and to my willingness to -suffer for the maintenance and the restoration of the Catholic Church in -this unfortunate island. And though never has executioner dipped his -hand in our blood, have no shame of it, my friend; for the judgment of -heretics who have no authority over me, a free queen, is profitable in -the sight of God to the children of His Church. If I adhered, moreover, -to what they propose to me, I should not suffer this stroke. All of our -house have been persecuted by this sect, witness your good father, -through whose intercession I hope to be received with mercy by the just -judge. I commend to you, then, my poor servants, the discharge of my -debts, and the founding of some annual mass for my soul, not at your -expense, but that you may make the arrangements, as you will be required -when you learn my wishes through my poor and faithful servants, who are -about to witness my last tragedy. God prosper you, your wife, children, -brothers and cousins, and above all our chief, my good brother and -cousin, and all his. The blessing of God and that which I shall give to -my children be on yours, whom I do not commend less to God than my own -son, unfortunate and ill-treated as he is. You will receive some rings -from me, which will remind you to pray God for the soul of your poor -cousin, deprived of all help and counsel except that of the Lord, who -gives me strength and courage to alone to resist so many wolves howling -after me. To God be the glory. - -"Believe particularly what will be told you by a person who will give -you a ruby ring from me; for I take it on my conscience that the truth -will be told you of what I have charged him to tell, and especially in -what concerns my poor servants and the share of any. I commend this -person to you for his simple sincerity and honesty, that he may be -placed in some good place. I have chosen him as the least partial and as -the one who will most simply bring you my commands. Ignore, I beg you, -that he told you anything in particular; for envy might injure him. I -have suffered a great deal for two years and more, and have not been -able to let you know, for an important reason. God be praised for all, -and give you grace to persevere in the service of His Church as long as -you live, and never may this honour pass from our race, while so many -men and women are ready to shed their blood to maintain the fight for -the faith, all other worldly considerations set aside. And as to me, I -esteem myself born on both father's and mother's sides, that I should -offer up my blood for this cause, and I have no intention of -degenerating. Jesus, crucified for us, and all the holy martyrs, make us -by their intercession worthy of the voluntary offering we make of our -bodies to their glory! - -"From Fotheringay, this Thursday, 24th November. - -"They have, thinking to degrade me, pulled down my canopy of state, and -since then my keeper has come to offer to write to their queen, saying -this deed was not done by his order, but by the advice of some of the -Council. I have shown them instead of my arms on the said canopy the -cross of Our Lord. You will hear all this; they have been more gentle -since.--Your affectionate cousin and perfect friend, - -"MARY, Queen of Scotland, Dowager of France" - -From this day forward, when she learned the sentence delivered by the -commissioners, Mary Stuart no longer preserved any hope; for as she knew -Elizabeth's pardon was required to save her, she looked upon herself -thenceforward as lost, and only concerned herself with preparing to die -well. Indeed, as it had happened to her sometimes, from the cold and -damp in her prisons, to become crippled for some time in all her limbs, -she was afraid of being so when they would come to take her, which would -prevent her going resolutely to the scaffold, as she was counting on -doing. So, on Saturday the 14th February, she sent for her doctor, -Bourgoin, and asked him, moved by a presentiment that her death was at -hand, she said, what she must do to prevent the return of the pains -which crippled her. He replied that it would be good for her to medicine -herself with fresh herbs. "Go, then," said the queen, "and ask Sir Amyas -Paulet from me permission to seek them in the fields." - -Bourgoin went to Sir Amyas, who, as he himself was troubled with -sciatica, should have understood better than anyone the need of the -remedies for which the queen asked. But this request, simple as it was, -raised great difficulties. Sir Amyas replied that he could do nothing -without referring to his companion, Drury; but that paper and ink might -be brought, and that he, Master Bourgoin, could then make a list of the -needful plants, which they would try to procure. Bourgoin answered that -he did not know English well enough, and that the village apothecaries -did not know enough Latin, for him to risk the queen's life for some -error by himself or others. Finally, after a thousand hesitations, -Paulet allowed Bourgoin to go out, which he did, accompanied by the -apothecary Gorjon; so that the following day the queen was able to begin -to doctor herself. - -Mary Stuart's presentiments had not deceived her: Tuesday, February -17th, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, the Earls of Kent and -Shrewsbury, and Beale sent word to the queen that they desired to speak -with her. The queen answered that she was ill and in bed, but that if -notwithstanding what they had to tell her was a matter of importance, -and they would give her a little time, she would get up. They made -answer that the communication they had to make admitted of no delay, -that they begged her then to make ready; which the queen immediately -did, and rising from her bed and cloaking herself, she went and seated -herself at a little table, on the same spot where she was wont to be -great part of the day. - -Then the two earls, accompanied by Beale, Arnyas Paulet, and Drue Drury, -entered. Behind them, drawn by curiosity, full of terrible anxiety, came -her dearest ladies and most cherished servants. These were, of -womenkind, the Misses Renee de Really, Gilles Mowbray, Jeanne Kennedy, -Elspeth Curle, Mary Paget, and Susan Kercady; and of men-kind, Dominique -Bourgoin her doctor, Pierre Gorjon her apothecary, Jacques Gervais her -surgeon, Annibal Stewart her footman, Dither Sifflart her butler, Jean -Laudder her baker, and Martin Huet her carver. - -Then the Earl of Shrewsbury, with head bared like all those present, who -remained thus as long as they were in the queen's room, began to say in -English, addressing Mary-- - -"Madam, the Queen of England, my august mistress, has sent me to you, -with the Earl of Kent and Sir Robert Beale, here present, to make known -to you that after having honourably proceeded in the inquiry into the -deed of which you are accused and found guilty, an inquiry which has -already been submitted to your Grace by Lord Buckhurst, and having -delayed as long as it was in her power the execution of the sentence, -she can no longer withstand the importunity of her subjects, who press -her to carry it out, so great and loving is their fear for her. For this -purpose we have come the bearers of a commission, and we beg very -humbly, madam, that it may please you to hear it read." - -"Read, my lord; I am listening," replied Mary Stuart, with the greatest -calmness. Then Robert Beale unrolled the said commission, which was on -parchment, sealed with the Great Seal in yellow wax, and read as -follows: - -"Elizabeth, by the grace of God, Queen of England, France, and Ireland, -etc., to our beloved and faithful cousins, George, Earl of Shrewsbury, -Grand Marshal of England; Henry, Earl of Kent; Henry, Earl of Derby; -George, Earl of Cumberland; Henry, Earl of Pembroke, greeting: [The -Earls of Cumberland, Derby, and Pembroke did not attend to the queen's -orders, and were present neither at the reading of the sentence nor at -the execution.] - -"Considering the sentence by us given, and others of our Council, -nobility, and judges, against the former Queen of Scotland, bearing the -name of Mary, daughter and heiress of James V, King of Scotland, -commonly called Queen of Scotland and Dowager of France, which sentence -all the estates of our realm in our last Parliament assembled not only -concluded, but, after mature deliberation, ratified as being just and -reasonable; considering also the urgent prayer and request of our -subjects, begging us and pressing us to proceed to the publication -thereof, and to carry it into execution against her person, according as -they judge it duly merited, adding in this place that her detention was -and would be daily a certain and evident danger, not only to our life, -but also to themselves and their posterity, and to the public weal of -this realm, as much on account of the Gospel and the true religion of -Christ as of the peace and tranquillity of this State, although the said -sentence has been frequently delayed, so that even until this time we -abstained from issuing the commission to execute it: yet, for the -complete satisfaction of the said demands made by the Estates of our -Parliament, through which daily we hear that all our friends and -subjects, as well as the nobility, the wisest, greatest, and most pious, -nay, even those of inferior condition, with all humility and affection -from the care they have of our life, and consequently from the fear they -have of the destruction of the present divine and happy state of the -realm if we spare the final execution, consenting and desiring the said -execution; though the general and continual demands, prayers, counsels, -and advice were in such things contrary to our natural inclination; yet, -being convinced of the urgent weight of their continual intercessions -tending to the safety of our person, and also to the public and private -state of our realm, we have at last consented and suffered that justice -have its course, and for its execution, considering the singular -confidence we have in your fidelity and loyalty together for the love -and affection that you have toward us, particularly to the safe-guarding -of our person and our country of which you are very noble and chief -members; we summon, and, for the discharge of it we enjoin you, that at -sight of these presents you go to the castle of Fotheringay, where the -former Queen of Scotland is, in the care of our friend and faithful -servant and counsellor, Sir Amyas Paulet, and there take into your -keeping and do that by your command execution be done on her person, in -the presence of yourselves and the said Sir Amyas Paulet, and of all the -other officers of justice whom you command to be there: in the meantime -we have for this end and this execution given warrant in such a way and -manner, and in such a time and place, and by such persons, that you -five, four, three, or two, find expedient in your discretion; -notwithstanding all laws, statutes, and ordinances whatsoever, contrary -to these presents, sealed with our Great Seal of England, which will -serve for each of you, and all those who are present, or will make by -your order anything pertaining to the execution aforesaid full and -sufficient discharge for ever. - -"Done and given in our house at Greenwich, the first day of February -(10th February New Style), in the twenty-ninth year of our reign." - -Mary listened to this reading with great calmness and great dignity; -then, when it was ended, making the sign of the cross-- - -"Welcome," said she, "to all news which comes in the name of God! -Thanks, Lord, for that You deign to put an end to all the ills You have -seen me suffer for nineteen years and more." - -"Madam," said the Earl of Kent, "have no ill-will towards us on account -of your death; it was necessary to the peace of the State and the -progress of the new religion." - -"So," cried Mary with delight, "so I shall have the happiness of dying -for the faith of my fathers; thus God deigns to grant me the glory of -martyrdom. Thanks, God," added she, joining her hands with less -excitement but with more piety, "thanks that You have deigned to destine -for me such an end, of which I was not worthy. That, O my God, is indeed -a proof of Your love, and an assurance that You will receive me in the -number of Your servants; for although this sentence had been notified to -me, I was afraid, from the manner in which they have dealt with me for -nineteen years, of not yet being so near as I am to such a happy end, -thinking that your queen would not dare to lay a hand on me, who, by the -grace of God, am a queen as she is, the daughter of a queen as she is, -crowned as she is, her near relative, granddaughter of King Henry VII, -and who has had the honour of being Queen of France, of which I am still -Dowager; and this fear was so much the greater," added she, laying her -hand on a New Testament which was near her on the little table, "that, I -swear on this holy book, I have never attempted, consented to, or even -desired the death of my sister, the Queen of England." - -"Madam," replied the Earl of Kent, taking a step towards her and -pointing to the New Testament; "this book on which you have sworn is not -genuine, since it is the papist version; consequently, your oath cannot -be considered as any more genuine than the book on which it has been -taken." - -"My lord," answered the queen, "what you say may befit you, but not me, -who well know that this book is the true and faithful version of the -word of the Lord, a version made by a very wise divine, a very good man, -and approved by the Church." - -"Madam," the Earl of Kent returned, "your Grace stopped at what you were -taught in your youth, without inquiry as to whether it was good or bad: -it is not surprising, then, that you have remained in your error, for -want of having heard anyone who could make known the truth to you; this -is why, as your Grace has but a few hours longer to remain in this -world, and consequently has no time to lose, with your permission we -shall send for the Dean of Peterborough, the most learned man there is -on the subject of religion, who, with his word, will prepare you for -your salvation, which you risk to our great grief and that of our august -queen, by all the papistical follies, abominations, and childish -nonsense which keep Catholics away from the holy word of God and the -knowledge of the truth." - -"You mistake, my lord," replied the queen gently, "if you have believed -that I have grown up careless in the faith of my fathers, and without -seriously occupying myself with a matter so important as religion. I -have, on the contrary, spent my life with learned and wise men who -taught me what one must learn on this subject, and I have sustained -myself by reading their works, since the means of hearing them has been -taken from me. Besides, never having doubted in my lifetime, doubt is -not likely to seize me in my death-hour. And there is the Earl of -Shrewsbury, here present, who will tell you that, since my arrival in -England, I have, for an entire Lent, of which I repent, heard your -wisest doctors, without their arguments having made any impression on my -mind. It will be useless, then, my lord," she added, smiling, "to summon -to one so hardened as I the Dean of Peterborough, learned as he is. The -only thing I ask you in exchange, my lord, and for which I shall be -grateful to you beyond expression, is that you will send me my almoner, -whom you keep shut up in this house, to console me and prepare me for -death, or, in his stead, another priest, be he who he may; if only a -poor priest from a poor village, I being no harder to please than God, -and not asking that he have knowledge, provided that he has faith." - -"It is with regret, madam," replied the Earl of Kent, "that I find -myself obliged to refuse your Grace's, request; but it would be contrary -to our religion and our conscience, and we should be culpable in doing -it; this is why we again offer you the venerable Dean of Peterborough, -certain that your Grace will find more consolation and content in him -than in any bishop, priest, or vicar of the Catholic faith." - -"Thank you, my lord," said the queen again, "but I have nothing to do -with him, and as I have a conscience free of the crime for which I am -about to die, with God's help, martyrdom will take the place of -confession for me. And now, I will remind you, my lord, of what you told -me yourself, that I have but a few hours to live; and these few hours, -to profit me, should be passed in prayer and meditation, and not in idle -disputes." - -With these words, she rose, and, bowing to the earls, Sir Robert Beale, -Amyas, and Drury, she indictated, by a gesture full of dignity, that she -wished to be alone and in peace; then, as they prepared to go out-- - -"Apropos, my lords," said she, "for what o'clock should I make ready to -die?" - -"For eight o'clock to-morrow, madam," answered the Earl of Shrewsbury, -stammering. - -"It is well," said Mary; "but have you not some reply to make me, from -my sister Elizabeth, relative to a letter which I wrote to her about a -month ago?" - -"And of what did this letter treat, if it please you, madam?" asked the -Earl of Kent. - -"Of my burial and my funeral ceremony, my lord: I asked to be interred -in France, in the cathedral church of Rheims, near the late queen my -mother." - -"That may not be, madam," replied the Earl of Kent; "but do not trouble -yourself as to all these details: the queen, my august mistress, will -provide for them as is suitable. Has your grace anything else to ask -us?" - -"I would also like to know," said Mary, "if my servants will be allowed -to return, each to his own country, with the little that I can give him; -which will hardly be enough, in any case, for the long service they have -done me, and the long imprisonment they have borne on my account." - -"We have no instructions on that head, madam," the Earl of Kent said, -"but we think that an order will be given for this as for the other -things, in accordance with your wishes. Is this all that your Grace has -to say to us?" - -"Yes, my lord," replied the queen, bowing a second time, "and now you -may withdraw." - -"One moment, my lords, in Heaven's name, one moment!" cried the old -physician, coming forward and throwing himself on his knees before the -two earls. - -"What do you want?" asked Lord Shrewsbury. - -"To point out to you, my lords," replied the aged Bourgoin, weeping, -"that you have granted the queen but a very short time for such an -important matter as this of her life. Reflect, my lords, what rank and -degree she whom you have condemned has held among the princes of this -earth, and consider if it is well and seemly to treat her as an ordinary -condemned person of middling estate. And if not for the sake of this -noble queen, my lords, do this for the sake of us her poor servants, -who, having had the honour of living near her so long, cannot thus part -from her so quickly and without preparation. Besides, my lords, think of -it, a woman of her state and position ought to have some time in which -to set in order her last affairs. And what will become of her, and of -us, if before dying, our mistress has not time to regulate her jointure -and her accounts and to put in order her papers and her title-deeds? She -has services to reward and offices of piety to perform. She should not -neglect the one or the other. Besides, we know that she will only -concern herself with us, and, through this, my lords, neglect her own -salvation. Grant her, then, a few more days, my lords; and as our -mistress is too proud to ask of you such a favour, I ask you in all our -names, and implore you not to refuse to poor servants a request which -your august queen would certainly not refuse them, if they had the good -fortune to be able to lay it at her feet." - -"Is it then true, madam," Sir Robert Beale asked, "that you have not yet -made a will?" - -"I have not, sir," the queen answered. - -"In that case, my lords," said Sir Robert Beale, turning to the two -earls, "perhaps it would be a good thing to put it off for a day or -two." - -"Impossible, sir," replied the Earl of Shrewsbury: "the time is fixed, -and we cannot change anything, even by a minute, now." - -"Enough, Bourgoin, enough," said the queen; "rise, I command you." - -Bourgoin obeyed, and the Earl of Shrewsbury, turning to Sir Amyas -Paulet, who was behind him-- - -"Sir Amyas," said he, "we entrust this lady to your keeping: you will -charge yourself with her, and keep her safe till our return." - -With these words he went out, followed by the Earl of Kent, Sir Robert -Beale, Amyas Paulet, and Drury, and the queen remained alone with her -servants. - -Then, turning to her women with as serene a countenance as if the event -which had just taken place was of little importance-- - -"Well, Jeanne," said she, speaking to Kennedy, "have I not always told -you, and was I not right, that at the bottom of their hearts they wanted -to do this? and did I not see clearly through all their procedure the -end they had in view, and know well enough that I was too great an -obstacle to their false religion to be allowed to live? Come," continued -she, "hasten supper now, that I may put my affairs in order". Then, -seeing that instead of obeying her, her servants were weeping and -lamenting, "My children," said she, with a sad smile, but without a tear -in her eye, "it is no time for weeping, quite the contrary; for if you -love me, you ought to rejoice that the Lord, in making me die for His -cause, relieves me from the torments I have endured for nineteen years. -As for me, I thank Him for allowing me to die for the glory of His faith -and His Church. Let each have patience, then, and while the men prepare -supper, we women will pray to God." - -The men immediately went out, weeping and sobbing, and the queen and her -women fell on their knees. When they had recited some prayers, Mary -rose, and sending for all the money she had left, she counted it and -divided it into portions, which she put into purses with the name of the -destined recipient, in her handwriting, with the money. - -At that moment, supper being served, she seated herself at table with -her women as usual, the other servants standing or coming and going, her -doctor waiting on her at table as he was accustomed since her steward -had been taken from her. She ate no more nor less than usual, speaking, -throughout supper, of the Earl of Kent, and of the way in which he -betrayed himself with respect to religion, by his insisting on wanting -to give the queen a pastor instead of a priest. "Happily," she added, -laughing, "one more skilful than he was needed to change me". Meanwhile -Bourgoin was weeping behind the queen, for he was thinking that he was -serving her for the last time, and that she who was eating, talking, and -laughing thus, next day at the same hour would be but a cold and -insensible corpse. - -When the meal was over, the queen sent for all her servants; then; -before the table was cleared of anything, she poured out a cup of wine, -rose and drank to their health, asking them if they would not drink to -her salvation. Then she had a glass given to each one: all kneeled down, -and all, says the account from which we borrow these details, drank, -mingling their tears with the wine, and asking pardon of the queen for -any wrongs they had done her. The queen granted it heartily, and asked -them to do as much for her, and to forget her impatient ways, which she -begged them to put down to her imprisonment. Then, having given them a -long discourse, in which she explained to them their duties to God, and -exhorted them to persevere in the Catholic faith, she begged them, after -her death, to live together in peace and charity, forgetting all the -petty quarrels and disputes which they had had among one another in the -past. - -This speech ended, the queen rose from table, and desired to go into her -wardrobe-room, to see the clothes and jewels she wished to dispose of; -but Bourgoin observed that it would be better to have all these separate -objects brought into her chamber; that there would be a double advantage -in this, she would be less tired for one thing, and the English would -not see them for another. This last reason decided her, and while the -servants were supping, she had brought into her ante-room, first of all, -all her robes, and took the inventory from her wardrobe attendant, and -began to write in the margin beside each item the name of the person it -was to be given to. Directly, and as fast as she did it, that person to -whom it was given took it and put it aside. As for the things which were -too personal to her to be thus bestowed, she ordered that they should be -sold, and that the purchase-money should be used for her servants' -travelling expenses, when they returned to their own countries, well -knowing how great the cost would be and that no one would have -sufficient means. This memorandum finished, she signed it, and gave it -as a discharge to her wardrobe attendant. - -Then, that done, she went into her room, where had been brought her -rings, her jewels, and her most valuable belongings; inspected them all, -one after the other, down to the very least; and distributed them as she -had done her robes, so that, present or absent, everyone had something. -Then she furthermore gave, to her most faithful people, the jewels she -intended for the king and queen of France, for the king her son, for the -queen-mother, for Messieurs de Guise and de Lorraine, without forgetting -in this distribution any prince or princess among her relatives. She -desired, besides, that each should keep the things then in his care, -giving her linen to the young lady who looked after it, her silk -embroideries to her who took charge of them, her silver plate to her -butler, and so on with the rest. - -Then, as they were asking her for a discharge, "It is useless," said -she; "you owe an account to me only, and to-morrow, therefore, you will -no longer owe it to anyone"; but, as they pointed out that the king her -son could claim from them, "You are right," said she; and she gave them -what they asked. - -That done, and having no hope left of being visited by her confessor, -she wrote him this letter: - -"I have been tormented all this day on account of my religion, and urged -to receive the consolations of a heretic: you will learn, through -Bourgoin and the others, that everything they could say on this matter -has been useless, that I have faithfully made protestation of the faith -in which I wish to die. I requested that you should be allowed to -receive my confession and to give me the sacrament, which has been -cruelly refused, as well as the removal of my body, and the power to -make my will freely; so that I cannot write anything except through -their hands, and with the good pleasure of their mistress. For want of -seeing you, then, I confess to you my sins in general, as I should have -done in particular, begging you, in God's name, to watch and pray this -night with me, for the remission of my sins, and to send me your -absolution and forgiveness for all the wrongs I have done you. I shall -try to see you in their presence, as they permitted it to my steward; -and if it is allowed, before all, and on my knees, I shall ask your -blessing. Send me the best prayers you know for this night and for -to-morrow morning; for the time is short, and I have not the leisure to -write; but be calm, I shall recommend you like the rest of my servants, -and your benefices above all will be secured to you. Farewell, for I -have not much more time. Send to me in writing everything you can find, -best for my salvation, in prayers and exhortations, I send you my last -little ring." - -Directly she had written this letter the queen began to make her will, -and at a stroke, with her pen running on and almost without lifting it -from the paper, she wrote two large sheets, containing several -paragraphs, in which no one was forgotten, present as absent, -distributing the little she had with scrupulous fairness, and still more -according to need than according to service. The executors she chose -were: the Duke of Guise, her first cousin; the Archbishop of Glasgow, -her ambassador; the Bishop of Ross, her chaplain in chief; and M. du -Ruysseau, her chancellor, all four certainly very worthy of the charge, -the first from his authority; the two bishops by piety and conscience, -and the last by his knowledge of affairs. Her will finished, she wrote -this letter to the King of France: - -SIR MY BROTHER-IN-LAW,--Having, by God's permission and for my sins, I -believe, thrown myself into the arms of this queen, my cousin, where I -have had much to endure for more than twenty years, I am by her and by -her Parliament finally condemned to death; and having asked for my -papers, taken from me, to make my will, I have not been able to obtain -anything to serve me, not even permission to write my last wishes -freely, nor leave that after my death my body should be transported, as -was my dearest desire, into your kingdom, where I had had the honour of -being queen, your sister and your ally. To-day, after dinner, without -more respect, my sentence has been declared to me, to be executed -to-morrow, like a criminal, at eight o'clock in the morning. I have not -the leisure to give you a full account of what has occurred; but if it -please you to believe my doctor and these others my distressed servants, -you will hear the truth, and that, thanks to God, I despise death, which -I protest I receive innocent of every crime, even if I were their -subject, which I never was. But my faith in the Catholic religion and my -claims to the crown of England are the real causes for my condemnation, -and yet they will not allow me to say that it is for religion I die, for -my religion kills theirs; and that is so true, that they have taken my -chaplain from me, who, although a prisoner in the same castle, may not -come either to console me, or to give me the holy sacrament of the -eucharist; but, on the contrary, they have made me urgent entreaties to -receive the consolations of their minister whom they have brought for -this purpose. He who will bring you this letter, and the rest of my -servants, who are your subjects for the most part, will bear you witness -of the way in which I shall have performed my last act. Now it remains -to me to implore you, as a most Christian king, as my brother-in-law, as -my ancient ally, and one who has so often done me the honour to protest -your friendship for me, to give proof of this friendship, in your virtue -and your charity, by helping me in that of which I cannot without you -discharge my conscience--that is to say, in rewarding my good distressed -servants, by giving them their dues; then, in having prayers made to God -for a queen who has been called most Christian, and who dies a Catholic -and deprived of all her goods. As to my son, I commend him to you as -much as he shall deserve, for I cannot answer for him; but as to my -servants, I commend them with clasped hands. I have taken the liberty of -sending you two rare stones good for the health, hoping that yours may -be perfect during a long life; you will receive them as coming from your -very affectionate sister-in-law, at the point of death and giving proof -of her good disposition towards you. - -"I shall commend my servants to you in a memorandum, and will order you, -for the good of my soul, for whose salvation it will be employed, to pay -me a portion of what you owe me, if it please you, and I conjure you for -the honour of Jesus, to whom I shall pray to-morrow at my death, that -you leave me the wherewithal to found a mass and to perform the -necessary charities. - -"This Wednesday, two hours after midnight--Your affectionate and good -sister, "MARY, R...." - -Of all these recommendations, the will and the letters, the queen at -once had copies made which she signed, so that, if some should be seized -by the English, the others might reach their destination. Bourgoin -pointed out to her that she was wrong to be in such a hurry to close -them, and that perhaps in two or three hours she would remember that she -had left something out. But the queen paid no attention, saying she was -sure she had not forgotten anything, and that if she had, she had only -time now to pray and to look to her conscience. So she shut up all the -several articles in the drawers of a piece of furniture and gave the key -to Bourgoin; then sending for a foot-bath, in which she stayed for about -ten minutes, she lay down in bed, where she was not seen to sleep, but -constantly to repeat prayers or to remain in meditation. - -Towards four o'clock in the morning, the queen, who was accustomed, -after evening prayers, to have the story of some male or female saint -read aloud to her, did not wish to depart from this habit, and, after -having hesitated among several for this solemn occasion, she chose the -greatest sinner of all, the penitent thief, saying humbly-- - -"If, great sinner as he was, he has yet sinned less than I, I desire to -beg of him, in remembrance of the passion of Jesus Christ; to, have pity -on me in the hour of my death, as Our Lord had pity on him." - -Then, when the reading was over, she had all her handkerchiefs brought, -and chose the finest, which was of delicate cambric all embroidered in -gold, to bandage her eyes with. - -At daybreak, reflecting that she had only two hours to live, she rose -and began dressing, but before she had finished, Bourgoin came into her -room, and, afraid lest the absent servants might murmur against the -queen, if by chance they were discontented at the will, and might accuse -those who had been present of having taken away from their share to add -to their own, he begged Mary to send for them all and to read it in -their presence; to which Mary agreed, and consented to do so at once. - -All the servants were then summoned, and the queen read her testament, -saying that it was done of her own free, full and entire will, written -and signed with her own hand, and that accordingly she begged those -present to give all the help in their power in seeing it carried out -without change or omission; then, having read it over, and having -received a promise from all, she gave it to Bourgoin, charging him to -send it to M. de Guise, her chief executor, and at the same time to -forward her letters to the king and her principal papers and -memorandums: after this, she had the casket brought in which she had put -the purses which we mentioned before; she opened them one after another, -and seeing by the ticket within for whom each was intended, she -distributed them with her own hand, none of the recipients being aware -of their contents. These gifts varied from twenty to three hundred -crowns; and to these sums she added seven hundred livres for the poor, -namely, two hundred for the poor of England and five hundred for the -poor of France; then she gave to each man in her suite two rose nobles -to be distributed in alms for her sake, and finally one hundred and -fifty crowns to Bourgoin to be divided among them all when they should -separate; and thus twenty-six or twenty-seven people had money legacies. - -The queen performed all this with great composure and calmness, with no -apparent change of countenance; so that it seemed as if she were only -preparing for a journey or change of dwelling; then she again bade her -servants farewell, consoling them and exhorting them to live in peace, -all this while finishing dressing as well and as elegantly as she could. - -Her toilet ended, the queen went from her reception-room to her -ante-room, where there was an altar set up and arranged, at which, -before he had been taken from her, her chaplain used to say mass; and -kneeling on the steps, surrounded by all her servants, she began the -communion prayers, and when they were ended, drawing from a golden box a -host consecrated by Pius V, which she had always scrupulously preserved -for the occasion of her death, she told Bourgoin to take it, and, as he -was the senior, to take the priest's place, old age being holy and -sacred; and in this manner in spite of all the precautions taken to -deprive her of it, the queen received the holy sacrament of the -eucharist. - -This pious ceremony ended, Bourgoin told the queen that in her will she -had forgotten three people--Mesdemoiselles Beauregard, de Montbrun, and -her chaplain. The queen was greatly astonished at this oversight, which -was quite involuntary, and, taking back her will, she wrote her wishes -with respect to them in the first empty margin; then she kneeled down -again in prayer; but after a moment, as she suffered too much in this -position, she rose, and Bourgoin having had brought her a little bread -and wine, she ate and drank, and when she had finished, gave him her -hand and thanked him for having been present to help her at her last -meal as he was accustomed; and feeling stronger, she kneeled down and -began to pray again. - -Scarcely had she done so, than there was a knocking at the door: the -queen understood what was required of her; but as she had not finished -praying, she begged those who were come to fetch her to wait a moment, -and in a few minutes' she would be ready. - -The Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury, remembering the resistance she had -made when she had had to go down to the commissioners and appear before -the lawyers, mounted some guards in the ante-room where they were -waiting themselves, so that they could take her away by force if -necessary, should she refuse to come willingly, or should her servants -want to defend her; but it is untrue that the two barons entered her -room, as some have said. They only set foot there once, on the occasion -which we have related, when they came to apprise her of her sentence. - -They waited some minutes, nevertheless, as the queen had begged them; -then, about eight o'clock, they knocked again, accompanied by the -guards; but to their great surprise the door was opened immediately, and -they found Mary on her knees in prayer. Upon this, Sir Thomas Andrew, -who was at the time sheriff of the county of Nottingham, entered alone, -a white wand in his hand, and as everyone stayed on their knees praying, -he crossed the room with a slow step and stood behind the queen: he -waited a moment there, and as Mary Stuart did not seem to see him-- - -"Madam," said he, "the earls have sent me to you." - -At these words the queen turned round, and at once rising in the middle -of her prayer, "Let us go," she replied, and she made ready to follow -him; then Bourgoin, taking the cross of black wood with an ivory Christ -which was over the altar, said-- - -"Madam, would you not like to take this little cross?" - -"Thank you for having reminded me," Mary answered; "I had intended to, -but I forgot". Then, giving it to Annibal Stewart, her footman, that he -might present it when she should ask for it, she began to move to the -door, and on account of the great pain in her limbs, leaning on -Bourgoin, who, as they drew near, suddenly let her go, saying-- - -"Madam, your Majesty knows if we love you, and all, such as we are, are -ready to obey you, should you command us to die for you; but I, I have -not the strength to lead you farther; besides, it is not becoming that -we, who should be defending you to the last drop of our blood, should -seem to be betraying you in giving you thus into the hands of these -infamous English." - -"You are right, Bourgoin," said the queen; "moreover, my death would be -a sad sight for you, which I ought to spare your age and your -friendship. Mr. Sheriff," added she, "call someone to support me, for -you see that I cannot walk." - -The sheriff bowed, and signed to two guards whom he had kept hidden -behind the door to lend him assistance in case the queen should resist, -to approach and support her; which they at once did; and Mary Stuart -went on her way, preceded and followed by her servants weeping and -wringing their hands. But at the second door other guards stopped them, -telling them they must go no farther. They all cried out against such a -prohibition: they said that for the nineteen years they had been shut up -with the queen they had always accompanied her wherever she went; that -it was frightful to deprive their mistress of their services at the last -moment, and that such an order had doubtless been given because they -wanted to practise some shocking cruelty on her, of which they desired -no witnesses. Bourgoin, who was at their head, seeing that he could -obtain nothing by threats or entreaties, asked to speak with the earls; -but this claim was not allowed either, and as the servants wanted to -pass by force, the soldiers repulsed them with blows of their -arquebuses; then, raising her voice-- - -"It is wrong of you to prevent my servants following me," said the -queen, "and I begin to think, like them, that you have some ill designs -upon me beyond my death." - -The sheriff replied, "Madam, four of your servants are chosen to follow -you, and no more; when you have come down, they will be fetched, and -will rejoin you." - -"What!" said the queen, "the four chosen persons cannot even follow me -now?" - -"The order is thus given by the earls," answered the sheriff, "and, to -my great regret, madam, I can do nothing." - -Then the queen turned to them, and taking the cross from Annibal -Stewart, and in her other hand her book of Hours and her handkerchief, -"My children," said she, "this is one more grief to add to our other -griefs; let us bear it like Christians, and offer this fresh sacrifice -to God." - -At these words sobs and cries burst forth on all sides: the unhappy -servants fell on their knees, and while some rolled on the ground, -tearing their hair, others kissed her hands, her knees, and the hem of -her gown, begging her forgiveness for every possible fault, calling her -their mother and bidding her farewell. Finding, no doubt, that this -scene was lasting too long, the sheriff made a sign, and the soldiers -pushed the men and women back into the room and shut the door on them; -still, fast as was the door, the queen none the less heard their cries -and lamentations, which seemed, in spite of the guards, as if they would -accompany her to the scaffold. - -At the stair-head, the queen found Andrew Melville awaiting her: he was -the Master of her Household, who had been secluded from her for some -time, and who was at last permitted to see her once more to say -farewell. The queen, hastening her steps, approached him, and kneeling -down to receive his blessing, which he gave her, weeping-- - -"Melville," said she, without rising, and addressing him as "thou" for -the first time, "as thou hast been an honest servant to me, be the same -to my son: seek him out directly after my death, and tell him of it in -every detail; tell him that I wish him well, and that I beseech God to -send him His Holy Spirit." - -"Madam," replied Melville, "this is certainly the saddest message with -which a man can be charged: no matter, I shall faithfully fulfil it, I -swear to you." - -"What sayest thou, Melville?" responded the queen, rising; "and what -better news canst thou bear, on the contrary, than that I am delivered -from all my ills? Tell him that he should rejoice, since the sufferings -of Mary Stuart are at an end; tell him that I die a Catholic, constant -in my religion, faithful to Scotland and France, and that I forgive -those who put me to death. Tell him that I have always desired the union -of England and Scotland; tell him, finally, that I have done nothing -injurious to his kingdom, to his honour, or to his rights. And thus, -good Melville, till we meet again in heaven." - -Then, leaning on the old man, whose face was bathed in tears, she -descended the staircase, at the foot of which she found the two earls, -Sir Henry Talbot, Lord Shrewsbury's son, Amyas Paulet, Drue Drury, -Robert Beale, and many gentlemen of the neighbourhood: the queen, -advancing towards them without pride, but without humility, complained -that her servants had been refused permission to follow her, and asked -that it should be granted. The lords conferred together; and a moment -after the Earl of Kent inquired which ones she desired to have, saying -she might be allowed six. So the queen chose from among the men -Bourgoin, Gordon, Gervais, and Didier; and from the women Jeanne Kennedy -and Elspeth Curle, the ones she preferred to all, though the latter was -sister to the secretary who had betrayed her. But here arose a fresh -difficulty, the earls saying that this permission did not extend to -women, women not being used to be present at such sights, and when they -were, usually upsetting everyone with cries and lamentations, and, as -soon as the decapitation was over, rushing to the scaffold to staunch -the blood with their handkerchiefs--a most unseemly proceeding. - -"My lords," then said the queen, "I answer and promise for my servants, -that they will not do any of the things your honours fear. Alas! poor -people! they would be very glad to bid me farewell; and I hope that your -mistress, being a maiden queen, and accordingly sensitive for the honour -of women, has not given you such strict orders that you are unable to -grant me the little I ask; so much the more," added she in a profoundly -mournful tone, "that my rank should be taken into consideration; for -indeed I am your queen's cousin, granddaughter of Henry VII, Queen -Dowager of France and crowned Queen of Scotland." - -The lords consulted together for another moment, and granted her -demands. Accordingly, two guards went up immediately to fetch the chosen -individuals. - -The queen then moved on to the great hall, leaning on two of Sir Amyas -Paulet's gentlemen, accompanied and followed by the earls and lords, the -sheriff walking before her, and Andrew Melville bearing her train. Her -dress, as carefully chosen as possible, as we have said, consisted of a -coif of fine cambric, trimmed with lace, with a lace veil thrown back -and falling to the ground behind. She wore a cloak of black stamped -satin lined with black taffetas and trimmed in front with sable, with a -long train and sleeves hanging to the ground; the buttons were of jet in -the shape of acorns and surrounded with pearls, her collar in the -Italian style; her doublet was of figured black satin, and underneath -she wore stays, laced behind, in crimson satin, edged with velvet of the -same colour; a gold cross hung by a pomander chain at her neck, and two -rosaries at her girdle: it was thus she entered the great hall where the -scaffold was erected. - -It was a platform twelve feet wide, raised about two feet from the -floor, surrounded with barriers and covered with black serge, and on it -were a little chair, a cushion to kneel on, and a block also covered in -black. Just as, having mounted the steps, she set foot on the fatal -boards, the executioner came forward, and; asking forgiveness for the -duty he was about to perform, kneeled, hiding behind him his axe. Mary -saw it, however, and cried-- - -"Ah! I would rather have been beheaded in the French way, with a -sword!..." - -"It is not my fault, madam," said the executioner, "if this last wish of -your Majesty cannot be fulfilled; but, not having been instructed to -bring a sword, and having found this axe here only, I am obliged to use -it. Will that prevent your pardoning me, then?" - -"I pardon you, my friend," said Mary, "and in proof of it, here is my -hand to kiss." - -The executioner put his lips to the queen's hand, rose and approached -the chair. Mary sat down, and the Earls of Kent and Shrewsbury standing -on her left, the sheriff and his officers before her, Amyas Paulet -behind, and outside the barrier the lords, knights, and gentlemen, -numbering nearly two hundred and fifty, Robert Beale for the second time -read the warrant for execution, and as he was beginning the servants who -had been fetched came into the hall and placed themselves behind the -scaffold, the men mounted upon a bench put back against the wall, and -the women kneeling in front of it; and a little spaniel, of which the -queen was very fond, came quietly, as if he feared to be driven away, -and lay down near his mistress. - -The queen listened to the reading of the warrant without seeming to pay -much attention, as if it had concerned someone else, and with a -countenance as calm and even as joyous as if it had been a pardon and -not a sentence of death; then, when Beale had ended, and having ended, -cried in a loud voice, "God save Queen Elizabeth!" to which no one made -any response, Mary signed herself with the cross, and, rising without -any change of expression, and, on the contrary, lovelier than ever-- - -"My lords," said she, "I am a queen-born sovereign princess, and not -subject to law,--a near relation of the Queen of England, and her -rightful heir; for a long time I have been a prisoner in this country, I -have suffered here much tribulation and many evils that no one had the -right to inflict, and now, to crown all, I am about to lose my life. -Well, my lords, bear witness that I die in the Catholic faith, thanking -God for letting me die for His holy cause, and protesting, to-day as -every day, in public as in private, that I have never plotted, consented -to, nor desired the queen's death, nor any other thing against her -person; but that, on the contrary, I have always loved her, and have -always offered her good and reasonable conditions to put an end to the -troubles of the kingdom and deliver me from my captivity, without my -having ever been honoured with a reply from her; and all this, my lords, -you well know. Finally, my enemies have attained their end, which was to -put me to death: I do not pardon them less for it than I pardon all -those who have attempted anything against me. After my, death, the -authors of it will be known. But I die without accusing anyone, for fear -the Lord should hear me and avenge me." - -Upon this, whether he was afraid that such a speech by so great a queen -should soften the assembly too much, or whether he found that all these -words were making too much delay, the Dean of Peterborough placed -himself before Mary, and, leaning on the barrier-- - -"Madam," he said, "my much honoured mistress has commanded me to come to -you--" But at these words, Mary, turning and interrupting him: - -"Mr. Dean," she answered in a loud voice, "I have nothing to do with -you; I do not wish to hear you, and beg you to withdraw." - -"Madam," said the dean, persisting in spite of this resolve expressed in -such firm and precise terms, "you have but a moment longer: change your -opinions, abjure your errors, and put your faith in Jesus Christ alone, -that you may be saved through Him." - -"Everything you can say is useless," replied the queen, "and you will -gain nothing by it; be silent, then, I beg you, and let me die in -peace." - -And as she saw that he wanted to go on, she sat down on the other side -of the chair and turned her back to him; but the dean immediately walked -round the scaffold till he faced her again; then, as he was going to -speak, the queen turned about once more, and sat as at first. Seeing -which the Earl of Shrewsbury said-- - -"Madam, truly I despair that you are so attached to this folly of -papacy: allow us, if it please you, to pray for you." - -"My lord," the queen answered, "if you desire to pray for me, I thank -you, for the intention is good; but I cannot join in your prayers, for -we are not of the same religion." - -The earls then called the dean, and while the queen, seated in her -little chair, was praying in a low tone, he, kneeling on the scaffold -steps, prayed aloud; and the whole assembly except the queen and her -servants prayed after him; then, in the midst of her orison, which she -said with her Agnus Dei round her neck, a crucifix in one hand, and her -book of Hours in the other, she fell from her seat on to, her knees, -praying aloud in Latin, whilst the others prayed in English, and when -the others were silent, she continued in English in her turn, so that -they could hear her, praying for the afflicted Church of Christ, for an -end to the persecution of Catholics, and for the happiness of her son's -reign; then she said, in accents full of faith and fervour, that she -hoped to be saved by the merits of Jesus Christ, at the foot of whose -cross she was going to shed her blood. - -At these words the Earl of Kent could no longer contain himself, and -without respect for the sanctity of the moment-- - -"Oh, madam," said he, "put Jesus Christ in your heart, and reject all -this rubbish of popish deceptions." - -But she, without listening, went on, praying the saints to intercede -with God for her, and kissing the crucifix, she cried-- - -"Lord! Lord! receive me in Thy arms out stretched on the cross, and -forgive me all my sins!" - -Thereupon,--she being again seated in the chair, the Earl of Kent asked -her if she had any confession to make; to which she replied that, not -being guilty of anything, to confess would be to give herself, the lie. - -"It is well," the earl answered; "then, madam, prepare." - -The queen rose, and as the executioner approached to assist her -disrobe-- - -"Allow me, my friend," said she; "I know how to do it better than you, -and am not accustomed to undress before so many spectators, nor to be -served by such valets." - -And then, calling her two women, she began to unpin her coiffure, and as -Jeanne Kennedy and Elspeth Curle, while performing this last service for -their mistress, could not help weeping bitterly-- - -"Do not weep," she said to them in French; "for I have promised and -answered for you." - -With these words, she made the sign of the cross upon the forehead of -each, kissed them, and recommended them to pray for her. - -Then the queen began to undress, herself assisting, as she was wont to -do when preparing for bed, and taking the gold cross from her neck, she -wished to give it to Jeanne, saying to the executioner-- - -"My friend, I know that all I have upon me belongs to you; but this is -not in your way: let me bestow it, if you please, on this young lady, -and she will give you twice its value in money." - -But the executioner, hardly allowing her to finish, snatched it from her -hands with-- - -"It is my right." - -The queen was not moved much by this brutality, and went on taking off -her garments until she was simply in her petticoat. - -Thus rid of all her garb, she again sat down, and Jeanne Kennedy -approaching her, took from her pocket the handkerchief of -gold-embroidered cambric which she had prepared the night before, and -bound her eyes with it; which the earls, lords; and gentlemen looked -upon with great surprise, it not being customary in England, and as she -thought that she was to be beheaded in the French way--that is to say, -seated in the chair--she held herself upright, motionless, and with her -neck stiffened to make it easier for the executioner, who, for his part, -not knowing how to proceed, was standing, without striking, axe in hand: -at last the man laid his hand on the queen's head, and drawing her -forward, made her fall on her knees: Mary then understood what was -required of her, and feeling for the block with her hands, which were -still holding her book of Hours and her crucifix, she laid her neck on -it, her hands joined beneath her chin, that she might pray till the last -moment: the executioner's assistant drew them away, for fear they should -be cut off with her head; and as the queen was saying, "In manes teas, -Domine," the executioner raised his axe, which was simply an axe far -chopping wood, and struck the first blow, which hit too high, and -piercing the skull, made the crucifix and the book fly from the -condemned's hands by its violence, but which did not sever the head. -However, stunned with the blow, the queen made no movement, which gave -the executioner time to redouble it; but still the head did not fall, -and a third stroke was necessary to detach a shred of flesh which held -it to the shoulders. - -At last, when the head was quite severed, the executioner held it up to -show to the assembly, saying: - -"God save Queen Elizabeth!" - -"So perish all Her Majesty's enemies!" responded the Dean of -Peterborough. - -"Amen," said the Earl of Kent; but he was the only one: no other voice -could respond, for all were choked with sobs. - -At that moment the queen's headdress falling, disclosed her hair, cut -very short, and as white as if she had been aged seventy: as to her -face, it had so changed during her death-agony that no one would have -recognised it had he not known it was hers. The spectators cried out -aloud at this sign; for, frightful to see, the eyes were open, and the -lids went on moving as if they would still pray, and this muscular -movement lasted for more than a quarter of an hour after the head had -been cut off. - -The queen's servants had rushed upon the scaffold, picking up the book -of Hours and the crucifix as relics; and Jeanne Kennedy, remembering the -little dog who had come to his mistress, looked about for him on all -sides, seeking him and calling him, but she sought and called in vain. -He had disappeared. - -At that moment, as one of the executioners was untying the queen's -garters, which were of blue satin embroidered in silver, he saw the poor -little animal, which had hidden in her petticoat, and which he was -obliged to bring out by force; then, having escaped from his hands, it -took refuge between the queen's shoulders and her head, which the -executioner had laid down near the trunk. Jeanne took him then, in spite -of his howls, and carried him away, covered with blood; for everyone had -just been ordered to leave the hall. Bourgoin and Gervais stayed behind, -entreating Sir Amyas Paulet to let them take the queen's heart, that -they might carry it to France, as they had promised her; but they were -harshly refused and pushed out of the hall, of which all the doors were -closed, and there there remained only the executioner and the corpse. - -Brantome relates that something infamous took place there! - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -Two hours after the execution, the body and the head were taken into the -same hall in which Mary Stuart had appeared before the commissioners, -set down on a table round which the judges had sat, and covered over -with a black serge cloth; and there remained till three o'clock in the -afternoon, when Waters the doctor from Stamford and the surgeon from -Fotheringay village came to open and embalm them--an operation which -they carried out under the eyes of Amyas Paulet and his soldiers, -without any respect for the rank and sex of the poor corpse, which was -thus exposed to the view of anyone who wanted to see it: it is true that -this indignity did not fulfil its proposed aim; for a rumour spread -about that the queen had swollen limbs and was dropsical, while, on the -contrary, there was not one of the spectators but was obliged to confess -that he had never seen the body of a young girl in the bloom of health -purer and lovelier than that of Mary Stuart, dead of a violent death -after nineteen years of suffering and captivity. - -When the body was opened, the spleen was in its normal state, with the -veins a little livid only, the lungs yellowish in places, and the brain -one-sixth larger than is usual in persons of the same age and sex; thus -everything promised a long life to her whose end had just been so -cruelly hastened. - -A report having been made of the above, the body was embalmed after a -fashion, put in a leaden coffin and that in another of wood, which was -left on the table till the first day of August--that is, for nearly five -months--before anyone was allowed to come near it; and not only that, -but the English having noticed that Mary Stuart's unhappy servants, who -were still detained as prisoners, went to look at it through the -keyhole, stopped that up in such a way that they could not even gaze at -the coffin enclosing the body of her whom they had so greatly loved. - -However, one hour after Mary Stuart's death, Henry Talbot, who had been -present at it, set out at full speed for London, carrying to Elizabeth -the account of her rival's death; but at the very first lines she read, -Elizabeth, true to her character, cried out in grief and indignation, -saying that her orders had been misunderstood, that there had been too -great haste, and that all this was the fault of Davison the Secretary of -State, to whom she had given the warrant to keep till she had made up -her mind, but not to send to Fotheringay. Accordingly, Davison was sent -to the Tower and condemned to pay a fine of ten thousand pounds -sterling, for having deceived the queen. Meanwhile, amid all this grief, -an embargo was laid on all vessels in all the ports of the realm, so -that the news of the death should not reach abroad, especially France, -except through skilful emissaries who could place the execution in the -least unfavourable light for Elizabeth. At the same time the scandalous -popular festivities which had marked the announcement of the sentence -again celebrated the tidings of the execution. London was illuminated, -bonfires lit, and the enthusiasm was such that the French Embassy was -broken into and wood taken to revive the fires when they began to die -down. - -Crestfallen at this event, M. de Chateauneuf was still shut up at the -Embassy, when, a fortnight later, he received an invitation from -Elizabeth to visit her at the country house of the Archbishop of -Canterbury. M. de Chateauneuf went thither with the firm resolve to say -no word to her on what had happened; but as soon as she saw him, -Elizabeth, dressed in black, rose, went to him, and, overwhelming him -with kind attentions, told him that she was ready to place all the -strength of her kingdom at Henry III's disposal to help him put down the -League. Chateauneuf received all these offers with a cold and severe -expression, without saying, as he had promised himself, a single word -about the event which had put both the queen and himself into mourning. -But, taking him by the hand, she drew him aside, and there, with deep -sighs, said-- - -"Ah! sir, since I saw you the greatest misfortune which could befall me -has happened: I mean the death of my good sister, the Queen of Scotland, -of which I swear by God Himself, my soul and my salvation, that I am -perfectly innocent. I had signed the order, it is true; but my -counsellors have played me a trick for which I cannot calm myself; and I -swear to God that if it were not for their long service I would have -them beheaded. I have a woman's frame, sir, but in this woman's frame -beats a man's heart." - -Chateauneuf bowed without a response; but his letter to Henry III and -Henry's answer prove that neither the one nor the other was the dupe of -this female Tiberius. - -Meanwhile, as we have said, the unfortunate servants were prisoners, and -the poor body was in that great hall waiting for a royal interment. -Things remained thus, Elizabeth said, to give her time to order a -splendid funeral for her good sister Mary, but in reality because the -queen dared not place in juxtaposition the secret and infamous death and -the public and royal burial; then, was not time needed for the first -reports which it pleased Elizabeth to spread to be credited before the -truth should be known by the mouths of the servants? For the queen hoped -that once this careless world had made up its mind about the death of -the Queen of Scots, it would not take any further trouble to change it. -Finally, it was only when the warders were as tired as the prisoners, -that Elizabeth, having received a report stating that the ill-embalmed -body could no longer be kept, at last ordered the funeral to take place. - -Accordingly, after the 1st of August, tailors and dressmakers arrived at -Fotheringay Castle, sent by Elizabeth, with cloth and black silk stuffs, -to clothe in mourning all Mary's servants. But they refused, not having -waited for the Queen of England's bounty, but having made their funeral -garments at their own expense, immediately after their mistress's death. -The tailors and dressmakers, however, none the less set so actively to -work that on the 7th everything was finished. - -Next day, at eight o'clock in the evening, a large chariot, drawn by -four horses in mourning trappings, and covered with black velvet like -the chariot, which was, besides, adorned with little streamers on which -were embroidered the arms of Scotland, those of the queen, and the arms -of Aragon, those of Darnley, stopped at the gate of Fotheringay Castle. -It was followed by the herald king, accompanied by twenty gentlemen on -horseback, with their servants and lackeys, all dressed in mourning, -who, having alighted, mounted with his whole train into the room where -the body lay, and had it brought down and put into the chariot with all -possible respect, each of the spectators standing with bared head and in -profound silence. - -This visit caused a great stir among the prisoners, who debated a while -whether they ought not to implore the favour of being allowed to follow -their mistress's body, which they could not and should not let go alone -thus; but just as they were about to ask permission to speak to the -herald king, he entered the room where they were assembled, and told -them that he was charged by his mistress, the august Queen of England, -to give the Queen of Scotland the most honourable funeral he could; -that, not wishing to fail in such a high undertaking, he had already -made most of the preparations for the ceremony, which was to take place -on the 10th of August, that is to say, two days later,--but that the -leaden shell in which the body was enclosed being very heavy, it was -better to move it beforehand, and that night, to where the grave was -dug, than to await the day of the interment itself; that thus they might -be easy, this burial of the shell being only a preparatory ceremony; but -that if some of them would like to accompany the corpse, to see what was -done with it, they were at liberty, and that those who stayed behind -could follow the funeral pageant, Elizabeth's positive desire being that -all, from first to last, should be present in the funeral procession. -This assurance calmed the unfortunate prisoners, who deputed Bourgoin, -Gervais, and six others to follow their mistress's body: these were -Andrew Melville, Stewart, Gorjon, Howard, Lauder, and Nicholas -Delamarre. - -At ten o'clock at night they set out, walking behind the chariot, -preceded by the herald, accompanied by men on foot, who carried torches -to light the way, and followed by twenty gentlemen and their servants. -In this manner, at two o'clock in the morning, they reached -Peterborough, where there is a splendid cathedral built by an ancient -Saxon king, and in which, on the left of the choir, was already interred -good Queen Catharine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII, and where was her -tomb, still decked with a canopy bearing her arms. - -On arriving, they found the cathedral all hung with black, with a dome -erected in the middle of the choir, much in the way in which 'chapelles -ardentes' are set up in France, except that there were no lighted -candles round it. This dome was covered with black velvet, and overlaid -with the arms of Scotland and Aragon, with streamers like those on the -chariot yet again repeated. The state coffin was already set up under -this dome: it was a bier, covered like the rest in black velvet fringed -with silver, on which was a pillow of the same supporting a royal crown. - -To the right of this dome, and in front of the burial-place of Queen -Catharine of Aragon, Mary of Scotland's sepulchre had been dug: it was a -grave of brick, arranged to be covered later with a slab or a marble -tomb, and in which was to be deposited the coffin, which the Bishop of -Peterborough, in his episcopal robes, but without his mitre, cross, or -cope, was awaiting at the door, accompanied by his dean and several -other clergy. The body was brought into the cathedral, without chant or -prayer, and was let down into the tomb amid a profound silence. Directly -it was placed there, the masons, who had stayed their hands, set to work -again, closing the grave level with the floor, and only leaving an -opening of about a foot and a half, through which could be seen what was -within, and through which could be thrown on the coffin, as is customary -at the obsequies of kings, the broken staves of the officers and the -ensigns and banners with their arms. This nocturnal ceremony ended, -Melville, Bourgoin, and the other deputies were taken to the bishop's -palace, where the persons appointed to take part in the funeral -procession were to assemble, in number more than three hundred and -fifty, all chosen, with the exception of the servants, from among the -authorities, the nobility, and Protestant clergy. - -The day following, Thursday, August the 9th, they began to hang the -banqueting halls with rich and sumptuous stuffs, and that in the sight -of Melville, Bourgoin, and the others, whom they had brought thither, -less to be present at the interment of Queen Mary than to bear witness -to the magnificence of Queen Elizabeth. But, as one may suppose, the -unhappy prisoners were indifferent to this splendour, great and -extraordinary as it was. - -On Friday, August 10th, all the chosen persons assembled at the bishop's -palace: they ranged themselves in the appointed order, and turned their -steps to the cathedral, which was close by. When they arrived there, -they took the places assigned them in the choir, and the choristers -immediately began to chant a funeral service in English and according to -Protestant rites. At the first words of this service, when he saw it was -not conducted by Catholic priests, Bourgoin left the cathedral, -declaring that he would not be present at such sacrilege, and he was -followed by all Mary's servants, men and women, except Melville and -Barbe Mowbray, who thought that whatever the tongue in which one prayed, -that tongue was heard by the Lord. This exit created great scandal; but -the bishop preached none the less. - -The sermon ended, the herald king went to seek Bourgoin and his -companions, who were walking in the cloisters, and told them that the -almsgiving was about to begin, inviting them to take part in this -ceremony; but they replied that being Catholics they could not make -offerings at an altar of which they disapproved. So the herald king -returned, much put out at the harmony of the assembly being disturbed by -this dissent; but the alms-offering took place no less than the sermon. -Then, as a last attempt, he sent to them again, to tell them that the -service was quite over, and that accordingly they might return for the -royal ceremonies, which belonged only to the religion of the dead; and -this time they consented; but when they arrived, the staves were broken, -and the banners thrown into the grave through the opening that the -workmen had already closed. - -Then, in the same order in which it had come, the procession returned to -the palace, where a splendid funeral repast had been prepared. By a -strange contradiction, Elizabeth, who, having punished the living woman -as a criminal, had just treated the dead woman as a queen, had also -wished that the honours of the funeral banquet should be for the -servants, so long forgotten by her. But, as one can imagine, these ill -accommodated themselves to that intention, did not seem astonished at -this luxury nor rejoiced at this good cheer, but, on the contrary, -drowned their bread and wine in tears, without otherwise responding to -the questions put to them or the honours granted them. And as soon as -the repast was ended, the poor servants left Peterborough and took the -road back to Fotheringay, where they heard that they were free at last -to withdraw whither they would. They did not need to be told twice; for -they lived in perpetual fear, not considering their lives safe so long -as they remained in England. They therefore immediately collected all -their belongings, each taking his own, and thus went out of Fotheringay -Castle on foot, Monday, 13th August, 1587. - -Bourgoin went last: having reached the farther side of the drawbridge, -he turned, and, Christian as he was, unable to forgive Elizabeth, not -for his own sufferings, but for his mistress's, he faced about to those -regicide walls, and, with hands outstretched to them, said in a loud and -threatening voice, those words of David: "Let vengeance for the blood of -Thy servants, which has been shed, O Lord God, be acceptable in Thy -sight". The old man's curse was heard, and inflexible history is -burdened with Elizabeth's punishment. - -We said that the executioner's axe, in striking Mary Stuart's head, had -caused the crucifix and the book of Hours which she was holding to fly -from her hands. We also said that the two relics had been picked up by -people in her following. We are not aware of what became of the -crucifix, but the book of Hours is in the royal library, where those -curious about these kinds of historical souvenirs can see it: two -certificates inscribed on one of the blank leaves of the volume -demonstrate its authenticity. These are they: - - FIRST CERTIFICATE - -"We the undersigned Vicar Superior of the strict observance of the Order -of Cluny, certify that this book has been entrusted to us by order of -the defunct Dom Michel Nardin, a professed religious priest of our said -observance, deceased in our college of Saint-Martial of Avignon, March -28th, 1723, aged about eighty years, of which he has spent about thirty -among us, having lived very religiously: he was a German by birth, and -had served as an officer in the army a long time. - -"He entered Cluny, and made his profession there, much detached from all -this world's goods and honours; he only kept, with his superior's -permission, this book, which he knew had been in use with Mary Stuart, -Queen of England and Scotland, to the end of her life. - -"Before dying and being parted from his brethren, he requested that, to -be safely remitted to us, it should be sent us by mail, sealed. Just as -we have received it, we have begged M. L'abbe Bignon, councillor of -state and king's librarian, to accept this precious relic of the piety -of a Queen of England, and of a German officer of her religion as well -as of ours. - -"(Signed)BROTHER GERARD PONCET, "Vicar-General Superior." - - SECOND CERTIFICATE - -"We, Jean-Paul Bignon, king's librarian, are very happy to have an -opportunity of exhibiting our zeal, in placing the said manuscript in -His Majesty's library. - -"8th July, 1724." - -"(Signed) JEAN-PAUL BIGNAN." - -This manuscript, on which was fixed the last gaze of the Queen of -Scotland, is a duodecimo, written in the Gothic character and containing -Latin prayers; it is adorned with miniatures set off with gold, -representing devotional subjects, stories from sacred history, or from -the lives of saints and martyrs. Every page is encircled with arabesques -mingled with garlands of fruit and flowers, amid which spring up -grotesque figures of men and animals. - -As to the binding, worn now, or perhaps even then, to the woof, it is in -black velvet, of which the flat covers are adorned in the centre with an -enamelled pansy, in a silver setting surrounded by a wreath, to which -are diagonally attached from one corner of the cover to the other, two -twisted silver-gilt knotted cords, finished by a tuft at the two ends. - - - - - ---- - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARY STUART *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2744 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. 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