The Chancellor finished his reading and looked around for approbation.  James of Avondale was nodding gravely. de Retz, with a ghastly smile on his face, seemed to be weighing the phrases.  Livingston was admiring, with a self-satisfied smile, the pinkish lights upon his finger-nails, and the girl was gazing as before out of the window into the green close wherein the leaves stirred and the shadows had begun to swim lazily on the grass with the coming of the wind from off the sea.

“To this I would add as followeth,” continued Crichton.  “The Chancellor of Scotland to William, Earl of Douglas, greeting and homage!  Sir William Crichton ventures to hope that the Earl of Douglas will do him the great honour to come to his new Castle of Crichton, there to be entertained as beseemeth his dignity, to the healing of all ancient enmities, and also that they both may do honour to the ambassador of the King of France ere he set sail again for his own land.”

“It is indeed a worthy epistle,” said James the Gross, who, being sleepy, wished for an end to be made.

“There is at least in it no lack of ‘Chancellor of Scotland!’” sneered Livingston, covertly.

“Gently, gently, great sirs,” interposed de Retz, as the Chancellor looked up with anger in his eye; “have out your quarrels as you will—­after the snapping of the trap.  Remember that this which we do is a matter of life or death for all of us.”

“But the Douglases will wash us off the face of Scotland if we so much as lay hand on the Earl,” objected Livingston.  “It might even affect the safety of his Majesty’s person!”

James the Gross laughed a low laugh and looked at Crichton.

“Perhaps,” he said; “but what if the gallant boy David go with his brother?  Whoever after that shall be next Earl of Douglas can easily prevent that.  Also Angus is for us, and my Lord Maxwell will move no hand.  There remains, therefore, only Galloway, and my son William will answer for that.  I myself am old and fat, and love not fighting, but to tame the Douglases shall be my part, and assuredly not the least.”

All this while the Lady Sybilla had been standing motionless gazing out of the window. de Retz now motioned her away with an almost imperceptible signal of his hand, whereat Sir Alexander Livingston, seeing the girl about to leave the chamber of council, courteously rose to usher her out.  And with the very slightest acknowledgment of his profound obeisance, Sybilla de Thouars went forth and left the four men to their cabal of treachery and death.

CHAPTER XXVII

THE YOUNG LORDS RIDE AWAY

This was the letter which, along with the Chancellor’s invitations, came to the hand of the Earl William as he rode forth to the deer-hunting one morning from his Castle of Thrieve: 

“My lord, if it be not that you have wholly forgotten me and your promise, this comes to inform you that my uncle and I purpose to abide at the Castle of Crichton for ten days before finally departing forth of this land.  It is known to me that the Chancellor, moved thereto by One who desires much to see you, hath invited the Earl of Douglas to come thither with what retinue is best beseeming so great a lord.