“Ah! parbleu! the man is dying, your Majesty,” he exclaimed.

“Deeing! is he?” cried James.  “The mair reason he suld tell his secret, to us without procrastination.  Harkye, prophet of ill!” he continued, as he strode forward.  “The judgment of Heaven ye predicated for us, seems to have fallen on your ainsell, and to have laid you low, even afore our arm could touch you.  Ye have gude reason to be thankful you have escaped the woodie; sae e’en make a clean breast of it, confess your enormities, and reveal to us the secret matter whilk we are tauld ye hae to communicate!”

“Let all else withdraw a few paces,” said Hugh Calveley, “and do thou, O King, approach me.  What I have to say is for thine ear alone.”

“There will be no danger in granting his request?” inquired James of his physician.

“None whatever,” replied Doctor Mayerne Turquet.  “The only danger is in delay.  Your Majesty should lose no time.  The man is passing rapidly away.  A few moments more, and he will have ceased to exist.”

On a sign from the King, Sir Jocelyn then stepped aside, but Aveline refused to quit her father, even for a moment.

As James drew near, Hugh Calveley raised himself a little in order to address him.  “I say unto thee, O King,” he cried, “as Elijah said unto Ahab, ’Because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord—­behold!  I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity.  And I will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.’”

“Now the muckle Diel seize thee, villain!” exclaimed James furiously.  “Is it to listen to thy texts that thou hast brought me hither?” And as Hugh Calveley, exhausted by the effort he had made, fell back with a groan, he bent his head towards him, crying, “The secret, man, the secret! or the tormenter shall wring it from thee?”

The Puritan essayed to speak, but his voice was so low that it did not reach the ears of the King.

“What sayest thou?” he demanded.  “Speak louder.  Saul of our body!” he exclaimed, after a moment’s pause, during which the sudden alteration that took place in the prisoner’s features made him suspect that all was over.  “Our belief is he will never speak again.  He hath escaped us, and ta’en his secret wi’ him.”

A loud shriek burst from Aveline, as she fell upon her father’s lifeless body.

“Let us forth,” cried the King, stopping his ears.  “We carena to be present at scenes like this.  We hae had a gude riddance o’ this traitor, though we wad hae gladly heard what he had to tell.  Sir Jocelyn Mounchensey, ye will see that this young woman be cared for; and when ye have caused her to be removed elsewhere, follow us to the tennis-court, to which we shall incontinently adjourn.”

So saying, he quitted the vault with his physician.