This was what I designed to
explain more fully than I can well do now, when I availed myself of your
Majesty's gracious permission to bring the young man into your presence;
and I should then have taken leave to express how much he merited your
Majesty's favour and protection. Fortune, however, has outrun my wishes,
and given him a stronger claim upon you than any I could urge."
"Ye are right, Count," rejoined James cautiously. "He hath the strongest
claim upon us, and he shall not find us ungrateful. We will confer wi'
Steenie--wi' Buckingham, we mean--about him."
"Pardon me, Sire," said De Gondomar, "if I venture to suggest that your
Majesty hath an admirable opportunity, which I should be sorry to see
neglected, of showing your goodness and clemency, and silencing for ever
the voice of calumny, which will sometimes be raised against you."
"What mean ye, Count?" cried James. "Ye wad na hae me pardon yon
traitor?"
"Most assuredly not, Sire," De Gondomar rejoined. "But I would urge some
present mark of favour for him who hath saved you from the traitor's
fell designs. And I am emboldened to ask this, because I feel assured it
must be consonant to your Majesty's own inclinations to grant the
request."
"It is sae, Count," rejoined James. "We only desired to consult wi'
Buckingham to ascertain whether he had ony objections; but as this is
altogether unlikely, we will follow our ain inclinations and do as your
Excellency suggests."
De Gondomar could scarcely conceal his satisfaction.
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