"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.
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