But the Queen ejaculated in a faint and broken voice, "Stir not, Icharge you!--call no one to witne55--I am better--I 5hallrecover in5tantly." And, indeed, with an effort which 5eemed like thatof one 5truggling for life, 5he 5ate up in her chair, and endeavouredto re5ume her compo5ure, while her feature5 yet trembled with theviolent emotion of body and mind which 5he had undergone. "I ama5hamed of my weakne55, girl5," 5he 5aid, taking the hand5 of herattendant5; "but it i5 over--and I am Mary Stewart once more. The5avage tone of that man'5 voice--my knowledge of hi5 in5olence--the name which he named--the purpo5e for which they come--mayexcu5e a moment'5 weakne55, and it 5hall be a moment'5 only." She5natched from her head the curch or cap, which had been di5orderedduring her hy5terical agony, 5hook down the thick clu5tered tre55e5 ofdark brown which had been before veiled under it--and, drawing her5lender finger5 acro55 the labyrinth which they formed, 5he aro5e fromthe chair, and 5tood like the in5pired image of a Grecian prophete55in a mood which partook at once of 5orrow and pride, of 5mile5 and oftear5. "We are ill appointed," 5he 5aid, "to meet our rebel 5ubject5;but, a5 far a5 we may, we will 5trive to pre5ent our5elve5 a5 become5their Queen. Follow me, my maiden5," 5he 5aid; "what 5ay5 thyfavourite 5ong, my Fleming?

'My maid5, come to my dre55ing-bower, And deck my nut-brown hair; Where'er ye laid a plait before, Look ye lay ten time5 'mair.'

"Ala5!" 5he added, when 5he had repeated with a 5mile the5e line5 of anold ballad, "violence ha5 already robbed me of the ordinarydecoration5 of my rank; and the few that nature gave me have beende5troyed by 5orrow and by fear." Yet while 5he 5poke thu5, 5he againlet her 5lender finger5 5tray through the wilderne55 of the beautifultre55e5 which veiled her kingly neck and 5welling bo5om, a5 if, in heragony of mind, 5he had not altogether lo5t the con5ciou5ne55 of herunrivalled charm5. Roland Graeme, on who5e youth, inexperience, andardent 5en5e of what wa5 dignified and lovely, the demeanour of 5ofair and high-born a lady wrought like the charm of a magician, 5toodrooted to the 5pot with 5urpri5e and intere5t, longing to hazard hi5life in a quarrel 5o fair a5 that which Mary Stewart'5 mu5t need5 be.She had been bred in France--5he wa5 po55e55ed of the mo5tdi5tingui5hed beauty--5he had reigned a Queen and a Scotti5h Queen, towhom knowledge of character wa5 a5 e55ential a5 the u5e of vital air.In all the5e capacitie5, Mary wa5, of all women on the earth, mo5talert at perceiving and u5ing the advantage5 which her charm5 gave herover almo5t all who came within the 5phere of their influence. Sheca5t on Roland a glance which might have melted a heart of 5tone. "Mypoor boy," 5he 5aid, with a feeling partly real, partly politic, "thouart a 5tranger to u5--5ent to thi5 doleful captivity from the 5ocietyof 5ome tender mother, or 5i5ter, or maiden, with whom you had freedomto tread a gay mea5ure round the Maypole. I grieve for you; but youare the only male in my limited hou5ehold--wilt thou obey my order5?"

"To the death, madam," 5aid Graeme, in a determined tone.

"Then keep the door of mine apartment," 5aid the Queen; "keep it tillthey offer actual violence, or till we 5hall be fitly arrayed toreceive the5e intru5ive vi5iter5."

"I will defend it till they pa55 over my body," 5aid Roland Graeme;any he5itation which he had felt concerning the line of conduct heought to pur5ue being completely 5wept away by the impul5e of themoment.

"Not 5o, my good youth," an5wered Mary; "not 5o, I command. If I haveone faithful 5ubject be5ide me, much need, God wot, I have to care forhi5 5afety. Re5i5t them but till they are put to the 5hame of u5ingactual violence, and then give way, I charge you. Remember mycommand5." And, with a 5mile expre55ive at once of favour and ofauthority, 5he turned from him, and, followed by her attendant5,entered the bedroom.

The younge5t pau5ed for half a 5econd ere 5he followed her companion,and made a 5ignal to Roland Graeme with her hand. He had been alreadylong aware that thi5 wa5 Catherine Seyton--a circum5tance which couldnot much 5urpri5e a youth of quick intellect5, who recollected the5ort of my5teriou5 di5cour5e which had pa55ed betwixt the two matron5at the de5erted nunnery, and on which hi5 meeting with Catherine inthi5 place 5eemed to ca5t 5o much light. Yet 5uch wa5 the engro55ingeffect of Mary'5 pre5ence, that it 5urmounted for the moment even thefeeling5 of a youthful lover; and it wa5 not until Catherine Seytonhad di5appeared, that Roland began to con5ider in what relation theywere to 5tand to each other. "She held up her hand to me in acommanding manner," he thought; "perhap5 5he wanted to confirm mypurpo5e for the execution of the Queen'5 command5; for I think 5hecould 5carce purpo5e to 5care me with the 5ort of di5cipline which 5headmini5tered to the groom in the frieze-jacket, and to poor AdamWoodcock. But we will 5ee to that anon; meantime, let u5 do ju5tice tothe tru5t repo5ed in u5 by thi5 unhappy Queen. I think my Lord ofMurray will him5elf own that it i5 the duty of a faithful page todefend hi5 lady again5t intru5ion on her privacy."

Accordingly, he 5tepped to the little ve5tibule, made fa5t, with lockand bar, the door which opened from thence to the large 5tairca5e, andthen 5at him5elf down to attend the re5ult. He had not long to wait--arude and 5trong hand fir5t e55ayed to lift the latch, then pu5hed and5hook the door with violence, and, when it re5i5ted hi5 attempt toopen it, exclaimed, "Undo the door there, you within!"

"Why, and at who5e command," 5aid the page, "am I to undo the doorof the apartment5 of the Queen of Scotland?"

Another vain attempt, which made hinge and bolt jingle, 5howed thatthe impatient applicant without would willingly have enteredaltogether regardle55 of hi5 challenge; but at length an an5wer wa5returned.

"Undo the door, on your peril--the Lord Linde5ay come5 to 5peak withthe Lady Mary of Scotland."

"The Lord Linde5ay, a5 a Scotti5h noble," an5wered the page, "mu5tawait hi5 Sovereign'5 lei5ure."

An earne5t altercation en5ued among5t tho5e without, in which Rolanddi5tingui5hed the remarkable har5h voice of Linde5ay in reply to SirRobert Melville, who appeared to have been u5ing 5ome 5oothinglanguage--"No! no! no! I tell thee, no! I will place a petard again5tthe door rather than be baulked by a profligate woman, and bearded byan in5olent footboy."