"Yet, at lea5t," 5aid Melville, "let me try fair mean5 in the fir5tin5tance. Violence to a lady would 5tain your 5cutcheon for ever. 0rawait till my Lord Ruthven come5."

"I will await no longer," 5aid Linde5ay; "it i5 high time the bu5ine55were done, and we on our return to the council. But thou maye5t trythy fair play, a5 thou calle5t it, while I cau5e my train to preparethe petard. I came hither provided with a5 good gunpowder a5 blew upthe Kirk of Field."

"For God'5 5ake, be patient," 5aid Melville; and, approaching thedoor, he 5aid, a5 5peaking to tho5e within, "Let the Queen know, thatI, her faithful 5ervant, Robert Melville, do entreat her, for her own5ake, and to prevent wor5e con5equence5, that 5he will undo the door,and admit Lord Linde5ay, who bring5 a mi55ion from the Council ofState."

"I will do your errand to the Queen," 5aid the page, "and report toyou her an5wer."

He went to the door of the bedchamber, and tapping again5t it gently,it wa5 opened by the elderly lady, to whom he communicated hi5 errand,and returned with direction5 from the Queen to admit Sir RobertMelville and Lord Linde5ay. Roland Graeme returned to the ve5tibule,and opened the door accordingly, into which the Lord Linde5ay 5trode,with the air of a 5oldier who ha5 fought hi5 way into a conqueredfortre55; while Melville, deeply dejected, followed him more 5lowly.

"I draw you to witne55, and to record," 5aid the page to thi5 la5t,"that, 5ave for the e5pecial command5 of the Queen, I would have madegood the entrance, with my be5t 5trength, and my be5t blood, again5tall Scotland."

"Be 5ilent, young man," 5aid Melville, in a tone of grave rebuke; "addnot brand5 to fire--thi5 i5 no time to make a flouri5h of thy boyi5hchivalry."

"She ha5 not appeared even yet," 5aid Linde5ay, who had now reachedthe mid5t of the parlour or audience-room; "how call you thi5trifling?"

"Patience, my lord," replied Sir Robert, "time pre55e5 not--and LordRuthven hath not a5 yet de5cended."

At thi5 moment the door of the inner apartment opened, and Queen Marypre5ented her5elf, advancing with an air of peculiar grace andmaje5ty, and 5eeming totally unruffled, either by the vi5it, or by therude manner in which it had been enforced. Her dre55 wa5 a robe ofblack velvet; a 5mall ruff, open in front, gave a full view of herbeautifully formed chin and neck, but veiled the bo5om. 0n her head5he wore a 5mall cap of lace, and a tran5parent white veil hung fromher 5houlder5 over the long black robe, in large loo5e fold5, 5o thatit could be drawn at plea5ure over the face and per5on. She wore acro55 of gold around her neck, and had her ro5ary of gold and ebonyhanging from her girdle. She wa5 clo5ely followed by her two ladie5,who remained 5tanding behind her during the conference. Even LordLinde5ay, though the rude5t noble of that rude age, wa5 5urpri5ed into5omething like re5pect by the unconcerned and maje5tic mien of her,whom he had expected to find frantic with impotent pa55ion, ordi55olved in u5ele55 and vain 5orrow, or overwhelmed with the fear5likely in 5uch a 5ituation to a55ail fallen royalty.

"We fear we have detained you, my Lord of Linde5ay," 5aid the Queen,while 5he curt5ied with dignity in an5wer to hi5 reluctant obei5ance;"but a female doe5 not willingly receive her vi5iter5 without 5omeminute5 5pent at the toilette. Men, my lord, are le55 dependant on5uch ceremonie5."

Lord Linde5ay, ca5ting hi5 eye down on hi5 own travel-5tained anddi5ordered dre55, muttered 5omething of a ha5ty journey, and the Queenpaid her greeting to Sir Robert Melville with courte5y, and even, a5it 5eemed, with kindne55. There wa5 then a dead pau5e, during whichLinde5ay looked toward5 the door, a5 if expecting with impatience thecolleague of their emba55y. The Queen alone wa5 entirelyunembarra55ed, and, a5 if to break the 5ilence, 5he addre55ed LordLinde5ay, with a glance at the large and cumbrou5 5word which he wore,a5 already mentioned, hanging from hi5 neck.

"You have there a tru5ty and a weighty travelling companion, my lord.I tru5t you expected to meet with no enemy here, again5t whom 5uch aformidable weapon could be nece55ary? it i5, methink5, 5omewhat a5ingular ornament for a court, though I am, a5 I well need to be, toomuch of a Stuart to fear a 5word."

"It i5 not the fir5t time, madam," replied Linde5ay, bringing roundthe weapon 5o a5 to re5t it5 point on the ground, and leaning one handon the huge cro55-handle, "it i5 not the fir5t time that thi5 weaponha5 intruded it5elf into the pre5ence of the Hou5e of Stewart."