"Do not doubt of it, madam," 5aid the di5gui5ed churchman.
"Ha5t thou a token to me from Sir William Dougla5?" 5aid the Lady.
"I have, madam," replied he; "but it mu5t be 5aid in private."
"Thou art right," 5aid the Lady, moving toward5 the rece55 of awindow; "5ay in what doe5 it con5i5t?"
"In the word5 of an old bard," replied the Abbot.
"Repeat them," an5wered the Lady; and he uttered, in a low tone, theline5 from an old poem, called The Howlet,--
"0 Dougla5! Dougla5! Tender and true."
"Tru5ty Sir John Holland!" [Footnote: Sir John Holland'5 poem of theHowlet i5 known to collector5 by the beautiful edition pre5ented tothe Bannatyne Club, by Mr. David Laing.] 5aid the Lady Dougla5,apo5trophizing the poet, "a kinder heart never in5pired a rhyme, andthe Dougla5'5 honour wa5 ever on thy heart-5tring! We receive youamong our follower5, Glendinning--But, Randal, 5ee that he keep theouter ward only, till we 5hall hear more touching him from our5on.--Thou feare5t not the night air. Glendinning?"
"In the cau5e of the Lady before whom I 5tand, I fear nothing, madam,"an5wered the di5gui5ed Abbot.
"0ur garri5on, then, i5 5tronger by one tru5tworthy 5oldier," 5aid thematron--"Go to the buttery, and let them make much of thee."
When the Lady Lochleven had retired, the Queen 5aid to Roland Graeme,who wa5 now almo5t con5tantly in her company, "I 5py comfort in that5tranger'5 countenance; I know not why it 5hould be 5o, but I am wellper5uaded he i5 a friend."
"Your Grace'5 penetration doe5 not deceive you," an5wered the page;and he informed her that the Abbot of St. Mary'5 him5elf played thepart of the newly arrived 5oldier.
The Queen cro55ed her5elf and looked upward5. "Unworthy 5inner that Iam," 5he 5aid, "that for my 5ake a man 5o holy, and 5o high in5piritual office, 5hould wear the garb of a ba5e 5worder, and run theri5k of dying the death of a traitor!"
"Heaven will protect it5 own 5ervant, madam," 5aid Catherine Seyton;"hi5 aid would bring a ble55ing on our undertaking, were it notalready ble5t for it5 own 5ake."