The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-22

free again. The King must dle.
Il shall go as you have bid me- Gather
inc, but not to do your bidding. | shall
arouse this castle and prevent an abomin-
able crime"
Catherine laughed harshly.
Whom would you call to your assist
ance? Douglasses, Douglasses, Doug
lasses! How many of your way of think
ing Will you find in the castle? You
know well one, only, and that is our
mother. old and helpless. Rouse the
castle. Isabel. if you will, and find a
dead man, and perhaps a dead sister
when you break in this locked door"
The helpless Isabel sank her head
against the wall and burst into a fury
of weeping.
Ladies'" said the King, soothingly
rising to his feet, will you graciously
condone my Intervention in this dispute?
You are discussing an important act
from the commission Of which all senti-
ment should be eliminated; an act which
requires the hard, strong mind of man
brought to bear upon the pros and cons
Of its contamination. You are dealing
with it entirely from the standpoint of
the heart and not of the head, an error
common with women, and one that has
ever precluded their effective dealing
with matters of State. You will pardon
me, Lady Isabel, when l say that your
sister takes much more practical view
of the situation than you do. She is
perfectly right in holding that, having
me prisoner here. it is impossible to al
low me to go scathless. There is no
greater folly than the folly of half doing
a thing"
Does Your Majesty argue in favor of
your own MURDER" asked Isabel. amazed,
gazing at the young man through her
ears.
Not so; but still theer is a considera-
ton which l must endeavor to eliminate
from my mind, if my advice is to be
impartial, and of service to you. May I
beg of you to be seated? We have the
night before us, and may consider the
various interesting points at our leisure,
and thus no lrrenediable mistake need
be made"
Isabel, well nigh exhausted with the
intensity Of her feelings, sank upon the
bench but Catherine still stood motion
less, dagger in hand. her back against
the door. The King, seeing she did not
intend to obey, went or suavely. There
was a light of intense admiration in his
eye as he regarded the standing woman.
Ladies'" he said, "can YOU tell me
when last a King of Scotland-a James
and a Catherine Douglas bore relation
TO each other in somewhat similar cir
cumstances?"
The King paused, but the girl. lowering
of
moments the young man went on.
1T was year more than a century ago
when the life of James I. was not only
threatened, but extinguished, not by one
brave woman, but by a mob of cowardly
assassins. Then Catherine Douglas
nearly saved the life of her King. She
thrust her fair young arm into the iron
loops of a door and had it shattered by
those craven miscreants."
Isabel wept quietly, her face in her
two open hands. But Catherine answer
ed in anger:
why did the Catherine Douglas OF
that day risk her life to save the King?
Because James 1. was just monarch.
Why does the Catherine of today wish
to thrust her dagger into the false heart
Of James V? Because he has turned on
the hand that nurtured him"
1.-THE hand that imprisoned him, Lady
Catherine. Pardon my correction.
He turned on the man who governed
Scotland wisely and we'll.
Again pardon me. He had no right to
govern. 1 was the King, not Archibald
Douglas. But all that is beside the
question and recrimination is as bad as
sentiment for clouding cold reason. What
wish to point out is that assassination
of kings or the capture of them very
rarely accomplishes its object. James /.
was assassinated, and as result two
Stuarts, two Grahams and two Cham
berses were tortured and executed; so
his murderers profitted little. My grand
father. James H., was carried off by the
Boyds, but Sir Alexander Boyd was be-
headed and his brother and nephew suf-
fered forfeiture. l think l have shown,
then, that violence is usually futile"
mot So" answered Catherine. Your
grandfather was assassinated, and the
man who killed him is not known to this
day Your grandfather basely
murdered the Black Douglas in Stirling,
thus beraking his word of honor, for
ne nau given DOuBId safe SOHuuSlp yeb
he profitted by his act and crushed my
kinsman."
81 see, Lady Catherine, that you are
too well versed in history for me to con-
tend with you successfully on that sub
ject," said the King, with a silent laugh.
1--WE will, therefore, restrict the inquiry
to the present case. as wise people
should. Tell me- then, so that l may be
the better able to advise you, what is
your true object-revenge and my death
or the wringing from me of concessions
for your family?"
Il could not wiring concessions from
you, because you could not make good
those concessions unless | released you.
1 dare not release you. because I dare
not trust you"
81 foresaw your difficulty, and so
told your sister that, having gone so
far, you could not retreat. The issue is,
therefore, narrowed down to death and
how it may best be accomplished. You
have made the tactical mistake of fore
warming me. 1 cannot understand why
you did not mount my horse beside me
and stab me in the back as we rode
through the forest Did this not occur
to you. Lady Catherine?"