The girl laughed nervously and tried to push her mother from the room.

“No, I will remain,” said the duchess.  “I almost believe that you are right, and that the Virgin has prompted you to do this to save yourself.”

“I know she has,” answered Yolanda, crossing herself.  “Now leave me.  I must waste no more time.”

“I will remain with you, Mary,” said Margaret, “and I will myself make the alteration.  Then I’ll take all the blame in case we are discovered.”

Margaret rose, walked over to the table, and took up the quill.  She trembled so violently that she could not control her hand.

“No, mother, you shall not touch it,” cried Yolanda, snatching the parchment from the countess and holding it behind her.  “If I would let you, you could not make the alteration; see, your hand trembles!  You would blot the parchment and spoil all this fine plan of mine.  Give me the quill, mother!  Give me the quill!”

She took the quill from Margaret’s passive hand and sat down at the table.  Spreading the missive before her, she dipped the quill in the ink-well, and when she lifted it, a drop of ink fell upon the table within a hair’s breadth of the parchment.

“Ah, Blessed Virgin!” cried Yolanda, snatching the missive away from the ink blot.  “If the ink had fallen on the parchment, we surely had been lost.  I, too, am trembling, and I dare not try to make the alteration now.  What a poor, helpless creature I am, when I cannot even cross a ‘t’ to save myself.  Blessed Virgin, help me once more!”

But help did not come.  Yolanda’s excitement grew instead of subsiding, and she was so wrought upon by a nameless fear that she began to weep.  Margaret seated herself on the divan and covered her face with her hands.  Yolanda walked the floor like a caged wild thing, uttering ejaculatory prayers to the Virgin.  Again she took up the quill, but again put it down, exclaiming:—­

“I have it, mother!  There is a friend of whom I have often told you—­Sir Karl.  He will help us if I can bring him here in time.  If father has left the castle, I’ll take the letter to my parlor and fetch Sir Karl.  He is a brave, strong old man and his hand will not tremble.”

Yolanda left the room and soon returned.

“Father has gone to the marshes,” she whispered excitedly.  “We have ample time if I can find Sir Karl.”

She took the missive, the ink, and the quill to her parlor in Darius Tower, and hurried to Castleman’s house.  How she got there I will soon tell you.

She found Twonette sewing, and hastily explained her wishes.

“Run, Twonette, to The Mitre, and fetch me Sir Karl.  I don’t want Sir Max to know that I am sending.  I think Sir Max has gone falconing with father; I pray God he has gone, and I pray that Sir Karl has not.  Tell Sir Karl to come to me at once.  If he is not at the inn send for him.  If you love me, Twonette, make all haste.  Run!  Run!”