And seeing the surgeons at hand, he would have risen to make way, but Malcolm held him fast, reiterating, ‘Save her, Sir.’

‘If your life guards her, throw it not away by thus dallying,’ said Bedford, disengaging himself; while Malcolm groaned heavily, and turned his heavy eyes to his royal friend, who said kindly, ’Fear not, dear cousin; either thou wilt live, or he will be better than his word.’

‘God will guard her, I know,’ said Malcolm; ’and oh! my own dear lord, I need not ask you to be the brother to my poor sister you have been to me.  At least all will be clear for her and Patie!’

‘I trust not yet,’ said James, smiling in encouragement.  ’Thou wilt live, my faithful laddie.’

Malcolm was spent and nearly fainting by this time, and all his reply was a few gasps of ’Only say you pardon me all, my lord, and will speak for her to the Duke! ask her prayers for me!’ and as James sealed his few words of reply with a kiss, he closed his eyes, and became unconscious; in which state he was conveyed to his bed.

‘You might have set his mind at rest,’ said James, somewhat hurt, to the Duke.

‘Who?  I!’ said Bedford.  ’I cannot stir a finger that could set us at enmity with Burgundy, for any lady in the land.  Moreover, if she have found means to secure herself once, she can do so again.’

‘I would you could have been more kind to my poor boy,’ said James.

’Methought I was the most reasonably kind of you all!  Had it not been mere murder to keep him there prating and bleeding, I had asked of him what indiscretion had blown the secret and perilled the signet.  No robbers were those between Paris and Vincennes in our midst, but men who knew what he bore.  I’ll never—­’

Bedford just restrained himself from saying, ‘trust a Scot again;’ but his manner had vexed and pained James, who returned to Malcolm, and left him no more till called by necessity to his post as King Henry’s chief mourner, when the care of him was left to Patrick Drummond and old Bairdsbrae; and Malcolm was a very tranquil patient, who seemed to need nothing but the pleasure of looking at the ring on his finger.  The weapon had evidently touched no vital part, and he was decidedly on the way to recovery, when on the second evening Bedford met James, saying:  ’I have seen Robsart.  It was no indiscretion of young Glenuskie’s.  It was only what comes of dealing with women.  Can I see the boy without peril to him?’

Malcolm was so much better, that there was no reason against the Duke’s admission, and soon Bedford’s falcon-face looked down on him in all its melancholy.

‘Thanks, my Lord Glenuskie,’ he said; ’I thought not to be sending you on a service of such risk.’

‘It was a welcome service,’ said Malcolm.

Bedford’s brows knitted themselves for a moment as he said, ’I came to ask whether you deem that this hurt was from a common robber or routier.’