“Your Royal Highness will permit me to congratulate you.”  At the same time she saw, to her great joy, that M. de Chateauneuf had caused her foster-father to enter the barge with them.  “If the Queen of Scotland were close at hand, the game would be won,” said Bellievre.

“Ah!  Milord Treasurer and M. le Secretaire are far too cunning to have let her be within reach,” said Chateauneuf.

“Could we but have bound the Queen to anything,” added Bellievre.

“That she always knows how to avoid,” said the resident ambassador.

“At least,” said Cicely, “she has permitted that I should bear the terms to my mother at Fotheringhay.”

“That is true,” said Chateauneuf, “and in my opinion no time should be lost in so doing.  I doubt,” he added, looking at Richard, “whether, now that her Highness’s exalted rank is known, the embassy will be permitted to remain a shelter to her, in case the Queen should demand her of me.”

“Your Excellency speaks my thought,” said Richard.  “I am even disposed to believe that it would be wiser to begin our journey this very day.”

“I grieve for the apparent inhospitality and disrespect to one whom I honour so highly,” said Chateauneuf, but I verily believe it would be the wiser plan.  Look you, sir, the enemies of the unfortunate Queen of Scotland have done all in their power to hinder my colleague from seeing the Queen, but to-day the Lord Treasurer is occupied at Westminster, and Monsieur le Secretaire is sick.  She sent for us in one of those wilful moods in which she chooses to assert herself without their knowledge, and she remains, as it were, stunned by the surprise, and touched by her Royal Highness’s pleading.  But let these gentlemen discover what has passed, or let her recover and send for them, and bah! they will inquire, and messengers will go forth at once to stop her Highness and yourself.  All will be lost.  But if you can actually be on the way to this castle before they hear of it--and it is possible you may have a full day in advance—­they will be unable to hinder the conditions from being laid before the Queen of Scots, and we are witnesses of what they were.”

“Oh, let us go! let us go at once, dear sir,” entreated Cicely.  “I burn to carry my mother this hope.”

It was not yet noon, so early had been the audience, and dark and short as were the days, it was quite possible to make some progress on the journey before night.  Cicely had kept the necessaries for her journey ready, and so had Mr. Talbot, even to the purchase of horses, which were in the Shrewsbury House stables.

The rest of the mails could be fetched by the Mastiff’s crew, and brought to Hull under charge of Goatley.  Madame de Salmonnet was a good deal scandalised at Son Altesse Royale going off with only a male escort, and to Cicely’s surprise, wept over her, and prayed aloud that she might have good success, and bring safety and deliverance to the good and persecuted Queen for whom she had attempted so much.