‘Ah, Madame, you can weep,’ said Eustacie slowly, looking at the Queen’s heavy tearful eyes almost with wonder; ’but I do not weep because I am dying, and that is better.’

‘My dear, my dear, do not so speak!’ exclaimed the gentle but rather dull Queen.

‘Is it wrong?  Nay, so much the better—­then I shall be with HIM,’ said Eustacie in the same feeble dreamy manner, as if she did not understand herself, but a little roused by seeing she had shocked her visitor.  ’I would not be wicked.  He was all bright goodness and truth:  but his does not seem to be goodness that brings to heaven, and I do not want to be in the heaven of these cruel false men—­I think it would go round and round.’  She shut her eyes as if to steady herself, and that moment seemed to give her more self-recollection, for looking at the weeping, troubled visitor, she exclaimed, with more energy, ’Oh!  Madame, it must be a dreadful fancy!  Good men like him cannot be shut into those fiery gates with the torturing devils.’

‘Heaven forbid!’ exclaimed the Queen.  ’My poor, poor child, grieve not yourself thus.  At my home, my Austrian home, we do not speak in this dreadful way.  My father loves and honours his loyal Protestants, and he trusts that the good God accepts their holy lives in His unseen Church, even though outwardly they are separate from us.  My German confessor ever said so.  Oh!  Child, it would be too frightful if we deemed that all those souls as well as bodies perished in these frightful days.  Myself, I believe that they have their reward for their truth and constancy.’

Eustacie caught the Queen’s hand, and fondled it with delight, as though those words had veritably opened the gates of heaven to her husband.  The Queen went on in her slow gentle manner, the very tone of which was inexpressibly soothing and sympathetic:  ’Yes, and all will be clear there.  No more violence.  At home our good men think so, and the King will think the same when these cruel counselors will leave him to himself; and I pray, I pray day and night, that God will not lay this sin to his account, but open his eyes to repent.  Forgive him, Eustacie, and pray for him too.’

‘The King would have saved my husband, Madame,’ returned Eustacie.  ’He bade him to his room.  It was I, unhappy I, who detained him, lest our flight should have been hindered.’

The Queen in her turn kissed Eustacie’s forehead with eager gratitude.  ’Oh, little one, you have brought a drop of comfort to a heavy heart.  Alas!  I could sometimes feel you to be a happier wife than I, with your perfect trust in the brave pure-spirited youth, unwarped by these wicked cruel advisers.  I loved to look at his open brow; it was so like our bravest German Junkers.  And, child, we thought, both of us, to have brought about your happiness; but, ah! it has but caused all this misery.’

‘No, no, dearest Queen,’ said Eustacie, ’this month with all its woe has been joy—­life!  Oh!  I had rather lie here and die for his loss than be as I was before he came.  And NOW—­now, you have given him to me for all eternity—­if but I am fit to be with him!’