ll thyself her husband!'

Sir John fired up, and made a rush at the sailor, who seized him by the
collar, and in the wrestle they both fell, Roger under. But in a few
seconds he contrived to extricate his right arm, and drawing from his
belt a knife which he wore attached to a cord round his neck he opened it
with his teeth, and struck it into the breast of Sir John stretched above
him. Edith had during these moments run into the next room to place the
child in safety, and when she came back the knight was relaxing his hold
on Roger's throat. He rolled over upon his back and groaned.

The only witness of the scene save the three concerned was the nursemaid,
who had brought in the child on its father's arrival. She stated
afterwards that nobody suspected Sir John had received his death wound;
yet it was so, though he did not die for a long while, meaning thereby an
hour or two; that Mistress Edith continually endeavoured to staunch the
blood, calling her brother Roger a wretch, and ordering him to get
himself gone; on which order he acted, after a gloomy pause, by opening
the window, and letting himself down by the sill to the ground.

It was then that Sir John, in difficult accents, made his dying
declaration to the nurse and Edith, and, later, the apothecary; which was
to this purport, that the Dame Horseleigh who passed as his wife at
Clyfton, and who had borne him three children, was in truth and deed,
though unconsciously, the wife of another man. Sir John had married her
several years before, in the face of the whole county, as the widow of
one Decimus Strong, who had disappeared shortly after her union with him,
having adventured to the North to join the revolt of the Nobles, and on
that revolt being quelled retreated across the sea. Two years ago,
having discovered this man to be still living in France, and not wishing
to disturb the mind and happiness of her who believed herself his wife,
yet wishing for legitimate issue, Sir John had informed the King of the
facts, who had encouraged him to wed honestly, though secretly, the young
merchant's widow at Havenpool; she being, therefore, his lawful wife, and
she only. That to avoid all scandal and hubbub he had purposed to let
things remain as they were till fair opportunity should arise of making
the true case known with least pain to all parties concerned, but that,
having been thus suspected and attacked by his own brother-in-law, his
zest for such scheme