d.

Getting rid of this fear, he entered the king's room, whom he
dispatched with one stroke of his dagger. Just as he had done the
murder, one of the grooms, who slept in the chamber, laughed in his
sleep, and the other cried "Murder," which woke them both: but they
said a short prayer; one of them said, "God bless us!" and the other
answered "Amen;" and addressed themselves to sleep again. Macbeth, who
stood listening to them, tried to say "Amen," when the fellow said
"God bless us!" but, though he had most need of a blessing, the word
stuck in his throat, and he could not pronounce it.

Again he thought he heard a voice which cried, "Sleep no more: Macbeth
doth murder sleep, the innocent sleep, that nourishes life." Still it
cried, "Sleep no more," to all the house. "Glamis hath murdered sleep,
and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no
more."

With such horrible imaginations, Macbeth returned to his listening
wife, who began to think he had failed of his purpose, and that the
deed was somehow frustrated. He came in so distracted a state, that
she reproached him with his want of firmness, and sent him to wash his
hands of the blood which stained them, while she took his dagger, with
purpose to stain the cheeks of the grooms with blood, to make it seem
their guilt.

Morning came, and with it the discovery of the murder, which could
not be concealed; and though Macbeth and his lady made great show of
grief, and the proofs against the grooms (the dagger being produced
against them and their faces smeared with blood) were sufficiently
strong, yet the entire suspicion fell upon Macbeth, whose inducements
to such a deed were so much more forcible than such poor silly grooms
could be supposed to have; and Duncan's two sons fled. Malcolm, the
eldest, sought for refuge in the English court; and the youngest,
Donalbain, made his escape to Ireland.

The king's sons, who should have succeeded him, having thus vacated
the throne, Macbeth as next heir was crowned king, and thus the
prediction of the weird sisters was literally accomplished.

Though placed so high, Macbeth and his queen could not forget the
prophecy of the weird sisters, that, though Macbeth should be king,
yet not his children, but the children of Banquo, should be kings
after him. The thought of this, and that they had defiled their hands
with blood, and done so great crimes, only to place the posterity of
Banquo upon the throne, so