lena: and he well remembered that Helena
had called all the saints in heaven to witness she would never part with
that ring, unless she sent it to the king himself upon some great
disaster befalling her; and Bertram, on the king's questioning him how
he came by the ring, told an improbable story of a lady throwing it to
him out of a window, and denied ever having seen Helena since the day of
their marriage. The king, knowing Bertram's dislike to his wife, feared
he had destroyed her: and he ordered his guards to seize Bertram,
saying, "I am wrapt in dismal thinking, for I fear the life of Helena
was foully snatched." At this moment Diana and her mother entered, and
presented a petition to the king, wherein they begged his majesty to
exert his royal power to compel Bertram to marry Diana, he having made
her a solemn promise of marriage. Bertram, fearing the king's anger,
denied he had made any such promise; and then Diana produced the ring
(which Helena had put into her hands) to confirm the truth of her words;
and she said that she had given Bertram the ring he then wore, in
exchange for that, at the time he vowed to marry her. On hearing this,
the king ordered the guards to seize her also; and her account of the
ring differing from Bertram's, the king's suspicions were confirmed: and
he said, if they did not confess how they came by this ring of Helena's,
they should be both put to death. Diana requested her mother might be
permitted to fetch the jeweller of whom she bought the ring, which being
granted, the widow went out, and presently returned leading in Helena
herself.

The good countess, who in silent grief had beheld her son's danger, and
had even dreaded that the suspicion of his having destroyed his wife
might possibly be true, finding her dear Helena, whom she loved with
even a maternal affection, was still living, felt a delight she was
hardly able to support; and the king, scarce believing for joy that it
was Helena, said, "Is this indeed the wife of Bertram that I see?"
Helena, feeling herself yet an unacknowledged wife, replied, "No, my
good lord, it is but the shadow of a wife you see, the name and not the
thing." Bertram cried out, "Both, both! O pardon!"--"O my lord," said
Helena, "when I personated this fair maid, I found you wondrous kind;
and look, here is your letter!" reading to him in a joyful tone those
words which she had once repeated so sorrowfully, _When from my finger
you can get this ring_,