r a priest. Yes: for God's sake. Fubbs will
do it. Fubbs is always--"

His voice trailed off into silence once more; and his fingers relaxed.
At the same instant I heard the door open softly behind, and, turning, I
saw the page's face again, lean and anxious, peering in at me. Then his
finger appeared in the line of light, beckoning.

I kissed the loose cold fingers once again; rose up and went out on
tip-toe.

CHAPTER X

Then began for me the most amazing adventure of all. My adventures had
indeed been very surprising--some of them; and my last I had thought to
be the greatest of all, and the most heart-breaking, in the yard of the
Theatre Royal. I had thought that that had drained the last energy from
me and that I had no desires left except of the peace of the cloister
and death itself. Yet after my words with the King and his to me, there
awakened that in me which I had thought already dead--a fierce
overmastering ambition to accomplish one more task that was the greatest
of them all and to get salvation to the man who had again and again
flouted and neglected me, whom yet I loved as I had never yet loved any
man. As I went to and fro, as I shall now relate, until I saw him again,
there went with me the vision of him and of his fallen death-stricken
face there in the shadow of the great bed; and there went with me too, I
think, the eager presence of my own love, near as warm as in life.

"What shall we do next? What shall we do next, Dolly?" I caught myself
murmuring more than once as I ran here and there; and I had almost sworn
that she whispered back to me, and that her breath was in my hair.

* * * * *

Within five minutes of my having left the King's bedchamber, I was
running up the stairs to Her Grace of Portsmouth's lodgings. I had said
scarce a word to Mr. Chiffinch when I came out into the little anteroom,
except that I was sent on a message by His Majesty; and he stared on me
as if I were mad. Then I was out again by the private way, through the
closet and the rooms beyond, and down the staircase.

At the door of Her Grace's lodgings there stood a sentry who lowered his
pike as I came up, to bar my way.

"Out of the way, man!" I cried at him. "I am on His Majesty's business."

He too stared on me, and faltered, lifting his pike a little. All were
distraught by the news that was run like fire about the place that the
King was dying, or he would never have let