They succeeded in reawakening doubts in Edward, who,
sending for Gloucester, said to him, "Unless I could hear from
Wallace's own lips (and in my case the thing is impossible), that he
has been here, and that my wife is guiltless of this foul stain, I must
ever remain in horrible suspense. These base Scots, ever fertile in
maddening suggestions, have made me even more suspect that Bruce had
other reasons for his apparently generous risk of himself, than a love
of justice."
While these ideas floated in the mind of Edward, Bruce had been more
closely immured. And Gloucester having received the promised letter
from Wallace, determined to lay it before the king. Accordingly, one
morning the earl, gliding unobserved into the presence-chamber before
Edward was brought in, laid the letter under his majesty's cushion. As
Gloucester expected, the moment the king saw the superscription, he
knew the hand; and hastily breaking the seal, read the letter twice
over to himself without speaking a word. But the clouds which had hung
on his countenance all passed away; and with a smile reaching the
packet to Gloucester, he commanded him to read aloud "that silencer of
all doubts respecting the honor of Margaret of France and England.
Pages:
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909