"My God, my God!" said she, quivering from the internal tremor, and
stretching her hands beseechingly toward the king, "do you not hear
that frightful wail of the wretched? Sire, by the thought of your
own dying hour, I conjure you have compassion on these miserable
beings! Let them not, at least, be thrown alive into the flames.
Spare them this last frightful torture."

King Henry cast a wrathful look on the kneeling girl; then strode
past her to the door, which led into the adjoining hall, in which
the courtiers were waiting for their king.

He beckoned to the two bishops, Cranmer and Gardiner, to come
nearer, and ordered the servants to throw the hall doors wide open.

The scene now afforded an animated and singular spectacle, and this
chamber, just before so quiet, was suddenly changed to the theatre
of a great drama, which was perhaps to end tragically. In the
queen's bedchamber, a small room, but furnished with the utmost
luxury and splendor, the principal characters of this scene were
congregated. In the middle of the space stood the king in his robes,
embroidered with gold and sparkling with jewels, which were
irradiated by the bright light of the chandelier. Near him was seen
the young queen, whose beautiful and lovely face was turned in
anxious expectation toward the king, in whose stern and rigid
features she sought to read the development of this scene.

Not far from her still knelt the young maiden, hiding in her hands
her face drenched in tears; while farther away, in the background,
were the two bishops observing with grave, cool tranquillity the
group before them. Through the open hall doors were descried the