beth and his
lady pretended to be much surprised that the old king did not get
up. Macduff, the thane of Fife, who was one of the royal party,
decided at last to go to the king's apartment to see if the king was
well. He returned speedily in great excitement, as one may well
suppose. As Shakspeare continues the interesting narrative:--

"_Macduff._ O horror! horror! horror!

_Macbeth._ What's the matter?

_Macd._ Confusion now hath made his masterpiece. Most sacrilegious
murder hath broke ope the Lord's anointed temple and stole thence
the life o' the building.

_Macb._ What is 't you say? the life?"

Macbeth appeared to be greatly shocked by the event, and, with a
great show of fury and many hot words, he despatched the sentinels
of the king, whom he feigned to believe had done the deed. Lady
Macbeth fell upon the floor, pretending, of all things in the world
for a woman of such mettle, to faint.

So Macbeth came to the throne. But he remembered that the weird
women had foretold that Banquo should become the father of kings,
which made him fear for the stability of his throne. He thought to
correct the tables of destiny somewhat, and so he induced two
desperate men to do by Banquo as he had done by Duncan. The spirit
of Banquo was not quiet like Duncan's, but haunted him, and twice
appeared to him at a great feast that he gave to the thanes.

Now Banquo had a son named Fleance, whom the murderers were
instructed to kill, but who, on the death of his father, eluded his
enemies and fled to France. The story-writers say that the line of
Stuart was descended from this son.

Macbeth, like all wicked people who accomplish their ends, was very
unhappy. He lived in continual fear lest some of his relations
should do by him as he had done by Duncan and Banquo. He became so
miserable at last that he decided to consult the witches who had
foretold his elevation, to hear what they would say of the rest of
his life.

He found them in a dark cave, in the middle of which was a caldron
boiling. The old women had put into the pot a toad, the toe of a
frog, the wool of a bat, an adder's tongue, an owl's wing, and many
other things, of which you will find the list in Shakspeare. Now and
then they walked around the pot, repeating a very sensible ditty:--

"Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and, caldron, bubble."

Th