arose great entreaties to the fugitive not to trust herself thus to
a rival in power, glory, and beauty; but the poor dispossessed queen
was full of confidence in her she called her good sister, and believed
herself going, free and rid of care, to take at Elizabeth's court the
place due to her rank and her misfortunes: thus she persisted, in
spite of all that could be said. In our time, we have seen the same
infatuation seize another royal fugitive, who like Mary Stuart confided
himself to the generosity of his enemy England: like Mary Stuart, he was
cruelly punished for his confidence, and found in the deadly climate of
St. Helena the scaffold of Fotheringay.

Mary Stuart set out on her journey, then, with her little following.
Arrived at the shore of Solway Firth, she found there the Warden of
the English Marches: he was a gentleman named Lowther, who received the
queen with the greatest respect, but who gave her to understand that
he could not permit more than three of her women to accompany her. Mary
Seyton immediately claimed her privilege: the queen held out to her her
hand.

"Alas! mignonne," said she, "but it might well be another's turn: you
have already suffered enough for me and with me."

But Mary, unable to reply, clung to her hand, making a sign with her
head that nothing in the world should part her from her mistress. Then
all who had accompanied the queen renewed their entreaties that she
should not persist in this fatal resolve, and when she was already a
third of the way along the plank placed for her to enter the skiff,
the Prior of Dundrennan, who had offered Mary Stuart such dangerous
and touching hospitality, entered the water up to his knees, to try to
detain her; but all was useless: the queen had made up her mind.

At that, moment Lowther approached her. "Madam," said he, "accept anew
my regrets that I cannot offer a warm welcome in England to all who
would wish to follow you there; but our queen has given us positive
orders, and we must carry them out. May I be permitted to remind your
Majesty that the tide serves?"

"Positive orders!" cried the prior. "Do you hear, madam? Oh! you are
lost if you quit this shore! Back, while there is yet time! Back; madam,
in Heaven's name! To me, sir knights, to me!" he cried, turning to Lord
Herries and the other lords who had accompanied Mary Stuart; "do not
allow your queen to abandon you, were it needful to struggle with her
and the English at the sa