. Captain Churchill has confessed,
that though out of consideration for you he had admitted that he was
present on this occasion, yet that in reality he had never quitted
his house during the whole of the day in question."
"Sire," replied Wilton, looking him full in the face, with a calm,
but not disrespectful air, "your majesty may have seen by my answers
hitherto that whatever I do say will be the truth, plain and
undisguised. I only hesitated whether I should not beg your majesty
to excuse my answering at all, as you know by the laws of England no
man can be forced to criminate himself; but as I acted in a manner
that became a man of honour, and also in a manner which I believed at
the time to be fitted to promote your majesty's interests, and to be
in every respect such as you yourself could wish, I will answer the
question, though, perhaps, my answer might in some circumstances be
used against myself."
The slightest possible shade of displeasure had come over the King's
countenance, when Wilton expressed a doubt as to answering the
question at all; but whether it was from his natural command over his
features, the coldness of a phlegmatic constitution, or that he
really was not seriously angry, the cloud upon his brow was certainly
not a hundredth part so heavy as it would probably have been with any
other sovereign in Europe. He contented himself, then, when Wilton
had come to the end of the sentence, by merely saying, with evident
marks of impatience and curiosity, "Go on. What was his real name?"
"The name, sire, by which he is generally known," replied Wilton, "is
the Duke of Berwick."
For once the King was moved. He started in his chair, and turning
round, looked at the gentleman by his side, exclaiming, "It was not
Drummond, then!"
"No, sire," replied Wilton; "although he never expressly stated his
name to me, yet from all that was said by every one around, I must
admit that I knew perfectly it was the Duke of Berwick. But, sire,
whoever it was, he had saved my life: he had said not one word
disrespectful to your Majesty's person: he had reprobated in the most
severe and cutting terms those conspirators, some of whom have
already bowed the head to the sword of justice; and he had
stigmatized the acts they proposed to commit with scorn, contempt,
and horror. All this he had done in my presence to ten or twelve
armed men, whose conduct to myself, and schemes against you, showed
them capable of any daring villany. These, sire, may be called m