s called, to be adjourned to London. Here things took such a
turn that Mary complained that she was herself treated in so unjust a
manner, and Murray and his cause were allowed so many unfair
advantages, that she could not allow the discussion on her part to
continue. The conference was accordingly broken up, each party
charging the other with being the cause of the interruption.

Murray returned to Scotland to resume his government there. Mary was
held a closer captive than ever. She sent to Elizabeth asking her to
remove these restraints, and allow her to depart either to her own
country or to France. Elizabeth replied that she could not,
considering all the circumstances of the case, allow her to leave
England; but that, if she would give up all claims to the government
of Scotland to her son, the young prince, she might remain in peace
_in_ England. Mary replied that she would suffer death a thousand
times rather than dishonor herself in the eyes of the world by
abandoning, in such a way, her rights as a sovereign. The last words
which she should speak, she said, should be those of the Queen of
Scotland.

Elizabeth therefore considered that she had no alternative left but
to keep Mary a prisoner. She accordingly retained her for some time
in confinement, but she soon found that such a charge was a serious
incumbrance to her, and one not unattended with danger. The
disaffected in her own realm were beginning to form plots, and to
consider whether they could not, in some way or other, make use of
Mary's claims to the English crown to aid them. Finally, Elizabeth
came to the conclusion, when she had become a little satiated with
the feeling, at first so delightful, of having Mary in her power,
that, after all, it would be quite as convenient to have her
imprisoned in Scotland, and she opened a negotiation with Murray for
delivering Mary into his hands. He was, on his part, to agree to save
her life, and to keep her a close prisoner, and he was to deliver
hostages to Elizabeth as security for the fulfillment of these
obligations.

Various difficulties, however, occurred in the way of the
accomplishment of these plans, and before the arrangement was finally
completed, it was cut suddenly short by Murray's miserable end. One
of the Hamiltons, who had been with Mary at Langside, was taken
prisoner after the battle. Murray, who, of course, as the legally
constituted regent in the name of James, considered himself as
re