"I am a priest, and a Catholic," replied the old man, "and shall be willing and desirous of giving you all the consolation in my power. At present you have given the best proof of repentance, by the confession you have made, and to confirm it, you must sign it with your name, and acknowledge the truth of what I have written, before all present."
He then gave the paper to De Sylva to read, who signed it, and declared it was correct.
"I would swear it," he added, in heart-broken accents: "but oh! by what can a wretch like me swear, and be believed!"
He was now conveyed to a decent bed in Ross's house, who, like a true Christian pastor, would not abandon him to his despair; but placed by his bed-side, strove in conjunction with the Catholic priest, De la Tour, by the most consoling attentions, and hopes founded on his present repentance, to beat away the busy meddling fiend, who laid strong siege unto the wretch's soul.
The miserable De Sylva lingered nearly a week, racked with guilty fears, and scarcely daring to hope for mercy: yet for mercy his pious comforters bade him hope, since he repented deeply, and sought it in that holy name, which, though once he had denied, he now most humbly acknowledged.
On the sixth evening he expired.
"Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all."
As soon as De Sylva's confession had been received, St. Aubyn sent an express messenger to the proper persons in London, requesting permission to dispatch Jean Batiste de la Tour, a French priest, into Oxfordshire, where he understood Lord de Montfort then was at one of his seats, with papers of the utmost importance to that nobleman and to himself, De la Tour having witnessed the confession of a prisoner since dead, which involved concerns of the most material interest. He also requested permission for De la Tour to remain attached to Lord de Montfort's suite, or to be at liberty on his parole at Castle St. Aubyn, till he could obtain the consent of government to his returning to his native country; for St. Aubyn could not bear that this helpless and venerable old man should remain as a prisoner of war, and end his days in a strange country.
The answer was favourable to his Lordship's wishes, and Charles Ross undertook to escort De la Tour into Oxfordshire: in the meantime a detachment arrived to guard the other prisoners to the depôt in Shropshire.
Ross and De la Tour departed together, taking with them the deposition of De Sylva, the cross of the unfortunate Rosolia, which had been found in his possession, and every other document which could carry conviction to the mind of De Montfort.