"I did not seek to know your father's secrets."
"No, but you came as a Catholic. You came as one desirous of bringing a Catholic king on the throne. My father welcomes such as his own children. Otherwise you would not have been welcomed so warmly, nor would you have been asked to remain while Polperro sought to degrade us all. It is a weakness of my father to take to his heart all who belong to old Catholic families, and to trust them blindly——"
"I am waiting for your mercy," I said.
"You have done two things while in this house," said Otho: "you have pretended to side with my father in carrying out the great plan of his life, and as a consequence obtained secrets from him; and you have sought for, and obtained, an interview with my affianced wife. Either of these actions would justify us in dealing with you in a summary fashion. But we have decided on conditions to be merciful."
"Explain."
"I have discovered that you Trevanions never break a promise."
"That must be strange to such as you."
"If you will promise two things, we have decided to let you leave Endellion in no worse condition than you entered it."
"You are very merciful."
"Seeing that you have abused our hospitality, it is."