“Your Grace,” he ended, “it sounds a poor tale of a man that a woman should die for him so; but I can say with truth that with God’s grace I would have died a hundred deaths to save her.”
The Queen was silent for a good while when the story was over, and Anthony thought that perhaps she could not speak; but he dared not look at her.
Then she spoke very harshly:
“And you, Mr. Norris, why did you not escape?”
“Your Grace would not have done so.”
“When I saw that she was dying, I would.”
“Not if you had been a priest, your Grace.”
“What is that?” asked the Queen, suddenly facing him.
“I am a priest, madam, and she was a Catholic, and my duty was beside her.”
“Eh?”