“You dare not touch me,” replied Surrey, placing his hand upon his breast; “I am armed with a holy relic.”
“I know it,” said Herne; “and I feel its power, or I would not have trifled with you thus long. But it cannot shield you from a rival. You believe the Fair Geraldine constant—ha?”
“I know her to be so,” said Surrey.
A derisive laugh broke from Herne.
“Peace, mocking fiend!” cried Surrey furiously.
“I laugh to think how you are deceived,” said Herne. “Would you behold your mistress now?—would you see how she conducts herself during your absence?”
“If you choose to try me, I will not oppose the attempt,” replied Surrey; “but it will be futile.”
“Remove the relic from your person,” rejoined Herne. “Place it upon the table, within your grasp, and you shall see her.”
Surrey hesitated; but he was not proof against the low mocking laugh of the demon.
“No harm can result from it,” he cried at length, detaching the relic from his neck, and laying it on the table.