The face of the stolid Dutchman was all broken with emotion.
“’Tis yours, Robert, if the thing is mine to grant.”
“I want Montagu spared. You must get his pardon before I die, else I shall not pass easy in mind. This one wrong I must right before the end. ’Twas I drove him to rebellion. You will get him pardoned and see to it that his estates are not confiscated?”
“I promise to do my best. It shall be attended to.”
“To-day?”
“This very hour if it can be arranged.”
“And you, Cumberland, will do your share.”
The Duke nodded, frowning to hide his emotion.
Volney fell back on the pillows. “Good! Where is the priest?”
A vicar of the Church of England came forward to offer the usual ministrations to the dying. Volney listened for a minute or two with closed eyes, then interrupted gently.