”

They tried to change the topic, but his fears were aroused, and he
pursued it--

“Will they scourge thee?  No, no, they would not be so cruel!  Say they
would not.  Come, they _will_ not, will they?”

The women betrayed confusion and distress, but there was no avoiding an
answer, so one of them said, in a voice choked with emotion--

“Oh, thou’lt break our hearts, thou gentle spirit!--God will help us to
bear our--”

“It is a confession!” the King broke in.