"But she
will recover to work my misery and her own. To your hands I commit her
punishment. May God bless you, Henry!"
With this she replaced her mask, and quitted the chapel.
Henry, meanwhile, anxious to avoid the comments of his attendants,
exerted himself to restore Anne Boleyn to sensibility, and his efforts
were speedily successful.
"Is it then reality?" gasped Anne, as she gazed around. "I hoped it was a
hideous dream. Oh, Henry, this has been frightful! But you will not kill
me, as she predicted? Swear to me you will not!"
"Why should you be alarmed?" rejoined the king. "If you are faithful,
you have nothing to fear."
"But you said suspicion, Henry--you said suspicion!" cried Anne.
"You must put the greater guard upon your conduct," rejoined the king
moodily. "I begin to think there is some truth in Catherine's
insinuations."
"Oh no, I swear to you there is not," said Anne--"I have trifled with the
gallants of Francis's court, and have listened, perhaps too
complacently, to the love-vows of Percy and Wyat, but when your
majesty deigned to cast eyes upon me, all others vanished as the stars
of night before the rising of the god of day.
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