Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Adaptations; Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Stories, plots, etc. -- Juvenile literature
The king was still in perfect health, and his gratitude to her who had
been the means of his recovery was so lively in his mind, that the
moment he saw the Countess of Rousillon, he began to talk of Helena,
calling her a precious jewel that was lost by the folly of her son; but
seeing the subject distressed the countess, who sincerely lamented the
death of Helena, he said, "My good lady, I have forgiven and forgotten
all." But the good-natured old Lafeu, who was present, and could not
bear that the memory of his favourite Helena should be so lightly passed
over, said, "This I must say, the young lord did great offence to his
majesty, his mother, and his lady; but to himself he did the greatest
wrong of all, for he has lost a wife whose beauty astonished all eyes,
whose words took all ears captive, whose deep perfection made all hearts
wish to serve her." The king said, "Praising what is lost makes the
remembrance dear. Well--call him hither;" meaning Bertram, who now
presented himself before the king: and, on his expressing deep sorrow
for the injuries he had done to Helena, the king, for his dead father's
and his admirable mother's sake, pardoned him and restored him once more
to his favour. But the gracious countenance of the king was soon changed
towards him, for he perceived that Bertram wore the very ring upon his
finger which he had given to Helena: and he well remembered that Helena
had called all the saints in heaven to witness she would never part with
that ring, unless she sent it to the king himself upon some great
disaster befalling her; and Bertram, on the king's questioning him how
he came by the ring, told an improbable story of a lady throwing it to
him out of a window, and denied ever having seen Helena since the day of
their marriage. The king, knowing Bertram's dislike to his wife, feared
he had destroyed her: and he ordered his guards to seize Bertram,
saying, "I am wrapt in dismal thinking, for I fear the life of Helena
was foully snatched." At this moment Diana and her mother entered, and
presented a petition to the king, wherein they begged his majesty to
exert his royal power to compel Bertram to marry Diana, he having made
her a solemn promise of marriage. Bertram, fearing the king's anger,
denied he had made any such promise; and then Diana produced the ring
(which Helena had put into her hands) to confirm the truth of her words;
and she said that she had given Bertram the ring he then wore, in
exchange for that, at the time he vowed to marry her. On hearing this,
the king ordered the guards to seize her also; and her account of the
ring differing from Bertram's, the king's suspicions were confirmed: and
he said, if they did not confess how they came by this ring of Helena's,
they should be both put to death. Diana requested her mother might be
permitted to fetch the jeweller of whom she bought the ring, which being
granted, the widow went out, and presently returned leading in Helena
herself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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