The sun would come up presently; how few of all the thousands asleep in the Palace were destined to see him set! The trooper who stood by the parapet watching the pale light climb the eastern sky prayed with a boy's fervour that the sun might never rise. "Jehovah of the Thunders, Lord God of Battles, don't let that sun rise! Have pity; destroy the earth, hurl us away into the night, but don't let the sun rise upon Margaret's death--the end of human liberty, and all the glory of manhood that was England! Oh, stay the sun! Have mercy and stay the sun!" The trooper knelt down, and, reaching out his arms towards the east, begged the Almighty Father to stay the sun. Our Lady's voice broke in upon his silence. "Browne," she called, "Browne, come here to me, I need you." He came, standing at the salute. "Look to the west," said Margaret. "The light is growing--look to the west and tell me--are there any ships?" He looked into the violet gloom, hung like a funeral curtain over the west, then his arm fell to his side, but he dared not answer. "The armistice," said Margaret, "ends when the sun comes up--the three days' armistice--they would not give me more. Not just in the west, Browne," said our Lady, gently, "a little to the southward, look again. Lyonesse is a little south of west, above the copper beech tree down in the garden." But still Browne answered nothing. "Are you short-sighted, Browne?" asked Margaret, patiently, knowing that he was noted for long sight. "Or is the sky still dark over to westward?" But he answered nothing. "Or are you crying, Browne?" The man threw himself suddenly at her feet and there lay until the dawn light found our Lady's face. "If it were all to do again," she said; "and I knew what must come, seeing the future clearer than the past, and judging as God judges even to the end of Destiny--I wonder--should I have let my country be betrayed? Vassalage to Russia! No, I think not. Ulster betrayed me, and in that treason was the seed of all. Now we must reap where Ulster sowed the seed. I could not keep back the harvest, nor can we stop the sun from rising. It is not the rising of the sun which gives the signal to the Russian Fleet. The sun stands still in heaven--it is the earth that sets--man's world going down into this vassalage, into this Russian night. "They wanted me to surrender, to lay down my arms, my crown, my kingdom, my religion; my Ministers and my Generals, all with one voice begged me to save my people, by surrender. They asked me to make my people subjects of Russia--they called that serving my people! I would rather they died free, and took their freedom into the life to come, going to their Master rich with honour--and not afterwards beggarly, and ashamed, whining like slaves.