The next moment all was tumult in the chamber. Several of the soldiers, who were on guard, rushed in on hearing Ethne’s death-cry. Cormac was seized by the soldiers, who believed he had been attacking the woman. Ethne was carried into an adjoining room. Gelert gave a loud bark of joy, and rushed forward to meet two women who appeared at the door, accompanied by a Saxon who wore the dress of a priest. To Cormac’s entire bewilderment, Elgiva stood before him. “You, too!” he moaned. “Are you to suffer also for all this sin and treachery? Your life, I hoped, was safe.” “And yours, too, Cormac,” she answered, solemnly. “You owe it to a fellow-Christian!” Then, after a time, she told him what had happened to her after her departure from Ethne’s side on the preceding morning. When Cormac had heard her story, he remembered the words of Saint Columba--the Cross and not the Sword will subdue the Saxons! Elgiva said that at dawn on the day of the feast, Ethne awoke her saying that her mother was on her way to the British camp, and that Elgiva was to ride with some waiting Saxons to meet her. Elgiva set forth immediately, and rode some distance before she discovered Ethne’s treachery, and that she was being taken, as a prisoner, to Redwald. She endeavoured to escape, but found it useless. She then appealed to the men who accompanied her; and in her explanations and expostulations, she discovered that one of them had a wife who had lately adopted Christianity, and was now in the service of Queen Bertha. She persuaded this man to let her see his wife. The interview she craved brought her more than she had dared to hope. Her mother’s story and long resistance to Paganism had already reached Queen Bertha’s ears; she now prevailed on Ethelbert to allow her to purchase the liberty of both women from Redwald--a difficult matter to arrange, even at the great price she offered; but Redwald was loath to refuse anything to the wife of the king to whom he had just vowed fealty. “And so, Cormac,” said Elgiva, “I am sent back to you, and my mother with me, on the one condition that we depart to-morrow at dawn.” Afterwards they looked down on the body of Ethne of the Raven Hair. The mother of Elgiva gently closed the staring eyes and said: “Judge not, that ye be not judged! This woman was a Druidess, and a daughter of Druids, and they are reared in vice and cruelty. Their mothers are naught to them; when they marry it is not with one man, but with many; the children they bear are sent at once to the foster-mother. Love and honour are closed books to them.” THE END. _William J. McKenzie, The Devonshire Press, Torquay._ Transcriber’s Notes In a few cases, errors in punctuation have been corrected. The word Chapter was added before VI. Page 46: “Cond of the Hundred Battles” changed to “Conn of the Hundred Battles” Page 82: “he gratefuly accepted” changed to “he gratefully accepted” Page 95: “the hounds and man” changed to “the hounds and men”