"Who called himself by the strange name of Skilligalee?" added Markham, concluding the King's question for him. "I did;—I helped him to release that woman he named Margaret." "And whom the laws of the Zingarees had condemned to the penalty from which you freed her," said the King. "Was it right, young man, thus to step between the culprit and the decree of justice?" "I acted in accordance with the dictates of humanity," replied Richard firmly; "and under such circumstances I should act in a similar way again." "The young gentleman speaks well," said Morcar, who admired the resolution evinced in our hero's tone and manner. "And he showed a good heart," observed Eva, now speaking for the first time since Richard's arrival, and displaying her brilliant teeth. "Well—well," exclaimed Zingary: "I will not upbraid the young man more, since even my pretty Eva takes his part. You see," he continued, addressing himself especially to the gipsies, "it is as we thought. Skilligalee deserted us in order to liberate Margaret Flathers. I always believed that such was the case, from the moment we received the account of her escape. But I have one more question to ask our guest. Let him satisfy us how he traced Anthony Tidkins _to_ the Palace, and how he learnt that Anthony Tidkins was wounded _in_ the Palace." "On that head I must remain silent," said Richard. "I will not invent a falsehood, and I cannot reveal the truth. Be you, however, well assured that I never betrayed the secrets and mysteries of your establishment in Saint Giles's." "Our guest is an honourable man," observed Morcar. "We ought to be satisfied with what he says." "I am satisfied," exclaimed the King. "Aischa, answer you the questions which it is now the young man's turn to put to us." "I wish to know whether Anthony Tidkins died of the wound which he received?" said Richard. "It was my lot to attend to his wound," began Aischa. "When he was so far recovered as to be able to speak—which was about half an hour after the blood was stanched—he implored me to have him removed from the Palace. He told me a long and pathetic story of persecutions and sufferings which he had undergone; and he offered to enrich our treasury if we would take him beyond the reach of the person who had wounded him. His anxiety to get away was extreme; and it was in consequence of his representations and promises that I prevailed upon the King to issue orders to those who were to leave London with us, to hurry the departure as much as possible. That accounts for the abrupt manner in which we left at such an hour, and for the removal of the wounded man with us. In answer to your direct question, I must inform you that he did _not_ die of the wound which he received." "He did _not_ die!" repeated Markham. "Then he is still alive—and doubtless as active as ever in purposes of evil." "Is he such a bad man?" asked Aischa. "He belongs to the atrocious gang called _Burkers_," answered Richard emphatically.