'Ah; well; aye; even so----' And from the window came a scream that
tore the air--
'The King! the King!'
And immediately it was as if the life of a demon had possessed Culpepper
in all his limbs.
'Merciful God!' the Queen cried out. 'I am patient.'
Culpepper had writhed from her till he sat up, but she hollowed her hand
around his throat. His head she forced back till she held it upon the
floor, and whilst he writhed with his legs she knelt upon his chest with
one knee. He screamed out words like: 'Bawd,' and 'Ilcock,' and
'Hecate,' and the Lady Rochford screamed--
'The King comes! the King comes!'