Thomas Seymour and
Catharine, arm linked in arm, stood near her. They scarcely heard
what was taking place; they looked at each other and smiled, and
dreamed of love and death and an eternity of happiness.
Now the door flew open; there was seen John Heywood's pale face:
there were the maids of honor and the court officials. And all
shrieked and all wailed: "The king is dying! He is struck with
apoplexy! The king is at the point of death!"
"The king calls you! The king desires to die in the arms of his
wife!" said John Heywood, and, as he quietly pushed Elizabeth aside
and away from the door as she was pressing violently forward, he
added: "The king will see nobody but his wife and the priest; and he
has authorized me to call the queen!"
He opened the door; and through the lines of weeping and wailing
court officials and servants, Catharine moved on, to go to the
death-bed of her royal husband.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
"LE ROI EST MORT--VIVE LA REINE!"
King Henry lay a-dying. That life full of sin, full of blood and
crime, full of treachery and cunning, full of hypocrisy and
sanctimonious cruelty--that life was at last lived out. That hand,
which had signed so many death-warrants, was now clutched in the
throes of death. It had stiffened at the very moment when the king
was going to sign the Duke of Norfolk's death-warrant. [Footnote:
historical. The king's own words.--Leti, vol. I, p. 16.] And the
king was dying with the gnawing consciousness that he had no longer
the power to throttle that enemy whom he hated.
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