The mob had already assembled when the confessionterminated. The king's children next arrived - the PrincessCharlotte, a beautiful, fair-haired child, with tears in hereyes, and the Duke of Gloucester, a boy eight or nine yearsold, whose tearless eyes and curling lip revealed a growingpride. He had wept all night long, but would not show hisgrief before the people.

Charles's heart melted within him at the sight of those twochildren, whom he had not seen for two years and whom he nowmet at the moment of death. He turned to brush away a tear,and then, summoning up all his firmness, drew his daughtertoward him, recommending her to be pious and resigned. Thenhe took the boy upon his knee.

"My son," he said to him, "you saw a great number of peoplein the streets as you came here. These men are going tobehead your father. Do not forget that. Perhaps some daythey will want to make you king, instead of the Prince ofWales, or the Duke of York, your elder brothers. But you arenot the king, my son, and can never be so while they arealive. Swear to me, then, never to let them put a crown uponyour head unless you have a legal right to the crown. Forone day - listen, my son - one day, if you do so, theywill doom you to destruction, head and crown, too, and thenyou will not be able to die with a calm conscience, as Idie. Swear, my son."

The child stretched out his little hand toward that of hisfather and said, "I swear to your majesty."

"Henry," said Charles, "call me your father."

"Father," replied the child, "I swear to you that they shallkill me sooner than make me king."

"Good, my child. Now kiss me; and you, too, Charlotte. Neverforget me."

"Oh! never, never!" cried both the children, throwing theirarms around their father's neck.

"Farewell," said Charles, "farewell, my children. Take themaway, Juxon; their tears will deprive me of the courage todie."

Juxon led them away, and this time the doors were left open.

Meanwhile, Athos, in his concealment, waited in vain thesignal to recommence his work. Two long hours he waited interrible inaction. A deathlike silence reigned in the roomabove. At last he determined to discover the cause of thisstillness. He crept from his hole and stood, hidden by theblack drapery, beneath the scaffold. Peeping out from thedrapery, he could see the rows of halberdiers and musketeersaround the scaffold and the first ranks of the populaceswaying and groaning like the sea.

"What is the matter, then?" he asked himself, trembling morethan the wind-swayed cloth he was holding back. "The peopleare hurrying on, the soldiers under arms, and among thespectators I see D'Artagnan. What is he waiting for? What ishe looking at? Good God! have they allowed the headsman toescape?"

Suddenly the dull beating of muffled drums filled thesquare. The sound of heavy steps was heard above his head.The next moment the very planks of the scaffold creaked withthe weight of an advancing procession, and the eager facesof the spectators confirmed what a last hope at the bottomof his heart had prevented him till then believing. At thesame moment a well-known voice above him pronounced thesewords:

"Colonel, I want to speak to the people."

Athos shuddered from head to foot. It was the king speakingon the scaffold.

In fact, after taking a few drops of wine and a piece ofbread, Charles, weary of waiting for death, had suddenlydecided to go to meet it and had given the signal formovement. Then the two wings of the window facing the squarehad been thrown open, and the people had seen silentlyadvancing from the interior of the vast chamber, first, amasked man, who, carrying an axe in his hand, was recognizedas the executioner. He approached the block and laid his axeupon it. Behind him, pale indeed, but marching with a firmstep, was Charles Stuart, who advanced between two priests,followed by a few superior officers appointed to preside atthe execution and attended by two files of partisans whotook their places on opposite sides of the scaffold.

The sight of the masked man gave rise to a prolongedsensation. Every one was full of curiosity as to who thatunknown executioner could be who presented himself soopportunely to assure to the people the promised spectacle,when the people believed it had been postponed until thefollowing day. All gazed at him searchingly.

But they could discern nothing but a man of middle height,dressed in black, apparently of a certain age, for the endof a gray beard peeped out from the bottom of the mask thathid his features.

The king's request had undoubtedly been acceded to by anaffirmative sign, for in firm, sonorous accents, whichvibrated in the depths of Athos's heart, the king began hisspeech, explaining his conduct and counseling the welfare ofthe kingdom.

"Oh!" said Athos to himself, "is it indeed possible that Ihear what I hear and that I see what I see? Is it possiblethat God has abandoned His representative on earth and lefthim to die thus miserably? And I have not seen him! I havenot said adieu to him!"

A noise was heard like that the instrument of death wouldmake if moved upon the block.

"Do not touch the axe," said the king, and resumed hisspeech.

At the end of his speech the king looked tenderly aroundupon the people. Then unfastening the diamond ornament whichthe queen had sent him, he placed it in the hands of thepriest who accompanied Juxon. Then he drew from his breast alittle cross set in diamonds, which, like the order, hadbeen the gift of Henrietta Maria.

"Sir," said he to the priest, "I shall keep this cross in myhand till the last moment. Take it from me when I am - dead."

"Yes, sire," said a voice, which Athos recognized as that ofAramis.

He then took his hat from his head and threw it on theground. One by one he undid the buttons of his doublet, tookit off and deposited it by the side of his hat. Then, as itwas cold, he asked for his gown, which was brought to him.

All the preparations were made with a frightful calmness.One would have thought the king was going to bed and not tohis coffin.

"Will these be in your way?" he said to the executioner,raising his long locks; "if so, they can be tied up."

Charles accompanied these words with a look designed topenetrate the mask of the unknown headsman. His cake, noblegaze forced the man to turn away his head. But after thesearching look of the king he encountered the burning eyesof Aramis.

The king, seeing that he did not reply, repeated hisquestion.

"It will do," replied the man, in a tremulous voice, "if youseparate them across the neck."

The king parted his hair with his hands, and looking at theblock he said:

"This block is very low, is there no other to be had?"

"It is the usual block," answered the man in the mask.

"Do you think you can behead me with a single blow?" askedthe king.

"I hope so," was the reply. There was something so strangein these three words that everybody, except the king,shuddered.

"I do not wish to be taken by surprise," added the king. "Ishall kneel down to pray; do not strike then."

"When shall I strike?"

"When I shall lay my head on the block and say `Remember!'then strike boldly."

"Gentlemen," said the king to those around him, "I leave youto brave the tempest; I go before you to a kingdom whichknows no storms. Farewell."

He looked at Aramis and made a special sign to him with hishead.

"Now," he continued, "withdraw a little and let me say myprayer, I beseech you. You, also, stand aside," he said tothe masked man. "It is only for a moment and I know that Ibelong to you; but remember that you are not to strike tillI give the signal."

Then he knelt down, made the sign of the cross, and loweringhis face to the planks, as if he would have kissed them,said in a low tone, in French, "Comte de la Fere, are youthere?"

"Yes, your majesty," he answered, trembling.

"Faithful friend, noble heart!" said the king, "I should nothave been rescued. I have addressed my people and I havespoken to God; last of all I speak to you. To maintain acause which I believed sacred I have lost the throne and mychildren their inheritance. A million in gold remains; it isburied in the cellars of Newcastle Keep. You only know thatthis money exists. Make use of it, then, whenever you thinkit will be most useful, for my eldest son's welfare. Andnow, farewell."

"Farewell, saintly, martyred majesty," lisped Athos, chilledwith terror.

A moment's silence ensued and then, in a full, sonorousvoice, the king exclaimed: "Remember!"

He had scarcely uttered the word when a heavy blow shook thescaffold and where Athos stood immovable a warm drop fellupon his brow. He reeled back with a shudder and the samemoment the drops became a crimson cataract.

Athos fell on his knees and remained some minutes as ifbewildered or stunned. At last he rose and taking hishandkerchief steeped it in the blood of the martyred king.Then as the crowd gradually dispersed he leaped down, creptfrom behind the drapery, glided between two horses, mingledwith the crowd and was the first to arrive at the inn.

Having gained his room he raised his hand to his face, andobserving that his fingers were covered with the monarch'sblood, fell down insensible.