When he looked down, he might have been taken for a completely worn-out, misanthropic aristocrat; but when he raised those ever-flashing and sparkling eyes, then was seen the young man full of dashing courage and ambitious desires, of passionate warmth and measureless pride.
He approached the king, as already stated, and as he bent his knee before him, he said in a full, pleasant voice: "Mercy, sire, mercy!" The king stepped back in astonishment, and turned upon the bold speaker a look almost of amazement.
"Thomas Seymour!" said he.

"Thomas, you have returned, then, and your first act is again an indiscretion and a piece of foolhardy rashness ?" The young man smiled.

"I have returned," said he, "that is to say, I have had a sea-fight with the Scots and taken from them four men-of-war.
With these I hastened hither to present them to you, my king and lord, as a wedding-gift, and just as I entered the anteroom I heard your voice pronouncing a sentence of death.

Was it not natural, then, that I, who bring you tidings of a victory, should have the heart to utter a prayer for mercy, for which, as it seems, none of these noble and proud cavaliers could summon up courage ?" "Ah!" said the king, evidently relieved and fetching a deep breath, "then you knew not at all for whom and for what you were imploring pardon ?" "Yet!" said the young man, and his bold glance ran with an expression of contempt over the whole assembly--"yet, I saw at once who the condemned must be, for I saw this young maiden forsaken by all as if stricken by the plague, standing alone in the midst of this exalted and brave company.

And you well know, my noble king, that at court one recognizes the condemned and those fallen into disgrace by this, that every one flies from them, and nobody has the courage to touch such a leper even with the tip of his finger!" King Henry smiled.