With equal address he filched the letter entrusted to Amleth from the coffer in which it was kept.

When these things were brought to the queen, she scanned the shield narrowly, and from the notes appended made out the whole argument.

Then she knew that here was the man who, trusting in his own nicely calculated scheme, had avenged on his uncle the murder of his father.

She also looked at the letter containing the suit for her band, and rubbed out all the writing; for wedlock with the old she utterly abhorred, and desired the embraces of young men.

But she wrote in its place a commission purporting to be sent from the King of Britain to herself, signed like the other with his name and title, wherein she pretended that she was asked to marry the bearer.