We will now hear the progress of this affair." She then seated herself in her chair, and said, "You, Tressilian, step forward, and say what you know." Tressilian told his story generously, suppressing as much as he could what affected Leicester, and saying nothing of their having twice actually fought together.

It is very probable that, in doing so, he did the Earl good service; for had the Queen at that instant found anything on account of which she could vent her wrath upon him, without laying open sentiments of which she was ashamed, it might have fared hard with him.

She paused when Tressilian had finished his tale.
"We will take that Wayland," she said, "into our own service, and place the boy in our Secretary office for instruction, that he may in future use discretion towards letters.

For you, Tressilian, you did wrong in not communicating the whole truth to us, and your promise not to do so was both imprudent and undutiful.

Yet, having given your word to this unhappy lady, it was the part of a man and a gentleman to keep it; and on the whole, we esteem you for the character you have sustained in this matter .-- My Lord of Leicester, it is now your turn to tell us the truth, an exercise to which you seem of late to have been too much a stranger." Accordingly, she extorted, by successive questions, the whole history of his first acquaintance with Amy Robsart--their marriage--his jealousy--the causes on which it was founded, and many particulars besides.