"Confess your guilt, and expect no pardon from me!" "Lift him up!" shouted the dwarf, clawing the air with his hands, as if he could have clawed the heart out of his victim's body; "back with him to his place, guards, and see that he does not leave it again!" Squirming, and writhing, and twisting himself in their grasp, in very uncomfortable and eel-like fashion, the earl was dragged back to his place, and forcibly held there by two of the guards, while his face grew so ghastly and convulsed that Sir Norman turned away his head, and could not bear to look at it.
"Confess!" once more yelled the dwarf in a terrible voice, while his still more terrible eyes flashed sparks of fire--"confess, or by all that's sacred it shall be tortured out of you.

Guards, bring me the thumb-screws, and let us see if they will not exercise the dumb devil by which our ghastly friend is possessed!" "No, no, no!" shrieked the earl, while the foam flew from his lips.

"I confess! I confess! I confess!" "Good! And what do you confess ?" said the duke blandly, leaning forward, while the dwarf fell back with a yell of laughter at the success of his ruse.
"I confess all--everything--anything! only spare my life!" "Do you confess to having told Charles, King of England, the secrets of our kingdom and this place ?" said the duke, sternly rapping down the petition with a roll of parchment.
The earl grew, if possible, a more ghastly white.

"I do--I must! but oh! for the love of--" "Never mind love," cut in the inexorable duke, "it is a subject that has nothing whatever to do with the present case.

Did you or did you not receive for the aforesaid information a large sum of money ?" "I did; but my lord, my lord, spare--" "Which sum of money you have concealed," continued the duke, with another frown and a sharp rap.