Then sweetly smiling, he said, "Here, my love, I bear in my hand despatches of high importance, and brought by a king's messenger; I needs must cut their silken tressure ere I can peruse the contents thereof; pray you therefore direct me, my dearest love, where I may find your _etui_, or work-box, as I now stand in need of a penknife, or your ladyship's shears, to cut the silky-gordian knot of this important packet?"
Adelaide replied, "Truly, my dearest love, I do not know where to direct you, the events of yesterday have quite caused me to forget; but open yonder cabinet of ebon, inlaid with ivory, which stands in yonder recess, search it, perhaps there a penknife or shears may be found."
"_May_ find! Adelaide, nay now, thou art what truly I did not suspect that thou wert, a most unthrifty housewife!"
Sir David Bruce approached the cabinet; it contained many curious and secret drawers; at length sprung forth one opened by a spring, which unconsciously he had touched, when the drawer fell from the cabinet, and lo! forth was flung from it, and, to his infinite horror and surprise, he saw, and scarce could believe his eyes, a whinger! [_i. e._ a Scottish knife or poniard, answering for both purposes,] which trundled on the floor with a foreboding sound. The handle was of silver, richly wrought; it bore the crest of Bruce, namely, a dexter hand and arm cased in armour, wielding a royal sceptre, and supported on a cap of maintenance; and beneath was engraved the motto of The Bruce, FUIMUS! While, oh! horrible to tell, deeply were imprinted "on the blade and dudgeon gouts of blood," and which seemed to have been there "long before," rusted and corroded as they were by time. Oh, when this was done it was
"In human guilt a portent and an era! 'Tis of those crimes whose eminent fame hell joys at; And the celestial angels that look on it Wish their keen airy vision dim and narrow!"
Maddened with furious rage, he frantic raised the gory poniard from the ground, and rushing with dreadful impetuosity to the bed-side, he presented the fatal dagger at Adelaide's heart.
"Oh strike--strike Sir David, and by _thy_ hand let me die! But indeed, indeed, I am innocent!"
"Thou, innocent!--hah, hah, hah!" with a violent hysteric expression he repeated--"_Innocent!_--thou witch, fiend, sorceress, devil!---- _Thou_ innocent!--no, no!--thou hast held unholy converse and communion with the arch-fiend, and with all the demons of darkness and of hell! But tell!--come, this instant tell! or on this spot--aye, thy bridal bed, thou surely shalt die--this moment thou shalt die! Tell at once then, how, where, and when, from whom didst thou receive?--No, no deceit, no prevarication will be allowed nor tolerated. Tell, oh tell, thou devil, although moulded in an angel's form! Tell, I conjure thee tell!"