Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/264

 244 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 43. ' ' Your Prince,' she went on without noticing the interruption, ' is the only one who has not been at my feet ; I have had all the rest.' ' ' When the King my master failed/ replied de Silva, 'he supposed your Majesty would never marry at all.' ' ' There was no need of so hasty a conclusion/ she said ; ' although it is true that at that time I was very unwilling to marry ; and I assure you that if at this moment I could name any fitting person to succeed to my crown I would not marry now ; I have always shrunk from it ; but my subjects insist, and I suppose I shall be forced to comply unless I can contrive some alternative, which will be very difficult. The world, when a woman remains single, assumes that there must be something wjong about her, and that she has some discreditable reason for it. They said of me that I would not marry because I was in love with the Earl of Leicester, and that I could not marry him because he had a wife already ; yet now he has no wife, and for all that I do not marry him, although at one time the King my brother advised me to do it. But what are we to do ? tongues will talk, and for ourselves we can but do our duties and keep our account straight with God. Truth comes out at last, and God knows my heart that I am not what people say I am.' ' * feanwhile in Scotland the drama was fast pro- gressing. Darnley reached Edinburgh on the I2th of 1 MIONET ; Appendix 6.