20 ROMEO AND JULIET.

and all their weeping could not wake her. So it was a burying that
day instead of a marrying. Meantime Friar Laurence had sent a
messenger to Mantua with a letter to Romeo telling him of all these
things ; and all would have been well, only the messenger was delayed,
and could not go.

But ill news travels fast. Romeo’s servant, who knew the secret
of the marriage but not of Juliet’s pretended death, heard of her funeral,
and hurried to Mantua to tell Romeo how his young wife was dead
and lying in the grave.

‘Ts it so!” cried Romeo, heart-broken. “Then I will lie by Juliet’s
side to-night.”

And he bought himself a poison, and went straight back to Verona.
He hastened to the tomb where Juliet was lying. It was not a grave,
but a vault. He broke open the door, and was just going down the
stone steps that led to the vault where all the dead Capulets lay, when
he heard a voice behind him calling on him to stop.

It was the Count Paris, who was to have married Juliet that very
day.
“How dare you come here and disturb the dead bodies of the
Capulets, you vile Montagu!” cried Paris.

Poor Romeo, half mad with sorrow, yet tried to answer gently.

“You were told,” said Paris, “that if you returned to Verona you
must die.”

“ T must indeed,” said Romeo. “I came here for nothing else. Good,
gentle youth—leave me—Oh, go—before [ do you any harm—TI love you
better than myself—go—leave me here—”

Then Paris said, “I defy you—and I arrest you as a felon.” Then
Romeo, in his anger and despair, drew his sword.—They fought, and Paris
was killed.

As Romeo’s sword pierced him, Paris cried,

“Oh, Tam slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with
Juliet !”

And Romeo said, “In faith I will.”

And he carried the dead man into the tomb and laid him by the dear
Juliet’s side. Then he kneeled by Juliet and spoke to her, and held her
in his arms, and kissed her cold lips, believing that she was dead, while