Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-04


 know, that it come to nothing more than I words. And thus it is, however much l wish it not. that do use him to help me treat the king as I like, and do then use | the poor old king as my buckier against | this dukes too gror1t familiarity. But, my 1 friend, when the king comes to die then shall have my fears of this young | Francis d'Angouleme. He IS desperate 1 for me, and know not to what length he | might go. The king cannot live long, as | the thread of his life is like rotten fex, | and when he dies thou must come with out delay, since I shall be in deadly peril. | have messenger waiting at all hours 1 ready to send to thee upon 8 moment s | notice, and when he comes waste not a precious instant. It may mean all to thee | and me- could write on and on forever, | but it would be only to tell thee OCT and o'er that my heart is full of thee to over- | flowing. thank thee that thou hast 1 never doubted me, and will see that thou l hast hereafter only good cause fovAbetter | faith. MARY, Regina. "Reginar That was all Only a queen! Surely no one could charge Brandon with possessing too modest 1 tastes. .. It was, think, during the second week in December that gave this let ter to Brandon, and about a fortnight later there came to him a messenger from Paris, bringing another from Mary, as follows:
 Master Charles Brandon: ~ Sir and Dear Friend Greeting-I have but time to write that the king is So i'll he cannot but die ere morning Thou know est that which last wrote to thee, and in addition thereto I would say that al- 1 though have, as thou likewise knowest, my brothers permission to marry whom wish, yet as I have his one consent it Is safer that we act upon that rather than be so scrupulous as to ask for another. So it were better that thou take me to wife upon the old one rather than risk the necessity of having to do it without any. I say no more, but come with all the speed thou knowest. MARY.
 It is needless to say that Brandon started in haste for Paris. He left court for the ostensible purpose of whence we sailed.
 The French king was dead before Mary's message reached London, and when we arrived at Paris Francis I. reigned on the throne of his father-in- law. I had guessed only too accurate ly. As soon as the restraint of the old kings presence, light as it had been, was removed, the young king opened his attack upon Mary in dreadful ear- nest. He begged and pleaded and swore his love, which was surely manifest enough, and within three days after the old kings death offered to divorce Claude and make Mary his queen. When she refused this datter- ing offer, his surprise was genuine.
 tDo you know what you refuse?" he
 {,, 4a~ %1 3xn you my wife-queen of 15,000,000 of the greatest subjects on earth-and are you such a fool as to refuse gift like that, and man like me for husbandF
 ''That am, your majesty, and with a good grace. I am queen of France without your help and care not so much as one penny for the honor. It is great CT to be princess of England. As for this love you ayow, would make so bold as to suggest that you have good, true wife, to whom you would do we'll to give it all. To me it is noth- ing, even were you thousand times the king you are. My heart is anoth- er's, and I have my brothers permis- sion to marry him."
 "Another's? Gods soul! Tell mo who this fellow is that may spit him on my sword!'
 |'No no! You would not. Even were you as valiant and grand as you think yourself, you would be but child in his hands,"
 Francis was furious, and had Mary's apartments guarded to prevent her es- cape, swearing he would have his way. Ac xoc oY1Ho Crd ' ov,.Sr o5 in Paris we took private lodgings, and well it was that we did. I at once went out to reconnoiter, and found the widowed queen prisoner in the old Palace des Tournelles. With the help of Queen Claude secretly obtained an interview and learned the true state of affairs.
 Had Brandon been recognized and his mission known in Paris he would certainly have been assassinated by order of Francis.
 When saw the whole situation, with Mary nothing less than prisoner in the palace, was ready to give up without a struggle, but not so Mary. Her brain was worth having, so fer tile was it in expedients, and, while I was ready to despair, she was only getting herself in good fighting order.
 After Mary's refusal of Francis, and after he had learned that the sacrifice of Claude would not help him, he grew desperate and determined to keep the English girl in his court at any price and by any means. So he hit upon the scheme of marrying her to his weak minded cousin, the Count of Savoy. To that end he sent hurried embassy to Henry VIII, offering, in case of the Savoy marriage, to pay back Mary's dover of 100000 crowns. He offered to help Henry in the matter of the irnpe- rial crown in case of Maximilian's death, a help much greater than any King Louis could have given. He also offered to confirm Henry in all his French poss x&Sions and to relinquish
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