Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-07-01
CHAPTER VIII.

eei III the lower of youth. 1t also
Drought about situation of affairs
tnat showed the difference in the quail
aty OF these two persons thrown so
marvelously together from their far
distant stations at each end of the lad
der OF fortune in way that reflected
very little credit upon the one from
the upper end. But before I tell you
or that 1 will relate briefly one or two
other matters that had bearing upon
what was done and the motives prompt
ing it.
To begin with, Brandon had kept
himself entirely away from the prin-
cess ever since the afternoon at the
kings antechamber. The first day or
80 she sighed, but thought little of his
absence; then she wept and, as usual,
began to grow piqued and irritable.
What was left of her judgment told
her 1t was better for them to remain
apart, but her longing to see Brandon
grew stronger as the prospect Of it
grew less, and she became angry that
1t could not be gratified Jane was
right; an unsatisfied desire with Mary
was torture. Even her sense of the
great distance between them had be-
gun to fade, and when she so wished
for him and he did not come their posi-
tons seemed to be reversed. At the
end Of the third day she sent for him
to come to her rooms, but he by a
mighty effort sent back a brief note
saying that he could not and ought not
to go. This, of course, threw Mary into
"a great passion, for she judged him by
herself, very common but dangerous
method Of judgment, and thought that
II he felt at all as she did he would
throw prudence to the winds and come
to her, as she knew she would 20 to
him If she could. It did not occur to
her that Brandon knew himself well
enough to be sure he would never &c
to New Spain if he allowed another
grain of temptation to fall into the bal
ance against him, but would remain in
London to love hopelessly, to try tc
win hopeless cause and end it all by
placing his head upon the block
1t required all his strength even now
ITO bold fast his determination to 20 to
New Spain. He had reached his linn.
it. He had fund Of that most use.
full of all wisdom, knowledge of self
and knew his limitations a little mat.
ter concerning which nine men out of
ten go all their lives in blissless ig
nOrance.
Mary, who was no more given to self
analysis than her pet hnnet, did not
appreciate Brandon's potent reasons
and was in flaming passion when she
received his answer. Rage and humili-
alton completely smothered for the
time her affection, and she said to her
self over and over again: II hate the
lowborn wretch. Oh, to think what
have permittedr' 1t seemed only too
clear that she had been too quick to
give, no very comforting thought to a
proud girl even though a mistaken one
AS the days went by and Brandon
did not come her anger cooled as usual,
and again her heart began to ache, but
her sense of injury grew stronger day
by day and she thought she was be-
.yond a doubt the most i'll used of wo-
men.
The negotiations for Mary's marriage
with old Louis XII. of France were be-
ginning to be al open secret about the
court The Due de Longueville, who
had been held by Henry for some time
as a sort of hostage from the French
king, had opened negotiations by in
flaming the Pickering passions of old
Louis with descriptions of Mary's beau
ty. AS there was a prospect of a new
emperor soon and as the imperial bee
had of late been making a most vehe-
ment buZZing in Henry's bonnet, he
encouraged De Longueville and thought
it would be a good time to purchase
the help Of France at the cost of his
beautiful sister and handsome dover.
Mary of course had not been consulted,
and although she had coaxed her
brother out of other marriage projects
Henry had gone about this as If he
Were in earnest, and it was thought
throughout the court that Mary's coax.
1ngs would be all in vain-a fear which
she herself had begun to share, not
wtthstanding her usual self confidence.
She hated the thought Of the mar
rage and dreaded it as she would death
itself, though she said nothing to any
one but Jane and was holding her
forces in reserve for. grand attack.
She was preparing the way by being
very sweet and kind to Henry.
Now, all of this, coming upon the
heels OF her trouble with Brandon,
made her most .wretched indeed. For
the first time In her life she began to
feel suffering-that great broadener. In
fact maker, of human character.
Above all. there was an alaFming
sense Of uncertainty in everything. She
could hardly bring herself to believe
that Brandon would really go to New
Spain and that she would actually lose
B him, although she did not want him as
that Is, as prospective husband.
Flashes OF all sorts OF wild schemes
had begun to shoot through her anger
and grief when she stared IN the face
{ the prospect Of her double separation
from him, her marriage to another and
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