Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-10-26

oe 80 sc,upulous as 10 ASK .or anv,ne..
So IL were better that thou take me to
wife upon the old one rather than risk
the necessity of having to do II without
any. I say no more. but come with all
the speed thou knowest. MARY.
1t is needless to say that Brandon
started in haste for Paris. He left
court for the ostensible purpose OF
paying me visit, and came to Ipswich,
whence we sailed.
The French king was dead before
Mary's message reached London. and
when we arrived at Paris Francis /.
reigned on the throne of his father-in-
law. l had guessed only too accurate
ly. AS soon as the restraint of the old
kings presence, light as 1t 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 f1atter-
ing offer, his surprise was genuine.
"Do you know what you refuseT he
asked in a temper II offer to make
you my wife-queen of 100000 of the
greatest subjects on earth-and are you
such fool as to refuse a gift like that,
and a man like me for a husband?"
THAT L am. your majesty, and with
a good grace. l am queen Of France
without your help and care not so much
as one penny for the honor. 1t is great
er to be princess of England. AS for
this love you avow, / 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 moth
ing, even were you q thousand times
the king you are. My heart is anoth-
er's, and / have my brothers permits
sion to marry him."
"Another's? Gods soul! Tell me
who this fellow is that I may spit him
on my swordv'
mo, no! You would not. Even were
you as valiast and grand as you think
yourself, you would be but child in
his hands"
Francis was furious, and had Mary's
cape, swearing he would have his way.
AS soon as Brandon and 1 arrived
! in Paris we took private lodgings, and
well it was that we did. l at once
went out to reconnoiter, and found the
widowed queen a prisoner in the old
| Palace DIES Tournelles. With the help
of Queen Claude secretly obtained an
int fhn tot
of affairs.
| Had Brandon been recognized and
his mission known in Paris he would
/ certainly have been assassinated by
] order Of Francis.
When 1 saw the whole situation, with
Mary nothing less than a prisoner in
the palace, l 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 WILL, offering, in case Of the
Savoy marriage, to pay back Mary's
dover Of 4OO,OOO crowns. He offered to
help Henry in the matter Of the impe-
rial crown In case of MaXimilian's
death, help much greater than any
King Louis could have given. He also
offered to confirm Henry in all his
French possessions and to relinquist
all claims Of his own thereto-all as the
price of one eighteen-year-ol girl. Dc
you wonder she had an exalted est
mate Of her own value?
AS to Henry, it Of course need not be
said that half the price Offered would
have bought him to break an oatf
made upon the true cross itself. The
promise he had made to Mary, broker
in intent before it was given, stood no
for an instant in the way Of the French
kings wishes, and Henry, with /,
prOmptitude begotten of greed, was Al
hasty in sending an embassy to accep
the offer as Francis had been to maxi
1t. 1t mattered not to him what new
torture he put upon his sister. TIL,
price, I believe, was sufficient to hav,
induced him to cut off her head Wit
his own hands.
To be continued.