Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-08-03


told him II had been arranged the
night before as desired. ! had come
TO Windsor because it was more quiet,
and my heart was full. Ii is quite a
distance from London. and / thought
II might afford better opportunity to
to see-I thought. perhaps Master
Brandon might come-might want to-
to-see Jane and me. In fact, wrote
him before I left Greenwich that I
should be here. Then / heard he had
gone TO New Spain. Now you see how
all my troubles have come upon me at
once, and this the greatest of them,
because II is my fault l can ask no
forgiveness from any one, for cannot
forgive myself"
She then inquired about Brandon's
health and spirits, and I left out no
distressing detail you may be sure.
During my recital she sat with down.
cast eyes and tear stained face playing
with the ribbons of her hat.
When / was ready TO go, she said,
please say TO Master Brandon / should
llke-to-see-him IL he cares to come,
IL only that may tell him how 1t hap
pened."
81 greatly fear, in fact, know he
will not come" said l. 1.-THE cruelest
blow Of all, worse even than the dun
geon or the sentence of death, was
your failure to save him. He trusted
you so implicitly. At the time of his
arrest he refused to allow me to tell
the king. saying he knew you would
see to it-that you were pure gold"
"Ah, did he say that?" she asked. as
sad little smile lighted her face.
His faith was so entirely without
doubt that his recoil from you is cor
respondingly great. He goes to New
Spain as soon as his health is recovered
sufficiently for him to travel"
This sent the last fieck Of color from
her face, and with the words almost
choking her throat, Then tell him
what have said to you and perhaps
he will not feel so''-
81 cannot do that either, Lady Mary.
When mentioned your name the other
day, he said he would curse me if ev-
er spoke it again in his hearing"
ais ii so bad as that? Then, medita-
lively: "And at his trial he did not tell
the reason for the killing? Would not
compromise me, who had served him
so Ill, even to save his own life? Noble,
noble" And her lips went together as
she rose to her feet. No tears now;
nothing but glowing, determined wo-
manhood.
Then l will go to him wherever he
may be. He shall forgive me, no mat
ter what my fault"
Soon after this we were on our way
! to London at brisk 'gallop.
! We were all very silent but at one
time Mary spoke up from the midst Of
n reverie: During the moment when I
thought Master Brandon had been exc
= ruted-when you said it was too late
! It seemed that was born again and all
made over; that I was changed in the
very texture of my nature by the
shock, as they say the grain Of the iron
| cannon is sometimes changed by too
violent an explosion" And this proved
to be true in some respects.
We rode on rapidly and did not stop
In London except to give the horses
drink.
After crossing the bridge Mary said
half to Jane and half to herself, II will
never marry the French king-never."
Mary was but a girl pitted against a
body Of brutal men, two of them rulers
Of the two greatest nations on earth
rather heavy odds for one woman.
We rode down to Greenwich and en-.
tered the palace without exciting com.
ment, as the princess was in the habit
OF coming and going at will.
The king and queen and most of the
courtiers were In London at Bridewel
House and Baynard's castle, where
Henry was vigorously pushing the
loan Of 100000 crowns for Mary's dow.
er, the only business of state In which
at that time he took any active inter
est. Subsequently, as you know, he be
came interested in the divorce laws
and the various methods whereby q
man, especially king might rid him
self of distasteful wife, and after be
saw the truth in Anne Boleyn's eyes be
adopted a combined policy Of church
and state craft that has brought us g
deal of senseless trouble ever since and
is like to keep 1t up.
AS to Mary's dover. Henry was tc
pay Louis only 100000 crowns, but he
made the marriage an excuse for ar
extra 100000 to be devoted to his owl
private use.
When we arrived at the palace the
girls went to their apartments and
to mine, where found Brandon read
ing. There was only one window to
our common room-a dormer window
set into the roof and reached by a lit
tie passage as broad as the window It.
self and perhaps a yard and a halt
long. In the alcove thus formed was
a bench along the wall. cushioned by
Brandon's great campaign cloak. In
this window we often sat and read, and
here was Brandon with his book. had
intended to tell him the girls were com
ing, for when Mary asked me II