Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-02-16

| or keep lin. us tney choose; care not
which,"
"But'- began Henry. when Mary ill.,
terrupted him. saying. Il will tell YOU
| had taken good care that Wolsey
should be present at this interview.
So we four - the king. Wolsey, Mary
and myself--quietly stepped into lit.
tie alcove away from the others and
prepared to listen to Mary's tale, which
was told with all her dramatic elo-
quence u:d feminine persuasiveness.
She told of the ignoble insults Of Fran
els, of his vile roposals-insisted up
on. almost to the point Of force-care-
fully concealing. however. the offer to
divorce Claude and make her queen.
which proposition might have had its
attractions for Henry. She told Of her
Imprisonment In the Palace des Tour
nelles and Of her deadly peril and
many indlgnities. and the tale lost
nothing in the telling. Then she fin
lshed by throwing her arms around
Ieury's neck in q passionate food OF
tears and begging him to protect her.
to save her. save her. save her. his lit.
| tie sister.
1t was all such perfect acting that
| for the time forgot it was acting. and
q great lump swelled up In my throat.
1t was. however. only for the instant,
and when Mary, whose face was hid
den from all the others on Henry's
breast smiled slyly at me from the
midst Of her tears and sobs. burst into
laugh that was like to have spoiled
everything. Henry turned quickly up
on me, and | tried to cover 1t by pre-.
tending that | was sobbing. Wolsey
helped me out by putting a corner Of
his gown to his eyes, when Henry, see
Ing us all so affected. began to catch
the fever and swell with indignation.
He put Mary away from him and,
stridrg up and down the room, ex-
claimed in voice that all could hear:
''The dog. the dog. to treat my sister
so! My sister! My fathers daughter!
Ny sister! The first princess Of Eng
land and queen Of France for his mis-
tress! BY every god that ever breathed,
I'll chastise this scurvy cur until he
howls again. | swear it by my crown,
If It cost me my kingdom" and so on
until words failed him. But see how
he kept his oatl, and see how he and
Francis hobnobbed not long afterward
at the Field Of the Cloth Of Gold.
Henry came back to Mary and began
to question her. when she repeated the
story for him. Then it was she told Of
my timely arrival. and how, in order to
escape and protect herself from Fran
els. she had been compelled to marry
Brandon and flee with US.
She said: II so wanted to come home
to England and be married where my
dear brother could give me away, but
I was in such mortal dread Of Francis,
and there was no other means Of es-
cape, so"-
Goods death! If had but one other
sister like you. swear before heaven
I'd have myself hanged. Married to
Brandon! Fool! Idiot! What do you
mean? Married to Brandon! Jesu!
You'll drive me mad! Just one other
like you in England, and the whole
damned kingdom might sink. I'd have
none of it. Married to Brandon with
out my consent!'
"No, no. brother" answered Mary
softly. leaning affectionately against
his bulky form. do you suppose !
would do that? Now, don't be unkind
to me when l have been away from
you so long! You gave your consent
four months ago. Do you not remem-
ber? You know would never have
done it otherwise"
"Ycs. I know! You would not do
anything-you did not want, and 1t
seems equally certain that in the end
you always manage to do everything
you do want. He'll and furies"
"Why. brother will leave it to my
lord bishop Of York If you did not
promise me that day. in this very
room and almost on this very spot, that
If | would marry Louis Of France l
might marry whomsoever | wished
when he should die. OF course you
knew, after what had said, whom
should choose, so I went to a little
church in company with Queen Claude
and took my hair down and married
him, and am his wife, and no power
on earth can make it otherwise" And
she looked up into his face with a de-
fiant little pout, as much as to say.
Now, what are you going to do about
it?"
Henry looked at her in surprise and
then burst out laughing, "Marricd TO
Brandon with your hair down." And
he roared again, holding his sides.
"Well, you do beat the devil. There's
no denying that. Poor old Louis! That
was a good joke OH him. I'll stake my
crown he was glad to die You kept
It warm enough for him. l make no
doubt"
well" said Mary, with a little
shrug of her shoulders. "he would
marry me-"
"YeS. and now poor Brandon doesn't
know the trouble ahead Of him either.
He has my pity. by Jove"
"Oh, that is different" returned
Mary, and her eyes burned softly. and
her whole person fairly radiatcd. 50
expressive was she Of the fact that ut
was different"
Different? Yes, as light from dark
ness; as love from loathing; as heaven
from the other place; as Brandon from
Louis. and that tells it all.
to Nr,>lc aIInyn