fessed
to be followers of Christ had been really what they pretended.

[Sidenote: Margaret goes to Lorraine.]

With the money which Margaret obtained from the Duke of Burgundy she
was enabled to continue her journey in some tolerable degree of
comfort to the old home of her childhood in Lorraine. All that her
father could do for her was to furnish her a humble place of refuge in
a castle at Verdun, on the River Moselle, which flows through the
province. She went there, attended with a small number of followers,
and here she remained, in utter seclusion from the world, and almost
forgotten, for seven long years.

[Sidenote: The prince.]

[Sidenote: Bad news from the king.]

[Sidenote: His life spared.]

During all this time she enjoyed the comfort and satisfaction of
having her son, the prince, with her, and of watching his progress to
manhood under her own personal charge and that of one or two
accomplished men who still adhered to her, and who aided her in the
education of her boy. She was, however, hopelessly separated from her
husband. For a long time she did not know what had become of him.
During this time he was leading a very precarious and wandering life
in England, going from one hiding-place to another, wherever his
friends could most conveniently secrete him. At length, however, the
heavy tidings came to the queen, in her retreat at Verdun, that her
husband had been betrayed in one of his retreats, and had been seized
and carried to London as a prisoner in a very ignominious manner. It
was to have been expected that he would be immediately put to death;
but, as a matter of policy, the York party thought it not best to
proceed to that extremity, especially as all his kingly right would
have immediately descended to his son, in whose hands, with such a
mother to aid him, they would have become more formidable than ever.
Thus, on many accounts, it was better for his enemies to allow the old
king to live.

[Sidenote: Cruelties.]

[Sidenote: Men tortured.]

But very special precautions were taken by King Edward's government to
prevent Margaret and the young prince from coming into England again.
A coast guard was set all along the shore, and every one in England
who was suspected of being in communication with the exiled queen was
watched and guarded in the closest manner possible. Some were tortured
and put to death in the attempt to force them to give up letters or
papers supposed to be in their pos