tion, she visited the King's room, taking her
sister and Lady Jane Grey with her. The King received them pleasantly,
but soon brought up the religious discussion of the previous day. This
time, however, Katherine was ready for him, and with a sweet smile and
downcast eyes, as before her lord and master, she acknowledged that she
"being only a woman" was of course not so well versed in such matters as
His Majesty, that thereafter she would learn of him! This delighted the
King so much that when Katherine added the confession that she had many
times argued with him simply to pass away the weary hours of his pain
more quickly, he exclaimed, "And is it so, sweetheart? Then we are
perfect friends!" and kissing her, bade her depart, and for the moment
the Queen knew that her head was safe. But the next day when she and
Lady Jane Grey and several others were in the garden with the King, the
Lord-chancellor with forty of the King's guards came to arrest Her
Majesty, and not having been told that Henry's mood had changed was
naturally much astonished at Henry's exclamation, "Beast! fool!
knave--avaunt from my presence!"--in fact so discomforted was the
Lord-chancellor that tender-hearted Katherine begged that he be excused,
as she deemed "his fault was occasioned by a mistake," and so charming
was she as she pleaded, that her husband showed his admiration for her.

"Ah, poor soul," said Henry, "thou little knowest, Kate, how evil he
deserveth this grace at thy hands!" and then he lavished a profusion of
caresses on her, when she at last dared to draw a long breath, knowing
only too well from what she had been delivered.

This was only one of the experiences which Lady Jane, still a mere
child, saw and lived through with her beloved Queen Katherine.

On the 27th of January, 1547, Lady Jane's life completely changed. King
Henry the Eighth died, and his will made Jane heir to the throne after
his daughters Mary and Elizabeth, and from having been before merely the
attractive great-niece of the King and eldest daughter of the Marquis of
Dorset, she suddenly became a prominent factor in the political
intrigues of the day, almost as important in the matter of succession as
either Mary or Elizabeth, for Mary, on account of her religion, could
easily be set aside by a faction with a powerful leader, and Elizabeth
also, because of the question as to whether she was the legitimate
daughter of the King.

This being so, almost before the