my consent to marry that vile old creature. That is
what you have come for, of course. I have been expecting you; why did
not my brother come?"

"I think he was afraid; and, to tell you the truth, I was afraid
myself," answered Wolsey, with a smile. This made Mary smile, too, in
spite of herself, and went a long way toward putting her in a good
humor. Wolsey continued: "His majesty could not have given me a more
disagreeable task. You doubtless think I am in favor of this marriage,
but I am not."

This was as great a lie as ever fell whole out of a bishop's mouth. "I
have been obliged to fall in with the king's views on the matter, for
he has had his mind set on it from the first mention by de
Longueville."

"Was it that bead-eyed little mummy who suggested it?"

"Yes, and if you marry the king of France you can repay him with
usury."

"'Tis an inducement, by my troth."

"I do not mind saying to you in confidence that I think it an outrage
to force a girl like you to marry a man like Louis of France, but how
are we to avoid it?"

By the "we" Wolsey put himself in alliance with Mary, and the move was
certainly adroit.

"How are we to avoid it? Have no fear of that, my lord; I will show
you."

"Oh! but my dear princess; permit me; you do not seem to know your
brother; you cannot in any way avoid this marriage. I believe he will
imprison you and put you on bread and water to force your consent. I
am sure you had better do willingly that which you will eventually be
compelled to do anyway; and besides, there is another thought that has
come to me; shall I speak plainly before Lady Jane Bolingbroke?"

"I have no secrets from her."

"Very well; it is this: Louis is old and very feeble; he cannot live
long, and it may be that you can, by a ready consent now, exact a
promise from your brother to allow you your own choice in the event of
a second marriage. You might in that way purchase what you could not
bring about in any other way."

"How do you know that I want to purchase aught in any way, Master
Wolsey? I most certainly do not intend to do so by marrying France."

"I do not know that you wish to purchase anything, but a woman's heart
is not always under her full control, and it sometimes goes out to one
very far beneath her in station, but the equal of any man on earth in
grandeur of soul and nobleness of nature. It might be that there is
such a man whom any woman would be amply justified in purchasing a