en we met the king about a league this side of Abbeville, and when
Mary beheld him with the shadow of death upon his brow, she took hope,
for she knew he would be but putty in her hands, so manifestly weak
was he, mentally and physically. As he came up she whipped her horse
and rode by him at a gallop, sending me back with word that he must
not be so ardent; that he frightened her, poor, timid little thing, so
afraid of--nothing in the world. This shocked the French courtiers,
and one would think would have offended Louis, but he simply grinned
from ear to ear, showing his yellow fangs, and said whimperingly: "Oh,
the game is worth the trouble. Tell her majesty I wait at Abbeville."

The old king had ridden a horse to meet his bride in order that he
might appear more gallant before her, but a litter was waiting to take
him back to Abbeville by a shorter route, and they were married again
in person.

[Again a quotation from Hall is substituted]:

Mondaye the .vi daye of Noueber, ther the sayde quene was receyued
into the cytee of Parys after the order thar foloweth. First the
garde of the cytee met her with oute Sayncte Denyce al in coates
of goldsmythes woorke with shippes gylt, and after them mett her
al the prestes and religious whiche were estemed to be. iiiM. The
quene was in a chyre coured about (but not her ouer person) in
white clothe of golde, the horses that drewe it couered in clothe
of golde, on her bed a coronall, al of greate perles, her necke
and brest full of Iuels, before her wente a garde of Almaynes
after ther fascion, and after them al noblemen, as the Dolphyn,
the Duke of Burbon, Cardynalles, and a greate nomber of estates.
Aboute her person rode the kynge's garde the whiche wer Scottes.
On the morowe bega the iustes, and the quene stode so that al men
might see her, and wonder at her beautie, and the kynge was feble
and lay on a couche for weakenes.

So Mary was twice married to Louis, and, although she was his queen
fast and sure enough, she was not his wife.

You may say what you will, but I like a fighting woman; one with a
touch of the savage in her when the occasion arises; one who can fight
for what she loves as well as against what she hates. She usually
loves as she fights--with all her heart.

So Mary was crowned, and was now a queen, hedged about by the tinseled
divinity that hedgeth royalty.

It seemed that she was climbing higher and higher all the t