Ferdinand; and the unfortunate Katharine
was again reduced to the utmost neglect and penury, unable to buy food for
her own table, except by pawning her jewels.

In the ensuing intrigues Dona Elvira Manuel was on the side of the Queen
of Castile, as against her father; and Katharine lost the impartial advice
of her best counsellor, and involved herself in a very net of trouble. In
the summer of 1505 it was already understood that Philip and Juana on
their way to Spain by sea might possibly trust themselves in an English
port; and Henry, in order to be ready for any matrimonial combinations
that might be suggested, caused young Henry to make solemn protest before
the Bishop of Winchester at Richmond against his marriage with
Katharine.[12] Of this, at the time, of course the Spanish agents were
ignorant; and so completely was even Puebla hoodwinked, that almost to the
arrival of Philip and his wife in England he believed that Henry was in
favour of Ferdinand against Philip and Maximilian. Early in August 1505,
Puebla went to Richmond to see Katharine, and as he entered one of the
household told him that an ambassador from the Archduke Philip, King of
Castile, had just arrived and was waiting to see her. Puebla at once
himself conveyed the news to Katharine; and to his glee served as
interpreter between the ambassador and the Princess. On his knees before
her the Fleming related that he had come to propose a marriage between the
Duchess of Savoy (_i.e._ the widowed Archduchess Margaret) and Henry VII.,
and showed the Princess two portraits of the Archduchess. Furthermore, he
said that Philip and his wife were going by overland through France to
Spain, and he was to ask Henry what he thought of the plan. Puebla's eyes
were thus partially opened: and when a few days later he found that Dona
Elvira had not only contrived frequent private meetings between Katharine
and the Flemish ambassador, but had persuaded the Princess to propose a
meeting between Philip, Juana, and the King of England, he at once sounded
a note of alarm. Katharine, it must be recollected, was yet young; and
probably did not fully understand the deadly antagonism that existed
between her father and her brother-in-law. She was much under the
influence of Dona Elvira, and doubtless yearned to see her unhappy sister
Juana. So she was induced to write a letter to Philip, and to propose a
meeting with Henry at Calais. When a prompt affirmative reply came, the