essions of impatience against her on account
of her sickness and uselessness, and making fretful complaints of her
various disagreeable qualities. Some of these sayings were reported to
Anne, and also a rumor came to her ears one day, while she was at her
toilet, that Richard was intending to put her to death. She was
dreadfully alarmed at hearing this, and she immediately ran, half
dressed as she was, and with her hair disheveled, into the presence of
her husband, and, with piteous sobs and bitter tears, asked him what
she had done to deserve death. Richard tried to quiet and calm her,
assuring her that she had no cause to fear.

She, however, continued to decline; and not long afterward her
distress and anguish of mind were greatly increased by hearing that
Richard was impatient for her death, in order that he might himself
marry the Princess Elizabeth, to whom every one said he was now, since
the death of his son, devoting himself personally with great
attention. In this state of suffering the poor queen lingered on
through the months of the winter, very evidently, though slowly,
approaching her end. The universal belief was that Richard had formed
the plan of making the Princess Elizabeth his wife, and that the
decline and subsequent death of Anne were owing to a slow poison which
he caused to be administered to her. There is no proof that this
charge was true, but the general belief in the truth of it shows what
was the estimate placed, in those times, on Richard's character.

It is very certain, however, that he contemplated this new marriage,
and that the princess herself acceded to the proposed plan, and was
very deeply interested in the accomplishment of it. It is said that
while the queen still lived she wrote to one of her friends--a certain
noble duke of high standing and influence--in which she implored him
to aid in forwarding her marriage with the king, whom she called "her
master and her joy in this world--the master of her heart and
thoughts." In this letter, too, she expressed her impatience at the
queen's being so long in dying. "Only think," said she, "the better
part of February is past, and the queen is still alive. Will she
_never_ die?"

But the patience of the princess was not destined to be taxed much
longer. The queen sank rapidly after this, and in March she died.

The heart of Elizabeth was now filled with exultation and delight. The
great obstacle to her marriage with her uncle was now