vious day. Margaret was indeed still one minute plunged in tears
and sobs, and the next hoping more, believing more than any one around
her. Agnes had tacitly accompanied her mother and Lady Mary to the royal
boudoir, but she had turned in very sickness of heart from all her
companions, and remained standing in a deep recess formed by the high
and narrow casement, alone, save Isoline, who still clung to her side,
pale, motionless as the marble statue near her, whose unconscious repose
she envied.

"Speak, Isabella, why will you not speak to me?" said the queen,
fretfully. "My husband bade me look to thee for strength, for support
under care and affliction like to this, yet thou keepest aloof from me;
thou hast words of comfort, of cheering for all save me."

"Not so, royal lady, not so," she answered, as with a faint, scarcely
perceptible smile, she advanced to the side of her royal mistress, and
took her hand in hers. "I have spoken, I have urged, entreated, conjured
thee to droop not; for thy husband's sake, to hope on, despite the
terrible rumors abroad. I have besought thee to seek firmness for his
sake; but thou didst but tell me, Isabella, Isabella, thou canst not
feel as I do, he is naught to thee but thy king; to me, what is he not?
king, hero, husband--all, my only all; and I have desisted, lady, for I
deemed my words offended, my counsel unadvised, and looked on but as
cold and foolish."

"Nay, did I say all this to thee? Isabella, forgive me, for indeed,
indeed, I knew it not," replied Margaret, her previous fretfulness
subsiding into a softened and less painful burst of weeping. "He is in
truth, my all, my heart's dearest, best, and without him, oh! what am I?
even a cipher, a reed, useless to myself, to my child, as to all others.
I am not like thee, Isabella--would, would I were; I should be more
worthy of my Robert's love, and consequently dearer to his heart. I can
be but a burden to him now."

"Hush, hush! would he not chide thee for such words, my Margaret?"
returned the countess, soothingly, and in a much lower voice, speaking
as she would to a younger sister. "Had he not deemed thee worthy, would
he have made thee his? oh, no, believe it not; he is too true, too
honorable for such thought."

"He loved me, because he saw I loved," whispered the queen, perceiving
that her companions had left her well-nigh alone with the countess, and
following, as was her custom, every impulse of her fond but
ill