fficulties, led him
through the park, pointing out to him, with great volubility and
cheerfulness, the improvements he was contemplating.

Henry was a well-built, vigorous man, and walked with great rapidity.
Mayenne was excessively corpulent, and lame with the gout. With the
utmost difficulty he kept up with the king, panting, limping, and his
face blazing with the heat. Henry, with sly malice, for some time
appeared not to notice the sufferings of his victim; then, with a
concealed smile, he whispered to Sully,

"If I walk this great fat body much longer, I shall avenge myself
without any further trouble." Then turning to Mayenne, he added, "Tell
me the truth, cousin, do I not walk a little too fast for you?"

"Sire," exclaimed the puffing duke, "I am almost dead with fatigue."

"There's my hand," exclaimed the kind-hearted king, again cordially
embracing the duke. "Take it, for, on my life, this is all the
vengeance I shall ever seek."

[Illustration: THE RECONCILIATION WITH MAYENNE.]

There were still parts of the kingdom which held out against Henry,
and Spain and Flanders freely supplied men and ammunition to the
fragments of the League. Calais was in the hands of the enemy. Queen
Elizabeth of England had ceased to take much interest in the conflict
since the king had gone over to the Catholics. When Calais was
besieged by the foe, before its surrender she offered to send her
fleet for its protection if Henry would give the city to her. Henry
tartly replied, "I had rather be plundered by my enemies than by my
friends."

The queen was offended, sent no succor, and Calais passed into the
hands of the Leaguers. The king was exceedingly distressed at the loss
of this important town. It indicated new and rising energy on the part
of his foes. The more fanatical Catholics all over the kingdom, who
had never been more than half reconciled to Henry, were encouraged to
think that, after all their defeats, resistance might still be
successful. The heroic energies of the king were, however, not
depressed by this great disaster. When its surrender was announced,
turning to the gentlemen of his court, he calmly said,

"My friends, there is no remedy. Calais is taken, but we must not lose
our courage. It is in the midst of disasters that bold men grow
bolder. Our enemies have had their turn. With God's blessing, who has
never abandoned me when I have prayed to him with my whole heart, we
shall yet have ours. At any ev