y,
although it was not entirely without anxiety that he had seen the army
of Henry approach his own dominions; but, satisfied that at such a
conjuncture the French monarch would attempt no aggressive measures
against Italy, he had consented to remain passive.

Madame de Verneuil was no sooner apprised of the landing of Marie de
Medicis than, after having vehemently reproached the King for a haste
which she designated as insulting to herself, she made instant
preparations for her return to Paris, resolutely refusing to assist at
the ceremonious reception of the new Queen; nor could the expostulations
of Henry, even accompanied, as they were, by the most profuse proofs of
his continued affection, induce her to rescind her determination. To
every representation of the monarch she replied by reminding him that
out of all the high nobles of his Court, he had seen fit to select the
Duc de Bellegarde as the bearer of his marriage-procuration to the Grand
Duke of Florence--thus indemnifying him to the utmost of his power for
the mortification to which he had been subjected by the royal refusal to
permit him to act personally as his proxy; while she assured him that
she was not blind to the fact that this selection was meant as an
additional affront to herself, in order to avenge the preposterous
notion which his Majesty had adopted, that, after having previously paid
his court to the Duchesse de Beaufort during her period of power, the
Duke had since transferred his affections to the Marquise de Verneuil.

Under all circumstances, this accusation was most unfortunate and
ill-judged, and should in itself have sufficed to open the eyes of the
monarch, who had, assuredly, had sufficient experience in female tactics
to be quite aware that where a woman is compelled mentally to condemn
herself, she is the most anxious to transfer her fault to others, and to
blame where she is conscious of being open to censure. Madame de
Verneuil had not, however, in this instance at all miscalculated the
extent of her influence over the royal mind; as, instead of resenting an
impertinence which was well fitted to arouse his indignation, Henry
weakly condescended to justify himself, and by this unmanly concession
laid the foundation of all his subsequent domestic discomfort.

Madame de Verneuil returned to Paris, surrounded by adulation and
splendour, and the King was left at liberty to bestow some portion of
his thoughts upon his expected bride.