last the difficulties were removed. The court abandoned
its demand that Marguerite should be allowed to attend mass at
Bearn; and the Queen of Navarre, on her part, consented that the
marriage should take place at Paris, instead of at Bearn as she had
before desired.

She then went to Paris to make preparations for the wedding. The
great anxiety she had gone through told heavily upon her, and a few
days after her arrival at the capital she was seized with a fever
which, in a very short time, terminated her life; not without
considerable suspicions being entertained that her illness and
death had been caused by poison, administered by an agent of
Catherine. She was, undoubtedly, one of the noblest women of her
own or any other time. She was deeply religious, ready to incur all
dangers for the sake of her faith, simple in her habits, pure in
her life, unconquerable in spirit, calm and confident in defeat and
danger, never doubting for a moment that God would give victory to
his cause, and capable of communicating her enthusiasm to all
around her--a Christian heroine, indeed. Her death was a terrible
blow to the Reformed religion. She died on the 9th of June, and the
marriage was, in consequence, deferred until August.

The Admiral had not been present at Blois during the negotiations
for the marriage, for after remaining there for three weeks he had
retired to his estate at Chatillon, where he occupied himself with
the work of restoring his ruined chateau.

The Countess Amelie had accompanied the Queen of Navarre to Blois,
and also to Paris, and had been with her at the time she died. She
had sent a message to Francois and Philip to join her there, when
she left Blois; accompanying her letter with a safe conduct signed
by the king. On the road they were met by the news of the death of
the Queen of Navarre. It was a severe blow to both of them, not
only from the effect it would have upon the Huguenot cause, but
from the affection they personally felt for her.

The king, being grievously harassed by the opposite counsels he
received, and his doubts as to which of his advisers were honest,
wrote to Coligny; begging him to come and aid him, with his counsel
and support.

The Admiral received many letters imploring him not to go to Paris;
where, even if the friendship of the king continued, he would be
exposed to the danger of poison, to which, it was generally
believed, his brothers and the Queen of Navarre had succum