betrothed
to Antoine's son Ferry, as he was called.[3] Now Ferry seemed not
disposed to submit quietly, as St. Pol had done, to the loss of his
bride, and as he had never thus far been able to induce Rene and
Isabella to fulfill their agreement by consenting to the consummation
of the marriage, he determined now to take the matter into his own
hands. So he formed the scheme of an elopement. His plan was to take
advantage of the excitement and confusion attendant on the tournament
for carrying off his bride. He organized a band of adventurous young
knights who were willing to aid him in his enterprise, and, laying his
plans secretly and carefully, he, assisted by his comrades, seized the
young lady and galloped away with her to a place of safety, intending
to keep her there in his own custody until King Rene and her mother
should consent to her immediate marriage. King Rene, when he first
heard of his daughter's abduction, was very angry, and declared that
he would never forgive either Ferry or Yolante. But the King and Queen
of France interceded for the lovers, and Rene at last relented. Ferry
and Yolante were married, and all parties were made friends again,
after which the celebrations and festivities were renewed with greater
spirit and ardor than before.

[Footnote 3: The name was a contraction of Frederick.]

[Sidenote: Margaret takes leave of her friends.]

At length the time for the conclusion of the public rejoicings at
Nancy, and for the commencement of Margaret's journey to England,
arrived. Thus far, though nominally under the care and keeping of Lord
and Lady Suffolk, Margaret had of course been really most intimately
associated with her own family and friends; but now the time had come
when she was to take a final leave of her father and mother, and of
all whom she had known and loved from infancy, and be put really and
fully into the trust and keeping of strangers, to be taken by them to
a distant and foreign land. The parting was very painful. It seems
that Margaret's beauty and the charming vivacity of her manners had
made her universally beloved, and the hearts not only of her father
and mother, but of the whole circle of those who had known her, were
filled with grief at the thought of parting with her forever.

[Sidenote: Setting out of the procession.]

The King and Queen of France, who seem to have loved their niece with
sincere affection, determined to accompany her for a short dista