although it was as early as November that the great
entrance into Paris took place, and the news of Henry's restoration
was received, it was not until February that the royal party were
ready to embark. There were negotiations to be made, and men to be
enlisted, and ships to be procured, and funds to be provided, and
appointments to be decided upon, and dresses to be made, and a
thousand questions of precedence and etiquette to be considered and
arranged. At length, however, all was ready, and the whole company
proceeded together to the port which had been selected as the place of
embarkation. This port was Harfleur. Harfleur is situated on the coast
of Normandy, near the more modern port of Havre.

[Sidenote: Wind contrary.]

[Sidenote: Supposed witchcraft.]

When the time arrived for sailing, the weather looked very
unfavorable; but Margaret, who had become weary with the delays by
which her return had been so long postponed, and was very impatient to
arrive in her own dominions again, ordered the ships to put to sea.
Three times did they make the attempt, and three times were the ships
driven back into port again. Many of her friends were greatly
discouraged by these failures. Some said they thought that this
continued resistance of the elements to her plans ought to be regarded
as an indication of divine Providence that she was not to go to
England at present, and they begged her to defer the attempt. Others
thought that the contrary winds were raised by witches, and they began
to devise measures for finding out who the witches were.

[Sidenote: Large company.]

[Sidenote: Army to be embarked.]

[Sidenote: Margaret's fears.]

Margaret paid no attention to either of these suggestions, but
persisted in her determination to sail the moment that the weather
should allow. This delay was a source of great inconvenience to her,
and it occasioned a good deal of expense; for, besides her own
personal officers and attendants, Margaret had collected quite a large
body of soldiers to cross the Channel with her, in order to re-enforce
the armies of Warwick and of Henry. This was quite necessary; for,
although Henry had been nominally restored to the throne, his enemies
were yet in the field in considerable force, and Margaret was very
desirous of bringing with her the means of helping to put them down.
Indeed, she knew that the situation of her husband was extremely
precarious, and that the fortune of war might at any t