l title.]

It has already been stated that the name by which Margaret's father is
commonly designated is King Rene. The origin of this royal title is
now to be explained. He had an older brother, who became by
inheritance, with Joanna his wife, king and queen of the Two Sicilies,
that is, of the kingdom consisting of the island of Sicily and the
territory connected with Naples on the main land. The brother, at the
close of his life, designated Rene as his heir. This happened in the
year 1436, while Rene was still in captivity in the castle of Dijon.
He could, of course, do nothing himself to assert his claims to this
new inheritance, but Isabella immediately assumed the title of Queen
of the Two Sicilies for herself, and began at once to make
preparation for proceeding to Italy and taking possession of the
kingdom.

[Sidenote: Isabella and the children at Tarascon.]

While maturing her plans, she took up her residence for a time at the
chateau of Tarascon, on the banks of the Rhone, with the two children
who remained under her care, namely, her son Louis and Margaret. Her
other son was at Dijon with his father, and the other daughter,
Yolante, had been given up, as has already been said, to the custody
of the wife of Antoine, with a view of being married, as soon as she
was old enough, to Antoine's son.

The children attracted great attention at Tarascon. Their mother
Isabella was by birth a lady of very high rank, her family being
intimately connected with the royal family of France. She was now,
too, by title at least, herself a queen. The children were very
intelligent and beautiful, and the misfortunes and cruel captivity of
their father and brother were known and talked of in all the country
around. So the peasants and their families crowded around the chateau
to see the children. They brought them wreaths of flowers and other
votive offerings. They sang songs to serenade them, and they built
bonfires around the walls of the chateau at night, to drive away the
infection of the plague, which was then prevailing in some parts of
the country, and was exciting considerable alarm.

[Sidenote: Witches and the plague.]

The people of the country believed that this plague was produced by
magic and witchcraft, and there were some poor old women, who came
with the other peasants to the walls of the chateau of Tarascon to see
the children, who were believed to be witches. Afterward the plague
broke out at Tarascon, an