o effect; for the
father of these princesses, as it happened, was at this same time
engaged in some negotiations with the King of France in respect to the
marriage of his daughters, and he wished to keep the negotiations with
Henry in suspense until he had ascertained whether he could or could
not do better in that quarter. So he contrived means to interrupt and
retard the work of the artist, in order to delay for a time the
finishing of the pictures.

[Sidenote: In what way.]

[Sidenote: The cardinal's scheme.]

In the mean time, while the Duke of Gloucester and his party were thus
engaged in forwarding their scheme of inducing Henry to make choice of
one of these three princesses for his wife, the cardinal himself was
not idle. He had heard of the beautiful and accomplished Margaret of
Anjou, and after full inquiry and reflection, he determined in his own
mind to make her his candidate for the honor of being Queen of
England. The manner in which he contrived to introduce the subject
first to the notice of the king was this.

[Sidenote: Champchevrier.]

There was a certain man, named Champchevrier, who had been taken
prisoner in Anjou in the course of the wars between France and
England, and who was now held for ransom by the knight who had
captured him. He was not, however, kept in close confinement, but was
allowed to go at large in England on his parole--that is, on his word
of honor that he would not make his escape and go back to his native
land until his ransom was paid.

[Sidenote: Champchevrier at court.]

Now this Champchevrier, though a prisoner, was a gentleman by birth
and education; and while he remained in England, held by his parole,
was admitted to the best society there, and he often appeared at
court, and frequently held converse with the king. In one of these
interviews he described, in very glowing terms, the beauty and
remarkable intelligence of Margaret of Anjou. It is supposed that he
was induced to this by Cardinal Beaufort, who knew of his
acquaintance with Margaret, and who contrived the interviews between
Champchevrier and the king, in order to give the former an opportunity
to speak of the lady to his majesty incidentally, as it were, and in a
way not to excite the king's suspicions that the commendations of her
which he heard were prompted by any match-making schemes formed for
him by his courtiers.

[Sidenote: His conversations with the king.]

If this was the secret plan of t