It was in vain. No
Seymour appeared. And the delay in her flight proved fatal. The French
ship which bore her was overtaken in Calais roads by one of the king's
vessels which had been so hastily despatched in pursuit, and the lady
was taken on board and brought back, protesting that she cared not what
became of her if her dear Seymour should only escape.
The story ends mournfully. The sad-hearted bride was consigned to an
imprisonment that preyed heavily upon her. Never very strong, her sorrow
and depression of spirits reduced her powers, while, with the hope that
she might die the sooner, she refused the aid of physicians. Grief,
despair, intense emotion, in time impaired her reason, and at the end of
four years of prison life she died, her mind having died before. Rarely
has a simple and innocent marriage produced such sad results through the
uncalled-for jealousy of kings. The sad romance of the poor Lady
Arabella's life was due to the fact that she had an unreasonable woman
to deal with in Elizabeth, and a suspicious fool in James. Sound
common-sense must say that neither had aught to gain from this
persecution of the poor lady, who they were so obstinately determined
should end life a maid.
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