Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/392

 37S REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [en. $$. claring that whatever might be the Queen's pleasure, he had not brought powers with him to agree to the restoration. If she meant to persist, he must return to Scotland and consult the Estates. The English Parlia- ment was about to meet. Elizabeth accepted Morton's excuses, and further discussion was prorogued indefin- itely. She directed Lord Shrewsbury to pacify the Queen of Scots by assuring her that the settlement of her affairs was only postponed. The answer was not- likely to be satisfactory, and she therefore told the Earl that he must ' take good heed to his charge ; ' ' being discontented, she would leave no means unsought to attempt her escape/ l For the time, at any rate, the Anjou negotiation would ensure the acquiescence of the Court of France, and if Elizabeth could but resolve to marry the Duke, she might count upon their permanent indifference. It was enough that she was safe for the moment, and if time brought new complications, it might bring the remedy along with them. That Mary Stuart would not sit down patiently under her disappointment, no particular wisdom was required to foresee ; but Elizabeth scarcely even yet compre- hended the energy of the person with whom she had to deal. The Queen of Scots had long anticipated that the treaty would end in nothing. She knew that Cecil was not a fool, and she must have soon been undeceived in her hope that she had gained him over. She believed Elizabeth to be as false as she knew herself to be, and 1 Elizabeth to the Earl of Shrewsbury, March 24 : MSS. Hatfield.