But, admitting that the unfortunate prince was poisoned, what evidence is there to connect his wife with the crime? Nothing whatever save the confessions of Brilland, made under torture, and which he subsequently denied, and the rumour of her undue intimacy with the page Belcastel, about which, singularly enough, nothing seems to have been heard until after her husband’s death. On the other hand, there are the strongest possible reasons for believing her to be entirely innocent. She was, undoubtedly, deeply in love with her husband at the time of her marriage, and had given him, as we have seen, signal proofs of her devotion; and it is, indeed, difficult to believe that in less than two years her affection could have been transformed into a murderous hatred. Moreover, she had apparently nothing to gain and much to lose by his death, for in the line of succession he stood next to the King of Navarre, a childless man, whose life was spent in the midst of perils. In conniving at the murder of the Prince de Condé, quite apart from the danger of detection and punishment, she would have deprived herself of the prospect of becoming Queen of France. CHAPTER XI Education of Henri II. de Bourbon, Prince de Condé--Appearance and character of the young prince--He is offered and accepts the hand of Charlotte de Montmorency, unaware that Henry IV. is desperately enamoured of the lady--Conversation of the King with Bassompierre--Marriage of Condé and Mlle. de Montmorency--Infatuation of the King for the young princess--Condé refuses to accept the odious rôle assigned him, and “plays the devil”--Violent scenes between him and the King--He removes with his wife to Picardy--Amorous escapade of Henri IV.--Condé, summoned to Court for the accouchement of the Queen, leaves the princess behind him--Indignation of Henri IV.--Condé flies with his wife to Flanders--Fury of the King, who sends troops in pursuit of the fugitives--Refusal of the Archdukes to deliver them up--Condé goes to Cologne, while the princess proceeds to Brussels. Henri IV. charged himself with all the expenses of the little Prince de Condé’s education; the Cardinal de Gondi, Bishop of Paris, was entrusted with the task of instructing him in the Catholic faith, and on 24 January, 1596, the boy attended Mass for the first time.