Already at Alencon she had laid out a charming park, which a
contemporary poet called a terrestrial paradise,(2) and upon coming
to reside at Pau she transformed the surrounding woods into delightful
gardens, pronounced to be the finest then existing in Europe.(3)
1 Some of the doors and windows of the chateau are
elaborately ornamented in the best style of the Renaissance,
whilst the grand staircase, although dating from Margaret's
time, has vaulted arches, sometimes in the Romanesque and at
others in the Gothic style. Entwined on the friezes are the
initials H and M (Henry and Margaret), occasionally
accompanied by the letter R, implying _Rex_ or _Regina_. On
the first floor of the chateau is the bedroom occupied by
Margaret's husband, remarkable for its Renaissance chimney-
piece, and also a grand reception hall, now adorned with
tapestry made for Francis I. in Flanders. It was in this
latter room that the Count of Montgomery--the same who had
thrust out the eye of Henry II.
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