made her queen. But the day was not to end in peace; for after supper was over, and the queen had gone to her rooms, the Marquis of Winchester, lord treasurer, brought up the private jewels, which he desired her to wear, and the royal crown, which he wished her to try on. Jane looked at the shining toy, and put it from her, saying, "It will do." Winchester told her another crown would have to be made. Another crown! For whom must another crown be made? For the Lord Guilford, said the marquis, since he was to be crowned with her as king. Crowned as king! Surprised and hurt by what the treasurer had let fall, she sat in silent pain, until Guilford came into her room, when she broke into a fit of honest wrath. The crown, she said, was not a plaything for boys and girls. She would not make him king. A duke she had power to make, but only Parliament could make a man king. Guilford began to cry, and left the room. In a few minutes he came back with his mother, still whimpering that he wanted to be king, and would not be a duke. The queen was firm; and after hot speech between the old lady and the young girl, the duchess took her boy away, declaring that she would not leave him with an ungrateful wife. Second Day-Bad news came in from the eastern shires. When Lord Robert had gone to Hunsdon his prize was lost; no man could tell him how or why; but the lodge was empty, and the princess gone. Mary had been well served; for while Dudley was drawing a curtain round the bed, the false Arundel and the honest Throckmorton were both intent on letting her know that King Edward was no more. Sir Nicholas rode to London, told his three brothers the dread news, and took counsel with them as to what should be done. The four men, sitting in a dark room, whispering in hot words that summer night, were but the types of four millions of English subjects. They were loyal men, stout of heart, and true in faith; men who feared that Mary might be led astray through her confessors and her Spanish friends; but who chose to risk that evil rather than confront the perils of a civil war, a war which seemed likely, if once begun, to prove longer and fiercer than the strife of the Red against the White Rose, seeing that the weaker party could always count on the support of Spain and Rome. Their first thought was to do right. Mary was the true heir to her brother's crown, and they could not stand aloof when powerful | drug, or plunge the knife into her and unscrupulous men seemed heart. Dudley, who already conbent on driving her from her templated sending Bishop Garfather's realm. As Sir Nicholas diner, Edward Courtney, and the put the case in his doggrel Duke of Norfolk to the block, was rhyme :of opinion that the throne would be all the more stable if it were red with blood. And though I liked not the religion, Which all her life Queen Mary had profest; Yet in my mind that wicked motion, Right heir for to displace I did detest. After long debate the four brothers agreed to mount their horses, to leave London by different roads, to spur with all speed for the royal lodge, to inform the princess of her brother's death, and warn her to fly from Hunsdon before the arrival of Lord Robert's com pany of horse. Arundel's man confirmed the news. A night ride saved the princess, who sent out letters to the shires and cities, calling out her people, and then rode swiftly through the Suffolk flats towards Kenning Hall, a strong castle on the river Waveney, where she proclaimed herself queen. Missing his prize at Hunsdon, Lord Robert was ordered to gallop hard upon such track as he might find; and, to aid his search, Lord Warwick was sent out with a second company of horse. These young men had their father's orders how to act, and there is reason to suspect his orders would have justified them in putting Mary to death. Of course, she could be called a suicide, and three or four frightened servants might have been got to swear they had seen her either mix the Third Day - On Wednesday morning, while the lords were sitting with Queen Jane in council, news came to the Tower that Mary was at Kenning Hall; that John Bouchier, Earl of Bath, was with her; that Henry Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex, was on his way to join her; and that sons of Lord Wharton, and Lord Mordaunt, with many gentlemen of note, were up in arms. Kenning Hall belonged to the Howards, whose tenants and followers hated Dudley and all his tribe, partly for the wrongs which his party had done the duke; still more for the ruthless manner in which he had scourged their country in pursuit of Kett. The queen was safer than she knew among these Norfolk men, who not only flocked to her banners the moment they were raised, but threatened to put every man's land under fire who should dispute her claim. Knights and squires kept pouring in, hot with the summer sun, and gray with the summer dust; and the curfew rang that Wednesday night on what promised to be strife between the English commons and the English nobles; squire and yeoman striking for Queen Mary, while duke and earl were striking for Queen Jane. The council sitting in the White | your fidelity to the Queen's Majesty, whom I leave in your hands.” From the council chamber in the White Tower they passed through the chapel into the queen's apartments, where Jane thanked the duke for leaving her father by her side, and, wishing him a speedy return, bade him good night. Tower now felt that the time had Fourth Day Early on Thursday morning, men, horses, guns, and carts began to block up the Strand in front of Durham House, the duke's residence near Charing Cross. Dudley called for his suit of steel, and tried it on. He sent for cannon from the Tower, with waggons of powder and shot, and many field-pieces. After breakfast he begged the council to prepare his commission, as the queen's lieutenant, forthwith, and to send on his instructions by mounted messenger to Newmarket, as soon as they could be drawn up. To the peers who came to Durham House to dine with him and see him off, he made a speech; in which he told them that he was going forth in the common cause; that he left the queen in their hands; that he felt no doubt of their faithfulness; that they were all engaged in God's work; that any man who faltered in the cause would come to grief. At this moment dinner was brought in, on which Dudley concluded in a few words: "I have not spoken to you," he said, "in this sort upon any distrust of your truth, but have put you in remembrance. And this I pray you, wish me no worse God speed than ye would | ton, the Marquis of Northampton; have yourselves." To which one of the lords replied, "If you mistrust any of us in this matter, your Grace is much deceived." The duke made answer, "I pray God it be so; let us go to dinner." Then they sat down. After dinner, Dudley rode down to the Tower and took his leave of the queen. As he came back from his audience into the council chamber, he met Lord Arundel, who prayed that God would be with his Grace, saying he was sorry it was not his luck to be going into the field with him, as he wished no better end than to fight in his cause and die at his feet. A page, named Thomas Lovel, was with the duke. "Farewell, gentle Thomas," said Arundel to the boy, "farewell, with all my heart." The lords came down the spiral stairs, and stood upon the green for a last greeting of their fellows; the Duke of Northumberland first, then the Marquis of Northampton, Lord Grey of Wilton, and many more; after which final greeting they took boat on the wharf, and went back to their houses in the Strand. Fifth Day-On Friday morning the duke rode proudly forth, with his first train of guns, a body of six hundred men, and a magnificent staff. If great names and offices could have given the victory to Queen Jane, she might have slept in peace. Besides the Lord General, Dudley himself went, the Lord Admiral, Edward Lord Clin | the Earls of Warwick, Huntingdon, and Westmoreland; Lord Grey of Wilton, Lord Ambrose Dudley, Lord Robert Dudley, with most of the men whose steel had been tried in actual war. But they were generals without troops; admirals without ships; lords without following. Clinton and Huntingdon were enemies in disguise. As they pranced along Shoreditch, the duke observed with a soldier's eye that the crowd which flocked to see the martial array go past, in all its bravery of steel and plume, looked sad and curious, and turning to Lord Grey, who was riding at his side, remarked, "The people press to see us, but no man cries God speed Yet Mary feared to wait their coming at Kenning Hall; a place too near the capital, too far from any port; so she leapt to horse, and, with a long train of riders, dashed across country towards Framlingham Castle, the Duke of Norfolk's stronghold on the Ore; riding so hard that she made no less than forty miles in a single day. Once that day she was in peril, for in part of her road she fell foul of the companies led by Warwick and Lord Robert. But on the first shout of the onset, Jane's troops went over to her side, and Dudley's sons escaped becoming Mary's prisoners only by the fleetness of their steeds. Later in the day, a messenger from Bucks brought word to the council in the Tower that Lord Windsor, Sir Edward Hastings, and other gen- | In every city, the crowd was for tlemen, were raising men in that county in Queen Mary's name. Sixth Day-On Saturday a train of waggons left the Tower, with arms, supplies, and cannon for the duke, who found himself in presence of a thousand troubles on which he had never counted. The Commons gave him no help; for no one liked him; and as he advanced into East Anglia he found himself in the midst of active foes. When he heard bad news from the front, he halted. Mary was now at Framlingham Castle, surrounded by a guard, which was strong in number, if not in discipline and arms. She had been proclaimed in the market-place of Norwich, from which city a band of gentlemen had ridden to her court. Worst of all, some ships which Clinton had sent from London to the Norfolk coast, on the pretence of arresting Mary's flight, should she try to leave the country, had gone over to the queen, and supplied her with guns and stores. From other shires the news was equally dark and fitful. Bucks and Beds were stirring; Lord Derby was up in Cheshire; and the midland counties were about to march. Dudley, who knew his business as a soldier, saw that these changes must be met; and, sending in hot haste to London for fresh troops, he pushed on for Cambridge, which he reached that night. Mary, while the higher class of thinkers and reformers were for Jane. Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, walked down to St. Paul's Cross, and preached an eloquent sermon against the Scarlet Woman; while John Knox was thundering forth his prophetic warnings at Amersham in Bucks. From a thousand pulpits England was that day warned that a house divided against itself must fall. In the palace of the Tower, a cry of defection rose, but the garrison was too prompt in action for the evil spirit to get abroad. About seven o'clock, the gates were suddenly locked, and the keys carried up to the queen's room. The guards were told that a seal was missing; but, in fact, the missing seal was the Lord High Treasurer. Pembroke and Winchester had tried to leave the Tower privately; Pembroke had been watched and taken; but Winchester had got away. The first thought of every man was that he had carried off his money; and some archers of the guard were sent after him to his house, with orders to arrest and bring him back. They seized him in his bed, and delivered him at the Tower wicket to Sir John Brydges, the lieutenant, as the clocks were chiming twelve. Eighth Day-Monday brought fresh sorrow to Queen Jane. Her house was divided against itself; the duke, her father, Seventh Day The summer had no confidence in the duke, Sunday dawned on a country her father-in-law; the Duchess wasting with a passionate pain. of Northumberland was quar |