ady Margaret as a faithful
retainer of Lord de Vesci, her father; and seeing by his looks that what
he had to communicate was for her ear only; she dismissed all who were
present, and remained alone with him.

"What is it, Rolf," she asked in alarm. "Why do you come here in
disguise? what of my father? is he well?"

"He is well, dear lady. It is not of him I came to speak. I am just
from Wakefield, and I come to warn you to watch well over your sons, for
the friends of York have sworn, one and all, to take revenge for the
death of young Rutland; and I fear me the threat points towards Lord
Clifford's children. You must not trust them out of the castle, where
for the present they are safe; but if Edward of York should be made
king, and he is more likely to succeed than his father was, I am afraid
there will be no safety for them even here. I assumed this disguise
because if it became known amongst your enemies that one of your
father's people had come from Wakefield here, they would suspect it was
to put you on your guard."

"Now heaven help me!" said the lady, "how am I to ward off this
misfortune? I must depend on you, my good and faithful Rolf, to keep
watch, and let me know should any immediate danger threaten us; and, in
the meanwhile, I will concert some plan for removing my children in case
of need."

"This I will do, lady, and as much more as may lie within my power. In
this minstrel's guise I can visit the camp of the Yorkists from time to
time, and bring you intelligence of what is passing there. They will
not know that I am one of your house, and I shall pass free."

Lady Margaret was truly grateful to the trusty Rolf, who departed from
the castle that same day; but she confided to none, except the good old
seneschal, what had been the purport of their conference. Day after day
she waited with ill-concealed dread for further tidings, and at length a
messenger came from her lord, from whom she learned that more battles
had been fought, that the king was released from prison, but that the
young Duke of York had been proclaimed king in London, by the title of
Edward the Fourth. Soon afterwards another messenger arrived with news
that King Henry and the queen were again in Yorkshire collecting more
forces, and that King Edward (for there were now two kings) was
advancing northward with a large army to oppose them. The poor women
and children from the neighbouring villages now came flocking for refu