pon the head, which they seemed to think
produced a comic effect. The queen, though at first she averted her
face, soon turned back again toward the horrid trophy, and laughed,
with the rest, at the ridiculous effect produced by the paper crown.

[Sidenote: The country shocked.]

[Sidenote: Margaret's ferocity.]

The murder, too, of the innocent child, the duke's younger son,
produced a great and very powerful sensation throughout the land. The
queen, though she had not, perhaps, commanded this deed, still made
herself an accessory by commending it and exulting over it. The
ferocious hate with which she was animated against all the family of
her fallen foe was also shown by another circumstance, and that was,
that when she commanded the two heads, viz., that of the Duke of York
and that of the Earl of Salisbury, to be set upon the city walls, she
ordered that a space should be left between them for two other heads,
one of which was to be that of Edward, the oldest son of the Duke of
York, who was still alive, not having been present at the battle of
Wakefield, and who, of course, now inherited the title and the claims
of his father.

[Sidenote: The duke's heir.]

[Sidenote: Edward.]

This young Edward was at this time about nineteen years of age. His
title had been hitherto the Earl of March, and he would, of course,
now become the Duke of York, only he chose to assume that of King of
England. He was a young man of great energy of character, and he was
sustained, of course, by all his father's party, who now transferred
their allegiance to him. Indeed, their zeal in his service was
redoubled by the terrible resentment and the thirst for vengeance
which the cruelties of the queen awakened in their minds. Edward
immediately put himself in motion with all the troops that he could
command. He was in the western part of England at the time of his
father's death, and he immediately began to move toward the coast in
order to intercept Margaret on her march toward London.

[Sidenote: Battle at St. Alban's.]

[Sidenote: Warwick defeated.]

[Sidenote: Henry abandoned.]

At the same time, the Earl of Warwick advanced from London itself to
the northward to meet the queen, taking with him the king, who had up
to this time remained in London. The armies of Warwick and of the
queen came into the vicinity of each other not far from St. Alban's,
before the young Duke of York came up, and a desperate battle was
fought. Warw