the wife of a courtier. She dressed
herself in her best dress, and adorned herself with her richest jewels;
and when the King came, presently, he discovered the cheat. So, he
caused his false friend, Athelwold, to be murdered in a wood, and married
his widow, this bad Elfrida. Six or seven years afterwards, he died; and
was buried, as if he had been all that the monks said he was, in the
abbey of Glastonbury, which he--or Dunstan for him--had much enriched.

England, in one part of this reign, was so troubled by wolves, which,
driven out of the open country, hid themselves in the mountains of Wales
when they were not attacking travellers and animals, that the tribute
payable by the Welsh people was forgiven them, on condition of their
producing, every year, three hundred wolves' heads. And the Welshmen
were so sharp upon the wolves, to save their money, that in four years
there was not a wolf left.

Then came the boy-king, EDWARD, called the Martyr, from the manner of his
death. Elfrida had a son, named ETHELRED, for whom she claimed the
throne; but Dunstan did not choose to favour him, and he made Edward
king. The boy was hunting, one day, down in Dorsetshire, when he rode
near to Corfe Castle, where Elfrida and Ethelred lived. Wishing to see
them kindly, he rode away from his attendants and galloped to the castle
gate, where he arrived at twilight, and blew his hunting-horn. 'You are
welcome, dear King,' said Elfrida, coming out, with her brightest smiles.
'Pray you dismount and enter.' 'Not so, dear madam,' said the King. 'My
company will miss me, and fear that I have met with some harm. Please
you to give me a cup of wine, that I may drink here, in the saddle, to
you and to my little brother, and so ride away with the good speed I have
made in riding here.' Elfrida, going in to bring the wine, whispered an
armed servant, one of her attendants, who stole out of the darkening
gateway, and crept round behind the King's horse. As the King raised the
cup to his lips, saying, 'Health!' to the wicked woman who was smiling on
him, and to his innocent brother whose hand she held in hers, and who was
only ten years old, this armed man made a spring and stabbed him in the
back. He dropped the cup and spurred his horse away; but, soon fainting
with loss of blood, dropped from the saddle, and, in his fall, entangled
one of his feet in the stirrup. The frightened horse dashed on; trailing
his rider's curls upon th