terror. They even seized and plundered a convent, which was a
species of sacrilege. This greatly increased the general alarm. "The
wretches!" exclaimed the people, when they heard the tidings, "nothing
is sacred in their eyes." The people of London were particularly
alarmed. They thought there was danger that the city itself would be
given up to plunder if the queen's troops gained admission. So they
all turned against her. She sent one day into the town for a supply of
provisions, and the authorities, perhaps thinking themselves bound by
their official duty to obey orders of this kind coming in the king's
name, loaded up some wagons and sent them forth, but the people raised
a mob, and stopped the wagons at the gates, refusing to let them go
on.

In the mean time, Edward, growing every hour stronger as he advanced,
came rapidly on toward London. He was joined at length by the Earl of
Warwick and the remnant of the force which remained to the earl after
the battle which he had fought with the queen. The queen, now finding
that Edward's strength was becoming formidable, did not dare to meet
him; so she retreated toward the north again. Edward, instead of
pursuing her, advanced directly toward London. The people threw open
the gates to him, and welcomed him as their deliverer. They thronged
the streets to look upon him as he passed, and made the air ring with
their loud and long acclamations.

There was, indeed, every thing in the circumstances of the case to
awaken excitement and emotion. Here was a boy not yet out of his
teens, extremely handsome in appearance and agreeable in manners, who
had taken the field in command of a very large force to avenge the
cruel death of his father and brother, and was now coming boldly, at
the head of his troops, into the very capital of the king and queen
under whose authority his father and brother had been killed.

The most extraordinary circumstance connected with these proceedings
was, that during all this time Henry was still acknowledged by every
one as the actual king. Edward and his friends maintained, indeed,
that he, Edward, was _entitled_ to reign, but no one pretended that
any thing had yet been done which could have the legal effect of
putting him upon the throne. There was, however, now a general
expectation that the time for the formal deposition of Henry was near,
and in and around London all was excitement and confusion. The people
from the surrounding towns flocke