London the Lord Mayor and Aldermen came out to meet them. It was a
splendid sight. The Lord Mayor was dressed in scarlet, and 500 of the
citizens of London were in violet, and Edward himself, a very handsome
boy, sat his horse like a king, while his long fair curls fell down over
his blue velvet cloak. And the Duke of Gloucester took off his hat and
bowed, and said to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, 'Behold your Prince and
Sovereign Lord!'

Then, as they rode on into the town, he told Edward that he should be
crowned in a month. I wonder if Edward believed him? They went first to
the Bishop of London's house, and then on to the Tower; but Edward did
not feel afraid, because, as I said, the Tower was a palace as well as a
prison, and as the palace at Westminster was very old and uncomfortable,
it was natural to go to the Tower instead.

Now, the wicked Richard of Gloucester had got one of the little boys
into his power; but that was no use unless he could get the other one,
for if he killed Edward the people would say Richard, Duke of York, must
be king. And he dared not kill either of them while Lord Hastings was
alive. So he thought of a plan, and this is what he did. He called a
meeting of the great nobles to the Tower to talk about business of
State. Lord Hastings came, of course, among the others. At first Richard
seemed to be in very good spirits, and laughed and jested; but as the
morning went on he grew crosser and crosser, and at last he scowled so
much that all the nobles were afraid of him. Then suddenly he stretched
out his bare arm, and showed them that it was shrivelled and old. It
had been like that since he was a baby, but now he pretended that it had
only happened suddenly, and that it was done by poor Queen Elizabeth,
who was then in sanctuary with her children; and he said she was a witch
and had bewitched him, and turning quickly to Lord Hastings, he said:
'What should be done to those who did this thing? Ought they not to be
killed?'

Lord Hastings knew quite well that the Queen had not done it; but he did
not dare to say so, so he answered: 'Ay, my lord, _if_ they have done
this thing they deserve death.'

Then Richard roared out in a fury: 'Dost thou answer me with "ifs"? By
my head! I will not dine until thy head is off!'

And he made a sign to some soldiers he had placed there before, and they
rushed forward and carried out poor Lord Hastings on to the little strip
of green outside, and there