Aymer bowed. "Buckingham's message was in these words: 'Tell the Duke
of Gloucester to hasten to London without delay. I have conferred with
the Lords Howard, Hastings, and Stanley, and we are of the one mind
that he must be Lord Protector. Tell him we pledge to him our whole
support if he will give us his countenance in this crucial struggle
against the Woodvilles.'"

"Did he say nothing as to the present status of the situation?"
inquired Gloucester quietly. "I am far from Court and know little of
its happenings."

"With them, my lord, I am fully acquainted," said De Lacy, "both from
my own observation and by the Duke himself."

"How stands the matter, then?"

"Rather favorable to the Queen's faction than otherwise. The King's
coronation has been fixed for the first Lord's Day of the coming month
and His Majesty is to be escorted from Ludlow by two thousand men. The
Marquis of Dorset has seized the treasure in the Tower and Sir Edward
Woodville has been tampering with the navy, and methinks not without
result. The Queen and the whole family are catering to the populace
and spare no effort to win their favor. Only action sharp and sudden
will enable the Barons to prevail."

For a moment Gloucester made no response, but sat with his head bent
upon his bosom, as was his habit when in thought. Presently he said:

"How do you know that the King's escort will number two thousand?"