At length one fine evening in early autumn, when the red sun shone
level through the window of the little room where he lay, and made a
red glory on the wall, he came to himself a little.

'Is it blood?' he murmured. 'Did Dorothy do it?--How foolish I am!
It is but a blot the sun has left behind him!--Ah! I see! I am dead
and lying on the top of my tomb. I am only marble. This is Redware
church. Oh, mother Rees, is it you! I am very glad! Cover me over a
little. The pall there.'

His eyes closed, and for a few hours he lay in a deep sleep, from
which he awoke very weak, but clear-headed. He remembered nothing,
however, since leaving the quarry, except what appeared a confused
dream of wandering through an interminable night of darkness,
weariness, and pain. His first words were,--

'I must get up, mother Rees: my father will be anxious about me.
Besides, I promised to set out for Gloucester to-day.'

She sought to quiet him, but in vain, and was at last compelled to
inform him that his father, finding he did not return, had armed
himself, mounted Oliver, and himself led his little company to join
the earl of Essex--who was now on his way, at the head of an army
consisting chiefly of the trained bands of London, to raise the
siege of Gloucester.

Richard started up, and would have leaped from the bed, but fell
back helpless and unconscious. When at length his nurse had
succeeded in restoring him, she had much ado to convince him that
the best thing in all respects was to lie still and submit to be