se, and
played among the flowers, like a gayly-colored butterfly. I saw us
strolling through our park. Her fair hand was resting on my shoulder,
and mine arm did encircle her fairy waist. The sun was pouring through
the trees like streams of fine gold. The birds were singing all around
us, and all nature seemed trying to keep in harmony with our love and
add unto our happiness. Now and then would I stoop and pick a flower
and place it in her beauteous, dark brown hair. Then did I see my
father's faithful old servant, Dickon, come shuffling across the lawn
to tell us that it was time for dinner.

And so my dream goeth on, till it is interrupted by Harleston, who
enters my room. He was dressed in a long flowing robe, and there was
nothing about his appearance that would tell us he had been to a ball
that night.

"Well upon my soul, Bradley, art thou still sitting up? Why, methought
that I was the only late bird about the Castle. And your clothes still
on. Come, come, Walter, thou must be careful and do not let this flood
of happiness drown thy reason."

"Fear not for that," I replied; "for the said flood is so thick that my
reason doth float upon the surface."

"Indeed thou dost put it well. But come now, I must to that which
brought me here at this unseemly hour. When you did take me into that
small room, this evening, thou saidst that thou hadst two
communications of importance to make. So far you have made but one: it
was my desire to hear the other that brought me here to-night."

"Ah, yes, I had forgot," I replied. "Now the second is this, and I
will not so hesitate in the telling of it as I did with the first."
Then I told him all I had overheard, and how I came to be the unwilling
listener.

When I had finished he said:--"Thou mayst thank Heaven that thou didst
overhear that same conversation; for it doth give us the key unto the
puzzle which Richard will present to England, in case the King doth not
recover. The Queen should be warned," he continued.

"And yet it might avail nothing. In case we warned the Queen, and the
King recovered, we might find our heads upon the block for having
interfered. It is a dangerous matter to play with royalty; for," I
continued, "his Majesty King Edward is a good and kind master, but he
is also one which doth not like his family matters pried into. When he
is roused he is the very devil in human form. We have the Duke of
Clarence for an example. We had