liberty, and
withdrew to see where Alice was putting her dresses.

As it was approaching evening, Lord Marnell's voice called her
downstairs.

"If thou wilt see a sight, Madge," he said, good-naturedly, as she
entered, "come quickly, and one will gladden thine eyes which never
sawest thou before. The King rideth presently from the Savoy to the
Tower."

Margery ran to the window, and saw a number of horses, decked, as well
as their riders, in all the colours of the rainbow, coming up the street
from the stately Savoy Palace, which stood, surrounded by green fields,
in what is now the Strand.

"Which is the King's Grace, I pray you?" asked she, eagerly.

"He weareth a plain black hood and a red gown," answered her husband.
"He rideth a white horse, and hath a scarlet footcloth, all powdered
over with ostrich feathers in gold."

"What!" said Margery, in surprise, "that little, fair, goodly man, with
the golden frontlet to his horse?"

"The very same," said Lord Marnell. "The tall, comely man who rideth
behind him, on yon brown horse, and who hath eyes like to an eagle, is
the Duke of Lancaster. `John of Gaunt,' the folk call him, by reason
that he was born at Ghent, in Flanders."

"And who be the rest, if I weary you not with asking?" said Margery,
rather timidly.

"In no wise," answered he. "Mostly lords and noble gentlemen, of whom
thou mayest perchance have heard. The Earl of Surrey is he in the green
coat, with a red plume. The Earl of Northumberland hath a blue coat,
broidered with gold, and a footcloth of the same. Yon dark,
proud-looking man in scarlet, on the roan horse, is the Duke of Exeter
[Sir John Holland], brother to the King's Grace by my Lady Princess his
mother, who was wed afore she wedded the Prince, whose soul God rest!
Ah! and here cometh my Lord of Hereford, Harry of Bolingbroke
[afterwards Henry IV], the Duke of Lancaster's only son and heir--and a
son and heir who were worse than none, if report tell truth," added Lord
Marnell, in a lower tone. "Seest thou, Madge, yon passing tall man,
with black hair, arrayed in pink cloth of silver?" [See note 1].

"I see him well, I thank your good Lordship," was Margery's answer; but
she suddenly shivered as she spoke.

"Art thou cold, Madge, by the casement? Shall I close the lattice?"

"I am not cold, good my Lord, I thank you," said Margery, in a different
tone; "but I like not to look upon that man."

"Why so?" asked Lord Marnell,