in his "Heart of Midlothian."

Their lunch was quickly over, and they were again on their way down
the long hill. In the town of Richmond, they mounted another tram for
the forty-minute ride to Hampton Court.

"If we only had had a bit more time," Mrs. Pitt apologized, "I should
have shown you what still remains of the famous old palace of
Richmond. Henry VIII and Elizabeth both held their courts there often,
and there the latter died in 1603. The palace was destroyed by order
of Parliament in 1649; only a small part of it was spared, and in that
the widow of Charles I, poor Queen Henrietta Maria, was allowed to
live. Are you getting plenty of history, Betty, my dear?"

"Oh, yes, but I'm always ready for more," smiled that young lady in
response.

The tram set them down very near the great palace of Hampton Court.
They went quickly through the entrance-gates of wrought iron, and
walked towards the building itself. This West Front is as Wolsey left
it, and is made of the old crimson bricks, with here and there a black
one. Passing under the gatehouse, they came into the Green or Base
Court, and here they paused to look about them.

"You'll remember that the great and powerful Cardinal Wolsey built
Hampton Court," suggested Mrs. Pitt. "He lived in regal state, and had
almost as large a retinue of servants and followers as the King
himself. To gratify his great love for splendor and luxury, he built
this magnificent residence for himself. He was in need of a home a
little removed from the city, where he could rest and enjoy the fresh
air. Yet it was also accessible to London, for he could be rowed up
the river in his barge. Wolsey's two great ambitions--wealth and
power--were both gratified, and for a while all went well; but time
brought the King's displeasure, and it was he who took possession at
Hampton Court after the complete disgrace which led to the death of
the Cardinal. Henry VIII tore down some of Wolsey's buildings, and put
up new ones in their stead; and other monarchs added portions also;
for instance, the huge State Apartments were erected under the
supervision of Sir Christopher Wren, and by order of King William III.
We shall see all these later on. Have you noticed those little oriel
windows of the gatehouse? They are the originals of Wolsey's palace,
and I think this court here is also much the same as he built it. In
his day there were pretty latticed windows in these surrounding
buildings, a gras