s against them and told them to the
King, as he had done in the case of poor Clarence, but this time the
King was not quite so ready to believe him.

But when little Edward was thirteen the King died suddenly, and then the
Duke of Gloucester and the Queen's relations both tried to get young
Edward into their own hands, for they thought that a boy so young would
be easily controlled and made to do as they wished. Edward, who was now
King Edward V., loved his mother and all her family, and wished to be
under the care of his aunts and uncles on her side of the family; so
when she told him to go into the country with his uncle, Earl Rivers,
and one of his half-brothers, Lord Grey, he went gladly. The Queen had
planned this to keep him out of the power of the Duke of Gloucester,
whom she feared. But the Duke was too clever a man to be put aside so
easily. He had made his brother, the dead King, say before he died that
he was to be young Edward's guardian, and on the strength of that he now
claimed the young King. Finding, however, that he had already gone to
the country, he sent a message to him saying he must come back, and he
himself started out for the country to meet him half-way.

You can imagine that Earl Rivers and Lord Grey were anxious when they
received that message. But what could they do? If they refused to bring
back the little King, the Duke would doubtless raise an army and come
against them and compel them to give him up. So they thought the best
way would be to pretend to do as Richard wished, but in reality to keep
themselves very near to the young King and to guard him from harm. They
set out for London, therefore, bringing Edward with them, and the Duke
of Gloucester soon met them. He had with him a powerful noble called
Lord Hastings, who, though he hated the Queen's relations and was
jealous of them, was still an upright, brave man, who would not have
hurt a hair of young Edward's head.

When the Duke of Gloucester and Lord Hastings met the other party, they
were very polite, and so friendly that Earl Rivers and Lord Grey thought
that they must have been mistaken, and that the Duke meant nothing but
good; so they foolishly gave up all precautions, and left themselves in
the power of the Duke. Then he seized them, and sent them off as
prisoners to a strong tower in Yorkshire.

Poor Edward V. was terrified when he heard this, and found that he was
alone with his uncle Gloucester, and he fell on his kne