and Grey were consumed with anxiety at this sudden appearance of Buckingham, their arch-enemy, and were hating him and Richard with fierce intensity; Buckingham was regarding them with all the fervid resentment the old Nobility had for this upstart family; while Gloucester, with neither hatred nor resentment in his mind, but with the cool, calm judgment that ever rose above the pettiness of personal feeling, was viewing them only as pawns that hampered his game of statecraft and therefore must be swept from the board.

It was near midnight when they quit the table and retired to their rooms above.  Richard dismissed Catesby, who as Chamberlain was waiting for him, and drawing the rude chair to the many-paned window he opened it, and sat looking out upon the street below.  Comparative quiet had settled over the town, broken now and then by a noise from the camp, or the shouts of some roistering soldiers far down the road.  Around the inn there was only the tramp of the guards, the rattle of their arms, or the low word of greeting as they met.  Presently there came an easy knock upon the door and Buckingham entered and shot the bolt behind him.  Gloucester had turned his head at the first sound, but said nothing until the Duke was beside him.  Then, pointing toward the heavens, he remarked, as he closed the casement: 

“It will be a fair day to-morrow.”

“All days are fair for some purposes,” said Buckingham quickly; “and the sooner the day the fairer to my mind.”

Richard smiled.  “Patience, my dear Stafford, patience.  It will come soon enough even for your eagerness, I fancy.  Did I not say to-morrow would be fair?”

“You are pleased to speak in riddles.”

“Not so; you used the riddle and I but spoke in kind.  However, trifles aside.  Your arrival was well timed; you should have seen Rivers’ face when he heard your voice; it was worth a Knight’s good fee.  For the first time he began to see how he had blundered.  By St. Paul! a child could have done better.  The game is easy now.”

Buckingham looked puzzled.

“What do you mean, my lord?” he said.  “I have been following blindly your direction in this affair, and I must admit that the point is very hazy to me.”

“Do you not see,” said the Duke, “that by remaining here and sending young Edward ahead at my approach, Rivers and Grey have overreached themselves completely?  In their desire to keep me from the King—­for plainly they did not know of your coming—­they have separated themselves from Edward and his two thousand men; and in so doing have lost both Edward and themselves.”

“Yet the two thousand men are still with Edward, are they not?” Buckingham insisted.  “I have three hundred, but methinks even though you ride with twice that number we would be utterly outmatched.”

“Nay, you do not perceive my plan,” said Richard.  “It will not be necessary to fight.  I could win now with but a hundred men.  We will------”