"And what kind of man is Duke Richard?" asked my new acquaintance, when we had at length discussed the other leaders of our forces. "Hast thou never seen him?" "Ay, I have seen him, though I am unknown to him; but I mean what kind of man is he inwardly, not physically?" "As for that, I do not care to speak. Thou, no doubt, hast heard of some of his Royal Highness' acts; men must be judged but by their acts, and not by the opinions of such an one as I," I replied cautiously; for I hesitated to express mine own opinion--the which, in this case, was not the most favourable--to one which I had but just met. Remember, my dears, those were times in which a silent tongue lived longer than did a loose one. Harleston's color heightened, but with a smile, he said:--"Thou art in the right. 'Twas impertinent of me to ask thee, who know me not, a question of that sort. I had forgot that this is England, and not Calais; for there we discuss, freely, the King, as though he were but a plain man." The frankness of this man, together with his polite and gentlemanly speech, made me to feel ashamed of my caution, so I said:--"Duke Richard hath never been popular with the friends of her Majesty the Queen; though of late he hath made himself liked better by them, than he was for many a long day." "But he is a valiant soldier, is he not?" "Ay, verily, that he is. He is as brave as the lions upon his banner, and besides, he knoweth well the properest way in which to distribute his forces in the field. There it is that the good qualities of Richard do show up like stars in a deep, dark sky." "Then the sky is truly black?" asked Sir Frederick, with a smile. I could not help but laugh at the way I had at last unconsciously expressed mine opinion of the Duke, after having declined to do so, but a breathing-space before. I cared not now that I had spoken my mind of Richard; for the more I looked into the honest face before me, the more did I trust to his discretion. Then our conversation changed to the gossip of the court, of which I told him all. The only part of this in which he showed interest was when I spoke of the King's health. "I fear," said he, "that his Majesty's reign is nearing an untimely end. When a man hath lived the life that the noble Edward hath, and kept up, with unbated vigor, his licentious habits, even when his body hath broken down, it doth take but little to blow the candle out. Some morning we shall awaken to find that Edward IV is dead, and his infant son is our new king." "Yes, that is what we must soon expect, for kings must die as well as subjects; especially, as thou most wisely saidst, kings which insist upon living a life of three score and ten years in a trifle more than two score." "And then God help poor England," said my new acquaintance devoutly.