Chapter IV

by Charlotte M. Yonge

　　Richard of Normandy was very anxious to know more of the little boywhom he had seen among his vassals.

　　"Ah! the young Baron de Montemar," said Sir Eric. "I knew his fatherwell, and a brave man he was, though not of northern blood. He waswarden of the marches of the Epte, and was killed by your father'sside in the inroad of the Viscount du Cotentin, {10} at the time whenyou were born, Lord Richard."

　　"But where does he live? Shall I not see him again?"

　　"Montemar is on the bank of the Epte, in the domain that the Frenchwrongfully claim from us. He lives there with his mother, and if hebe not yet returned, you shall see him presently. Osmond, go you andseek out the lodgings of the young Montemar, and tell him the Dukewould see him."

　　Richard had never had a playfellow of his own age, and his eagernessto see Alberic de Montemar was great. He watched from the window,and at length beheld Osmond entering the court with a boy of tenyears old by his side, and an old grey-headed Squire, with a goldenchain to mark him as a Seneschal or Steward of the Castle, walkingbehind.

　　Richard ran to the door to meet them, holding out his hand eagerly.Alberic uncovered his bright dark hair, bowed low and gracefully, butstood as if he did not exactly know what to do next. Richard grewshy at the same moment, and the two boys stood looking at each othersomewhat awkwardly. It was easy to see that they were of differentraces, so unlike were the blue eyes, flaxen hair, and fair face ofthe young Duke, to the black flashing eyes and olive cheek of hisFrench vassal, who, though two years older, was scarcely above him inheight; and his slight figure, well-proportioned, active and agile asit was, did not give the same promise of strength as the round limbsand large-boned frame of Richard, which even now seemed likely torival the gigantic stature of his grandfather, Earl Rollo, theGanger.

　　For some minutes the little Duke and the young Baron stood surveyingeach other without a word, and old Sir Eric did not improve mattersby saying, "Well, Lord Duke, here he is. Have you no better greetingfor him?"

　　"The children are shame-faced," said Fru Astrida, seeing how theyboth coloured. "Is your Lady mother in good health, my young sir?"

　　Alberic blushed more deeply, bowed to the old northern lady, andanswered fast and low in French, "I cannot speak the Norman tongue."

　　Richard, glad to say something, interpreted Fru Astrida's speech, andAlberic readily made courteous reply that his mother was well, and hethanked the Dame de Centeville, a French title which sounded new toFru Astrida's ears. Then came the embarrassment again, and FruAstrida at last said, "Take him out, Lord Richard; take him to seethe horses in the stables, or the hounds, or what not."

　　Richard was not sorry to obey, so out they went into the court ofRollo's tower, and in the open air the shyness went off. Richardshowed his own pony, and Alberic asked if he could leap into thesaddle without putting his foot in the stirrup. No, Richard couldnot; indeed, even Osmond had never seen it done, for the feats ofFrench chivalry had scarcely yet spread into Normandy.

　　"Can you?" said Richard; "will you show us?"

　　"I know I can with my own pony," said Alberic, "for Bertrand will notlet me mount in any other way; but I will try with yours, if youdesire it, my Lord."

　　So the pony was led out. Alberic laid one hand on its mane, andvaulted on its back in a moment. Both Osmond and Richard broke outloudly into admiration. "Oh, this is nothing!" said Alberic."Bertrand says it is nothing. Before he grew old and stiff he couldspring into the saddle in this manner fully armed. I ought to dothis much better."

　　Richard begged to be shown how to perform the exploit, and Albericrepeated it; then Richard wanted to try, but the pony's patiencewould not endure any longer, and Alberic said he had learnt on ablock of wood, and practised on the great wolf-hound. They wanderedabout a little longer in the court, and then climbed up the spiralstone stairs to the battlements at the top of the tower, where theylooked at the house-tops of Rouen close beneath, and the river Seine,broadening and glittering on one side in its course to the sea, andon the other narrowing to a blue ribbon, winding through the greenexpanse of fertile Normandy. They threw the pebbles and bits ofmortar down that they might hear them fall, and tried which couldstand nearest to the edge of the battlement without being giddy.Richard was pleased to find that he could go the nearest, and beganto tell some of Fru Astrida's stories about the precipices of Norway,among which when she was a young girl she used to climb about andtend the cattle in the long light summer time. When the two boyscame down again into the hall to dinner, they felt as if they hadknown each other all their lives. The dinner was laid out in fullstate, and Richard had, as before, to sit in the great throne-likechair with the old Count of Harcourt on one side, but, to hiscomfort, Fru Astrida was on the other.

　　After the dinner, Alberic de Montemar rose to take his leave, as hewas to ride half way to his home that afternoon. Count Bernard, whoall dinner time had been watching him intently from under his shaggyeye-brows, at this moment turned to Richard, whom he hardly everaddressed, and said to him, "Hark ye, my Lord, what should you say tohave him yonder for a comrade?"

　　"To stay with me?" cried Richard, eagerly. "Oh, thanks, Sir Count;and may he stay?"

　　"You are Lord here."

　　"Oh, Alberic!" cried Richard, jumping out of his chair of state, andrunning up to him, "will you not stay with me, and be my brother andcomrade?"

　　Alberic looked down hesitating.

　　"Oh, say that you will! I will give you horses, and hawks, andhounds, and I will love you--almost as well as Osmond. Oh, stay withme, Alberic."

　　"I must obey you, my Lord," said Alberic, "but--"

　　"Come, young Frenchman, out with it," said Bernard,--"no buts! Speakhonestly, and at once, like a Norman, if you can."

　　This rough speech seemed to restore the little Baron's self-possession, and he looked up bright and bold at the rugged face ofthe old Dane, while he said, "I had rather not stay here."

　　"Ha! not do service to your Lord?"

　　"I would serve him with all my heart, but I do not want to stay here.I love the Castle of Montemar better, and my mother has no one butme."

　　"Brave and true, Sir Frenchman," said the old Count, laying his greathand on Alberic's head, and looking better pleased than Richardthought his grim features could have appeared. Then turning toBertrand, Alberic's Seneschal, he said, "Bear the Count de Harcourt'sgreetings to the noble Dame de Montemar, and say to her that her sonis of a free bold spirit, and if she would have him bred up with myLord Duke, as his comrade and brother in arms, he will find a readywelcome."

　　"So, Alberic, you will come back, perhaps?" said Richard.

　　"That must be as my mother pleases," answered Alberic bluntly, andwith all due civilities he and his Seneschal departed.

　　Four or five times a day did Richard ask Osmond and Fru Astrida ifthey thought Alberic would return, and it was a great satisfaction tohim to find that every one agreed that it would be very foolish inthe Dame de Montemar to refuse so good an offer, only Fru Astridacould not quite believe she would part with her son. Still no Baronde Montemar arrived, and the little Duke was beginning to think lessabout his hopes, when one evening, as he was returning from a ridewith Sir Eric and Osmond, he saw four horsemen coming towards them,and a little boy in front.

　　"It is Alberic himself, I am sure of it!" he exclaimed, and so itproved; and while the Seneschal delivered his Lady's message to SirEric, Richard rode up and greeted the welcome guest.

　　"Oh, I am very glad your mother has sent you!"

　　"She said she was not fit to bring up a young warrior of themarches," said Alberic.

　　"Were you very sorry to come?"

　　"I dare say I shall not mind it soon; and Bertrand is to come andfetch me home to visit her every three months, if you will let me go,my Lord."

　　Richard was extremely delighted, and thought he could never do enoughto make Rouen pleasant to Alberic, who after the first day or twocheered up, missed his mother less, managed to talk something betweenFrench and Norman to Sir Eric and Fru Astrida, and became a veryanimated companion and friend. In one respect Alberic was a betterplayfellow for the Duke than Osmond de Centeville, for Osmond,playing as a grown up man, not for his own amusement, but thechild's, had left all the advantages of the game to Richard, who wasgrowing not a little inclined to domineer. This Alberic did notlike, unless, as he said, "it was to be always Lord and vassal, andthen he did not care for the game," and he played with so littleanimation that Richard grew vexed.

　　"I can't help it," said Alberic; "if you take all the best chances toyourself, 'tis no sport for me. I will do your bidding, as you arethe Duke, but I cannot like it."

　　"Never mind my being Duke, but play as we used to do."

　　"Then let us play as I did with Bertrand's sons at Montemar. I wastheir Baron, as you are my Duke, but my mother said there would be nosport unless we forgot all that at play."

　　"Then so we will. Come, begin again, Alberic, and you shall have thefirst turn."

　　However, Alberic was quite as courteous and respectful to the Dukewhen they were not at play, as the difference of their rank required;indeed, he had learnt much more of grace and courtliness of demeanourfrom his mother, a Provencal lady, than was yet to be found among theNormans. The Chaplain of Montemar had begun to teach him to read andwrite, and he liked learning much better than Richard, who would nothave gone on with Father Lucas's lessons at all, if Abbot Martin ofJumieges had not put him in mind that it had been his father'sespecial desire.

　　What Richard most disliked was, however, the being obliged to sit incouncil. The Count of Harcourt did in truth govern the dukedom, butnothing could be done without the Duke's consent, and once a week atleast, there was held in the great hall of Rollo's tower, what wascalled a Parlement, or "a talkation," where Count Bernard, theArchbishop, the Baron de Centeville, the Abbot of Jumieges, and suchother Bishops, Nobles, or Abbots, as might chance to be at Rouen,consulted on the affairs of Normandy; and there the little Dukealways was forced to be present, sitting up in his chair of state,and hearing rather than listening to, questions about the repairingand guarding of Castles, the asking of loans from the vassals, theappeals from the Barons of the Exchequer, who were then Nobles sentthrough the duchy to administer justice, and the discussions aboutthe proceedings of his neighbours, King Louis of France, CountFoulques of Anjou, and Count Herluin of Montreuil, and how far thefriendship of Hugh of Paris, and Alan of Brittany might be trusted.

　　Very tired of all this did Richard grow, especially when he foundthat the Normans had made up their minds not to attempt a war againstthe wicked Count of Flanders. He sighed most wearily, yawned againand again, and moved restlessly about in his chair; but wheneverCount Bernard saw him doing so, he received so severe a look and signthat he grew perfectly to dread the eye of the fierce old Dane.Bernard never spoke to him to praise him, or to enter into any of hispursuits; he only treated him with the grave distant respect due tohim as a Prince, or else now and then spoke a few stern words to himof reproof for this restlessness, or for some other childish folly.

　　Used as Richard was to be petted and made much of by the whole houseof Centeville, he resented this considerably in secret, disliked andfeared the old Count, and more than once told Alberic de Montemar,that as soon as he was fourteen, when he would be declared of age, heshould send Count Bernard to take care of his own Castle of Harcourt,instead of letting him sit gloomy and grim in the Castle hall in theevening, spoiling all their sport.

　　Winter had set in, and Osmond used daily to take the little Duke andAlberic to the nearest sheet of ice, for the Normans still pridedthemselves on excelling in skating, though they had long since leftthe frost-bound streams and lakes of Norway.

　　One day, as they were returning from the ice, they were surprised,even before they entered the Castle court, by hearing the tramplingof horses' feet, and a sound of voices.

　　"What may this mean?" said Osmond. "There must surely be a greatarrival of the vassals. The Duke of Brittany, perhaps."

　　"Oh," said Richard, piteously, "we have had one council already thisweek. I hope another is not coming!"

　　"It must import something extraordinary," proceeded Osmond. "It is amischance that the Count of Harcourt is not at Rouen just now."

　　Richard thought this no mischance at all, and just then, Alberic, whohad run on a little before, came back exclaiming, "They are French.It is the Frank tongue, not the Norman, that they speak."

　　"So please you, my Lord," said Osmond, stopping short, "we go notrashly into the midst of them. I would I knew what were best to do."

　　Osmond rubbed his forehead and stood considering, while the two boyslooked at him anxiously. In a few seconds, before he had come to anyconclusion, there came forth from the gate a Norman Squire,accompanied by two strangers.

　　"My Lord Duke," said he to Richard, in French, "Sir Eric has sent meto bring you tidings that the King of France has arrived to receiveyour homage."

　　"The King!" exclaimed Osmond.

　　"Ay!" proceeded the Norman, in his own tongue, "Louis himself, andwith a train looking bent on mischief. I wish it may portend good tomy Lord here. You see I am accompanied. I believe from my heartthat Louis meant to prevent you from receiving a warning, and takingthe boy out of his clutches."

　　"Ha! what?" said Richard, anxiously. "Why is the King come? Whatmust I do?"

　　"Go on now, since there is no help for it," said Osmond.

　　"Greet the king as becomes you, bend the knee, and pay him homage."

　　Richard repeated over to himself the form of homage that he might beperfect in it, and walked on into the court; Alberic, Osmond, and therest falling back as he entered. The court was crowded with horsesand men, and it was only by calling out loudly, "The Duke, the Duke,"that Osmond could get space enough made for them to pass. In a fewmoments Richard had mounted the steps and stood in the great hall.

　　In the chair of state, at the upper end of the room, sat a smallspare man, of about eight or nine-and-twenty, pale, and of a lightcomplexion, with a rich dress of blue and gold. Sir Eric and severalother persons stood respectfully round him, and he was conversingwith the Archbishop, who, as well as Sir Eric, cast several anxiousglances at the little Duke as he advanced up the hall. He came up tothe King, put his knee to the ground, and was just beginning, "Louis,King of France, I--" when he found himself suddenly lifted from theground in the King's arms, and kissed on both cheeks. Then settinghim on his knee, the King exclaimed, "And is this the son of my braveand noble friend, Duke William? Ah! I should have known it from hislikeness. Let me embrace you again, dear child, for your father'ssake."

　　Richard was rather overwhelmed, but he thought the King very kind,especially when Louis began to admire his height and free-spiritedbearing, and to lament that his own sons, Lothaire and Carloman, wereso much smaller and more backward. He caressed Richard again andagain, praised every word he said--Fru Astrida was nothing to him;and Richard began to say to himself how strange and unkind it was ofBernard de Harcourt to like to find fault with him, when, on thecontrary, he deserved all this praise from the King himself.