第 12 页

"Conrad of Ponthieu is an evil man," the prior said. "Had you come

ashore twenty miles farther south you would have been beyond his

jurisdiction. I fear that all the seacoast people view the goods

obtained from vessels cast ashore as a lawful prey, but your company

would assuredly have received fair hospitality if cast on the shores

of Normandy itself. But now methinks I hear the patter of the

palfreys' hoofs. Farewell, my sons, and may God who has protected

you through these dangers give you his blessing."

The lads knelt before him as he placed his hands on their heads and

gave them his benediction. As they rose brother Gregory entered to

say that the horses were ready, and with renewed thanks to the prior

they followed him to the courtyard, mounted, and rode off with the

lay-brother, glad indeed to find their journey on foot thus abridged.

Impatient as they were to reach Rouen, the gentle pace at which the

palfreys ambled along fretted them very much. Brother Philip kept

up a constant string of talk on the monastery, its estates, the

kindness of the prior, the strictness of the subprior, and other

matters of great interest to himself, but of none to the boys, whose

thoughts were with Harold, chained and in prison. The palfreys,

however, made very fair progress, and it was but three o'clock when

they rode into the streets of Rouen, whose size and grandeur would

at any other time have impressed them much, for it was an incomparably

finer city than London.

"That is the duke's palace," brother Philip said, as they approached

a stately building. "I will put up the horses at the convent at the

farther corner of this square, and will then go with you to the

palace, as I have orders to tell any officer who may make a difficulty

about you entering, that I am bid by the prior of Forges to say

that you are here on urgent business with the duke, and to pray

that you may have immediate audience with him."

In those days great men were easy accessible, and one of the ushers,

on receiving the message from the prior, at once led the boys to

an apartment in which the duke was sitting. He looked up in some

surprise on seeing the two lads standing bareheaded at the door,

while the usher repeated the message he had received.

"Advance," he said. "What is this business of which the prior of

Forges has sent me word?"

The two boys advanced and knelt before the duke. He was a man of

about the same age as Harold, with dark hair and complexion, less

tall than the earl, but of a powerful figure, and a stern, resolute

face. The boys had discussed among themselves which should be the

speaker. Wulf had desired that Beorn, being the elder, should deliver

the message, but Beorn insisted that as Wulf himself had received

it from Harold, it was he who should be the one to deliver it to

the duke.

"My Lord Duke," Wulf said, "we are Saxons, pages of Earl Harold,

and we bring you by his orders the news that the vessel in which

he was sailing along his coast had been blown off by a tempest and

cast on the shore of Ponthieu, near St. Valery, and that he and

his companions have been villainously ill-treated by Conrad, Count

of Ponthieu, who has seized them and cast them into dungeons in his

fortress of Beaurain, Harold and his companions being fettered like

malefactors."

The duke was astounded at the news. No greater piece of good fortune

could have befallen him, for he had it in his power to lay his great

rival under an obligation to him, to show himself a generous prince,

and at the same time to obtain substantial benefits. He rose at

once to his feet.

"By the Host," he exclaimed, "but this is foul treatment indeed of

the noble earl, and brings disgrace alike upon the Count of Ponthieu

and upon me, his liege lord. This wrong shall be remedied, and

speedily. You shall see that I waste no moment in rescuing your

lord from this unmannerly count." He struck his hand on the table,

and an attendant entered, "Pray the knights Fitz-Osberne and Warren

to come hither at once. And how is it, boys," he went on, as the

attendant hurried away, "that you were enabled to bear this message

to me?"

"While Harold and his thanes were cast into prison," Wulf said, "the

count kept us to wait upon him; not for our services, but that he

might flout and ill-treat us. We obtained possession of a rope, and

let ourselves down at night from the battlements, and made our way

on foot as far as Forges, where the good prior, learning from us

that we had a message of importance to you, though nothing of its

import, sent us forward on palfreys, so that no time might be lost."

"When did you leave Beaurain?"

"It will be three days come midnight," Wulf said.

"And how did you live by the way?"

"We took a piece of bread with us, and once obtained food at a

shepherd's hut, and this morning we were well entertained at the

convent of Forges."

"You have proved yourselves good and trusty messengers," the duke

said. "Would I were always as well served. As you are the earl's

pages you are of course of gentle blood?"

"We are both his wards, my lord, and shall be thanes when we come

of age."

"And how is it that you, young sir, who seem to be younger than

your companion, are the spokesman?"

"It happened thus," Wulf said modestly. "Some fishermen came up

just after we had gained the shore with the loss of many of our

company. I marked that one of them started on seeing Earl Harold,

and whispered to a companion, and feeling sure that he had recognized

my lord, I told the earl of it as we walked towards St. Valery. He

then charged me if he was taken prisoner by the count to endeavour

to bear the news to you, and to give the same orders to my comrade

Beorn, saying it was likely that we might not be so strictly watched

as the men of the company, and might therefore succeed in slipping

away, as indeed turned out to be the case. I was desirous that Beorn

should tell you the tale, being older and more accustomed to the

speech of the court than I was, but he held that the message, being

first given to me, it was I who should deliver it."

"He judged rightly," the duke said, "and deserves credit for thus

standing aside."

At this moment two knights entered. "Fitz-Osberne, Warren," the

duke said, "a foul wrong has been done by Conrad of Ponthieu to

Earl Harold of Wessex, the foremost of Englishmen next to the king

himself, who has, with a company of his thanes, been cast ashore

near St. Valery. Instead of receiving honourable treatment, as was

his due, he has been most foully seized, chained, and with his

friends thrown into prison by the count, who has sent no intimation

of what has taken place to me, his lord, and had it not been for

these two brave and faithful youths, who effected their escape over

the battlements of Beaurain in order to bring me the news, the earl

might have lingered in shameful captivity. I pray you take horse

at once, with twenty chosen spears, and ride at the top of your

speed to Beaurain. There express in fitting terms to Conrad my

indignation at his foul treatment of one who should have been

received as a most honoured guest. Say that the earl and his company

must at once be released, and be accorded the treatment due not

only to themselves, but to them as my guests, and bid the count

mount with them and ride to my fortress of Eu, to which I myself

will at once journey to receive them. Tell Conrad that I will account

to him for any fair ransom he may claim, and if he demur to obey

my orders warn him that the whole force of Normandy shall at once

be set on foot against him. After having been for two years my

prisoner, methinks he will not care to run the risk of again being

shut up within my walls."

"We will use all haste," Fitz-Osberne said. "Conrad's conduct is a

disgrace to every Norman noble, for all Europe will cry shame when

the news of the earl's treatment gets abroad. That Conrad should

hold him to ransom is only in accordance with his strict rights,

but that he should imprison and chain him is, by the saints, almost

beyond belief."

As soon as the knights had left, the duke sent for his chamberlain,

and ordered him to conduct Beorn and Wulf to an apartment and to

see that they were at once furnished with garments befitting young

nobles, together with a purse of money for their immediate wants.

Then taking a long and heavy gold chain from his neck he placed it

on the table, and with a blow with his dagger cut it in sunder, and

handed half to each of the lads.

"Take this," he said, "in token of my thanks for having brought me

this news, and remember, that if at any time you should have a boon

to ask that it is within my power to grant, I swear to you upon my

ducal honour that it shall be yours. Never have I received more

joyful news than that the great Earl of Wessex will shortly be my

guest."

The lads bowed deeply, and then followed the chamberlain from the

apartment.

"Well, what think you of it, Beorn?" Wulf said, when they found

themselves alone in a handsome chamber.

"So far as rescuing Harold from the power of the Count of Ponthieu

we have surely succeeded even beyond our hopes. As to the rest, I

know not. As you were speaking I marked the satisfaction and joy

on the duke's face, and I said to myself that it was greater than

need have been caused by the thought that Earl Harold was to be his

guest."

"So I thought myself, Beorn. There can be no doubt that, as he said,

he deemed it the best news he had ever received, and I fear greatly

that Harold will but exchange one captivity for another. It will

doubtless be a more pleasant one, but methinks Harold will find

himself as much a prisoner, although treated as an honoured guest

by William, as he was while lying in the dungeon of Conrad. It is

a bad business, and I greatly fear indeed that Harold will long rue

the unfortunate scheme of hunting along the coast that has brought

him to this pass."

In a short time an attendant arrived with ewers, water, and four

suits of handsome garments, belts embroidered with gold thread, and

daggers, together with two plumed caps and purses, each containing

ten gold pieces; he informed them that two horses had been provided

for their use, and that they were to take their meals with the

duke's household, and to consider themselves in all respects as his

guests.

"We look finer birds than we did when we rode in with brother

Philip," Beorn laughed when they had attired themselves in their

new garments. "The more sober of these suits are a good deal gayer

than those we wore at home even at court ceremonies."

"King Edward objects to show," Wulf said, "and his own pages are

so sober in their attire that the earl likes not that we should

outshine them, and we usually cut a poor figure beside those of

William of London and the other Normans of his court."

In a short time the chamberlain came in and informed them that

supper was served, and conducted them to the hall, where he presented

them to the duke's gentlemen and pages as William's guests, and

wards and pages of the Earl of Wessex. The news of Harold's shipwreck

and imprisonment travelled quickly, for orders had already been

issued for the court to prepare to start early the next morning to

accompany the duke to Eu, in order to receive with due honour

William's guest and friend, Harold of England; and while the meal

went on many questions were asked as to the shipwreck and prisonment

of the earl, and the liveliest indignation was expressed at the

conduct of Conrad of Ponthieu.

"Truly all Normans will be reckoned churls," one of the gentlemen

exclaimed indignantly. "The fame of Harold's bravery, wisdom, and

courtesy to all men is known in every court in Europe, and that the

duke's vassal should have dared to imprison and chain him will

excite universal indignation. Why, the rudest of our own Norse

ancestors would not have so foully treated one so noble whom fate

had cast into his hands. Had we been at war with England it would

be shameful, but being at peace there are no words that can fitly

describe the outrage."

When the meal was over, one of the duke's pages who was about the

same age as Beorn asked him what they were going to do with themselves.

"If you have nothing better," he said, "will you ride with me to

my father's castle, it is but five miles away? My name is De Burg.

I can promise you a hearty welcome. My father was one of the knights

who accompanied the duke when he paid his visit to England some

fifteen years ago, and he liked the country much, and has ever since

spoken of the princely hospitality with which they were received

by your king. He did not meet Earl Harold then."

"No, the earl with his father and brothers was away in exile," Wulf

said rather shortly, for that visit had been a most unpleasant one

to Englishmen. It had happened when the Norman influence was

altogether in the ascendant. The king was filling the chief places

at court and in the church with Normans, had bestowed wide domains

upon them, and their castles were everywhere rising to dominate the

land. Englishmen then regarded with hostility this visit of the

young Norman duke with his great train of knights, and although at

the return of Godwin and his sons the greater portion of the intruders

had been driven out, their influence still remained at court, and

it was even said that Edward had promised the duke that he should

be his successor.

It was true that Englishmen laughed at the promise. The King of

England was chosen by the nation, and Edward had no shadow of right

to bequeath the throne even to one of his sons much less to a foreign