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in the king's name he called upon them to lay down their arms, to cease

from ravaging, and to lay any complaints they might have to make against

Tostig before the king or the National Gemot, he met with a flat refusal.

They would not listen to any proposition that involved the possibility of

the return of Tostig, and boldly said that if the king wished to retain

Northumbria as part of his realm he must confirm the sentence of their

Gemot upon Tostig, and must recognize their election of Morcar to the

earldom.

In all this Harold perceived clearly enough that, although it was the

Northumbrian leaders who were speaking, they were acting entirely under the

influence of Edwin and Morcar. All that he could obtain was that some of

the northern thanes should accompany him to lay their demands before the

king himself. Edward, upon hearing, by a swift messenger sent by Harold, of

the failure of his attempt to induce the Northumbrians to lay down their

arms, reluctantly abandoned the pleasures of the chase, and proceeded to

Bretford, near Salisbury, where there was a royal house, and summoned a

Witenagemot. As, however, the occasion was urgent, it was attended only by

the king's chief councillors, and by the thanes of that part of Wessex.

Between Tostig and Harold the quarrel that the latter had feared had

already broken out. Harold was anxious above all things for peace, and

although the blow to his own interests and to those of his family, by the

transfer of Northumbria from his brother to one of the Mercian earls, was a

most serious one, he preferred that even this should take place to

embarking in a war that would involve the whole of England. Tostig was so

furious at finding that Harold was not willing to push matters to the last

extremity in his favour, that he accused him of being the secret instigator

of the Northumbrian revolt. The absurdity of such an accusation was

evident. It was as much to Harold's interest as to that of Tostig that the

great northern earldom should remain in the hands of his family; but an

angry man does not reason, and Tostig's fury was roused to the highest

point by the outspoken utterances of many of the members of the

Witenagemot. These boldly accused him of cruelty and avarice, and declared

that many of his acts of severity were caused by his determination, under a

show of justice, to possess himself of the wealth of those he condemned.

Tostig then rose and declared before the assembly that the whole rising was

the work of Harold.

The latter simply denied the charge on oath, and his word was accepted as

sufficient. The Witan then turned to the question as to how the revolt was

to be dealt with. The king was vehemently in favour of putting it down by

force of arms. Tostig was of all the Saxons his favourite friend, and he

considered the insult offered to him as dealt against himself. So

determined was he, that he sent out orders for the whole of the forces of

Wessex to march and join the royal standard. In vain Harold and Edward's

wisest councillors endeavoured to dissuade him from a step that would

deluge the country in blood, and might lead to terrible disaster. In vain

they pointed out that while all the thanes would willingly put their forces

at his disposal to resist a foreign foe, or even to repel an invasion from

the north, they would not risk life and fortune in an endeavour to force a

governor upon a people who hated him, and, as most thought, with good

reason.

The king was immovable; but Harold and his councillors took steps quietly

to inform the thanes that the Witan was opposed to the order, and that for

the present no harm would be done by disregarding the royal mandate. The

king, in his anger and mortification at finding himself unable to march

against the rebels with an overwhelming force, fell ill, and the control of

affairs passed into Harold's hands; and the king, whose fits of passion,

though extreme while they lasted, were but short-lived gave him full power

to deal with the matter as he thought best.

Harold had done all that he could for Tostig when he went to Northampton,

but had failed. There was no alternative now between a great war, followed

probably by a complete split of the kingdom, or acquiescence in the demands

of the men of the North. He did not hesitate, but in the name of the king

confirmed the decisions arrived at by the Gemot of York--recognized Morcar

as Earl of Northumbria, and granted a complete amnesty for all offences

committed during the rising, on condition only that a general Witenagemot

should be held at Oxford. At this meeting Northern and Southern England

were again solemnly reconciled, as they had been forty-seven years before

at an assembly held at the same place.

CHAPTER XIII.

HAROLD, THE KING.

The day before the great Witenagemot was to assemble, Wulf, as he came out

from the house where Harold had taken up his abode, was approached by a

man, who by his attire appeared to be a retainer of a thane; his face

seemed familiar to him, as he placed a letter in his hand. Wulf was now

very much in the confidence of Harold. It was a relief to the earl in the

midst of his trials and heavy responsibilities to open his mind freely to

one of whose faith and loyalty he was well assured, and he therefore was

far more communicative to the young thane than to the older councillors by

whom he was surrounded. Wulf opened the letter. It contained only the

words: "I am here; the bearer of this will lead you to me. Edith."

Looking more closely at the man he recognized him at once as one of the

servitors at Hampton, though his dress bore no signs of any cognizance.

Greatly surprised to hear of Edith's presence in Oxford unknown to Harold,

he at once followed the servant, who conducted him to a house on the

outskirts of the town. Wulf was ushered into a room, and the servant then

left him. A moment later Edith entered.

"My message must have surprised you, Wulf," she said, as he knelt on one

knee to kiss the hand she held out to him.

"It did indeed, lady, for it was but yesterday that the earl received a

letter from you written at Hampton. He said to me as he opened it, 'Would I

were in peace at Hampton, free from all these troubles and intrigues.'"

"I have come down in a horse-litter," she said, "and save the two retainers

who accompanied me none knew of my intentions. I know, Wulf, that you have

the confidence of the earl and that you love him and would do your best for

him."

"I would lay down my life for him, lady. Even did I not love and honour him

as I do, I would die for him, for he is the hope of England, and he alone

can guide the country through its troubles, both from within and without.

The life of a single man is as nought in the scale."

"Nor the happiness of a single woman," she added. "Now, Wulf, I want to

know from you exactly how matters stand here. My lord, when he writes to me

always does so cheerfully, ever making the best of things; but it is most

important that I should know his real mind. It is for that that I have

travelled here. This Witenagemot that assembles to-morrow--what will come

of it?"

"The earl thinks it will doubtless pass the resolution reconciling the

North and South, and declaring that there shall be oblivion for the past,

and that all things shall go back to their former footing save as to the

change of earls."

"It is easy to vote that," she said quietly; "but will it be held to? It

depends not upon Northumbrians nor Saxons, but upon Edwin and Morcar. They

have made a great step forward towards their end; they have united under

their government the northern half of England, and have wrested Northumbria

from Godwin's family. After making this great step, will they rest and

abstain from taking the next? Northumbria and Mercia united are as strong

as Wessex and East Anglia. Will they be content to remain under a West

Saxon king? Above all, will they submit to the rule of one of Godwin's

sons? I feel sure that they will not. What thinks the earl?"

"He thinks as you do, lady, although he considers that for the time the

danger is averted. He himself said to me yesterday, 'If these Mercian earls

are ready to defy the head of the royal line of England, think you that

they will ever recognize the sway of a member of my father's house?'"

"And what said you, Wulf?"

"I said that I did not doubt the ill-will of the Mercian earls, but that I

doubted whether Mercia would follow them if they strove to break up the

kingdom. 'Mercia is following them now,' he said; 'and has with Northumbria

stood in arms for some weeks past. There has ever been jealousy of the

supremacy of the West Saxons since the days when the kingdom was united in

one. These brothers will intrigue as their father did before them. They

will bring down the Welsh from their hills to aid them, for though these

people will not for generations try their strength alone against us, they

would gladly take advantage of it should such an opportunity for revenge

occur. Even now, when the blood is scarce dry on their hearthstones, there

is a large force of them under Edwin's banner.'"

"It is a grievous look-out for England," Edith said. "It would seem that

nothing can bring about peace and unity save the end of this terrible feud

between the families of Godwin and Leofric."

"That would indeed be a blessing for the country," Wulf agreed; "but of all

things that seems to me most hopeless."

"They must be reconciled!" Edith said, rising from her seat. "What is a

woman's love or a woman's life that they should stand in the way of the

peace of England? See you not, Wulf, there is but one way in which the feud

can be healed? Were it not for me Harold could marry the sister of these

earls, and if she were Queen of England the feud would be at an end. A

daughter of the house of Leofric, and a son of the house of Godwin, would

command the support of Mercia and Wessex alike, and as brothers of the

queen, Edwin and Morcar might well be content to be friends with her

husband and his brothers. I only stand in the way of this. I have already

urged this upon Harold, but he will not hear of it. Until now the Mercian

brothers might be a trouble, but they were not strong enough to be a danger

to the kingdom. Now that they hold half of it in their hands this marriage

has become a necessity. I must stand aside. What is my happiness and my

life that I should be an obstacle alike to my lord's glory and the peace of

England? Go to Harold; tell him that I am here, and pray that he will come

to me. Give your message to him briefly; say naught of what I have said to

you, though his heart will tell him at once what has brought me here."

Silent, and confounded by the immensity of the sacrifice she proposed, for

he knew how deep and tender was her love for Harold, Wulf knelt on both

knees and reverently placed her hand to his lips, and then without a word

left the house, half blinded with tears, signing to the servant, who was

waiting without, to follow him. When he reached Harold's house he found

that the earl was with his brother Gurth and several of his councillors. He

did not hesitate, however, but entering the room, said, "My Lord Harold, I

pray to have speech of you for a minute upon an affair of urgent

importance."

Somewhat surprised the earl followed him out.

"What is it, Wulf?" he asked as they entered Harold's private closet. "You

look pale and strange, lad."

"I have a message to give you, my lord. The Lady Edith is here, and prays

that you will go to her at once."

The earl started as if struck with a blow. "Edith here!" he exclaimed, and

then with a troubled face he took several short turns up and down the room.

"Where is she?" he said at last in a low voice.

"Her servant is without, my lord, and will conduct you to her."

"Tell Gurth and the others I am called away for an hour on urgent

business," he said. "Say nothing of Edith being here." Then he went out.

The man who was waiting doffed his hat, and at once led the way to the

house where Edith was staying. She moved swiftly towards him as he entered

the room and fell on his neck. Not a word was spoken for a minute or two,

then he said:

"Why have you come, Edith? But I need not ask, I know. I will not have it,

I will not have it! I have told you so before. Why is our happiness to be

sacrificed? I have given my work and my life to England, but I will not

give my happiness too, nor will I sacrifice yours."

"You would not be worthy of the trust England reposes in you, Harold," she

said quietly, "were you not ready to give all. As to my happiness, it is at

an end, for I should deem myself as a guilty wretch, as the cause of

countless woes to Englishmen, did I remain as I am. I have been happy,

dear, most happy, many long years. To my last day it will be a joy and a

pride, that nothing can take away, that I have been loved by the greatest

of Englishmen, and my sacrifice will seem light to me under the feeling

that it has purchased the happiness of England."

"But is my happiness to go for nothing?" Harold exclaimed passionately.

"You too, Harold, will have the knowledge that you have sacrificed

yourself, that as you have often risked your life, so have you for

England's sake given up your love. I have seen that it must be so for

years. As Earl of Wessex I might always have stood by your side, but as

soon as I saw that the people of England looked to you as their future

monarch, I knew that I could not share your throne. A king's heart is not

his own, as is that of a private man. As he must lead his people in battle,

and if needs be give his life for them, so must he give his hand where it

will most advantage them."

"I cannot do it," Harold said. "I will not sacrifice you even for England.