always was forced to be present, sitting up in his chair of state,
and hearing rather than listening to, questions about the repairing
and guarding of Castles, the asking of loans from the vassals, the
appeals from the Barons of the Exchequer, who were then Nobles sent
through the duchy to administer justice, and the discussions about
the proceedings of his neighbours, King Louis of France, Count
Foulques of Anjou, and Count Herluin of Montreuil, and how far the
friendship of Hugh of Paris, and Alan of Brittany might be trusted.

Very tired of all this did Richard grow, especially when he found
that the Normans had made up their minds not to attempt a war against
the wicked Count of Flanders. He sighed most wearily, yawned again
and again, and moved restlessly about in his chair; but whenever
Count Bernard saw him doing so, he received so severe a look and sign
that 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 his
pursuits; he only treated him with the grave distant respect due to
him as a Prince, or else now and then spoke a few stern words to him
of reproof for this restlessness, or for some other childish folly.

Used as Richard was to be petted and made much of by the whole house
of Centeville, he resented this considerably in secret, disliked and
feared 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, he
should 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 the
evening, spoiling all their sport.

Winter had set in, and Osmond used daily to take the little Duke and
Alberic to the nearest sheet of ice, for the Normans still prided