the King, put his knee to the ground, and was just beginning, "Louis,
King of France, I--" when he found himself suddenly lifted from the
ground in the King's arms, and kissed on both cheeks. Then setting
him on his knee, the King exclaimed, "And is this the son of my brave
and noble friend, Duke William? Ah! I should have known it from his
likeness. Let me embrace you again, dear child, for your father's
sake."

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



CHAPTER V



Duke Richard of Normandy slept in the room which had been his
father's; Alberic de Montemar, as his page, slept at his feet, and
Osmond de Centeville had a bed on the floor, across the door, where
he lay with his sword close at hand, as his young Lord's guard and
protector.

All had been asleep for some little time, when Osmond was startled by