as best they could.

The Franks gained a great victory. With their gallant boy
king leading them on they drove the Roman's before them, and when
the battle was over they took possession of the city of Soissons.
Clovis afterwards conquered all the other Frankish chiefs and made
himself king of all the Franks.


III


Not very long after Clovis became king he heard of a beautiful
young girl, the niece of Gondebaud (gon'-de-baud), king of Burgundy,
and he thought he would like to marry her. Her name was Clotilde
(clo-tilde'), and she was an orphan, for her wicked uncle Gondebaud
had killed her father and mother. Clovis sent one of his nobles
to Gondebaud to ask her for his wife. At first Gondebaud thought
of refusing to let the girl go. He feared that she might have
him punished for the murder of her parents if she became the wife
of so powerful a man as Clovis. But he was also afraid that by
refusing he would provoke the anger of Clovis; so he permitted the
girl to be taken to the court of the king of the Franks. Clovis
was delighted when he saw her; and they were immediately married.

Clotilde was a devout Christian, and she wished very much to
convert her husband, who, like most of his people, was a worshiper
of the heathen gods. But Clovis was not willing to give up his
own religion. Nevertheless Clotilde continued to do every thing
she could to persuade him to become a Christian.