upon his arrival in rennes, the ancient capital, h?el found the citizens greatly excited over the rumor of the duke’s death. as his little band rode through the streets, the people came from their houses and workshops, and a great multitude gathered round the castle. they had hardly heard the news of his death before it was followed by joyful intelligence, which turned sorrow into rejoicing. enthusiastic shouts of “hail to the new-born duke! long live arthur plantagenet!” rang out on all sides.
the council and leading ecclesiastics were assembled when h?el entered the hall. after exhibiting the ring and executing his commission, he described to them the occurrence of the fatal day, but made no reply to their eager questioning as to the future.
25
“what is to be done, knight mordant?” they asked. “brittany will remain loyal to the duke; but will king henry of england protect us? philip augustus of france will certainly seek to extend his possessions.”
“let us do our duty,” replied h?el. “we may accomplish great things if we remain united.”
after a short rest h?el departed, taking a different route to the hunting-castle, in order to visit castle mordant and see his wife and little son.
he found them very happy and without any knowledge of what had happened. in a few words he described the condition of the duchess to his wife. “and now, bertha,” he added, “prepare yourself and little alan to ride with me. i shall not feel easy about the duchess and the child until i know that you are with them.”
bertha in surprise drew alan to her side. “would you take me to the duchess without knowing whether i shall be welcome? the lady constance has not been accustomed to children for years, and may not like youthful mischief.”
“if not for her sake, bertha, do it for the child’s sake. suppose a faithless nurse should place him under the control of the grandmother, queen eleanor of england, and he should meet with the same fate as her child, the little girl. what happened to her, do you ask? they say she was put in a convent. if geoffrey’s son were to be placed in a monastery, i believe his father would not rest in his grave.”
26
“i will go,” assented bertha. “let the child be intrusted to me, and i will care for it as if it were my own. his lot, in any event, will be hard enough, for rulers care little for the rights of minors.”
“oh, that geoffrey had only been on good terms with his father!” exclaimed h?el. “his participation in the rebellion into which his mother and brothers urged him estranged his father’s heart.”
“but they were reconciled afterwards.”
“yes, but his father’s confidence was not restored, and the others have been subjected to every kind of injustice. what lies eleanor told about john, her youngest son! his father does not trust him, and has given him no possessions. to save himself from impoverishment he is casting covetous glances toward brittany.”[7]
“her father’s share to half the country cannot be taken away from her,” said bertha.
27
“not by right; but might knows no right. perhaps, however, the jealousy between france and england, whose sovereigns will never permit their beautiful maritime provinces to go to another, may save us.”
“what is the name of the little duke?” interrupted alan, who had climbed upon his father’s knee.
“he is called arthur.”
“will he play with me?”
“not yet, but perhaps later.”
after speedy preparations they departed; they reached the hunting-castle at evening, where they found the duchess doing well. bertha’s fears proved groundless. she was heartily welcomed by constance, who was at that moment specially grateful for any expression of sympathy. the duchess well knew that she could not place her son in better hands, and for the first time she felt free from anxiety when bertha cradled him in her faithful arms. she cared alike for the two children; and alan, far from being jealous because his mother shared her love between them, displayed the utmost tenderness to the little duke.
28
h?el was now free to devote himself to the sad duty of burying the dead. a great concourse of knights, citizens, and ecclesiastics accompanied the body of the duke to rennes in an imposing procession, headed by h?el and the chaplain. all along the road they passed sorrowing people. serious anxiety for the future filled all hearts, and sincere mourning followed the duke to his grave.
shortly thereafter the duchess and her nearest attendants betook themselves to the capital, and were greeted with loyal homage. she met with no protests or opposition. her regency was indorsed, and all the rights which geoffrey had enjoyed in the english provinces were conceded. h?el remained steadfastly by the side of the duchess and devoted himself exclusively to her service. his example, and his tender consideration for her, worked for her advantage, as it induced many who were wavering at first to join in making the recognition of her authority unanimous.
