mony
it lay, was furious, and obtained an Interdict, and Philip was chafed
too.{10} The former was appeased by the gift of Dieppe, and the latter
left to digest his spleen as best he might. The work was just about
finished in May when a shower of red rain fell, to the horror of all
except the dauntless king, who "would have cursed an angel" who had told
him to desist from this his great delight. Here it was that the king lay
waiting for the truce with France to expire.

The bishop arrived at the Rock castle in the morning of St. Augustine's
day (Aug. 28th). The king was in the chapel hearing Mass, and thither
the bishop followed him, and straightway saluted him. Now the king was
in the royal dais, near the outer door. Two bishops were standing just
below him. (We must think of something like a small upstair college
chapel for the theatre of this tale.) These two were old Hugh Pudsey,
Bishop of Durham, and young Eustace, Bishop of Ely: the former a
generous, loose-handed, loose-living old gentleman, the latter
Longchamp's successor, a great scholar and revenue officer. Hugh looked
past the shoulders of these two and saluted again. The king glared at
him for a few seconds and then turned his face. The unabashed bishop put
his face nearer: "Give me the kiss, lord king." The king turned his face
further away, and drew his head back. Then the bishop clutched the
king's clothes at the chest, vigorously shook them, and said again, "You
owe me the kiss, for I have come a long way to you." The king, seemingly
not astonished in the least, said, "You have not deserved my kiss." The
strong hand shook him still harder, and across the cape which he still
held taut, the bold suppliant answered confidently, "Oh yes, I have
deserved it. Kiss me." The king, taken aback by this audacious
importunity, smiled and kissed him. Two archbishops (Walter of Rouen
most likely being one) and five other bishops were between the royal
seat and the altar. They moved to make room for their uncourtly brother.
But he passed through their ranks and went right up to the horn of the
altar, fixed his looks firmly on the ground, and gave his whole
attention to the celebration of the Divine mysteries. The king could
hardly take his eyes off the bishop all through the service. So they
continued until the threefold invocation of the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sins of the world. Then the celebrant, the king's chaplain,
gave the kiss of peace to a certain fo