red
fast and low in French, "I cannot speak the Norman tongue."

Richard, glad to say something, interpreted Fru Astrida's speech, and
Alberic readily made courteous reply that his mother was well, and he
thanked the Dame de Centeville, a French title which sounded new to Fru
Astrida's ears. Then came the embarrassment again, and Fru Astrida at
last said, "Take him out, Lord Richard; take him to see the horses in the
stables, or the hounds, or what not."

Richard was not sorry to obey, so out they went into the court of Rollo's
tower, and in the open air the shyness went off. Richard showed his own
pony, and Alberic asked if he could leap into the saddle without putting
his foot in the stirrup. No, Richard could not; indeed, even Osmond had
never seen it done, for the feats of French chivalry had scarcely yet
spread into Normandy.

"Can you?" said Richard; "will you show us?"

"I know I can with my own pony," said Alberic, "for Bertrand will not let
me mount in any other way; but I will try with yours, if you desire it,
my Lord."

So the pony was led out. Alberic laid one hand on its mane, and vaulted
on its back in a moment. Both Osmond and Richard broke out loudly into
admiration. "Oh, this is nothing!" said Alberic. "Bertrand says it is
nothing. Before he grew old and stiff he could spring into the saddle in
this manner fully armed. I ought to do this much better."

Richard begged to be shown how to perform the exploit, and Alberic
repeated it; then Richard wanted to try, but the pony's patience would
not endure any longer, and Alberic said he had learnt on a block of wood,
and practised on the great wolf-hound. They wandered about a little
longer in the court, and then climbed up the spiral stone stairs to the
battlements at the top of the tower, where they looked at the house-tops
of Rouen close beneath, and the river Seine, broadening and glittering on
one side in its course to the sea, and on the other narrowing to a blue
ribbon, winding through the green expanse of fertile Normandy. They
threw the pebbles and bits of mortar down that they might hear them fall,
and tried which could stand nearest to the edge of the battlement without
being giddy. Richard was pleased to find that he could go the nearest,
and began to tell some of Fru Astrida's stories about the precipices of
Norway, among which when she was a young girl she used to climb about and
tend the cattle in the long light summer time. W