s Philip but a gainer?

Chewing the fringe of his mantle as he considered this and that,'If I
give Madame Jehane in marriage to your Gurdun,' he said dubiously, 'what
will Gurdun do?'

Saint-Pol named the sum, a fair one.

'But what part will he take in the quarrel?' asked the King.

'He will take my part, as he is bound, sire.'

'Pest!' cried Philip, 'let us get at it. What is this part of yours?'

'The part of him who has a blood-feud, my lord,' said young Saint-Pol;
and the Marquess said, 'That is my part also.'

'Have it according to your desires, my lords,' then said King Philip. 'I
give you this marriage. Make it as speedily as may be, but let not Count
Richard have news until it is done. There is a fire, I tell you, hidden
in that tall man. Remember this too, Saint-Pol. You shall not make war
on the side of England against Richard, for that will be against me.
Your feud must wait its turn. For this present I have an account to
settle in which Poictou is on my side. Marquess, you likewise are in my
debt. See to it that you give my enemies no advantage.'

The Marquess and his cousin gave their words, holding up the hilts of
their swords before their faces.

Richard, in his city of Poictiers, was calmly forwarding his plans. His
first act, since he now considered himself perfectly free, had been to
send Gaston of Bearn with letters to Saint-Pol-la-Marche; his second,
seeing no reason why he should wait for King Philip or any possible
ally, to cross the frontier of Touraine in force. He took castle after
castle in that rich land, clearing the way for the investiture of Tours,
which was his first great objective.

I leave him at this employment and follow Gaston on his way to the
North. It was early in March when that young man started, squally, dusty
weather; but perfect trobador as he was, the nature of his errand warmed
him; he composed a whole nosegay of scented songs in honour of Richard
and the crocus-haired lady of the March who wore the broad girdle.
Riding as he did through the realm of France, by Chateaudun, Chartres,
and Pontoise, he narrowly missed Eustace of Saint-Pol, who was galloping
the opposite way upon an errand dead opposed to his own. Gaston would
have fought him, of course, but would have been killed to a certainty;
for Saint-Pol rode as became his lordship, with a company, and the other
was alone. He was spared any such mischance, however, and arrived in the
highest spirits, with an _