social rank were too equivocal, to
justify her trusting her destiny in his hands. In a word, Matilda's
answer to William's proposals was an absolute refusal to become his
wife.

These ostensible grounds, however, on which Matilda based her refusal,
plausible as they were, were not the real and true ones. The secret
motive was another attachment which she had formed. There had been sent
to her father's court in Flanders, from the English king, a young Saxon
embassador, whose name was Brihtric. Brihtric remained some little time
at the court in Flanders, and Matilda, who saw him often at the various
entertainments, celebrations, and parties of pleasure which were
arranged for his amusement, conceived a strong attachment to him. He was
of a very fair complexion, and his features were expressive and
beautiful. He was a noble of high position in England, though, of
course, his rank was inferior to that of Matilda. As it would have been
deemed hardly proper for him, under the circumstances of the case, to
have aspired to the princess's hand, on account of the superiority of
her social position, Matilda felt that it was her duty to make known her
sentiments to him, and thus to open the way. She did so; but she found,
unhappy maiden, that Brihtric did not feel, himself, the love which he
had inspired in her, and all the efforts and arts to which she was
impelled by the instinct of affection proved wholly unavailing to call
it forth. Brihtric, after fulfilling the object of his mission, took
leave of Matilda coldly, while _her_ heart was almost breaking, and went
away.

As the sweetest wine transforms itself into the sharpest vinegar, so the
warmest and most ardent love turns, when it turns at all, to the most
bitter and envenomed hate. Love gave place soon in Matilda's heart to
indignation, and indignation to a burning thirst for revenge. The
intensity of the first excitement subsided; but Matilda never forgot and
never forgave the disappointment and the indignity which she had
endured. She had an opportunity long afterward to take terrible revenge
on Brihtric in England, by subjecting him to cruelties and hardships
there which brought him to his grave.

In the mean time, while her thoughts were so occupied with this
attachment, she had, of course, no heart to listen favorably to
William's proposals. Her friends would have attached no importance to
the real cause of her aversion to the match, but they felt the force of
the