re pleased with the result of it, and highly enjoyed
their brother's vexation and chagrin in not being able to get possession
of his earldom.

There was another very serious subject of dispute between Robert and his
father. It has already been stated, that when the duke set out on his
expedition for the invasion of England, he left Matilda and Robert
together in charge of the duchy. At the commencement of the period of
his absence Robert was very young, and the actual power rested mainly in
his mother's hands. As he grew older, however, he began to exercise an
increasing influence and control. In fact, as he was himself ambitious
and aspiring, and his mother indulgent, the power passed very rapidly
into his hands. It was eight years from the time that William left
Normandy before his power was so far settled and established in England
that he could again take the affairs of his original realm into his
hands. He had left Robert, at that time, a mere boy of fourteen, who,
though rude and turbulent in character, was still politically powerless.
He found him, on his return, a man of twenty-two, ruder and more
turbulent than before, and in the full possession of political power.
This power, too, he found him very unwilling to surrender.

In fact, when William came to receive back the province of Normandy
again, Robert almost refused to surrender it. He said that his father
had always promised him the duchy of Normandy as his domain so soon as
he should become of age, and he claimed now the fulfillment of this
promise. Besides, he said that, now that his father was King of England,
his former realm was of no consequence to him. It did not add sensibly
to his influence or his power, and he might, therefore, without
suffering any sensible loss himself, grant it to his son. William, on
his part, did not acknowledge the force of either of these arguments. He
would not admit that he had ever promised Normandy to his son; and as to
voluntarily relinquishing any part of his possessions, he had no faith
in the policy of a man's giving up his power or his property to his
children until they were justly entitled to inherit it by his death; at
any rate, he should not do it. He had no idea, as he expressed it, "of
putting off his clothes before he was going to bed."

The irritation and ill-will which these dissensions produced grew deeper
and more inveterate every day, though the disagreement had been thus far
a private and domestic di