*

Wyllys Wynn's story was applauded; and Master Lewis, amid the
applause, said audibly,--

"Excellent!"

Frank Gray followed:--

"Our President has told you the history of William the Conqueror and
of one of his sons, in his story of the New Forest. I will try to tell
you

THE STORY OF ROBERT OF NORMANDY.

"Robert of Normandy was the second son of the Conqueror, and succeeded
his father in the dukedom. He was unlike the rest of the Conqueror's
sons,--an easy, generous, pleasure-loving fellow; honest in heart, and
believing with wonderful simplicity that the world was all sunshine,
and that all the people in it were much like himself.

"I am sorry to say, however, that he once rebelled against his father,
whom he asked to give him the old Norman kingdom. 'I am not apt to
undress before I go to bed,' said the Conqueror.

"He began to rule independently, and William besieged him in the old
fortress of Gerberoi.

"In the midst of the battle, Robert unseated a tall knight, and was
about to despatch him, when he found him to be his father.

"He was greatly touched at the discovery, and kneeling down said, 'I
pray you forgive me.' He then raised his father, and they were
reconciled.

[Illustration: WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR REVIEWING HIS ARMY.]

"There is a castle in Normandy, which we hope to visit,--a mountain of
towers rising out of the sea. Pagan priests possessed it, holy hermits
succeeded them, and the Norman Dukes regarded it as their
stronghold. I have brought with me a picture of it, that you may
see. It is a fortress built upon a rock; and, when the great tide
sweeps in, it stands in the sea, lofty and doubly guarded.

[Illustration: {MONT ST. MICHEL.}]

"The Red King and Robert once were engaged in a war with their brother
Henry, who shut himself up in this fortress. At last, the water in the
fortress failed. The Red King was happy, but Robert began to pity his
famishing brother. So he sent him some bottles of wine.

"'A fine way to wage war,' said the Red King.

"'What,' said Robert, 'shall we let our brother die of thirst? Where
shall we get another, when he is gone?'

"We will see how Henry returned this love and brotherly kindness.

"It was considered very pious, in those rude times, for a person to
make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in order to visit the Holy Sepulchre.
The Turks, who held the Holy City, abused the Christian pilgrims. An
eloquent and a fiery-minded monk, called Peter