ian country. The merchant returned her love, until
he found an opportunity to escape, when he did not trouble himself about
the Saracen lady, but escaped with his servant Richard, who had been
taken prisoner along with him, and arrived in England and forgot her. The
Saracen lady, who was more loving than the merchant, left her father's
house in disguise to follow him, and made her way, under many hardships,
to the sea-shore. The merchant had taught her only two English words
(for I suppose he must have learnt the Saracen tongue himself, and made
love in that language), of which LONDON was one, and his own name,
GILBERT, the other. She went among the ships, saying, 'London! London!'
over and over again, until the sailors understood that she wanted to find
an English vessel that would carry her there; so they showed her such a
ship, and she paid for her passage with some of her jewels, and sailed
away. Well! The merchant was sitting in his counting-house in London
one day, when he heard a great noise in the street; and presently Richard
came running in from the warehouse, with his eyes wide open and his
breath almost gone, saying, 'Master, master, here is the Saracen lady!'
The merchant thought Richard was mad; but Richard said, 'No, master! As
I live, the Saracen lady is going up and down the city, calling Gilbert!
Gilbert!' Then, he took the merchant by the sleeve, and pointed out of
window; and there they saw her among the gables and water-spouts of the
dark, dirty street, in her foreign dress, so forlorn, surrounded by a
wondering crowd, and passing slowly along, calling Gilbert, Gilbert! When
the merchant saw her, and thought of the tenderness she had shown him in
his captivity, and of her constancy, his heart was moved, and he ran down
into the street; and she saw him coming, and with a great cry fainted in
his arms. They were married without loss of time, and Richard (who was
an excellent man) danced with joy the whole day of the wedding; and they
all lived happy ever afterwards.

This merchant and this Saracen lady had one son, THOMAS A BECKET. He it
was who became the Favourite of King Henry the Second.

He had become Chancellor, when the King thought of making him Archbishop.
He was clever, gay, well educated, brave; had fought in several battles
in France; had defeated a French knight in single combat, and brought his
horse away as a token of the victory. He lived in a noble palace, he was
the tutor