abruptly left the apartment. The other
courtiers, along with the Bishop of Bergues, speedily followed the
chagrined woman, no less disappointed than herself.

"Seigneur Breton," the Emperor said, as soon as the chamber was cleared,
and motioning Amael to approach the door, which he opened wider to step
out upon the balcony and enjoy the pleasant warmth of the autumn sun,
"do you still think Charles is of a mood to allow the bishops to use his
sceptre for a baton with which to drive him and his people?"

"Charles, should it please you this evening, the experiences of the day
being over, to accord me a short interview, I shall then express to you
sincerely my thoughts upon all that I have seen here. I shall praise
what seems good to me--and I shall censure the evil."

"Then you see evil here!"

"Here--and elsewhere."

"How 'elsewhere'?"

"Do you imagine that your palace and your city of Aix-la-Chapelle, this
favorite residence of yours, is all there is of Gaul?"

"What do you say of Gaul! I have just traversed the North of those
regions. I have been as far as Boulogne, where I had a lighthouse
erected for the protection of the ships. Moreover--" but breaking off,
the Emperor pointed in the direction of that portion of the courtyard
that the balcony commanded, saying: "Look yonder--listen!"

Amael saw near one of the galleries a young man, robust and tall of
stature, wearing a thick black beard, and clad in the robes of a bishop.
Two of his slaves had just brought out to him a gentle horse, as befits
a prelate, and led the animal near a stone bench in order to aid their
master in mounting. But the young bishop, having noticed two women
looking at him from a nearby casement, and no doubt wishing to give
them a proof of his agility, impatiently ordered his attendants to take
the horse from the bench. Thereupon, disdaining even the help of a
stirrup, he seized the animal's mane with one hand and gave so vigorous
a jump that he had great difficulty to keep his saddle, lest he fall
over on the other side. The perilous leap attracted the Emperor's
attention to the prelate, and he called out to him in his shrill,
squeaky voice: "Eh! Eh! You, there, my nimble prelate. One word with
you, if you please!" The young man looked up, and recognizing Charles,
respectfully bowed his head.

"You are quick and agile; you have good feet, good arms and a good eye.
The quiet of our empire is every day disturbed by wars. We stand in
g