hink not of me, beloved; thy
whole heart now be England's. And if--if"--her voice failed a moment,
but resumed proudly, "why even then thy wife is safe, for she survives
not her lord and her land!"

The King left his wife's side, and kissed his brother's bride.

"Noble heart!" he said; "with women like thee for our wives and mothers,
England could survive the slaughter of thousand kings."

He turned, and knelt to Githa. She threw her arms over his broad breast,
and wept bitterly.

"Say--say, Harold, that I have not reproached thee for Tostig's death. I
have obeyed the last commands of Godwin my lord. I have deemed thee ever
right and just; now let me not lose thee, too. They go with thee, all my
surviving sons, save the exile Wolnoth,--him whom now I shall never
behold again. Oh, Harold!--let not mine old age be childless!"

"Mother,--dear, dear mother, with these arms round my neck I take new
life and new heart. No! never hast thou reproached me for my brother's
death--never for aught which man's first duty enjoined. Murmur not that
that duty commands us still. We are the sons, through thee, of royal
heroes; through my father, of Saxon freemen. Rejoice that thou hast
three sons left, whose arms thou mayest pray God and his saints to
prosper, and over whose graves, if they fall, thou shalt shed no tears of
shame!"

Then the widow of King Edward, who (the crucifix clasped in her hands)
had listened to Harold with lips apart and marble cheeks, could keep down
no longer her human woman's heart; she rushed to Harold as he still knelt
to Githa--knelt by his side, and clasped him in her arms with despairing
fondness:

"O brother, brother, whom I have so dearly loved when all other love
seemed forbidden me;--when he who gave me a throne refused me his heart;
when, looking at thy fair promise, listening to thy tender
comfort,--when, remembering the days of old, in which thou wert my docile
pupil, and we dreamed bright dreams together of happiness and fame to
come,--when, loving thee methought too well, too much as weak mothers may
love a mortal son, I prayed God to detach my heart from earth!--Oh,
Harold! now forgive me all my coldness. I shudder at thy resolve. I
dread that thou should meet this man, whom an oath hath bound thee to
obey. Nay, frown not--I bow to thy will, my brother and my King. I know
that thou hast chosen as thy conscience sanctions, as thy duty ordains.
But come back--Oh, come back--thou