oil, and the
special favourers of the House of Godwin, so affectionate, hearty, and
cordial was their joyous shout of his name, that he felt his kingly heart
leap within him. Dismounting, he entered the circle, and with the august
frankness of a noble chief, nobly popular, gave to all cheering smile and
animating word. That done, he said more gravely: "In less than an hour,
all wassail must cease,--my bodes will come round; and then sound sleep,
my brave merry men, and lusty rising with the lark!"

"As you will, as you will, dear our King," cried Vebba, as spokesman for
the soldiers. "Fear us not--life and death, we are yours."

"Life and death yours, and freedom's," cried the Kent men.

Coming now towards the royal tent beside the standard, the discipline was
more perfect, and the hush decorous. For round that standard were both
the special body-guard of the King, and the volunteers from London and
Middlesex; men more intelligent than the bulk of the army, and more
gravely aware, therefore, of the might of the Norman sword.

Harold entered his tent, and threw himself on his couch, in deep reverie;
his brothers and Haco watched him silently. At length, Gurth approached;
and, with a reverence rare in the familiar intercourse between the two,
knelt at his brother's side, and taking Harold's hand in his, looked him
full in the face, his eyes moist with tears, and said thus:

"Oh, Harold! never prayer have I asked of thee, that thou hast not
granted: grant me this! sorest of all, it may be, to grant, but most
fitting of all for me to press. Think not, O beloved brother, O honoured
King, think not that it is with slighting reverence, that I lay rough
hand on the wound deepest at thy heart. But, however surprised or
compelled, sure it is that thou didst make oath to William, and upon the
relics of saints; avoid this battle, for I see that thought is now within
thy soul; that thought haunted thee in the words of the monk to-day; in
the sight of that awful camp to-night;--avoid this battle! and do not
thyself stand in arms against the man to whom the oath was pledged!"

"Gurth, Gurth!" exclaimed Harold, pale and writhing.

"We," continued his brother, "we at least have taken no oath, no perjury
is charged against us; vainly the thunders of the Vatican are launched on
our heads. Our war is just: we but defend our country. Leave us, then,
to fight to-morrow; thou retire towards London and raise fresh armies; if
we w