inst William of Normandy if need be.

Then King Edward told him that he had something to ask of him.

'If England is to be strong enough to resist the Normans,' he said,
'she must be a united country. The two earls in the north, Edwin and
Morcar, are enemies of your house. Make them your friends by marrying
their sister, Aldwyth.'

Harold was silent.

'Ah, my son,' said the old king, 'I know that you have long hoped to
marry my ward, the Lady Edith; but you must sacrifice yourself for
England. We have both weakened our dear country, you and I; I by
unduly favouring the Norman, and you by allowing a false oath to be
extorted from you. We can only make her strong again by your marriage.'

Harold struggled hard, but was unable to make up his mind to the
sacrifice.

Then in came Edith, Harold's betrothed bride, fair and graceful as a
lily: Edith of the Swan's Neck, as people called her. Her face was
pale and sorrowful, but she had resolved to do her duty.

'Harold,' she implored him, 'for the sake of England; that our country
may be free! I will never, never marry any one else; but you are a
king! Marry Aldwyth!

With a sore heart Harold yielded to her entreaty, and promised the old
king that he would do as he asked.

Then Harold and Edith parted, Harold to marry the daughter of his enemy
and Edith to enter a convent, where she might pray for England and for
Harold.

A few days later the old king passed away, muttering sorrowful things
about war and trouble which he feared would come upon England. He had
been a good, kind old man, and his people grieved for him very much;
but through his want of firmness he had prepared the way for some of
the worst troubles that England was ever to know.

Immediately after King Edward was dead, the wise men chose Harold for
their king, and on the following day the old king was buried and the
new one crowned in the church which is now a part of Westminster Abbey.

The news was not slow in reaching Normandy. Duke William was just
leaving his castle with a hunting-party when a messenger came to tell
him that Harold had been crowned King of England.

Immediately the duke dismounted from his horse, went into his own room,
closed the door, and remained there until nightfall. No one dared to
enter that room or speak to the duke. When he left it, it was with the
resolve to take a terrible vengeance upon the man who, he said, had
broken his oath.

He sent for armourers,