ile Christians
were unclean animals, and their doctrines to be mentioned only with
scorn and abhorrence. And as Marie came dancing in at that moment, the
conversation was not renewed. But it made a great impression upon
Doucebelle, who ever afterwards added to her prayers the
petition,--"Fair Father, Jesu Christ, teach Belasez to know Thee."
["Bel Pere"--then one of the common epithets used in prayer.]

But to every one in general, and to Doucebelle in particular, Belasez
seemed shut up closer than ever.

The January of 1236 came, and with it the royal marriage. The
ceremonial took place at Canterbury, and Earl Hubert was present, as his
office required of him. The Countess excused herself on the ground of
slight illness, which would make it very irksome for her to travel in
winter. Her "intimate enemies" kindly suggested that she was actuated
by pique, since a time had been when she might have been herself Queen
of England. But they did not know Margaret of Scotland. Pique and
spite were not in her. Her real motive was something wholly different.
She was not naturally ambitious, nor did she consider the crown of
England so highly superior to the gemmed coronal of a Scottish Princess;
and she had never held King Henry in such personal regard as to feel any
regret at his loss. Her true object in remaining at Bury was to
"manage" the marriage of Margaret with Richard de Clare. It was to be a
clandestine match, except as concerned a few favoured witnesses; and
Earl Hubert was to be kept carefully in the dark till all was safely
over. The wedding was to be one "_per verba de presenti_" then as
sacred by the canon law as if it had been performed by a priest in full
canonicals; and as a matter of absolute necessity, no witness was
required at all. But the Countess thought it more satisfactory to have
one or two who could be trusted not to chatter till the time came for
revelation. She chose Doucebelle along with herself, as the one in
whose silence she had most confidence. Thus, in that January, in the
dead of the night, the four indicated assembled in the bed-chamber of
the Countess, and the bride and bridegroom, joining hands, said simply--

"In the presence of God and of these persons, I, Richard, take thee,
Margaret, to my wedded wife:" and, "In the same presence I, Margaret,
take thee, Richard, to my wedded husband."

And according to canon and statute law they were legally married, nor
could anything s