The Little Duke: Richard the FearlessYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
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The Little Duke: Richard the Fearless
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Richard I, Duke of Normandy, approximately 932-996 -- Juvenile fiction
Richard told his story, and was glad to find Carloman could smile at it;
and then Fru Astrida advised him to take his little friend to bed.
Carloman would not lie down without still holding Richard's hand, and the
little Duke spared no pains to set him at rest, knowing what it was to be
a desolate captive far from home.
"I thought you would be good to me," said Carloman. "As to Lothaire, it
serves him right, that you should use him as he used you."
"Oh, no, Carloman; if I had a brother I would never speak so of him."
"But Lothaire is so unkind."
"Ah! but we must be kind to those who are unkind to us."
The child rose on his elbow, and looked into Richard's face. "No one
ever told me so before."
"Oh, Carloman, not Brother Hilary?"
"I never heed Brother Hilary--he is so lengthy, and wearisome; besides,
no one is ever kind to those that hate them."
"My father was," said Richard.
"And they killed him!" said Carloman.
"Yes," said Richard, crossing himself, "but he is gone to be in peace."
"I wonder if it is happier there, than here," said Carloman. "I am not
happy. But tell me why should we be good to those that hate us?"
"Because the holy Saints were--and look at the Crucifix, Carloman. That
was for them that hated Him. And, don't you know what our Pater Noster
says?"
Poor little Carloman could only repeat the Lord's Prayer in Latin--he had
not the least notion of its meaning--in which Richard had been carefully
instructed by Father Lucas. He began to explain it, but before many
words had passed his lips, little Carloman was asleep.
The Duke crept softly away to beg to be allowed to go to Lothaire; he
entered the room, already dark, with a pine torch in his hand, that so
flickered in the wind, that he could at first see nothing, but presently
beheld a dark lump on the floor.
"Prince Lothaire," he said, "here is--"
Lothaire cut him short. "Get away," he said. "If it is your turn now,
it will be mine by and by. I wish my mother had kept her word, and put
your eyes out."
Richard's temper did not serve for such a reply. "It is a foul shame of
you to speak so, when I only came out of kindness to you--so I shall
leave you here all night, and not ask Sir Eric to let you out."
And he swung back the heavy door with a resounding clang. But his heart
smote him when he told his beads, and remembered what he had said to
Carloman. He knew he could not sleep in his warm bed when Lothaire was
in that cold gusty room. To be sure, Sir Eric said it would do him good,
but Sir Eric little knew how tender the French Princes were.
So Richard crept down in the dark, slid back the bolt, and called,
"Prince, Prince, I am sorry I was angry. Come out, and let us try to be
friends."
"What do you mean?" said Lothaire.
"Come out of the cold and dark. Here am I. I will show you the way.
Where is your hand? Oh, how cold it is. Let me lead you down to the
hall fire."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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