You would naturally suppose that the worst possible place for the
fugitives to seek safety was in Norman England; for Edgar the
Atheling, a Saxon prince, had twice been declared king of England
by the Saxon enemies of the Norman conquerors, and the children
of King Malcolm and Queen Margaret--half Scotch, half
Saxon--were, by blood and birth, of the two races most hateful to
the conquerors. But the Red King in his rough sort of way--hot
to-day and cold to-morrow--had shown something almost like
friendship, for this Saxon Atheling, or royal prince, who might
have been king of England had he not wisely submitted to the
greater power of Duke William the Conqueror and to the Red
William, his son. More than this, it had been rumored that some
two years before, when there was truce between the kings of
England and of Scotland, this harsh and headstrong English king,
who was as rough and repelling as a chestnut burr, had seen,
noticed, and expressed a particular interest in the
eleven-year-old Scottish girl--this very Princess Edith who now
sought his protection.
So, when this wandering uncle boldly threw himself upon Norman
courtesy, and came with his homeless nephews and nieces straight
to the Norman court for safety, King William Rufus not only
received these children of his hereditary foeman with favor and
royal welcome, but gave them comfortable lodgment in quaint old
Gloucester town, where be held his court.
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