“Then you’d best take food and drink now, while wetalk,” said Hugh, and sent out for what was needed. Theysettled together confidentially to the tangled affairs of England,which had shifted in some disconcerting directions during thesummer months, and now, with the shutter of the coming winter aboutto close down against further action, might at least bedisentangled, and open a course that could be pursued with somehope of progress. “You’ll not tell me Robert Beaumontis thinking of taking the Cross? There are some powerful sermonscoming out of Clairvaux, I’m told, that will be hard toresist.”

“No,” said the young man, briefly grinning,“my lord’s concerns are all here at home. But this sameunease for Christendom is making the bishops turn their thoughts toenforcing some order here, before they make off to settle theaffairs of Outremer. They’re talking of one more attempt tobring king and empress together to talk sense, and find a means ofbreaking out of this deadlock. You’ll have heard that theearl of Chester has sought and got a meeting with King Stephen, andpledged his allegiance? Late in the day, and no easy passage, butthe king jumped at it. We knew about it before they ever met atStamford, a week or so back, for Earl Ranulf has been preparing theground for some time, making sweet approaches to some ofStephen’s barons who hold grudges for old wrongs, trying tobuy acceptance into the fold. There’s land near his castle ofMountsorrel has been in dispute with my lord some years. Chesterhas made concessions now over that. A man must soften not only theking but all those who hold with the king if he’s to changesides. So Stamford was no surprise, and Chester is reconciled andaccepted. And you know all that business of Faringdon andCricklade, and Philip FitzRobert coming over to Stephen, in despiteof father and empress and all, and with a strong castle in eitherhand.”