Faithfulness of Helias towards Robert. for something better than his birth, his marriage, or his domains. Helias of Saint-Saens was, in his personal character, a worthy namesake of Helias of La Flêche. Among the crimes and treasons of that age, we dwell with delight on the unswerving faithfulness with which, through many years and amidst all the ups and downs of fortune, he clave to the reigning Duke and to his son after him.[1] But this his later history lies beyond the bounds of our immediate tale. What directly concerns us now is that Helias was the one noble of Normandy whom the gold of England could not tempt. It would be almost ungenerous to put on record the fact that, unlike most of his neighbours, he had no English estates to lose. The later life of Helias puts him above all suspicion of meaner motives. Saint-Saens, Arques, Bures, and all Caux, remained faithful to Duke Robert.
William's dealings with France.
Robert asks help of Philip.
With this honourable exception, an exception which
greatly lessened the value of his new conquests, William
Rufus had won, without hand-strokes, without his personal
presence, a good half of the original grant to Rolf,
the greater part of the diocese of Rouen. He was soon
to win yet another triumph by his peculiar policy. By
those arms which were specially his own, he was to win
over an ally, or at least to secure the neutrality of an
enemy, of far higher rank, though perhaps of hardly
greater practical power, than the Count of Aumale and
the aged lord of Longueville. Robert in his helplessness
cried to his over-lord at Paris. Had not his father done
the same to Philip's father? Had not King Henry
played a part at least equal to that of Duke William
among the lifted lances of Val-ès-dunes?[2] Philip had
