CHAPTER XII.
CONSOLATION On the following Sunday neither Tudor nor Norman was at Hampton.
They had both felt that they could not comfortably meet each other there, and each had declined to go.

They had promised to write; and now that the matter was decided, how were they or either of them to keep the promise?
It may be thought that the bitterness of the moment was over with Norman as soon as he gave up; but such was not the case.

Let him struggle as he would with himself he could not rally, nor bring himself to feel happy on what had occurred.

He would have been better satisfied if Alaric would have triumphed; but Alaric seemed to take it all as a matter of course, and never spoke of his own promotion unless he did so in answer to some remark of his companion; then he could speak easily enough; otherwise he was willing to let the matter go by as one settled and at rest.
He had consulted Norman about the purchase of a horse, but he hitherto had shown no other sign that he was a richer man than formerly.
It was a very bitter time for Norman.

He could not divest his mind of the subject.