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steadily toward the gasping heat of full summer. Here were no kindly mists, no cool sea breezes, no sudden chill showers. The sun shone hot, the air lay still and clear. Alinor shed her woolens for linens, found herself laboring for breath even in these lighter garments, and sought out her summer silks. The Queen, observing her maiden's flushed and sweat-marred face, brought out a length of still thinner stuff, costly but cool, and made Alinor a present. Letters flew north to Sir Andre and a strong cortege came south with chests of silver and pouches of gold. The Queen did not ask whence came the money, and she made no difficulties when Alinor asked leave to go to Tours to buy cloth. In fact she commissioned Alinor to buy some extra lengths for those ladies not so well endowed.
Alinor wrote this news to Simon, adding, ''from this and from some other things too small to mention, it is my belief we will travel south. Do you know whether the King plans a meeting?"
To this hopeful question, Alinor received a pleasanter answer than she expected. Simon himself arrived on June 14. They had one heavenly week, Simon and Alinor both being free of duty while the King and Queen were closeted in final conferences. They rode out along the banks of the lovely Loire and rested in shaded, grassy hollows while the contented horses cropped the still-tender herbage. Here they talked much of love; hand clasped hand and lip met lip often, but Simon was so very happy that Alinor put a bridle on her own will and desire. There was no reason but a satisfaction of the senses to yield to passion now. They would be parted too soon and for too long for Alinor to reap the reward she desired from union. The mere satisfaction of the senses was too brief and cheap a fulfillment for the heavy price of self-reproach her lover would pay.
She was rewarded for her restraint by a week of perfect romance, just as she had read it in the tales of

 
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