clambered up, and satthere all day long: God knows his thoughts. The sun was half-way down,when a shepherd went by on the cliffs about his business, and spied a manin the midst of the breach of the loud seas, upon a pinnacle of reef. Hehailed him, and the man turned and hailed again. There was in that coveso great a clashing of the seas and so shrill a cry of sea-fowl that theherd might hear the voice and nor the words. But the name Thorgunna cameto him, and he saw the face of Finnward Keelfarer like the face of an oldman. Lively ran the herd to Finnward's house; and when his tale was toldthere, Eyolf the boy was lively to out a boat and hasten to his father'said. By the strength of hands they drove the keel against the seas, andwith skill and courage Eyolf won upon the skerry and climbed up, Theresat his father dead; and this was the first vengeance of Thorgunnaagainst broken faith.
It was a sore job to get the corpse on board, and a sorer yet to bring ithome before the rolling seas. But the lad Eyolf was a lad of promise,and the lads that pulled for him were sturdy men. So the break-faith'sbody was got home, and waked, and buried on the hill. Aud was a goodwidow and wept much, for she liked Finnward well enough. Yet a bird sangin her ears that now she might marry a young man. Little fear that shemight have her choice of them, she thought, with all Thorgunna's finethings; and her heart was cheered.
Now, when the corpse was laid in the hill, Asdis came where Aud satsolitary in hall, and stood by her awhile without speech.
"Well, child?" says Aud; and again "Well?" and then "Keep us holy, if youhave anything to say, out with it!"
So the maid came so much nearer, "Mother," says she, "I wish you wouldnot wear these things that were Thorgunna's."
"Aha," cries Aud. "This is what it is? You begin early, brat! And whohas been poisoning your mind? Your fool of a father, I suppose." Andthen she stopped and went all scarlet. "Who told you they were yours?"she asked again, taking it all the higher for her stumble. "When you aregrown, then you shall have your share and not a day before. These thingsare not for babies."
The child looked at her and was amazed. "I do not wish them," she said."I wish they might be burned."
"Upon my word, what next?" cried Aud. "And why should they be burned?"
"I know my father tried to burn these things," said Asdis, "and he namedThorgunna's name upon the skerry ere he died. And, O mother, I doubtthey have brought ill luck."
But the more Aud was terrified, the more she would make light of it.
Then the girl put her hand upon her mother's. "I fear they are ill comeby," said she.
The blood sprang in Aud's face. "And who made you a judge upon yourmother that bore you?" cried she.
"Kinswoman," said Asdis, looking down, "I saw you with the brooch."
"What do you mean? When? Where did you see me?" cried the mother.
"Here in the hall," said Asdis, looking on the floor, "the night youstole it."
At that Aud let out a cry. Then she heaved up her hand to strike thechild. "You little spy!" she cried. Then she covered her face, andwept, and rocked herself. "What can you know?" she cried. "How can youunderstand, that are a baby, not so long weaned? He could--your fathercould, the dear good man, dead and gone! He could understand and pity,he was good to me. Now he has left me alone with heartless children!Asdis," she cried, "have you no nature in your blood? You do not knowwhat I have done and suffered for them. I have done--oh, and I couldhave done anything! And there is your father dead. And after all, youask me not to use them? No woman in Iceland has the like. And you wishme to destroy them? Not if the dead should rise!" she cried. "No, no,"and she stopped her ears, "not if the dead should rise, and let that endit!"
So she ran into her bed-place, and clapped at the door, and left thechild amazed.
But for all Aud spoke with so much passion, it was noticed that for longshe left the things unused. Only she would be locked somewhile daily inher bed-place, where she pored on them and secretly wore them for herpleasure.
Now winter was at hand; the days grew short and the nights long; andunder the golden face of morning the isle would stand silver with frost.Word came from Holyfell to Frodis Water of a company of young men upon ajourney; that night they supped at Holyfell, the next it would be atFrodis Water; and Alf of the Fells was there, and Thongbrand Ketilson,and Hall the Fair. Aud went early to her bed-place, and there she poredupon these fineries till her heart was melted with self-love. There wasa kirtle of a mingled colour, and the blue shot into the green, and thegreen lightened from the blue, as the colours play in the ocean betweendeeps and shallows: she thought she could endure to live no longer andnot wear it. There was a bracelet of an ell long, wrought like a serpentand with fiery jewels for the eyes; she saw it shine on her white arm andher head grew dizzy with desire. "Ah!" she thought, "never were finelendings better met with a fair wearer." And she closed her eyelids, andshe thought she saw herself among the company and the men's eyes go afterher admiring. With that she considered that she must soon marry one ofthem and wondered which; and she thought Alf was perhaps the best, orHall the Fair, but was not certain, and then she remembered FinnwardKeelfarer in his cairn upon the hill, and was concerned. "Well, he was agood husband to me," she thought, "and I was a good wife to him. Butthat is an old song now." So she turned again to handling the stuffs andjewels. At last she got to bed in the smooth sheets, and lay, andfancied how she would look, and admired herself, and saw others admireher, and told herself stories, till her heart grew warm and she chuckledto herself between the sheets. So she shook awhile with laughter; andthen the mirth abated but not the shaking; and a grue took hold upon herflesh, and the cold of the grave upon her belly, and the terror of deathupon her soul. With that a voice was in her ear: "It was so Thorgunnasickened." Thrice in the night the chill and the terror took her, andthrice it passed away; and when she rose on the morrow, death hadbreathed upon her countenance.
She saw the house folk and her children gaze upon her; well she knew why!She knew her day was come, and the last of her days, and her last hourwas at her back; and it was so in her soul that she scarce minded. Allwas lost, all was past mending, she would carry on until she fell. Soshe went as usual, and hurried the feast for the young men, and railedupon her house folk, but her feet stumbled, and her voice was strange inher own ears, and the eyes of the folk fled before her. At times, too,the chill took her and the fear along with it; and she must sit down, andthe teeth beat together in her head, and the stool tottered on the floor.At these times, she thought she was passing, and the voice of Thorgunnasounded in her ear: "The things are for no use but to be shown," it said."Aud, Aud, have you shown them once? No, not once!"
And at the sting of the thought her courage and strength would revive,and she would rise again and move about her business.
Now the hour drew near, and Aud went to her bed-place, and did on thebravest of her finery, and came forth to greet her guests. Was neverwoman in Iceland robed as she was. The words of greeting were yetbetween her lips, when the shuddering fell upon her strong as labour, anda horror as deep as hell. Her face was changed amidst her finery, andthe faces of her guests were changed as they beheld her: fear puckeredtheir brows, fear drew back their feet; and she took her doom from thelooks of them, and fled to her bed-place. There she flung herself on thewife's coverlet, and turned her face against the wall.
That was the end of all the words of Aud; and in the small hours on theclock her spirit wended. Asdis had come to and fro, seeing if she mighthelp, where was no help possible of man or woman. It was light in thebed-place when the maid returned, for a taper stood upon a chest. Therelay Aud in her fine clothes, and there by her side on the bed the bigdead wife Thorgunna squatted on her hams. No sound was heard, but itseemed by the movement of her mouth as if Thorgunna sang, and she wavedher arms as if to singing.
"God be good to us!" cried Asdis, "she is dead."
"Dead," said the dead wife.
"Is the weird passed?" cried Asdis.
"When t
he sin is done the weird is dreed," said Thorgunna, and with thatshe was not.
But the next day Eyolf and Asdis caused build a fire on the shore betwixttide-marks. There they burned the bed-clothes, and the clothes, and thejewels, and the very boards of the waif woman's chests; and when the tidereturned it washed away their ashes. So the weird of Thorgunna waslifted from the house on Frodis Water.
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