The poor maid who had escaped the butchery had been taken byTorarin to Marstrand. He had conceived so great pity for her thathe had offered her lodging in his cramped cabin and a share of thefood which he and his mother ate.
"This is the only thing I can do for Herr Arne," thought Torarin,"in return for all the times he has bought my fish and allowed meto sit at his table."
"Poor and lowly as I am," thought Torarin, "it is better for themaid that she go with me to the town than that she stay here amongthe country folk. In Marstrand are many rich burgesses, andperhaps the young maid may take service with one of them and so bewell cared for."
When first the girl came to the town she sat and wept from morningto night. She bewailed Herr Arne and his household, and lamentedthat she had lost all who were dear to her. Most of all she weptfor her foster sister, and said she wished she had not hiddenherself against the wall, so that she might have shared death withher.
Torarin's mother said nothing to this so long as her son was athome. But when he had gone on his travels again she said onemorning to the girl:
"I am not rich enough, Elsalill, to give you food and clothingthat you may sit with your hands in your lap and nurse yoursorrow. Come with me down to the quays and learn to clean fish."
So Elsalill went with her down to the quays and stood all dayworking among the other fish cleaners.
But most of the women on the quays were young and merry. Theybegan to talk to Elsalill and asked her why she was so silent andsorrowful.
Then Elsalill began to tell them of the terrible thing that hadbefallen her no more than three nights ago. She spoke of the threerobbers who had broken into the house by the smoke-hole in theroof and murdered all who were near and dear to her.
As Elsalill told her tale a black shadow fell across the table atwhich she worked. And when she looked up three fine gentlemenstood before her, wearing broad hats with long feathers and velvetclothes with great puffs, embroidered in silk and gold.
One of them seemed to be of higher rank than the others; he wasvery pale, his chin was shaven, and his eyes sat deep in his head.He looked as though he had lately been ill. But in all else heseemed a gay and bold-faced cavalier, who walked on the sunnyquays to show his fine clothes and his handsome face.
Elsalill broke off both work and story. She stood looking at himwith open mouth and staring eyes. And he smiled at her.
"We are not come hither to frighten you, mistress," said he, "butto beg that we too may listen to your tale."
Poor Elsalill! Never in her life had she seen such a man. She feltshe could not speak in his presence; she merely held her peace andcast her eyes upon her work.
The stranger began again: "Be not afraid of us, mistress! We areScotsmen who have been in the service of King John of Sweden tenfull years, but now have taken our discharge and are bound forhome. We have come to Marstrand to find a ship for Scotland, butwhen we came hither we found every channel and firth frozen over,and here we must bide and wait. We have no business to employ us,and therefore we range about the quays to meet whom we may. Weshould be happy, mistress, if you would let us hear your tale."
Elsalill knew that he had talked thus long to let her recover fromher emotion. At last she thought to herself: "You can surely showthat you are not too homely to speak to a noble gentleman,Elsalill! For you are a maiden of good birth and no fisher lass."
"I was but telling of the great butchery at Solberga parsonage,"said Elsalill. "There are so many who have heard that story."
"Yes," said the stranger, "but I did not know till now that any ofHerr Arne's household had escaped alive."
Then Elsalill told once more of the wild robbers' deed. She spokeof how the old serving-men had gathered about Herr Arne to protecthim and how Herr Arne himself had snatched his sword from the walland pressed upon the robbers, but they had overcome them all. Andthe old mistress had taken up her husband's sword and set upon therobbers, but they had only laughed at her and felled her to thefloor with a billet of wood. And all the other women had crouchedagainst the wall of the stove, but when the men were dead therobbers came and pulled them down and slew them. "The last theyslew," said Elsalill, "was my dear foster sister. She begged forlife so piteously, and two of them would have let her live; butthe third said that all must die, and he thrust his knife into herheart."
While Elsalill was speaking of murder and blood the three menstood still before her. They did not exchange a glance with eachother, but their ears grew long with listening, and their eyessparkled, and sometimes their lips parted so that the teethglistened.
Elsalill's eyes were full of tears; not once did she look upwhilst she was speaking. She did not see that the man before herhad the eyes and teeth of a wolf. Only when she had finishedspeaking did she dry her eyes and look up at him.
But when he met Elsalill's glance his face changed in an instant."Since you have seen the murderers so well, mistress," said he,"you would doubtless know them again if you met them?"
"I have no more than seen them by the light of the brands theysnatched from the hearth to light their murdering," said Elsalill;"but with God's help I'll surely know them again. And I pray toGod daily that I may meet them." "What mean you by that,mistress?" asked the stranger. "Is it not true that the murderousvagabonds are dead?"
"Indeed, I have heard so," said Elsalill. "The peasants who setout after them followed their tracks from the parsonage down to ahole in the ice. Thus far they saw tracks of sledge-runners uponthe smooth ice, tracks of a horse's hoofs, tracks of men withheavy nailed boots. But beyond the hole no tracks led on acrossthe ice, and therefore the peasants supposed them all dead."
"And do you not believe them dead, Elsalill?" asked the stranger.
"Oh, yes, I think they must be drowned," said Elsalill; "and yet Ipray to God daily that they may have escaped. I speak to God inthis wise: 'Let it be so that they have only driven the horse andthe sledge into the hole, but have themselves escaped.'"
"Why do you wish this, Elsalill?" asked the stranger.
The tender maid Elsalill, she flung back her head and her eyesshone like fire. "I would they were alive that I might find themout and seize them. I would they were alive that I might teartheir hearts out. I would they were alive that I might see theirbodies quartered and spiked upon the wheel."
"How do you think to bring all this about?" said the stranger."For you are only a weak little maid."
"If they were living," said Elsalill, "I should surely bring theirpunishment upon them. Rather would I go to my death than let themgo free. Strong and mighty they may be, I know it, but they wouldnot be able to escape me."
At this the stranger smiled upon her, but Elsalill stamped herfoot.
"If they were living, should I not remember that they have takenmy home from me, so that I am now a poor lass, compelled to standhere on the cold quay and clean fish? Should I not remember thatthey have slain all those near to me, and should I not remembermost of all the man who plucked my foster sister from the wall andslew her who was so dear to me?"
But when the tender little maid gave proof of such great wrath,the three Scottish campaigners burst out laughing. So full ofmerriment were they that they went off, lest Elsalill might takeoffence. They walked across the harbour and up a narrow alleywhich led to the market-place. But long after they were out ofsight Elsalill heard their roars of loud and scornful laughter.
CHAPTER III
THE MESSENGER