A week after his death Herr Arne was buried in Solberga church,and on the same day an inquest was held upon the murder in theassize house at Branehog.
Now Herr Arne's fame was such throughout Bohuslen, and so manypeople came together on the day of his funeral, both from themainland and the islands, that it was as though an army hadassembled about its leader. And so great a concourse moved betweenSolberga church and Branehog that toward evening not an inch ofsnow could be seen that had not been trampled by men's feet.
But late in the evening, when all had gone their ways, cameTorarin the fish hawker driving along the road from Branehog toSolberga.
Torarin had talked with many men in the course of the day; againand again had he told the story of Herr Arne's death. He had beenwell entertained too at the assize and had been made to empty manya mug of ale with travellers from afar.
Torarin felt dull and heavy and lay down upon his load. Itsaddened him to think that Herr Arne was gone, and as heapproached the parsonage a yet more grievous thought began totorment him. "Grim, my dog," he said, "had I believed that warningof the knives I might have warded off the whole disaster. I oftenthink of that, Grim, my dog. It disquiets my spirit, I feel asthough I had had a part in taking Herr Arne's life. Now rememberwhat I say--next time I hear such a thing I will hold it true andbe guided by it!"
Now while Torarin lay dozing upon his load with eyes half closed,his horse went on as he pleased, and on coming to Solbergaparsonage he turned into the yard from old habit and went up tothe stable door, Torarin being all unwitting. Only with thestopping of the sledge did he rise up and look about him; and thenhe fell a-shuddering, when he saw that he was in the yard of ahouse where so many people had been murdered no more than a weekbefore.
He seized the reins at once to turn his horse and drive into theroad again, but at that moment he felt a hand upon his shoulderand looked round. Beside him stood old Olof the groom, who hadserved at the parsonage as long as Torarin could remember.
"Have you such haste to leave our house tonight, Torarin?" saidthe man. "Let be and come indoors! Herr Arne sits there waitingfor you."
A thousand thoughts came into Torarin's head. He knew not whetherhe was dreaming or awake. Olof the groom, whom he saw standingalive and well beside him, he had seen a week before lying deadamongst the others with a great wound in his throat.
Torarin took a firmer hold of the reins. He thought the best thingfor him was to make off as soon as he could. But Olof the groom'shand still lay upon his shoulder, and the old fellow gave him nopeace.
Torarin racked his brains to find an excuse. "I had no thought ofcoming to disturb Herr Arne so late in the evening," said he. "Myhorse turned in here whilst I was unaware. I will go now and finda lodging for the night. If Herr Arne wishes to see me, I can wellcome again tomorrow."
With this Torarin bent forward and struck his horse with the slackof the reins to make him move off.
But at the same instant the parson's man was at the horse's head;he caught him by the bridle and forced him to stand still. "Ceaseyour obstinacy, Torarin!" said the man. "Herr Arne is not yet goneto bed, he sits waiting for you. And you should know full wellthat you can have as good a night's lodging here as anywhere inthe parish."
Torarin was about to answer that he could not be served withlodging in a roofless house. But before speaking he raised hiseyes to the dwelling house, and then he saw that the old timberhall stood unharmed and stately as before the fire. And yet thatvery morning Torarin had seen the naked rafters thrusting out intothe air.
He looked and looked and rubbed his eyes, but there was no doubtof it, the parsonage stood there unharmed, with thatch and snowupon its roof. He saw smoke and sparks streaming up through thelouver, and rays of light gleaming through the illclosed shuttersupon the snow.
A man who travels far and wide on the cold highway knows no bettersight than the gleam that steals out of a warm room. But the sightmade Torarin even more terrified than before. He whipped up hishorse till he reared and kicked, but not a step would he go fromthe stable door.
"Come in with me, Torarin!" said the groom. "I thought you hadenough remorse already over this business."
Then Torarin remembered the promise he had made himself on theroad and, though a moment before he had stood up and lashed hishorse furiously, he was now meek as a lamb.
"Well, Olof groom, here am I!" he said, and sprang down from thesledge. "It is true that I wish to have no more remorse over thisbusiness. Take me in to Herr Arne!"
But it was with the heaviest steps he had ever known that Torarinwent across the yard to the house.
When the door was opened Torarin closed his eyes to avoid lookinginto the room, but he tried to take heart by thinking of HerrArne. "He has given you many a good meal. He has bought your fish,even when his own larder was full. He has always shown youkindness in his lifetime, and assuredly he will not harm you afterdeath. Mayhap he has a service to ask of you. You must not forget,Torarin, that we are to show gratitude to the dead as to theliving."
Torarin opened his eyes and looked down the room. He saw the greathall just as he had seen it before. He recognized the high brickstove and the woven tapestries that hung upon the walls. But heglanced many times from wall to wall before daring to raise hiseyes to the table and the bench where Herr Arne had been wont tosit.
At last he looked there, and then he saw Herr Arne himself sittingin the flesh at the head of the table with his wife on one sideand his curate on the other, as he had seen him a week before. Heseemed to have just finished his meal, the dish was thrust away,and his spoon lay on the table before him. All the old men andwomen servants were sitting at the table, but only one of theyoung maids.
Torarin stood still a long time by the door and watched them thatsat at table. They all looked anxious and mournful, and even HerrArne was gloomy as the rest and supported his head in his hand.
At last Torarin saw him raise his head.
"Have you brought a stranger into the house with you, Olof groom?"
"Yes," answered the man, "it is Torarin the fish hawker, who hasbeen this day at the assize at Branehog."
Herr Arne's looks seemed to grow more cheerful at this, andTorarin heard him say: "Come forward then, Torarin, and give usnews of the assize! I have sat here and waited for half thenight."
All this had such a real and natural air that Torarin began tofeel more and more courageous. He walked quite boldly across theroom to Herr Arne, asking himself whether the murder was not anevil dream and whether Herr Arne was not in truth alive.
But as Torarin crossed the room, his eyes from old habit soughtthe four-post bed, beside which the great money chest used tostand. But the ironbound chest was no longer in its place, andwhen Torarin saw that a shudder again passed through him.
"Now Torarin is to tell us how things went at the assize today,"said Herr Arne.
Torarin tried to do as he was bid and tell of the assize and theinquest, but he could command neither his lips nor his tongue, andhis speech was faulty and stammering, so that Herr Arne stoppedhim at once. "Tell me only the main thing, Torarin. Were ourmurderers found and punished?"
"No, Herr Arne," Torarin had the boldness to answer. "Yourmurderers lie at the bottom of Hakefjord. How would you have anytake revenge on them?"
When Torarin returned this answer Herr Arne's old temper seemed tobe kindled within him and he smote the table hard. "What is thatyou say, Torarin? Has the Governor of Bohus been here with judgesand clerks and held assize and has no man had the wit to tell himwhere he may find my murderers?"
"No, Herr Arne," answered Torarin. "None among the living can tellhim that."
Herr Arne sat awhile with a frown on his brow, staring dismallybefore him. Then he turned once more to Torarin.
"I know that you bear me affection, Torarin. Can you tell me how Imay be revenged upon my murderers?"
"I can well understand, Herr Arne," said Torarin, "that you wishto be revenged upon those who so cruelly have deprived yo
u of yourlife. But there is none amongst us who walk God's earth that canhelp you in this."
Herr Arne fell into a deep brooding when he heard this answer.
There was a long silence. After a while Torarin ventured to putforward a request. "I have now fulfilled your desire, Herr Arne,and told you how it went at the assize. Have you aught else to askme, or will you now let me go?"
"You are not to go, Torarin," said Herr Arne, "until you haveanswered me once more whether none of the living can give usvengeance."
"Not if all the men in Bohuslen and Norway came together to berevenged upon your murderers would they be able to find them,"said Torarin.
Then said Herr Arne: "If the living cannot help us, we must helpourselves."
With this Herr Arne began in a loud voice to say a paternoster,not in Norse but in Latin, as had been the use of the countrybefore his time. And as he uttered each word of the prayer hepointed with his finger at one of those who sat with him at thetable. He went through them all in this way many times, until hecame to Amen. And as he spoke this word his finger pointed at theyoung maid who was his niece.
The young maid rose at once from the bench, and Herr Arne said toher: "You know what you have to do."
Then the young maiden lamented and said: "Do not send me upon thiserrand! It is too heavy a charge to lay upon so tender a maid asI."
"You shall assuredly go," said Herr Arne. "It is right that yougo, since you have most to revenge. None of us has been robbed ofso many years of life as you, who are the youngest among us."
"I desire not to be revenged on any man," said the maiden.
"You are to go at once," said Herr Arne. "And you will not bealone. You know that there are two among the living who sat withus here at table a week ago."
But when Torarin heard these words he thought they meant that HerrArne charged him to contend with malefactors and murderers, and hecried out: "By the mercy of God I conjure you, Herr Arne--"
At that moment it seemed to Torarin that both Herr Arne and theparsonage vanished in a mist, and he himself sank down as thoughhe had fallen from a giddy height, and with that he lostconsciousness.
When he came to himself again dawn was breaking and he saw that hewas lying on the ground in the yard of Solberga parsonage. Hishorse stood beside him with the sledge, and Grim barked and howledover him.
"It was all but a dream," said Torarin; "now I see that. The houseis deserted and in ruin. I have seen neither Herr Arne nor anyother. But I was so startled by the dream that I fell off theload."
CHAPTER IV
IN THE MOONLIGHT