u shalt take witness before thy husband's
bed, and declare thyself separated from him by such a lawful
separation as may hold good according to the judgment of the
Great Thing, and the laws of the land; and at the man's door the
main door of the house, thou shalt take the same witness. After
that ride away, and ride over Laxriverdale Heath, and so on over
Holtbeacon Heath; for they will look for thee by way of
Hrutfirth. And so ride on till thou comest to me; then I will
see after the matter. But into his hands thou shalt never come
more."

Now she rides home from the Thing, and Hrut had come back before
her, and made her hearty welcome. She answered him kindly, and
was blithe and forbearing towards him. So they lived happily
together that half-year; but when spring came she fell sick, and
kept her bed. Hrut set off west to the Firths, and bade them
tend her well before he went. Now, when the time for the Thing
comes, she busked herself to ride away, and did in every way as
had been laid down for her; and then she rides away to the Thing.
The country folk looked for her, but could not find her. Mord
made his daughter welcome, and asked her if she had followed his
advice; and she says, "I have not broken one tittle of it."

Then she went to the Hill of Laws, and declared herself separated
from Hrut; and men thought this strange news. Unna went home
with her father, and never went west from that day forward.

8. MORD CLAIMS HIS GOODS FROM HRUT

Hrut came home, and knit his brows when he heard his wife was
gone, but yet kept his feelings well in hand, and stayed at home
all that half-year, and spoke to no one on the matter. Next
summer he rode to the Thing, with his brother Hauskuld, and they
had a great fellowing. But when he came to the Thing, he asked
whether Fiddle Mord were at the Thing, and they told him he was;
and all thought they would come to words at once about their
matter, but it was not so. At last, one day when the brothers
and others who were at the Thing went to the Hill of Laws, Mord
took witness and declared that he had a money-suit against Hrut
for his daughter's dower, and reckoned the amount at ninety
hundreds in goods, calling on Hrut at the same time to pay and
hand it over to him, and asking for a fine of three marks. He
laid the suit in the Quarter Court, into which it would come by
law, and gave lawful notice, so that all who stood on the Hill of
Laws might hear.

But wh