asked,
but she did not like to say tell him by all means, nor beg him not to
tell. It turned out that Thorwald did tell him.

Freydis said, "If you must marry, that is the man you should choose.
Not a half-skald like my brother Thorstan, nor a pranking pie like
Thorwald. You will have a master in Thore, and most women like that.
He might beat you."

"I think he will not," said Gudrid. Freydis looked at her with
narrowed eyes.

"And I think that you are right. You know how to make yourself
respected, I believe. But many women like to be beaten. I know that I
should love the man who could beat me. But he would have to fight with
me first. My husband is as timid as a Norway rat. You don't see him
here often." Gudrid had never seen him. "He comes when I send for
him," said Freydis.

After that she saw Theodhild at Mass, and went home with her to her
hermitage and told her the news. Theodhild said little, but one thing
she said struck Gudrid. She said: "You will have much trouble, and
give more of yourself than you can afford. But you will leave
something to give to God at the end--more than I have left." Gudrid
said: "It is foretold of me that I shall have three husbands, then go
to Iceland and live as pleases me best." "It may well be so," said
Theodhild. "Love is all to women, but if they can love God they are
happiest. Love of man is more sorrow than joy. Love of God is pure
joy. You will find it so."

Gudrid was young enough to wonder if that was true.

XII

Thore was very good to her, as he had promised, but he had to be
obeyed. Directly he saw the token which she wore, he wanted to know
about it.

"What is that which you wear round your neck? It looks to be gold."

She said it was a token. "A token! And what kind of a token?" She
said she had had it when she was a child.

"Let me look at it," said he. He held it near to the light.

"Rats have been at this," he said. "Here are teeth-marks. Hungry
rats, too, they must have been. And that was a good coin of England
once--and valueless now. There's the half of a king for you. That was
Knut King of England--a rare man I have heard my father say. And rats
have bitten him in half. Take it off, my girl. You don't want such
things now." She thought that reasonable, and took it off, to be laid
aside. She had not much feeling about it now, and yet could not bear
it should be lost. She put it carefully away in her chest n