ext day.

By and by she told Thore that she had not spoken the truth. She had
not been really a child when it was given her.

"I never thought so," said Thore.

"And it was not rats that bit it."

"Rats, indeed! Never in the world."

Then she told him the whole story, which he took very good-humouredly.
"So that's it, is it? And when I take you to Iceland I suppose you
will call him up with that?"

"Not unless I want to see him," she said.

"Not unless _I_ want to see him, you would say?"

"I think you will be as pleased with him as I shall be," said Gudrid.
So all went well except for Einar perhaps, whose prospects certainly
were not enhanced by being talked about. The stronghold of a lover is
to be so deeply hid that he is never talked of.

It was the fact that Gudrid was happy with her blunt blackbeard of a
man. He was easy to live with, always much the same, and did not ask
for more than he was able to give. He was very thrifty, and taught her
to be so, for she was anxious to please. He was never jealous, though
Thorstan had a way of coming to the house. At the same time, he told
her one night that he wouldn't have him there when he himself was away.
He was often from home two and three days together. "It has a bad
look," he said. "The neighbours look pityingly at a man. I won't have
that. Not that there is any harm in Thorstan. He is the son of a
friend of mine, and a very honest young man, though I call him dull. A
man ought to be able to talk. I think him hot-tempered, too. He
killed a lover of his sister Freydis once, and might as well have left
it alone. She could have looked after herself. Besides, we are not so
handy with our weapons as our fathers were in Iceland. Life is hard
enough in this country without cold steel. Now remember--" and he
pinched her cheek--"no men here when I am away."

Certainly she did not love Thore as she believed she had loved Einar
the sailor. Thore never made her heart beat, or brought mist over her
eyes. But she was happy and proud of her great house and many maids
and young men. And she was happy enough to be sorry for Thorstan, who
followed her about with a dog's patient eyes, and evidently worshipped
her shadow. He told her that he went down to Heriolfsness when he
heard that she was promised to Thore. When there he had gone to see
Thorberg. What did she tell him? Gudrid wanted to know; but he
wouldn't answer. He said, however, that she