nging of her riddle.

She paused for a space, looked downwards, then again upon Halfred, and
now with searching and defiant eyes. And she began--

"What is held in Valhalla?
What is hidden in Hell?
What hammers in hammer?
And heads the strong helm?
What begins the host slaughter?
What closes a sigh?
And what holds in Harthild
The head and the heart?"

Then she would have seated herself, as was her wont after giving out
the riddle; but struck by terror she remained standing, and grasped the
arm of the chair; for Halfred, without any reflecting, stretched his
right hand towards her, and spoke--

"Hast thou nothing harder,
Haughty one, hidden?
Then wreathe thy proud head
For Hymen in haste,
For what's held in Valhalla,
What's hidden in Hell,
What hammers in hammer,
And heads the strong helm,
What begins the host slaughter,
And closes a sigh,
What Harthild the haughty
The head and the heart holds,
What hovers deep hidden
In high thoughts of her heart,
And what here has Halfred
To proud Harthild holpen,
'Tis the Sacred Rune
The hero's own H."

Then Harthild sank pale with rage in her chair, and covered her head
with her veil.

But when Hartstein, her father, drew near amidst loud cries of
astonishment from the listeners in the hall, and would have drawn the
veil from her face, she sprang up vehemently, threw back the veil--and
they saw that she had wept--and cried in a harsh voice--

"Well has thou solved
The hidden riddle.
With mighty wit
Hast won a wife,
Woe to thee if tenderly
Thou usest her not!"

All kept silence, uneasy at these threatening unloving words. Halfred
at length broke the stillness, he threw back his head, and shook his
black locks, and laughed--"I will risk that! King Hartstein, this very
day will I pay thee the bride's dower. When prepare we the bridal
feast?"

CHAPTER V.

King Hartstein, however, wished for delay, until Hartvik and Eigil
should have returned from a campaign. Then their reception feast and
the marriage could be celebrated together.

Hartvik was the ki