enly the trees behind him rustled,
and a voice came out of them, saying, "A time of weal, a time of woe, a
time of tears, a time of death"; and though he could see nothing he
remembered the mountain elves, and thought how true their prophecy had
been. "I have slain my brother," he said to himself, "my wife has
forsaken me; I am miserable and alone. What shall I do? Go back to
Wayland, or follow Eigil into the river? No. After all I may find my
wife. The Norns do not always bring misfortune."

As he spoke a light gleamed in the darkness of the night, and, looking
up, Slagfid saw it was shed by a bright star which seemed to be drawing
nearer, and the nearer it drew its shape seemed to change into a human
figure. Then Slagfid knew that it was his wife, Swanvite, floating
just over his head and encircled by a rim of clear green light.

He could not speak for joy, but held out his arms to her. She beckoned
to him to follow her, and Slagfid, flinging away his sword and coat of
mail, began to climb the mountain.

Half way up it seemed to him as if a hand from behind was pulling him
back, and turning he fancied he beheld his mother and heard her say:
"My son, seek not after vain shadows, which yet may be your ruin."

The words caused Slagfid to pause for a moment. Then the figure of
Swanvite danced before him and beckoned to him again, and his mother
was forgotten. There were rivers to swim, precipices to climb, chasms
to leap, but he passed them all gladly, till at last he noticed that
the higher he got the less the figure seemed like Swanvite.

He felt frightened and tried to turn back, but he could not. On he had
to go, till just as he reached the top of the mountain the first rays
of the sun appeared above the horizon, and he saw that, instead of
Swanvite, he had followed a black elf.

He paused and looked over the green plain that lay thousands of feet
below him, cool and inviting after the stony mountain up which he had
come. "A time of death," whispered the black elf in his ear, and
Slagfid flung himself over the precipice.

PART V.

After his brothers had forsaken him Wayland went to bed lonely and sad;
but the next morning he got up and looked at the three keys that the
Noras had left behind them. One was of copper, one was of iron, and
one was of gold.

Taking up the copper one, he walked to the mountain till he reached a
flat wall of rock. He laid his key against it, and immediately the
mou