captain, laughing at the threat. "Or have you a
trinket that you value less to risk in such a cause?"

Cicely, deeply affronted, puckered up her brow and drew closer to her
mother; but Annis, far too happy to be vexed, leaned over and kissed the
pouting lips. With her, joy meant thanksgiving, and her heart was
singing--singing the song of the angel of Judea: "In Excelsis Gloria!"

_A Norseman's Saga._

"As he sat there with a sou'wester down over his ears, in a long
pilot coat, his figure appeared to assume quite supernatural
proportions, and you might almost imagine that you had one of the
old Vikings before you."

_Asbjoernsen._

THROND.

There was once a man named Alf, who had raised great expectations among
his fellow-parishioners because he excelled most of them both in the
work he accomplished and in the advice he gave. Now, when this man was
thirty years old, he went to live up the mountain, and cleared a piece
of land for farming, about fourteen miles from any settlement. Many
people wondered how he could endure thus depending on himself for
companionship, but they were still more astonished when, a few years
later, a young girl from the valley, and one, too, who had been the
gayest of the gay at all the social gatherings and dances of the parish,
was willing to share his solitude.

This couple were called "the people in the wood," and the man was known
by the name of "Alf in the wood." People viewed him with inquisitive
eyes when they met him at church or at work, because they did not
understand him; but neither did he take the trouble to give them any
explanation of his conduct. His wife was only seen in the parish twice,
and on one of these occasions it was to present a child for baptism.

This child was a son, and he was called Thrond. When he grew larger his
parents often talked about needing help, and, as they could not afford
to take a full-grown servant, they hired what they called "a half:" they
brought into their house a girl of fourteen, who took care of the boy
while the father and mother were busy in the field.

This girl was not the brightest person in the world, and the boy soon
observed that his mother's words were easy to comprehend, but that it
was hard to get at the meaning of what Ragnhild said. He never talked
much with his father, and he was rather afraid of him, for the house had
to be kept very quiet when he was home. One Christmas Eve--they w