she,
imitating him like a baby, though she was none so young. "Bubble-bubble,
and a silly old man! We must bury the troll wife, and here is trouble
enough, and a vengeance! Horses will sweat for it before she comes to
Skalaholt; 'tis my belief she was a man in a woman's habit. And so now,
have done, good man, and let us get her waked and buried, which is more
than she deserves, or her old duds are like to pay for. And when that is
ended, we can consult upon the rest."

So Finnward was but too well pleased to put it off.

The next day they set forth early for Skalaholt across the heaths. It
was heavy weather, and grey overhead; the horses sweated and neighed, and
the men went silent, for it was nowhere in their minds that the dead wife
was canny. Only Aud talked by the way, like a silly sea-gull piping on a
cliff, and the rest held their peace. The sun went down before they were
across Whitewater; and the black night fell on them this side of
Netherness. At Netherness they beat upon the door. The goodman was not
abed nor any of his folk, but sat in the hall talking; and to them
Finnward made clear his business.

"I will never deny you a roof," said the goodman of Netherness. "But I
have no food ready, and if you cannot be doing without meat, you must
e'en fare farther."

They laid the body in a shed, made fast their horses, and came into the
house, and the door was closed again. So there they sat about the
lights, and there was little said, for they were none so well pleased
with their reception. Presently, in the place where the food was kept,
began a clattering of dishes; and it fell to a bondman of the house to go
and see what made the clatter. He was no sooner gone than he was back
again; and told it was a big, buxom woman, high in flesh and naked as she
was born, setting meats upon a dresser. Finnward grew pale as the dawn;
he got to his feet, and the rest rose with him, and all the party of the
funeral came to the buttery-door. And the dead Thorgunna took no heed of
their coming, but went on setting forth meats, and seemed to talk with
herself as she did so; and she was naked to the buff.

Great fear fell upon them; the marrow of their back grew cold. Not one
word they spoke, neither good nor bad; but back into the hall, and down
upon their bended knees, and to their prayers.

"Now, in the name of God, what ails you?" cried the goodman of
Netherness.

And when they had told him, shame fell