much passion, it was noticed that for long
she left the things unused. Only she would be locked somewhile daily in
her bed-place, where she pored on them and secretly wore them for her
pleasure.

Now winter was at hand; the days grew short and the nights long; and
under the golden face of morning the isle would stand silver with frost.
Word came from Holyfell to Frodis Water of a company of young men upon a
journey; that night they supped at Holyfell, the next it would be at
Frodis Water; and Alf of the Fells was there, and Thongbrand Ketilson,
and Hall the Fair. Aud went early to her bed-place, and there she pored
upon these fineries till her heart was melted with self-love. There was
a kirtle of a mingled colour, and the blue shot into the green, and the
green lightened from the blue, as the colours play in the ocean between
deeps and shallows: she thought she could endure to live no longer and
not wear it. There was a bracelet of an ell long, wrought like a serpent
and with fiery jewels for the eyes; she saw it shine on her white arm and
her head grew dizzy with desire. "Ah!" she thought, "never were fine
lendings better met with a fair wearer." And she closed her eyelids, and
she thought she saw herself among the company and the men's eyes go after
her admiring. With that she considered that she must soon marry one of
them and wondered which; and she thought Alf was perhaps the best, or
Hall the Fair, but was not certain, and then she remembered Finnward
Keelfarer in his cairn upon the hill, and was concerned. "Well, he was a
good husband to me," she thought, "and I was a good wife to him. But
that is an old song now." So she turned again to handling the stuffs and
jewels. At last she got to bed in the smooth sheets, and lay, and
fancied how she would look, and admired herself, and saw others admire
her, and told herself stories, till her heart grew warm and she chuckled
to herself between the sheets. So she shook awhile with laughter; and
then the mirth abated but not the shaking; and a grue took hold upon her
flesh, and the cold of the grave upon her belly, and the terror of death
upon her soul. With that a voice was in her ear: "It was so Thorgunna
sickened." Thrice in the night the chill and the terror took her, and
thrice it passed away; and when she rose on the morrow, death had
breathed upon her countenance.

She saw the house folk and her children gaze upon her; well she knew why!
She knew he