as in
her costliest garb. And the bard mentioned her in his song, and sang
of the rich treasure she had brought her rich husband. The latter was
delighted with the beautiful child, which he had seen in the daytime
in all its loveliness; and the savage ways of the little creature
pleased him especially. He declared that the girl might grow up to be
a stately heroine, strong and determined as a man. She would not wink
her eyes when a practised hand cut off her eyebrows with a sword by
way of a jest.

The full mead barrel was emptied, and a fresh one brought in; for
these were people who liked to enjoy all things plentifully. The old
proverb was indeed well known, which says, "The cattle know when they
should quit the pasture, but a foolish man knoweth not the measure of
his own appetite." Yes, they knew it well enough; but one _knows_ one
thing, and one _does_ another. They also knew that "even the welcome
guest becomes wearisome when he sitteth long in the house;" but for
all that they sat still, for pork and mead are good things; and there
was high carousing, and at night the bondmen slept among the warm
ashes, and dipped their fingers in the fat grease and licked them.
Those were glorious times!

Once more in the year the Viking sallied forth, though the storms of
autumn already began to roar: he went with his warriors to the shores
of Britain, for he declared that was but an excursion across the
water; and his wife stayed at home with the little girl. And thus
much is certain, that the poor lady soon got to love the frog with its
gentle eyes and its sorrowful sighs, almost better than the pretty
child that bit and beat all around her.

The rough damp mist of autumn, which devours the leaves of the forest,
had already descended upon thicket and heath. "Birds feather-less," as
they called the snow, flew in thick masses, and winter was coming on
fast. The sparrows took possession of the storks' nests, and talked
about the absent proprietors according to their fashion; but
these--the stork pair, with all the young ones--what had become of
them?

* * * * *

The storks were now in the land of Egypt, where the sun sent forth
warm rays, as it does here on a fine midsummer day. Tamarinds and
acacias bloomed in the country all around; the crescent of Mahomet
glittered from the cupolas of the temples, and on the slender towers
sat many a stork pair resting after the long journey. Great troop