id: "Shall I bring Agni hither, mother?"

"What needeth it?" said the carline, "he sleepeth, and shall be hard to
awaken; and he is old, so let him sleep. I shall go fetch the hauberk,
for I know where it is, and my hand may come on it as easily as on mine
own girdle."

So she went her ways to the treasury where were the precious things of
the kindred; the woven cloths were put away in fair coffers to keep them
clean from the whirl of the Hall-dust and the reek; and the vessels of
gold and some of silver were standing on the shelves of a cupboard before
which hung a veil of needlework: but the weapons and war-gear hung upon
pins along the wall, and many of them had much fair work on them, and
were dight with gold and gems: but amidst them all was the wondrous
hauberk clear to see, dark grey and thin, for it was so wondrously
wrought that it hung in small compass. So the carline took it down from
the pin, and handled it, and marvelled at it, and said:

"Strange are the hands that have passed over thee, sword-rampart, and in
strange places of the earth have they dwelt! For no smith of the
kindreds hath fashioned thee, unless he had for his friend either a God
or a foe of the Gods. Well shalt thou wot of the tale of sword and spear
ere thou comest back hither! For Thiodolf shall bring thee where the
work is wild."

Then she went with the hauberk to the new-come warrior, and made no
delay, but gave it to him, and said:

"When Agni awaketh, I shall tell him that Thorkettle of the Wolfings hath
borne aback to Thiodolf the Treasure of the World, the Dwarf-wrought
Hauberk."

Then Thorkettle took it and turned to go; but even therewith came old
Asmund from out of his sleeping-place, and gazed around the Hall, and his
eyes fell on the shape of the Wolfing as he was going out of the door,
and he asked the carline.

"What doeth he here? What tidings is there from the host? For my soul
was nought unquiet last night."

"It is a little matter," she said; "the War-duke hath sent for the
wondrous Byrny that he left in our treasury when he departed to meet the
Romans. Belike there shall be a perilous battle, and few hearts need a
stout sword-wall more than Thiodolf's."

As she spoke, Thorkettle had passed the door, and got into his saddle,
and sat his black horse like a mighty man as he slowly rode down the turf
bridge that led into the plain. And Asmund went to the door and stood
watching him till he set spurs to his