and I could make no answer to her playful
railing, for I saw more clearly than she. And her mother knew that
this must be so, and sent her away on some household errand, and I
was glad.

Then she laid her hand on mine, and spoke very kindly to me.

"I fear, Redwald, that there is a strange trial coming for you; but
I think that you will face it rightly. It is likely that you will
hardly know Hertha when you see her; yet you are betrothed to her,
and that is a thing that cannot be forgotten."

"She will not know me at all," I said.

"Women are keen sighted," the lady answered; "but it is more than
likely that she will not."

Then said I:

"What if she has no love for me?"

"Or you of her? But I think that in her hiding she has thought of
you ever, and well will it be for you if you come not short of her
dream of you. But you have thought of her not at all."

"Blame me not, lady," I said humbly enough, though I thought I
deserved blame more than she knew.

"I cannot," she answered, and then a half smile crossed her fair
face; "nor should I have thought it wonderful if some other maiden
had taken her place in your heart. But that would have been ill for
three people in the end."

I sat silent, and maybe I was glad that the glow of the fire was
ruddy on my face, for it seemed that she had seen somewhat of my
thoughts of late.

"Now you must find Hertha," she went on, "and then if either of you
will be released, I think that Holy Church will not be hard on you,
nor keep you bound to each other, for things have turned out ill
for such a betrothal."

"This is a hard case," I said, "for supposing that one longs for
release and the other does not?"

"Why, you cannot be so much as lovers yet!" she said, laughing
suddenly. "Here we speak as if a child's thoughts were aught. Now
comes into my mind such a plan as is in the old stories. You shall
seek Hertha as Olaf's kinsman only--as a kinsman who seeks for you,
maybe, not letting her know who you are. Then may you try to win
her love, if you will--or if you cannot love her, you may so work
on her mind that she will not love you, and then all is easy. For
if she will not love you when you would win her, you will not hold
her bound."

"Surely not," I said. "This seems a good plan, if only it may be
carried out. But it depends on whether Hertha knows me again."

"Or the old nurse, Gunnhild," she answered. "If she lives yet, you
must take her into the plan."

S