walls, showing the still raised harp, the kneeling figure, the men
half-risen from their places. It is gone, and the fire that has died
down glows feebly.

As I awake from the waking sleep I hear voices raised angrily, and in
the dusk see two figures, one tall, risen by the bench at the end of the
table. Someone throws a log on the smouldering fire and the sparks fly
up. In a moment it is light.

I hear a voice shouting, "Dost thou love this man?"

And Lord Uffe's voice raised in remonstrance; and from the white figure
now standing leaning against my lord comes a low voice saying something
we cannot hear.

Then there is more tumult that gradually thins down to a single voice
speaking, and Lord Uffe's words are heard as the silence falls. "Before
thou cam'st we were content; but thou hast brought the noises of the
world with thee, and broken peace. Thou cam'st to us out of the storm;
go back into the storm, my guest!"

Slowly my lord went down the hall, we behind him. Turning my head--I was
the only man who turned--I saw the white figure on its knees again by the
bench, its head hidden. Our host stood, his hand out towards us; away by
the fireplace a face shone over a huge black form on whose hair the
firelight played. I wish I could forget that face!

As we passed in silence through the door the thunder roared and died
away.

Soon we were at the ship in the darkness; we shoved her off in the
darkness; we men hoisted the mended sail in the darkness; we heard the
water begin to sound under our sides, then--a faint roll of thunder from
far away, a long flicker of light across the sky. We saw my lord
standing alone on the hind-deck, the beach, the lights of the hall--the
lightning gone, and we heard the water rushing around our bow in the
darkness.

Not a drop of rain fell; the air was very still.

When the day broke pink over the far level waters, my lord was leaning
on the rail yet. As the yellow light reached over the water till it
touched our ship I saw his face, and it surprised me, being quite gay. I
went up to him, and, the men gazing silently at us, spoke to him.

"The men," I said, "will carry you home, or east, but then----" I stopped,
for there was something in his face that made me stop.

"Yes," he said.

"And then we will leave you. If you wish, you can get a new crew."

"Ah," he said.

"I do not know how many days--when----"

"Yes," he said.

I stood silent; in the silence again; "Yes," he