weak! Where, then, is Whitefire?--I have yet a deed to do!
Who comes yonder? Is it a woman's shape or is it but a smoke-wraith?
'Tis Swanhild the Fatherless who walks the waters. Begone, Swanhild,
thou witch! thou hast worked evil enough upon me. Nay, it is not
Swanhild, it is Elfrida; lady, here in England I may not stay. In
Iceland I am at home. Yea, yea, things go crossly; perchance in this
garden we may speak again!"

Now Gudruda could bear his words no longer, bur ran to him and knelt
beside him.

"Peace, Eric!" she whispered. "Peace! It is I, thy love. It is Gudruda,
who am come to thee."

He turned his head and looked upon her strangely.

"No, no," he said, "it is not Gudruda the Fair. She will have little to
do with outlaws, and this is too rough a place for her to come to. It is
dark also and Atli speaks in the darkness. If thou art Gudruda, give
me a sign. Why comest thou here and where is Skallagrim? Ah! that was a
good fight--

"Down among the ballast tumbling
Ospakar's shield-carles were rolled.

"But he should never have slain the steersman. The axe goes first and
Skallagrim follows after. Ha, ha! Ay, Swanhild, we'll mingle tears. Give
me the cup. Why, what is this? Thou art afire, a glory glows about thee,
and from thee floats a scent like the scent of the Iceland meads in
May."

"Eric! Eric!" cried Gudruda, "I am come to shear thy hair, as thou didst
swear that I alone should do."

"Now I know that thou art Gudruda," said the crazed man. "Cut, cut; but
let not those knaves touch my head, lest I should slay them."

Then Gudruda drew out her shears, and without more ado shore off
Brighteyes' golden locks. It was no easy task, for they were thick as
a horse's mane, and glued to the wound. Yet when she had cut them, she
loosened the hair from the flesh with water which she heated upon the
fire. The wound was in a bad state and blue, still Eric never winced
while she dragged the hair from it. Then she washed the sore clean, and
put sweet ointment on it and covered it with napkins.

This done, she gave Eric broth and he drank. Then, laying her hand upon
his head, she looked into his eyes and bade him sleep. And presently
he slept--which he had scarcely done for many days--slept like a little
child.

Eric slept for a day and a night. But at that same hour of the evening,
when he had fallen asleep, Gudruda, watching him by the light of a taper
that was set upon a rock, saw him smile in h