kindled. Thurid the housewife had then
taken the sickness after the same fashion as those who had died.
Kjartan went in at once, and saw that Thorodd and the others were
sitting by the fire as usual. He took down Thorgunna's bed-hangings,
went into the hall, and carried out a live coal from the fire: then
all the bed-gear that Thorgunna had owned was burned.

After this Kjartan summoned Thorir Wooden-leg, and Thord summoned
Thorodd, on the charge of going about the homestead without leave, and
depriving men of both health and life; all those who sat beside the
fire were summoned in the same way. Then a court was held at the
door, in which the charges were declared, and everything done as in a
regular law court; opinions were given, the case summed up, and
judgment passed. After sentence had been pronounced on Thorir Wooden-
leg, he rose up and said: "Now we have sat as long as we can bear".
After this he went out by the other door from that at which the court
was held. Then sentence was passed on the shepherd, and when he heard
it he stood up and said: "Now I shall go, and I think it would have
been better before". When Thorgrima heard sentence pronounced on her,
she rose up and said: "Now we have stayed while it could be borne".
Then one after another was summoned, and each stood up as judgment was
given upon him; all of them said something as they went out, and
showed that they were loath to part. Finally sentence was passed on
Thorodd himself, and when he heard it, he rose and said: "Little
peace I find here, and let us all flee now," and went out after that.
Then Kjartan and the others entered and the priest carried holy water
and sacred relics over all the house. Later on in the day he held
solemn service, and after this all the hauntings and ghost-walkings at
Froda ceased, while Thurid recovered from her sickness and became well
again.

CHAPTER XIV

Spiritualistic Floating Hands. Hands in Haunted Houses. Jerome
Cardan's Tale. "The Cold Hand." The Beach-comber's Tale. "The Black
Dogs and the Thumbless Hand." The Pakeha Maori and "The Leprous
Hand". "The Hand of the Ghost that Bit."

HANDS ALL ROUND

Nothing was more common, in the seances of Home, the "Medium," than
the appearance of "Spirit hands". If these were made of white kid
gloves, stuffed, the idea, at least, was borrowed from ghost stories,
in which ghostly hands, with no visible bodies, are not unusual. We
see them