This was the girl who, standing before her mother, asked for her
approval. And Rahal Ragnor's eyes were filled with her beauty, and she
could only say:

"Dear thing! There is no need to change! Just as thou art pleases
me!"

Then with a face full of love Thora stooped and kissed her mother and
anon began to set the table for the expected guests. With sandalled
feet and smiling face, she walked about the room with the composure of
a goddess. There was no hesitation concerning what she had to do; all
had been arranged and settled in her mind previously, though now and
then, the discussion of a point appeared to be pleasant and
satisfying. Thus she thoughtfully said:

"Mother, there will be thyself and father and Boris, that is three,
and Sunna Vedder, and Helga and Maren Torrie, that makes six, and Gath
Peterson, and Wolf Baikie and his sisters Sheila and Maren make ten,
and myself, eleven--that is all and it is enough."

"Why not make it twelve?"

"There is luck in odd numbers. I am the eleventh. I like it."

"Thou might have made it ten. There is one girl on thy list it would
be better without."

"Art thou thinking of Sunna Vedder, Mother?"

"Yes, I am thinking of Sunna Vedder."

"Well and good. But if Sunna is not here, Boris would feel as if
there was no one present. It is Sunna he wants to see. It is Sunna he
wants to please. He says he is so sorry for her."

"Why?"

"Because she has to live with old Vedder who is nothing but a
bookworm."

"Vedder is a very clever man. The Bishop was saying that."

"Yes, in a way he was saying it, but----"

"The Bishop was not liking the books he was studying. He said they did
men and women no good. Thy father was telling me many things. Yes, so
it is! The Vedders are counted queer--they are different from thee and
me, and--the Bishop."

"And the Dominie?"

"That may well be. Thy father has a will for Boris to marry Andrina
Thorkel."

"Boris will never marry Andrina. It would be great bad luck if he did.
Many speak ill of her. She has a temper to please the devil. I was
hearing she would marry Scot Keppoch. That would do; for then they
would not spoil two houses."

"Tell thy father thy thought, and he will give thee thy answer;--but
why talk of the Future and the Maybe? The Now is the hour of the wise,
so I will go upstairs and lay out some proper clothing and do thou
get thy father to dress himself, as Conall Ragnor ought to do."

"That may not be easy to