The Norsemen in the West | Page 5

and there carefully sponged by the sympathetic Gudrid.

"Oh!--" he exclaimed, while his face was being washed.
"Does it pain you much, dear?" said the pretty aunt, interrupting him.
"Oh!" he continued, enthusiastically, "I never did see such a splendid
man before."
"What splendid man, child?"
"Why, Karlsefin."
"And who is Karlsefin?"
"The stranger who has come across the sea from Norway."
"Indeed," said Gudrid.
Whether it was the sound of the stranger's voice in the adjoining room,
or anxiety to complete her hospitable preparations, that caused Gudrid
to bring her operations on Olaf to an abrupt termination, we cannot tell,
but certain it is that she dried him rather quickly and hastened into the
outer hall, where she was introduced to the two strangers in due form as
widow Gudrid.
She had no difficulty in distinguishing which was Olaf's "splendid
man!" She looked at Karlsefin and fell in love with him on the spot, but
Gudrid was modest, and not sentimental. It is only your mawkishly
sentimental people who are perpetually tumbling into love, and out of it,
and can't help showing it. Cupid shot her right through the heart with
one powerful dart, and took her unawares too, but she did not show the
smallest symptom of having been even grazed. She neither blushed nor
stammered, nor looked conscious, nor affected to look unconscious.
She was charmingly natural!
But this was not all: Karlsefin also fell in love on the spot,--over head
and ears and hair, and hat to boot; neither did he show sign of it! After
the trifling ceremonies usual on an introduction were over, he turned to
continue his conversation with Leif and paid no further attention to

Gudrid, while she busied herself in preparing supper. It is true that he
looked at her now and then, but of course he looked at everybody, now
and then, in the course of the evening. Besides, it is well-known what is
said about the rights of the feline species in reference to royalty. At
supper Gudrid waited on the guests, Karlsefin therefore, necessarily
paid her somewhat more attention in accepting her civilities, but
Thorward was quite as attentive as he, so that the most sharp-witted
match-maker in the world would have failed to note any symptom of
anything whatever in regard to either of them.
Gudrid felt this a little, for she was accustomed to admiration from the
young men of Ericsfiord and Heriulfness, and, you know, people don't
like to want what they are accustomed to. What Karlsefin thought, he
did not show and never mentioned, therefore we cannot tell.
Now, good reader, pray do not run away with the notion that this love
affair is the plot on which the story is to hinge! Nothing of the kind. It
ran its course much more rapidly, and terminated much more abruptly,
than you probably suppose--as the sequel will show.
During supper there was not much conversation, for all were hungry,
but afterwards, when cans of home-brewed ale were handed round, the
tongues began to move. Leif soon observed that Karlsefin merely
sipped his beer, but never once drank.
"You do not drink," he said, pushing a large silver tankard towards him;
"come, fill up."
"Thanks, I drink but sparingly," said Karlsefin, taking up the large
tankard and admiring the workmanship.
"In good sooth ye do," cried Biarne, with a laugh; "a mouse could
hardly slake his thirst with all that you have yet imbibed."
"I have been so long at sea," rejoined Karlsefin, smiling, "that I have
lost my relish for beer. We had nothing but water with us. Where got
you this tankard, Leif, it is very massive and the workmanship such as
one seldom meets with save in kings' houses?"

"It belonged to a king!" replied Leif, with a look of pride. "Good King
Olaf Tryggvisson gave it to me on an occasion when I chanced to do
him some small service. Many winters have passed since then."
"Indeed, Leif! then you must be a favourite with King Olaf," exclaimed
Karlsefin, "for I am the bearer of another gift to you from his royal
hand."
"To me?"
"Ay. Hearing that I meant to sail over to Greenland this summer, he
asked me to bear you his remembrances, and gave me two slaves to
present to you in token of his continued friendship."
Leif's face beamed with satisfaction, and he immediately filled and
quaffed a bumper of ale to King Olaf's health, which example was
followed by Biarne and the guests, as well as by the house-carls who
sat on benches in various parts of the hall drinking their ale and
listening to the conversation. Even little Olaf--who had been named
after the king of Norway--filled his tankard to the brim with milk, and
quaffed it off with