The Waif Woman | Page 2

big.
"It would be strange if I had not," quoth Thorgunna. "Queens have no
finer."

So Aud begged that she might see them.
Thorgunna looked on her askance. "Truly," said she, "the things are for
no use but to be shown." So she fetched a chest and opened it. Here
was a cloak of the rare scarlet laid upon with silver, beautiful beyond
belief; hard by was a silver brooch of basket work that was wrought as
fine as any shell and was as broad as the face of the full moon; and Aud
saw the clothes lying folded in the chest, of all the colours of the day,
and fire, and precious gems; and her heart burned with envy. So,
because she had so huge a mind to buy, she began to make light of the
merchandise.
"They are good enough things," says she, "though I have better in my
chest at home. It is a good enough cloak, and I am in need of a new
cloak." At that she fingered the scarlet, and the touch of the fine stuff
went to her mind like singing. "Come," says she, "if it were only for
your civility in showing it, what will you have for your cloak?"
"Woman," said Thorgunna, "I am no merchant." And she closed the
chest and locked it, like one angry.
Then Aud fell to protesting and caressing her. That was Aud's practice;
for she thought if she hugged and kissed a person none could say her
nay. Next she went to flattery, said she knew the things were too noble
for the like of her--they were made for a stately, beautiful woman like
Thorgunna; and at that she kissed her again, and Thorgunna seemed a
little pleased. And now Aud pled poverty and begged for the cloak in a
gift; and now she vaunted the wealth of her goodman and offered
ounces and ounces of fine silver, the price of three men's lives.
Thorgunna smiled, but it was a grim smile, and still she shook her head.
At last Aud wrought herself into extremity and wept.
"I would give my soul for it," she cried.
"Fool!" said Thorgunna. "But there have been fools before you!" And a
little after, she said this: "Let us be done with beseeching. The things
are mine. I was a fool to show you them; but where is their use, unless
we show them? Mine they are and mine they shall be till I die. I have

paid for them dear enough," said she.
Aud saw it was of no avail; so she dried her tears, and asked Thorgunna
about her voyage, and made believe to listen while she plotted in her
little mind. "Thorgunna," she asked presently, "do you count kin with
any folk in Iceland?"
"I count kin with none," replied Thorgunna. "My kin is of the greatest,
but I have not been always lucky, so I say the less."
"So that you have no house to pass the time in till the ship return?"
cries Aud. "Dear Thorgunna, you must come and live with us. My
goodman is rich, his hand and his house are open, and I will cherish
you like a daughter."
At that Thorgunna smiled on the one side; but her soul laughed within
her at the woman's shallowness. "I will pay her for that word
daughter," she thought, and she smiled again.
"I will live with you gladly," says she, "for your house has a good name,
and I have seen the smoke of your kitchen from the ship. But one thing
you shall understand. I make no presents, I give nothing where I
go--not a rag and not an ounce. Where I stay, I work for my upkeep;
and as I am strong as a man and hardy as an ox, they that have had the
keeping of me were the better pleased."
It was a hard job for Aud to keep her countenance, for she was like to
have wept. And yet she felt it would be unseemly to eat her invitation;
and like a shallow woman and one that had always led her husband by
the nose, she told herself she would find some means to cajole
Thorgunna and come by her purpose after all. So she put a good face on
the thing, had Thorgunna into the boat, her and her two great chests,
and brought her home with her to the hall by the beach.
All the way in she made much of the wife; and when they were arrived
gave her a locked bed-place in the hall, where was a bed, a table, and a
stool, and space for the two chests.

"This shall be yours while you stay here," said Aud. And she attended
on her guest.
Now