The Waif Woman | Page 8

bird
sang in her ears that now she might marry a young man. Little fear that
she might have her choice of them, she thought, with all Thorgunna's
fine things; and her heart was cheered.
Now, when the corpse was laid in the hill, Asdis came where Aud sat
solitary in hall, and stood by her awhile without speech.
"Well, child?" says Aud; and again "Well?" and then "Keep us holy, if
you have anything to say, out with it!"
So the maid came so much nearer, "Mother," says she, "I wish you
would not wear these things that were Thorgunna's."
"Aha," cries Aud. "This is what it is? You begin early, brat! And who
has been poisoning your mind? Your fool of a father, I suppose." And
then she stopped and went all scarlet. "Who told you they were yours?"
she asked again, taking it all the higher for her stumble. "When you are
grown, then you shall have your share and not a day before. These
things are not for babies."
The child looked at her and was amazed. "I do not wish them," she said.
"I wish they might be burned."
"Upon my word, what next?" cried Aud. "And why should they be
burned?"
"I know my father tried to burn these things," said Asdis, "and he
named Thorgunna's name upon the skerry ere he died. And, O mother, I
doubt they have brought ill luck."
But the more Aud was terrified, the more she would make light of it.
Then the girl put her hand upon her mother's. "I fear they are ill come
by," said she.

The blood sprang in Aud's face. "And who made you a judge upon your
mother that bore you?" cried she.
"Kinswoman," said Asdis, looking down, "I saw you with the brooch."
"What do you mean? When? Where did you see me?" cried the mother.
"Here in the hall," said Asdis, looking on the floor, "the night you stole
it."
At that Aud let out a cry. Then she heaved up her hand to strike the
child. "You little spy!" she cried. Then she covered her face, and wept,
and rocked herself. "What can you know?" she cried. "How can you
understand, that are a baby, not so long weaned? He could--your father
could, the dear good man, dead and gone! He could understand and pity,
he was good to me. Now he has left me alone with heartless children!
Asdis," she cried, "have you no nature in your blood? You do not know
what I have done and suffered for them. I have done--oh, and I could
have done anything! And there is your father dead. And after all, you
ask me not to use them? No woman in Iceland has the like. And you
wish me to destroy them? Not if the dead should rise!" she cried. "No,
no," and she stopped her ears, "not if the dead should rise, and let that
end it!"
So she ran into her bed-place, and clapped at the door, and left the child
amazed.
But for all Aud spoke with so much passion, it was noticed that for
long she left the things unused. Only she would be locked somewhile
daily in her bed-place, where she pored on them and secretly wore them
for her pleasure.
Now winter was at hand; the days grew short and the nights long; and
under the golden face of morning the isle would stand silver with frost.
Word came from Holyfell to Frodis Water of a company of young men
upon a journey; that night they supped at Holyfell, the next it would be
at Frodis Water; and Alf of the Fells was there, and Thongbrand
Ketilson, and Hall the Fair. Aud went early to her bed-place, and there

she pored upon these fineries till her heart was melted with self-love.
There was a kirtle of a mingled colour, and the blue shot into the green,
and the green lightened from the blue, as the colours play in the ocean
between deeps and shallows: she thought she could endure to live no
longer and not wear it. There was a bracelet of an ell long, wrought like
a serpent and with fiery jewels for the eyes; she saw it shine on her
white arm and her head grew dizzy with desire. "Ah!" she thought,
"never were fine lendings better met with a fair wearer." And she
closed her eyelids, and she thought she saw herself among the company
and the men's eyes go after her admiring. With that she considered that
she must soon marry one of them and wondered which; and she thought
Alf was perhaps the best, or Hall the Fair, but was not certain, and then
she remembered Finnward Keelfarer in his cairn upon