vaerg," said Hardy.

"Quite as probable as the story," said the Pastor. "There is, however,
another impossible story of a Herr Manderup Holck of Jutland. He was
taken prisoner by the Turks, and his wife contrived his escape by
sending him a dress of feathers, so that he could fly out of his
Turkish prison and home to Jutland. She, with very great prudence,
collected all the bed-clothes in the parish, that he should fall soft
when he alighted in Jutland."

"The story is so improbable that it must be very old indeed," said
Hardy.

"I think the tradition about the Rosenkrands' arms is older," said
Pastor Lindal. "The date attached to it is given as A.D. 663. The son
of the then King of Denmark went to England to help an English king,
whose name is given as Ekuin, in his wars. He secretly married the
daughter of the crown prince, and by her had a son. She placed the
child in a box of gold, and placed a consecrated candle and salt in
the box, because the child was not baptized. One day, her father,
Prince Reduval, rode by and saw the child, and as it was in a gold box
he concluded that it came from a noble source. He brought it up under
the name of Karl. King Ekuin died, and Prince Reduval succeeded, and
he was the first Christian king in England. He desired to marry Karl
to his daughter, who was his own mother; but when the marriage should
take place, she confessed that the bridegroom was her own son. The
king therefore wanted to burn her at the stake, but Karl arranged
matters so that his father should be married to his mother, who for
nineteen years had been separated from her. Karl had painted on his
arms a white cross, to show he was a Christian, then white and blue,
to show he was both an English and a Danish prince. In one quartering
he had a lion painted white with a crown, to signify Denmark, and in
another quartering a lion, to signify England, and then a design like
a chessboard, to betoken the long separation of his father and
mother."

"I think the story rather clashes with history," said Hardy; "but
Rosenkrands means a wreath of roses."

"Yes, it does," said the Pastor. "One of them went to Rome, and the
pope gave him a wreath of roses; hence the name."

"You will miss Herr Hardy, little father," said Helga. "In two days he
leaves us. Cannot he stay longer?"

"No, I cannot," said Hardy. "My mother wishes me to return. She is
anxious to see me, and I am anxious to tell her my experiences in
Denmark; bu