ell cared for."

He took from his finger, as he spoke, a gold ring, and placed it in the
woman's hand, but she shook her head sadly, and said in an absent tone:
"I dare not go. Swart might come back and would miss me."

"Art thou the wife of Swart of the Springs?"

"Yes; and he told me not to quit the house till he came back. But that
seems so long, long ago, and so many things have happened since, that--"

She paused and shuddered.

"Swart is dead," said Glumm.

On hearing this the woman uttered a wild shriek, and fell backward to
the earth.

"Now a plague on thy gruff tongue," said Erling angrily, as he raised
the woman's head on his knee. "Did you not see that the weight was
already more than she could bear? Get thee to the spring for water,
man, as quickly as may be."

Glumm, whose heart had already smitten him for his inconsiderate haste,
made no reply, but ran to a neighbouring spring, and quickly returned
with his helmet full of water. A little of this soon restored the poor
woman, and also her mother.

"Now haste thee to Horlingdal," said Erling, giving the woman a share of
the small supply of food with which he had supplied himself for the
journey. "There may be company more numerous than pleasant at the
Springs to-morrow, and a hearty welcome awaits thee at Haldorstede."

Saying this he remounted and rode away.

"I was told last night by Hilda," said Erling, "that, when we were out
after the Danes, and just before the attack was made by the men of their
cutter on Ulfstede, the hermit had been talking to the women in a
wonderful way about war and the God whom he worships. He thinks that
war is an evil thing; that to fight in self-defence--that is, in defence
of home and country--is right, but that to go on viking cruise is wrong,
and displeasing to God."

"The hermit is a fool," said Glumm bluntly.

"Nay, he is no fool," said Erling. "When I think of these poor women, I
am led to wish that continued peace were possible."

"But it is, happily, _not_ possible; therefore it is our business to
look upon the bright side of war," said Glumm.

"That may be thy business, Glumm, but it is my business to look upon
_both_ sides of everything. What would it avail thee to pitch and paint
and gild the outside of thy longship, if no attention were given to the
timbering and planking of the inside?"

"That is a different thing," said Glumm.

"Yes, truly; yet not different in this, that it has two