u saw him last."

"That is not all," answered Mord. "Well I knew Gunnar, our king, and
tonight I thought he had come back to us from Valhalla, goodlier yet and
mightier than ever, as one who has feasted with the Asir might well be.
For if this boy of ours is not Gunnar's son, then he is Gunnar himself."

Now that was no new thought to me, as I have shown, and I was ready for
it, seeing that even I had seen the likeness to the king as I remembered
him.

"Keep that thought to yourself for a while, Mord," I said. "It is in my
mind that you are right, but the time has not yet come for me to know."

"That is wisdom, too," he answered; "for if once he gathers a following,
there is a bad time in store for Hodulf. And it will be better that we
fall on him unawares, before he knows that Havelok, son of Gunnar, lives."

"We fall on him?"

"Ay, you and I, mail on chest and weapon in hand, with Havelok to lead
us. What? think you that I would hold back when Gunnar's son is calling?"

"Steady, friend," I said, laughing; "men will be looking at us."

So he was silent again; and now I thought that the time of which my
father spoke had surely come, for it was plain that Havelok was a man
whom men would gladly follow as he went to win back his kingdom. And I
went and fetched Withelm from where he sat, and so we three talked long
and pleasantly, until it was time for us to go forth from the hall. And
we thought that it was good for Arngeir to come here, for the secret was
coming to light of itself, as it were, and we would have him speak with
Mord.

CHAPTER XIV. THE CRAFT OF ALSI THE KING.

Now Alsi the king went from the feast with a new and cruel thought in
his mind under the smiling face that he wore, and long he sat in his own
chamber, chin on hand and eyes far off, thinking; and at last he called
Berthun.

"What is the name of this big knave of yours?" he asked, when the
steward stood before him.

"He calls himself Curan, lord."

"Calls himself. Well, it is likely that he knows his own name best. Is
he Welsh, therefore?"

"So I think, lord."

"You might have been certain by this time, surely. I like Welshmen about
the place, and I was giving you credit for finding me a good one. Whence
comes he?"

Now it was on Berthun's tongue to say that he thought that Curan came
from the marshland, yet clinging to his own thoughts of what he was. He
did not at all believe that he came from that refuge of thralls. But he