sat, his deep brows wrinkled and his hair pulled down, and walked to
where he stood. He did not move. I reached and touched him with my
sheathed sword. Slowly he got up, and turning from me he went to the
wall where his fair rapier hung. Then he came back to where I stood, and
stopped. We stood so for a little while; then calling to one of the men
who stood near, I cried hoarsely, "Touch him with the spit," and I
could see the red of the back of his neck fail into whiteness as he went
before me striding fast down the hall. I turned when we got to the
doorway. Far away, by my great chair, knelt old Father Cefron, his head
covered with the sleeves of his robe, and by the fireplace three or four
women were crying with their faces in the corner.

It was a short holmgang. When we were ready I rushed him quickly, for I
had my old heavy sword and his thing was light; but he sprang aside from
me, and my sword whizzed past his shoulder. Then I turned and rushed him
again, and again he sprang aside, his sword brushing my hair; and again
I rushed him, and again he jumped aside, this time he struck me through
the right forearm. So it went on till the shadows began to creep a
little way from the trees, and I was very bloody and he had but one
hurt; and then as I drew back to hit him, caring little for myself, his
sword was through me, and I fell and kicked up the snow, then turned on
my back. Then suddenly I was still and men pressed around me, saying,
"He is dead"; but, I saw with my open eyes, Heinrick leap upon the
ice-crust, and with his naked sword cutting the air as he ran in rage or
wantonness, he fled, and was so far away that my men stood there
staring. Then they carried me back to the banqueting-hall and through
into my own chamber, and as we passed the kneeling figure of Father
Cefron, I heard the men who carried me answer to the women by the fire,
who whispered to them, "Dead on Easter morning, 'tis an awful day; but
old men die, and so has Father Cefron--though he was a learned man."

Late that day the women came and washed me in my chamber and swathed me
in white folds, and they pulled down my eyes so that I could not see,
and they pushed up my jaws, but it seemed I needed not to breathe; and
that night three women and a man sat with me all night, and the next
night after that two women, and the next night after that one man, he
who had followed me through the gardens before I had found about Elsa,
who was my wife;