, & affirmed that naught were they but rumour and talk, and
laughed to scorn all the praise and worship which the folk of the land
accorded the good King.

But now was drawing nigh the day whereon the gentle King laid down his
life, a day which all Norwegians kept, but which this unwise count
refused to hallow; & he bade his serving-woman fire the oven and bake on
that day.

And deeming from the mood of the Count that he would soon avenge himself
on her an she did not obey him in all that he had bidden her do, went
she all unwillingly and laid fire under the oven, and made much plaint
while she worked, & called on King Olaf, saying that she would never
believe more on him if he did not by some token or other avenge this
unseemliness. And now shall ye hear of a meet chastisement & true
miracle: it befell forthwith, in the self-same moment, that the Count
became blind in both eyes and that the bread which she had baked was
turned into stone.

Some of the stones have been brought to the church of the holy King
Olaf, and also to many other places. St. Olafmas has ever been kept holy
in Denmark since that happening.

[Illustration]

|| Westward in Valland (France) was there a man who was so malformed that
he was a cripple, and crawled he ever on his knees and knuckles. One day
when he was abroad, on a road, he fell asleep & dreamt that a man all
glorious without came to him and asked whither was he bound, and the
cripple answered with the name of a certain town.

Then the man all glorious said: 'Fare thee rather to St. Olaf's Church
in London, and there wilt thou be healed.' Thereafter awakened the
cripple and straightway fared in search of St. Olaf's Church, and after
a while was come to London Bridge & there asked of the townsmen whether
they could direct him to St. Olaf's Church; but for answer gat he that
there were too many churches for them to know to what man each of them
was dedicated. A while later came up a man & asked him whither was he
bound, and he told him whither he was bound, and that man said
afterwards: 'We will both go to St. Olaf's Church, for I know the way
thither.'

So then crossed they the bridge, and went to the street which led to
St. Olaf's Church. When they were come to the gates of the churchyard
the man stepped over the threshold which is between the gates, but the
cripple rolled over it, and lo, straightway rose he up a whole man. When
he looked round his comrade was gone.

||