ce again this hall ran red with blood, as at the
marriage-feast of Ospakar."

"Ah," answered the other, "it will be well for the south when Eric
Brighteyes and Gudruda are gone over sea, for their loves have brought
much bloodshed upon the land."

"Well, indeed!" sighed the first. "Had Asmund the Priest never found
Groa, Ran's gift, singing by the sea, Valhalla had not been so full
to-day. Mindest thou the day he brought her here?"

"I remember it well," she answered, "though I was but a girl at the
time. Still, when I saw those dark eyes of hers--just such eyes as
Swanhild's!--I knew her for a witch, as all Finn women are. It is an
evil world: my husband is dead by the sword; dead are both my sons,
fighting for Eric; dead is Unna, Thorod's daughter; Asmund, my lord, is
dead, and dead is Bjoern; and now Gudruda the Fair, whom I have rocked
to sleep, leaves us to go over sea. I may not go with her, for my
daughter's sake; yet I almost wish that I too were dead."

"That will come soon enough," said the other, who was young and fair.

Now the witch-sleep began to roll from Eric's heart, though his eyes
were not yet open. But the talk of the women echoed in his ears, and
the words "_dead!_" "_dead!_" "_dead!_" fell heavily on his slumbering
sense. At length he opened his eyes, only to shut them again, because
of a bright gleam of light that ran up and down something at his
side. Heavily he wondered what this might be, that shone so keen and
bright--that shone like a naked sword.

Now he looked again. Yes, it was a sword which stood by him upon the
bed, and the golden hilt was like the hilt of Whitefire. He lifted up
his hand to touch it, thinking that he dreamed. Lo! his hand and arm
were red!

Then he remembered, and the thought of Gudruda flashed through his
heart. He sat up, gazing down into the shadow at his side.

Presently the women at the fire heard a sound as of a great man falling
to earth.

"What is that noise?" said one.

"Eric leaping from his bed," answered the other. "He has slept too long,
as we have also."

As they spoke the curtain of the shut bed was pushed away, and through
it staggered Eric in his night-gear, and lo! the left side of it was
red. His eyes were wide with horror, his mouth was open, and his face
was white as ice.

He stopped, looking at them, made as though to speak, and could not.
Then, while they shrank from him in terror, he turned, and, walking like
a drunken man