must not trifle with you."

Ulla was highly pleased, and gave her directions very briskly about the
arrangement of the room. If it had been the grandest apartment of a
palace, she could not have been more particular as to where everything
should stand. When all was to her mind, she begged Erica to step over,
and inform Olaf that she was ready.

When Erica opened the door, she instantly drew back, and shut it again.

"What now?" asked Frolich. "Are all the bears in the porch?"

"Olaf is there," replied Erica, in a whisper, "talking with Hund."

"Hund wants a cure for the head-ache," Frolich whispered in return; "or
a charm to make some girl betroth herself to him;--a thing which no girl
will do, but under a charm: for I don't believe Stiorna would when it
came to the point, though she likes to be attended to."

When Olaf entered, and Hund walked away, Frolich ran home, and Erica
stood by the window, ready to receive the travelling doctor's opinion
and directions if he should vouchsafe any.

"So I am not the first to consult you to-day," said Ulla. "It is rather
hard that I should not have the best chance of luck, having been so long
ill."

Olaf assured her that he would hear no complaints from another till he
had given her the first-fruits of his wisdom in this district of his
rounds. Hund was only inquiring of him where the pirate-schooner was,
having slid down from the height, as fast as his snow-skaits would carry
him, on hearing the news from Oddo. He was also eager to know whence
these pirates came,--what nation they were of, or whether a crew
gathered from many nations. Olaf had advised Hund to go and ask the
pirates themselves all that he wanted to know; for there was no one else
who could satisfy him. Whereupon Hund had smiled grimly, and gone back
to his work.

Erica observed that she had heard her master say that it was foolish to
boast that Norway need not mind when Denmark went to war, because it
would be carried on far out of sight and hearing. So far from this,
Erlingsen had said, that Denmark never went to war but pirates came to
ravage the coast, from the North Cape to the Naze. Was not this the
case now? Denmark had gone to war; and here were the pirates come to
make her poor partner suffer.

Olaf said this explained the matter: and he feared the business of the
coast would suffer till a time of peace. Meanwhile, he must mind his
business. When he had heard all Ulla's complaints,