, and Thora
rejoiced sympathetically, and looked forward with pleasant anticipation
to the approaching marriage. Even Freydissa opened out in a new light
on the occasion, and congratulated her handmaiden heartily, telling her
with real sincerity that marriage was the only thing she was fit for!

But it was Olaf who displayed the greatest amount of feeling on the
occasion, and it was Snorro on whom he expended himself!

On the morning after the great event, he hoisted Snorro on his back with
his wonted care and tenderness, and hurried off with him to the solitude
of the sea-shore--for, alas! there were no umbrageous solitudes in
Greenland. There, not far from the spot where Flatface and his friends
had once been made to wriggle their coat-tails with terror, he set
Snorro down, and, sitting on a rock beside him, said--

"Now, old man, it is going to have a talk with me."

"Iss," replied Snorro, very contentedly.

"Does it know what has happened to Hake and Heika?"

Snorro shook his head.

"Well, my father has set them both free."

"Bof f'ee?" repeated Snorro, with a puzzled look.

"Yes, both."

"W'at's _f'ee_?" asked Snorro.

Olaf was greatly perplexed, for he knew not how to convey an idea of the
meaning of that word to his little friend. He made various attempts,
however, by means of simple illustrations and words, to explain it, but
without success--as was made plain by Snorro's usually intelligent
countenance remaining a perfect blank.

At last he seized the child by both wrists and held him fast for a few
seconds.

"Snorro," he said, "you are _not_ free while I hold you. Now," he
added, releasing the wrists, "you _are_ free."

Snorro's countenance was no longer blank, but, on the contrary,
extremely perplexed.

"Leif," he said, "no' hold Heika an' Hake by e _hands_!"

"No," replied Olaf, "but he holds them by the spirit."

"W'at's spiwit?" asked Snorro.

Olaf was in despair!

"Well, well," he cried, after stroking his chin and pulling his nose,
and knuckling his forehead in the vain hope of hitting on some other
mode of explaining his meaning; "it don't matter, old man. They are
free, and that has made them very happy; and oh! I am very glad,
because I am so fond of Hake. Don't you remember how he came to save us
from the Skraelingers, and nearly did it too? And he is going to be
married to Bertha. Isn't that nice? It knows what married means, don't
it?"

"No," said Snorro.

"We