ve in long bright rollers.

The lad sat there, lost in the sight of her, and he rowed and rowed till
the insucking breakers roared and thundered among the skerries; the
ground-swell was strong, and the frothing foam spurted up as high as
towers.

"If thy life is dear to thee, turn back now," said she.

"Thou art dearer to me than life itself," he made answer.

But just as it seemed to the lad as if the prow were going under, and
the jaws of death were gaping wide before him, it grew all at once as
still as a calm, and the boat could run ashore as if there was never a
billow there.

On the island lay a rusty old ship's anchor half out of the sea.

"In the iron chest which lies beneath the anchor is my dowry," said she;
"carry it up into thy boat, and put the ring that thou seest on my
finger. With this thou dost make me thy bride. So now I am thine till
the sun dances north-westwards into the sea."

It was a gold ring with a red stone in it, and he put it on her finger
and kissed her.

In a cleft on the skerry was a patch of green grass. There they sat them
down, and they were ministered to in wondrous wise, how he knew not nor
cared to know, so great was his joy.

"Midsummer Day is beauteous," said she, "and I am young and thou art my
bridegroom. And now we'll to our bridal bed."

So bonnie was she that he could not contain himself for love.

But when night drew nigh, and the sun began to dance out into the sea,
she kissed him and shed tears.

"Beauteous is the summer day," said she, "and still more beauteous is
the summer evening; but now the dusk cometh."

And all at once it seemed to him as if she were becoming older and older
and fading right away.

When the sun went below the sea-margin there lay before him on the
skerry some mouldering linen rags and nought else.

Calm was the sea, and in the clear Midsummer night there flew _twelve_
cormorants out over the sea.

* * * * *

[1] A fishing-station, where fishermen assemble periodically.

* * * * *

_ISAAC AND THE PARSON OF BROENOE_

[Illustration: _THE PARSON OF BROENOE. (Story of the Sea-Boot.)_]

ISAAC AND THE PARSON OF BROENOE

In Helgeland there was once a fisherman called Isaac. One day when he
was out halibut fishing he felt something heavy on the lines. He drew
up, and, lo! there was a sea-boot.

"That _was_ a rum 'un! " said he, and he sat there a long time l