sly at Uncle Brues, and said--

"He has not done anything to be ashamed of, uncle; only we thought you
ought to know, because it came out of the feud partly."

The Laird's brows came together in a frown, but he was very fond of
Signy. She was his one "weakness," Aunt Osla said, and said truly.

"Let Yaspard speak for himself, my dear," her uncle answered gently,
while his grim feature relaxed as he looked at her; and the boy, braced
by the touch of the little hand in his, blurted out--

"I wanted to know the lads of Lunda, and have some fun, as they have
and most boys have; and I couldn't be friends with them because you had
forbidden that, so I took up the feud in a sort of way on my own
account, and determined to make raids upon them, and have fights
(sham-fights) and do as the Vikings did--in a kind of play, of course.
They are the enemy; and we could make-believe to slaughter and capture
each other, and----"

Mortal man could stand no more than that. Mr. Adiesen, drawing his
brows together savagely to hide his strong inclination to burst into
laughter, called his nephew by some not complimentary names, and
dismissed him abruptly, saying, "Go along with you, and take your fun
any way you please. Only remember--no friendships with Lunda folk.
Play with them under the black flag, if that gives you amusement; and
see that your Viking-craze keeps within the bounds of civilised laws."

Yaspard escaped, rejoicing; but Signy lingered to ask, "Would you
object to taking prisoners, uncle?"

"Child, let him prison every man and boy in Lunda if he likes--if he
can catch them."

Signy flew to tell her brother of this further concession, and Mr.
Adiesen shut the door upon himself. If the young folks had listened
outside that door they would have heard a curious noise; but whether it
meant that the old man was growling to himself or suppressing laughter,
we, who do not know Mr. Adiesen's moods very well, cannot tell.

Yaspard was only too glad to get off so easily, and paused for nothing,
but, racing off to his boat with Signy, was soon sailing up the
voe--not across, as before, for his destination was not Noostigard.

Boden voe is very beautiful It curves between steep shores, and at one
place narrows so much that you could almost touch either shore with a
sillack-rod from a boat passing through. When it is ebb-tide you can
walk dry-shod across this passage (called the Hoobes). Here the voe
terminates in a lovel