was in Hising a portion of land
that had sometimes belonged to Norway, sometimes to Gautland. The kings
agreed between them that for this possession they would casts lots with
dice; he was to have it who should cast the higher throw. The Swedish
king threw two sixes, and said that King Olaf need not cast.

He answered, while shaking the dice in his hand: 'There are yet two
sixes on the dice, and it is but a little thing for God to let them turn
up.' He cast, and turned up two sixes. Then Olaf the Swedish king cast,
and again two sixes. Then cast Olaf, King of Norway, and there was six
on one die, but the other split in two, and there were then seven. So he
got the portion of land. We have heard no more tidings of that meeting.
The kings parted reconciled.

_THE MAN IN WHITE_

'A LITTLE while ago,' writes Mademoiselle Aisse, the Greek captive who
was such a charming figure in Paris during the opening years of Louis
XV.'s reign, 'a little while ago a strange thing happened here, which
caused a great deal of talk. It cannot be more than six weeks since
Besse the surgeon received a note, begging him to come without fail that
afternoon at six o'clock to the Rue au Fer, near the Luxembourg Palace.
Punctually at the hour named the surgeon arrived on the spot, where he
found a man awaiting him. This man conducted the surgeon to a house a
few steps further on, and motioning him to enter through the open door,
promptly closed it, and remained himself outside. Besse was surprised to
find himself alone, and wondered why he had been brought there; but he
had not to wait long, for the housekeeper soon appeared, who informed
him that he was expected, and that he was to go up to the first story.
The surgeon did as he was told, and opened the door of an anteroom all
hung with white. Here he was met by an elegant lackey, dressed also in
white, frizzed and powdered, with his white hair tied in a bag wig,
carrying two torches in his hand, who requested the bewildered doctor to
wipe his shoes. Besse replied that this was quite unnecessary, as he had
only just stepped out of his sedan chair and was not in the least muddy,
but the lackey rejoined that everything in the house was so
extraordinarily clean that it was impossible to be too careful.

[Illustration: Besse introduced to the Man in White]

'His shoes being wiped, Besse was next led into another room, hung with
white like the first. A second lackey, in every respect simila