There is a
question I know not how to answer. I am wanting thy help."

"If that be so, speak thy mind to me."

"I want a few words of advice about a woman."

"Is that woman thy granddaughter, Sunna?"

"A right guess thou hast made."

"Then I would rather not speak of her."

"Thy reason? What is it?"

"She is too clever for a simple woman like me. I have not two faces. I
cannot make the same words mean two distinct and separate things.
Sunna has all thy self-wisdom, but she has not thy true heart and thy
wise tongue."

"Listen to me! Things have come to this--Boris has made love to Sunna
in the face of all Kirkwall. He has done this for more than a year.
Then for two weeks before he left for Leith he came not near my house,
and if he met Sunna in any friend's house he was no longer her lover.
What is the meaning of this? My girl is unhappy and angry, and I
myself am far from being satisfied; thou tell, what is wrong between
them?"

"I would prefer neither to help nor hinder thee in this matter. There
is a broad way between these two ways, that I am minded to take. It
will be better for me to do so, and perhaps better for thee also."

"I thought I could count on thee for my friend. Bare is a man's back
without friends behind it! In thee I trusted. While I feared and
doubted, I thought, 'If worse comes I will go at once to Rahal
Ragnor'--_Thou hast failed me_."

"Say not that--my old, dear friend! It is beyond truth. What I know I
told to my husband; and I asked him if it would be kind and well to
tell thee, and he said to me: 'Be not a bearer of ill news to Vedder.
Little can thou trust any evil report; few people are spoken of better
than they deserve.' Then I gave counsel to myself, thus: Conall has
four dear daughters, _he knows_. Conall loves his old friend Vedder;
if he thought to interfere was right, he would advise Vedder to
interfere or he would interfere for him, and my wish was to spare thee
the sorrow that comes from women's tongues. I was also sure that if
the news was true, it would find thee out--if not true, why should
Rahal Ragnor sow seeds of suspicion and ill-will? Is Sunna disobedient
to thee?"

"She is something worse--she deceives me. Her name is mixed up with
some report--I know not what. No one loves me well enough to tell me
what is wrong."

"Well, then, thou art more feared than loved. Few know thee well
enough to risk thy anger and all know that Norsemen are bitter
cruel to th