Part 15 (2/2)

But Swanhild, creeping behind her, did not laugh She heard Gudruda's voice and guessed Gudruda's gladness, and jealousy arose within her and rent her Should this fair rival like to take her joy from her?

”_Grey Wolf, Grey Wolf! what sayest thou?_”

See, now, if Gudruda were gone, if she rolled a corpse into those boiling waters, Eric ht yet be hers; or, if he was not hers, yet Gudruda's he could never be

”_Grey Wolf, Grey Wolf! what is thy counsel?_”

Right on the brink of the great gulf sat Gudruda One stroke and all would be ended Eric had gone; there was no eye to see--none save the Grey Wolf's; there was no tongue to tell the deed that ht be done

Who could call her to account? The Gods! Who were the Gods? What were the Gods? Were they not dreams? There were no Gods save the Gods of Evil--the Gods she knew and communed with

”_Grey Wolf, Grey Wolf! what is thy rede?_”

There sat Gudruda, laughing in the triu on her beauty, and there, behind her, Swanhild crept--crept like a fox upon his sleeping prey

Now she is there--

”_I hear thee, Grey Wolf! Back to ? She half turned her head, then again fell to calling aloud to the waters:

”Eric! beloved Eric!--ah! is there ever a light like the light of thine eyes--is there ever a joy like the joy of thy kiss?”

Swanhild heard, and her springs of mercy froze Hate and fury entered into her She rose upon her knees and gathered up her strength:

”Seek, then, thy joy in Goldfoss,” she cried aloud, and with all her force she thrust

Gudruda fell a fathom or e of rock, and hung there, her feet resting on the shelving bank Thirty fathoms doirled and poured and rolled the waters of the Golden Falls A fatho, lowered the pitiless face of Swanhild Gudruda looked beneath her and saw Pale with agony she looked up and saw, but she said naught

”Let go, o!” cried Swanhild: ”there is none to help thee, and none to tell thy tale Let go, I say, and seek thy azed upwards hite face and piteous eyes

”What! art thou so fain of a moment's life?” said Swanhild ”Then I will save thee from thyself, for it must be ill to suffer thus!” and she ran to seek a rock Now she finds one and, staggering beneath its weight to the brink of the gulf, peers over Still Gudruda hangs space yawns beneath her, the waters roar in her ears, the red sky glows above She sees Swanhild coh Swanhild hears hi feet is lost in the roar of waters But that cry corows clear to him

He leaps from his horse, and even as she looses the stone, clutches Swanhild's kirtle and hurls her back The rock bounds sideways and presently is lost in the waters

Eric looks over He sees Gudruda's white face gleah this is no easy thing

”Hold fast! I come; hold fast!” he cries