Part 44 (2/2)

”Is it, then, thy will that I should go, lady?”

”Yes, go!--go! Never let hteyes turned without a word He took three paces and Gudruda watched him as he went

”Eric!” she called ”Eric! thoudown the kine to o For though, indeed, thou dost deserve to die, I a thee to thy end--because of old friendshi+p I ao also,” said Eric ”Thralls or no thralls, I will go, Gudruda”

”Thou art cruel to drive ive thee to thy fate”

”As thou wilt,” said Eric; but she h she did not hear his words

”Now,” she said, ”if we must stay here, it is better that we hide where thou didst hide, lest soh the screen of rushes and sat down in a grassy place beyond, and spoke again

”Nay, sit not near me; sit yonder I would not touch thee, nor look upon thee, ast Swanhild's love, and didst slay Bjorn my brother”

”Say, Gudruda,” said Eric, ”did I not tell thee of the ic arts of Swanhild? Did I not tell thee before all men yonder in the hall, and didst thou not say that thou didst believe my words? Speak”

”That is true,” said Gudruda

”Wherefore, then, dost thou tauntthe love of her whouile has brought these sorrows on us?”

But Gudruda did not answer

”And for this matter of the death of Bjorn at my hands, think, Gudruda: was I to blame in it? Did not Bjorn thrust the cloven shi+eld before ive me into the hand of Ospakar? Did he not afterwards smite at riht the blow? Was I, then, to blame if I smote back and if the sword flew hoainst our love? Speak, Gudruda!”

”Talk no more of love to me, Eric,” she answered; ”the blood of Bjorn has blotted out our love: it cries to eance How may I speak of love with hi on hi, as one ished to look and yet not seem to see: ”here thou must hide an hour, and, since thou wilt not sit in silence, speak no tender words to ; but tell me of those deeds thou didst in the south lands over sea, before thou wentest to anhild and camest hither to kill my brother For till then thou wast mine--till then I loved thee--who now love thee not Therefore I would hear of the deeds of that Eric whom once I loved, before he became as one dead to me”

”Heavy words, lady,” said Eric--”words to make death easy”

”Speak not so,” she said; ”it is uns of which I ask”

So Eric told her all his deeds, though he showed small boastfulness about theons of Ospakar, how he had boarded the Raven and with Skallagrim slain those who sailed in her He told her also of his deeds in Ireland, and of how he took the viking shi+ps and came to London town

And as he told, Gudruda listened as one who hung upon her lover's dying words, and there was but one light in the world for her, the light of Eric's eyes, and there was but one music, the er, but with open eyes and parted lips she drank in his words, and always, though she knew it not herself, she crept closer to his side

Then he told her how he had been greatly honoured of the King of England, and of the battles he had fought in at his side Lastly, Eric told her how the King would have given hie, and how Edland

”Tell me of this lady,” said Gudruda, quickly ”Is she fair, and how is she named?”

”She is fair, and her name is Elfrida,” said Eric