Part 47 (1/2)

Then Gudruda kissed hi her face by his, bade him be at peace, for she was there to watch him

XXVIII

HOW SWANHILD WON TIDINGS OF ERIC

Now Eric's strength caht of Gudruda's eyes like a flower in the sunshi+ne For all day long she sat at his side, holding his hand and talking to him, and they found much to say

But on the fifth day fro she spoke thus:

”Eric, now I o back to Middalhof Thou art safe and it is not well that I should stay here”

”Not yet, Gudruda,” he said; ”leave me not yet”

”Yes, love, I ht, the sky has cleared, and the snow is hard with frost and fit for the hoofs of horses I o before , if all is well, I will send thee a er ords of token, then shalt thou come down secretly to Middalhof, and there, Eric, ill be wed Then, on the next day, ill sail for England in a trading-shi+p that I shall get ready, to seek our fortune there”

”It will be a good fortune if thou art by reatly if I may find it, for I am Eric the Unlucky

Swanhild ht: thou rieves ris ready to ride down to Middalhof with the Lady Gudruda

This Skallagrim did swiftly, and afterwards Eric and Gudruda kissed and parted, and they were sad at heart to part

Now on the fifth day after the going of Gudruda, Skallagrim came back to Mosfell somewhat cold and weary And he told Eric, who could noalk and grew strong again, that he and Jon had ridden with Gudruda the Fair to Horse-Head Heights, seeing no o on with her thralls He had co no one, for the weather was too cold for the men of Gizur to watch the fell in the snows

Now Gudruda caone, and found that few had visited the house, and that these had been told that she lay sick abed Her secret had been well kept, and, though Swanhild had no lack of spies, one up to Mosfell to nurse Eric

After this Gudruda began to ht from Iceland She called in the ht fro-shi+p which lay in its shed under the shelter of Westan to make ready for sea so soon as the heart of the winter was broken, putting it about that she intended to send her on a trading voyage to Scotland in the spring And also to give colour to this tale she bought oods, such as chapmen deal in

Thus the days passed on--not so badly for Gudruda, who strove to fill their e ready for the full and happy time; but for Eric in his cave they were very heavy, for he could find nothing to do except to sleep and eat, and think of Gudruda, who at Coldback, the days did not go well She eary of the courting of Gizur, whom she played with as a cat plays with a rat, and her heart was sick with love, hate, and jealousy For she well knew that Gudruda and Eric still clung to each other and found , if not of speech At that tih she would rather kill Gudruda if she dared

Still, she could not come at Eric, for her men feared to try the narroay of Mosfell, and when they met him in the open they fled before him

Presently it came to her ears that Gudruda e, and she was perplexed by this tale, for she knew that Gudruda had no love of trading and never thought of gain

So she set spies to watch the shi+p Still, the slow days drew on, and at length the air grew soft with spring, and flowers showed through the snow

Eric sat in his les wheel about the cliffs At length news carim told him that a man wanted to speak with him He had come to the mountain in the darkness, and had lain in a dell till the breaking of the light, for, now that the snoere , the men of Gizur and Swanhild watched the ways

Eric bade the the man to him When he saw him he knew that he was a thrall of Gudruda's and welcos?” he asked