Bridal Wreath - Chapter 3.pdf

8/12/2019 Bridal Wreath - Chapter 3.pdf

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42 T H E B R I D A L W R E A T Hheavens high above one and to keep the sight shelteredand i n bounds so that the world might seem neither toobig nor too l i t t le.The journey home was cold; i t was nigh upon Advent ;but, when they were come a l i t t le way up the Dale, snowwas lying, and so they borrowed sleighs and drove mostof the way.With the affair of the estates it fel l out so that Lav-rans made Skog over to his brother Aasmund, keeping theright of redemption for himself and his :heirs.

The spr ing af ter Kris t ins long jouyney, Ragnfr id boreher husband another daughter . Both father and motherhad wished indeed that i t might he a son, but theysoon took comfort , and were fi l led with the tenderestlove for l i t t le 1Jlvhild. S h e was ia most fai r chi ld,healthy, good, happy and quiet . Ragnfrid doted soon this new baby that she went on suckling i t duringthe second year of i t s l i fe; wherefore, on Sira Eirikscounsel, she left off somewrhat her strict fasts and religiousexercises wh ile she Had the child at the breast. On thisaccount and by reason of her joy in Ulvhild, her bloomcame back to her , and Lavrans thought he had never seenhis wife so happy o r SO fai r and kindly in al l the yearshe had been wed.Krist in, too, fel t that great happiness had come to themwith this tender l i t t le sister. T ha t her mothers heavymood made a sti l lness about her home, had never comeinto her thought; she had deemed i t was but as i t shouldbe that her mother shou ld correct and chide her , whi le herfather played and jested with her. But Ra gnf rid wasmuch gent ler wi th her now and gave her more f reedom;pet ted her more too; and so Kristin l i t t le heeded that her

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J O R U N D G A A R D 43mothe r had m uch less time to tend her.. She loved Ulv-hi ld as much as the others, and was joyful when they lether car ry or rock her sister, and in t ime there was sti l lmore sport with the li t t le one when she began to creepand walk and talk and Kristin could play with her.Thus there went by three good years for the Jorund-gaa rd folk. They had fortune with them in many ways,and Lavrans built and bettered round about on the manor,for the buildings and cattlesheds were old and small whenhe came thither-the Gjeslings had had the place leasedout for more lifetimes than one.Now i t fell out at Whitsuntide in the third year thatTrond Ivarson from Sundbu, with his wife Gudrid andhis three small sons, were come to Jorundgaard to visitthem. One morning the older folk were sit ting talkingin the balcony of the loft-room while the children playedabout in the court-yard below. In the yard Lavrans hadbegun a new dw elling-house, and the children were clim b-ing and creeping about on the timber brought togetherfo r the building. One of the Gjesling boys had struckat Ulvhild and made her weep; and at that Trond camedown and gave his son a buffet, and took Ulvhild up intohis arms. She was the fairest and sweetest child a manseyes could see, and her uncle had much love for her,though else he cared not f o r children.Just then there came a man across the court from thecat t leyard, dragging at a great , b lack bul l ; but the bul lwas savage and unmanageable and broke away from theman. Trond spran g up upon the pile of t imber, drivingthe bigger children up before him, but he had Ulvhild inhis arms and his youngest son by the hand. Then a beamturned under his feet and Ulvhild sl ipped from his graspand fell to the ground. The beam slipped after, rolledover on the chi ld and lay across her back.Lavrans was down from the balcony in the same in-s tan t ; he ran up and was in act to lift the beam when



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44 T H E B H l D A L W R E A T Hthe bul l rushed a t him. H e trieci to seize i t by the horns,ut was flung down and gored. But getting then a gr ipof its nostrils, he half raised himself from the ground andmanaged to hold the brute t i l l T r m d came to himselffrom his bewilderment and the farm servants, runningfrom the houses, cast thongs about the beast a n3 held itfast.Ragnfrid was on her knees trying ito l if t the beam; andnow Lavrans was able to ease i t so far that she coulddraw the chi ld from under and into her lap. The li t t leone wailed piteously when they touched her, but hermother sobbed aloud:She lives, thsnk God, she lives --

It was great wonder the child had not been quite crushed;but the log had chanced to fall s o that it rested withone end upon a stone in the grass. W hen Lavrans stoodup again, blood was running from the corners of h i smouth, and his clothes were al l torn at the breast by thebulls horns.Tordis came running with a skin coverlet ; wari ly sheand Ragnfrid moved the child on to it, but it seemed asthough she suffered unbearable pain st the lightest touch.Her mother and Tordis bore her into the winter-room.Kristin stood upon the timber piie white and stock-stil l ,while the li t t le 50ys clun g round her weeping. All thehouse and farm folk were now liudtllecl together in thecourtyard, the women weeping and wailing. Lavra ns bad ethem saddle Guldsveinen and another horse as well; butwhen Arne came with the horses, Lavrans fell to t h eground when he rried to climb to the saddle. So he badeArne ride for the priest, while Halvclan went southward fora leech-woman who dwelt by the meeting of the rivers.

Kristin saw that ker father was eshy white in the face,an d that h e had bled ti l l his l ight-Blue garm ents werecovered al l ove r wi:h red-b row n atairis. A ll a t once hestood upright, snatched an axe f r o m one of the men and



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J O R U N D G A A R D 45went forward where some of the folk stoodholdin, on t othe bul l . He smote the beast between the horns with theback of the axe-it drop ped forw ard on its knees; but Lav-r a m ceased not striking til its blood and brains were scat-tered al l about. Then a fit of coughing took him and hesank backwards on the ground. Tro nd and another mancame to him and bore him within the house.At that, Kristin thought her father was surely dead;she screamed loudly and ran after, calling to him as ifher heart were breaking.In the winter-room Ulvhild had been laid on the greatbed-all the pillow s were thrown out upon the floor, sothat the chi ld l ay flat. Twas as though already she laystretched on the dead-straw. But she wailed loudly andwithout cease, and her mother lay bent over her, soothingand patting the child, wild with grief that she could donaught to he lp her .Lavrans lay upon the other bed: he rose and staggeredacross the floor tha t he might comfort his wife. At thatshe started up and shrieked: Jesus, Jesus,-twerelike r you shou ld strike me dead-never will it end, thei l l -fortune I bring upon you-You?-Dear my wife, tis not you tha t have broug htthis on us, said Lavrans, and laid a hand upon her shoul-der. She shuddered at that, and her l ight-grey eyes shonein her lean, sallow face.Doubtless she means that twas my doing, said T rondIvarson roughly. His sister looked at him with hate inher eyes, and answered:

Touch me not, touch me not

Trond knows what I mean.Krist in ran forward to her parents, but both thrust heraway from them, and Tordis, coming in with a kettleof hot water, took her gently by the shoulder and said,Go-go over to o u r house, Krist in; you are in the wayhere.



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46 T H E B R I D A L W R E A T HTo rdis was fo r seeing to Lavraa s hurt-he had set him-self down on the step before the bed--but he said therewas li t t le amiss with him:But is there raught you can do to ease Ulvhilds pain

a little-God h e lp US her crying would move the verystones in the mountaimside Nay; we dar e not touch her ere the priest or Ingegjerdthe leech-wife conies, said Tordis.Arne cam e just then with word that Sir a Eir ik was notat home. Rag nfrid stood a while wringing her hands.Then she said: Naught mattersnow, if only Ulvhild may be saved--

She crep t on to thebench behind the beds head, crouched down and laid herhead upon her knees.I t seemed to her now as if stony hands were pressing onher heart . La dy Aashild was to l ie fetched He r mothe rwould not have them send for Lady Aashild, even whenshe herself was near deatlis door at Ulvhilds birth, noryet when Kristin was so sick of th fever. Sh e was awitch-w ife, fo lk said-the bis ho p of Oslo and the chapterhad held session on her; and she must have been put todeath or even burned, had it not been that she was ofsuch high birth and had been like a sister to Queen Inge-bjorg-but fo lk said she had given her first husban dpoison , and h im she now had, Sir Bjom, she had drawnto her by witchcraft ; he was young enough to be her son.She had children too, but they came never to see theirmother, and these two highborn folk, B j 6 m and Aashild,l ived upon a petty farm in Dovre, and had lost all theirwealth. None of the great folk in the Dale would havet do with them, but, privily, folk sought her counsel-nay, poor folk went openiy to her with their troubles andhurts; they said she was kind, but they feared her too.Kristin thought her mother, who else was wont to pray

Send to Lad y Aas hild of H augenNo one gave heed to Kristin.



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J O R U N D G A A R D 47SO much, should rather have cal led on God and theVir-gin now. Sh e tried to pra y herself-to St. Olav most ofall , fo r she knew he was so good and helped so many whosuffered from sickness and wounds or broken bones. Butshe could not keep her thoughts together.Her father and mother were alone in the room now.Lav rans had laid himself upon h is bed again, and Ragn-frid sat bent over the sick child, passing, from time totime, a d a mp cloth over her forehead and hands and wett ing her lips with wine.A long time went by. To rdis looked in between whiles,and would fain have helped, but Ragnfrid sent her outeach time. Kristin wept silently and p rayed to herself,but al l the while she thought of the w itch-wife and waitedeagerly to see her come in.Suddenly Ragnfrid asked in the silence:Are you sleeping, Lavrans?No, answered her husband . I am l istening to Ulv-hild. God will surely help His innocent lam b, wife-weda re not doubt it . But tis weary lying here waiting-God, said Ragnfrid, hopelessly, hates me for my sins.Tis well with my children, where they are, I doubt notthat, and now tis like Ulvhilds hour has come, too-butme he has cast off, for my heart is a vipers nest, full ofsin and sorrow-Then someone lifted the latch-Sira Eir ik stepp ed in,straightened his huge frame where he stood and said inhis clear, deep voice:The priest put the box with his medicines on the stepbefore the bed and went to the open hearth and pouredwarm water over his hands. Then he took a cross f romhis bosom, struck out with it to all four corners of theroom and mumbled something in Latin. Thereupon heopened the smokevent so that the light might stream intothe room, and went and looked at Ulvhild.Kris t in grew afraid h e might find her and send he r out

God help all in this house



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48 T H B R I D A L VbRICA1Hnot often did S ira Eiriks eyes let much escape then).But the priest did not lcok round. He took a flask f romthe box, poured somewhat upon wad of finely cardedwoo1 and laid it over Ulvhilds mouth and nose. Hewent to Lavrans and tended his wounds, while they toldhim how the misha? had come to pass. Lavrans had tworibs broken and had a wound in the lungs; but the pr iestthought that for him there was no great fear.And Ulvhild? asked the father fearfully. will tell you when I have looked at her more nearly,answered the priest; but you must l ie in the loft-room,so that there may be more quiet and room here for thosewho must tend her. Be laid 1,avrans arm about hisown shoulder, took firm hold under the man, and borehim out . Kristin would fain have gone with her fathernow, but she dared not show herself.When Sira Eirik came back, he did not speak to Ragn-frid, but f irst cut the clothes off Ulvhilld, who now moanedless and seemed half asleep. Then carefully he felt withhis hands over the childs body and l imbs.Is i t so ill with m y child, Eirik, thzt you know nothow to save her, since you say naught, asked Ragnfridunder her breath.

NOW she will soon suffer less, said the priest.t

The priest answered low:It seems as though her back were badly hurt , Ragnfrid;I see no better way than to leave all in (Gods hands andSt. Olavs-much there is not that I can do.Then must we pray, cried the mother passionately:-you know well that Lavrans and [ wil l give you a l lyou ask, and spare nothing if so be your prayers can winGod to grant that Whhild may live.7 Twould seem to me a ~ni rac le , ~a.id the priest, wereshe to l ive and have her health again.And ist not of mfracles that you preach late and ear ly



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R U N D G A A R D 4-believe you not tha t a m iracle can ha pp en with mychild, she said, as wildly as before. Tis true, replied the priest, that miracles happen;bu t God does not gra nt the pray ers of all-we know notH is secret counsel. And think you not, it would be worstof al l should this fair l i tt le maid grow up marred or cr ip-p l ed ?Ragnfrid shook her head.I have lost so many, priest: I cannot lose her too I will do al l that I may, answered the priest, andBut you must strive, Ragnfrid,

She wailed softly:

pray with all my power.to bear the cross God lays upon you.The mother moaned low:None of my children have I loved like this l i t t le one-i f she too be taken from me, ful l sure I am my heart wil l

break.God help you, Ragnfrid Ivarsdatter, said Sira Eirik,and shook his head. In all your praying and fastin,,you have thought only to force your will upon God. Canyou wonder that i t has helped but l i t t le?Ragnfrid looked defiantly at the priest, and spoke:I have sent for the Lady Aashild even now.Aye, you know her ; I know her not, replied the priest.I cannot l ive without Ulvhild, said Ragnfrid as be-fore. If so be God will not help her, I will seek counselof Lady Aashild, or een give myself to the devil if hewil l help The priest looked as though he would answer sharply,but checked himself again. He bent and felt the limbs ofthe li t t le sick girl once more: We must layja rs of hot water abo ut her-and then you mu st touch hern o more till Lady Aashild comes.Kristin let herself sink back noiselessly on the bench.and lay as if asleep. He r hea rt beat ha rd with fear-she

cc

Her hands and feet are cold, he said.



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5 T H E B q I U A L W R E A T H~

had understood but I i t t le of the t a l l ~ etween Sira Eir ikand her mother, but i t had frightened her terribly, andthe child knew we11 that ii had not been for her ears.Her mother rose up to go for the hot water jars; andsud den ly she bu rst out sob bing : 13ut yet pray for us,Sira Eir ik . Then the priestand the women bysied themselves with glvhi ld , and soonKrist in was found and seqt away.The light dazzled the child as she stood without in thecourtyard. She had though t that most of the day musthave gone by while she sat in the dark winter-room, andyet the houses stood there l ight-grey, and the grass wasshining like silk in the white midday sunshine. The rivergleamed behind the dun and golden trell is-work of theolder-brakes-it filled the air with its gladsom e rush ingsound, for here by Jorundgaard i t ran slwiftly over a flatbed strewn with boulders. Th e mo untain-w alls rose intothe thin blue haze, and the becks sprang down their sidesthrough the melting snows. Th e sweet, s t rong springt ideout of doors brought tears to her eyes, for s o r r o w a t t h ehelplessness she felt all about her.There was no one in the courtyard, but she heard voicesin the housecarls cottage. Fresh earth had been strewnover the spot where her father had kil led the bul l . Sheknew not what to do with herself--so she, crep t beh ind thew all of the new house-two log-courses had alre ad y beenlaid . Inside lay Ulvhilds playthings and her ow n; sh eput them al l together and laid them in a hole between thelowest log and Lie foundation waT1. Of l a te Ulvhi ld hadwanted all her toys; this had vexed her sometimes. Nowshe thought, if her sister got well , she would give her all5he had. And this thought comforted her a l i t t le.Sh e thought of the monk in Hamar-he was sure t h a tmiracles could happe n for every one. But Sir a Eir ik wasDot so sure about i t, no r her parents either-and she w as

Soon after she came back with Tordis.



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J R U N G A A RD 5used to think as they did. A heavy weight fell upon hera s it came to her for the first t ime that folk could thinkso unlike about so ma ny things-not only bad , ung odlymen and good men, but such men as Brother Edwin andS ir a Eirik,-even her mother and her fath er: she feltall at once that they too thought not alike about manythings-Tordis found her there in the corner, asleep, late inthe day, and took her to her own house; the child had. eatennothing since the morning. To rdis watched with Ragn-frid over Ulvhild through the night, and Kristin lay inTordis bed with Jon, Tordis husband, and Eivind andOrm , their l ittle boys. Th e smeIl of th eir bodies, the manssnoring and the childrens even breathing made Kristinweep silently. It was no longer ago than last evening thatshe had lain down, as each night of her life before, byher own fath er and mo ther and little Ulvhild-it was asthough a nest had been riven asunder and scattered andshe herself lay cast out from the shelter of the wings whichhad always kept her warm. At last she cried herself tosleep, alone and unhappy among these strange folk.

Next morning as soon as she was up, she heard thather mothers brother and all his party had left the place-in ang er; Tro nd had called his si ste r a foolish, crazywoman, and his brother-in-law a soft simpleton who hadnever known how to rule his wife. Kr istin grew hot withwrath, but she was ashamed too-she understood wellenough that a most unseemly thing had befallen in that hermother had driven her nearest kin from the house. Andfor the first t ime she dimly felt that there was somethingabout her mother tha t was not as it should be-that shewas not the same as other women.W hile she stood brooding on this, a serving-maid cameand said she was to go up to the loft-room to her father.But when she was come into the room Kristin forgot t o



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i 2 T H E B R I I Z A L W R E A T Hlook at him, for right opposite the open door, with thelight ful l upon her face, sat a littl woman who sheguessed must be the witch-wife. And yet Kristin hadnever thought that she would look like this.Sh e seemed sm all as a chi ld and sl ight ly made, as shesat in the great highharked arm-chair which had beenbrought up thither. A table had been set before her too,covered with Ragnfrids finest, fringed, linen tablecloth.Bacon and fowl were set out upon the silver platter; therewas wine in a mazer bow l, and she had Lavrans own silvergoblet to drink from. She had finished eating and wasbusy drying her small ant1 slender hands on one of Ragn-frids best hand-tow els. Ra gnfrid herself stood in frontof her and held f a r her brass basin with water.Lady Aashild let the hand-towel sink into her lap; shesmiled to the child, and said in a clear and lovely voice:Come hither to me, child Then to the mother: &F airchi ldren are these you have, RagnIrid.Her face was greatly wrinkled, but as clear white andpink as a childs, and it looked s though her skin mustbe just as soft and fine to the touch. Her mouth was asred and fresh as a young womans, and her large, hazel

e y e shone b r ight . A fine, white, l inen headdre ss lay closeabout her face and was fastened under her chin with agolden clasp; over i t she had a veil of soft, dark-bluewool; it fell over her shoulders imd far down upon herdark, well-fitting ss. She was upright as a wand, andKristin felt mom than thought that she had never seen ay o m a n so f a i r an d so mannerly as wais this old witch-wife, with whom the great folk of the valley would havenaught to do.Lady Aashild held Kristins hand in her old, soft one;and spoke to her with kindly jesting; but Kristin couldnot answer a woxd. Then said Lady Aash ild with a littlelaugh :IS she afraid of me, think you?



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J O R U N DC; A A R D 53Nay, nay, K ristin al l but shouted. And then LadyAashild laughed sti l l more, and said to the mother:She has wise eyes, this daughter of yours, and goodstrong hands, nor is she used to be idle, can see. Youwill need one by-an d-by to help you tend U lvhild, when Iam gone. Twere well, there fore , you let K ristin be by meand help while yet I am here-she is old enough for that ;eleven years is she no t?Thereupon the Lady Aashild went out, and Kristinwould have followed her, but Lavrans called to her fromhis bed. He lay flat upon his back with the pillows stuffedbeneath his up-drawn knees; Lady Aashild had biddenthat he should lie so, that the hurt in his breast nliglit the

sooner heal.NOWsurely you will soon be well , sir father, will younot? asked Krist in .Lavrans looked up at her-the child had never saidsir to him before.For me there is nau ght to fear;-tis worse with yo ursister.Aye, said Kristin, a nd sighed.She stood yet a little while by his bed.

Then he said gravely:

Her father saidno more, and Kristin found naught to say. And whenLavra ns after a w hile said she should go down to her motherand Lady Aashild, Kristin hastened out and ran across thecourtyard down into the winter-room.

4Lady Aashild stayed on at Jorundgaard most of the sum-mer. Thus it fel l out that folk came thither seeking hercounsel. -Kristin hea rd Sir a Eir ik fling at this now andthen, and it came into her mind that her father and mother,too, we re not pleased. But she put a ll thou ghts of suchthings from her, nor did she ponder over what she thoughtof Lady Aashild, but was with her ever, and tired not oflistening to the lady and of watching her.

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Bridal Wreath - Chapter 3.pdf