“The years affect a man in more respects than one,” said Orm, “and I am not sure that I could endure a long voyage as well as I used to.”
“I am older than you,” said Toke, “and the years do not weigh upon me. Besides which, it is not so long since, if reports be true, you killed two berserks with a broomstick. That may, without exaggeration, be described as a bold feat, and shows that you still retain some remnant of your youthful vigor, even though you yourself would like to believe that it is otherwise. I am told that your daughter Ludmilla was the subject of the quarrel; if that is so, she will be much envied by women and coveted by men. But let us hear what Olof Summerbird has to say about the matter.”
“Orm and I have discussed it deeply,” said Olof thoughtfully, “and I have been as double-minded as he, unable to decide which will be the wisest course for him to take. I know better than most men how arduous this voyage will be, and how great the dangers we shall encounter; but when a man has a ship filled with good men, much may be achieved. Orm wishes me to join him in this expedition, if he decides to undertake it. There are reasons why I should not; but it is true that my presence would be of use to you, for I know the whole long road to Miklagard, and the great river, and the perils that lie in its water and on its banks. I have at last decided and my answer is this: seek the gold, Orm, and I will come with you if you will give me your daughter Ludmilla to be my wife.”
Orm stared at him in astonishment. Toke roared with laughter.
“What did I say?” Toke said. “Here is the first of the flock.”
“You have a wife already,” said Orm.
“I have two,” said Olof, “for such is the custom of chieftains in Finnveden. But if you give me your daughter, I will send them away.”
“I could think of worse sons-in-law,” said Orm reflectively, “and it might be good to marry her off before more berserks come roaring around her. But this is a serious matter, which requires consideration. Have you talked with my women about it?”
“It would have been dishonorable of me to have spoken with them before I had asked your feelings in the matter,” replied Olof. “But I think Ylva will not be unwilling to have me as a son-in-law. She knows, as you do, that I am the richest chieftain in all Finnveden, with sevenscore head of cattle, and heifers besides; and that I come of a very ancient line.”
“Of my own line I shall say nothing,” said Orm, “though some would regard it as better than most men’s, for the blood of Ivar of the Broad Embrace flows in my veins, and it was after him that my youngest son was named. Do not forget that my daughter is grand-daughter to King Harald Bluetooth, so that you could not find a bride of nobler blood if you were to search every great house in Smaland. You will have to drive your present wives farther from your straw than to the brewhouse or garden cottage if you wish to wed my daughter; and you will not find her a meek wife if you take other women to your bed once you have married her.”
“She is worthy to be accorded such an honor,” said Olof, “and, indeed, I have already noticed that it is difficult to keep the peace in the house when a man has more wives than one. But I am happy that you are not opposed to the match, and thank you for it.”
“Do not thank me yet,” said Orm. “First we must hear what Ylva has to say about it. It is I who shall decide whether or not the marriage will take place, but a wise man always allows his wife to speak when so important a matter as this has to be decided.”
So Ylva was sent for. When she heard what the matter was, she said that it did not altogether surprise her.
“And I think such a suitor should not be denied,” she said, “for, Olof, you are both rich and of noble family, so that a better match would not easily be found in these parts. Besides, you are a man of good sense, which has always seemed to me to be a quality worth having in a husband. It is true that you would have impressed me more with your wisdom if you had asked for Oddny, who is meek and submissive and no less well-shaped than her sister; but in matters such as this a man must choose as his inclinations lead him and cannot choose otherwise. It suits me well that you have chosen Ludmilla, for she is unruly and difficult to live with; but women sometimes improve when they have found a man.”
“That is true,” said Toke. “There is no harm in the girl. Her temper is no worse than yours was when Orm and I first met you in your father’s castle. But you tamed quickly, and I have never heard Orm regret his choice.”
“You talk nonsense, Toke,” said Ylva. “I was never tamed. We of Gorm’s blood do not tame; we are as we are, and shall be so even when we appear before the judgment throne of God Himself. But Orm killed Sigtrygg, you must remember, and gave me Almansur’s chain; and then I knew that he belonged to me, for no other man would have acted thus. But do not speak to me of taming.”
“That chain proved useful,” said Orm. “I do not think anyone can deny that. Perhaps we shall have another such for Ludmilla when we have returned home with the gold. You must now speak to the girl yourself, Olof; and then she shall be regarded as your betrothed. You shall be married to her as soon as we have returned from our voyage if you can get rid of your wives as easily as you claim to be able to.”
Olof said that such matters presented no difficulty in Finnveden; one merely paid one’s women well, and they went. This would take no time, and he saw no reason why the marriage should not take place before they started. But both Orm and Ylva opposed this suggestion, and at length he yielded.
So far all had gone well for Olof Summerbird in this business, even if he had not had matters entirely as he wished them to be. Ludmilla received his suggestion amiably, and they began at once to discuss their plans. It was evident that she was well satisfied with the prospect of becoming his wife, even if she afterwards confided in Oddny and Ylva that she felt that so great a chieftain might have come with his hands full of ornaments. She asked him if he was ill-tempered when he was drunk, and whether he was merrier in the mornings or the evenings; and she wished to know exactly how the two women looked of whose company he was depriving himself for her sake, as well as details concerning his house and cattle, the number of his slaves and serving-maids, and a precise account of all that he had in his coffers. To all these questions he returned satisfactory answers.
But when Father Willibald heard what was afoot, he was by no means pleased. For in their excitement it had not occurred to them that Olof Summerbird was not a Christian, and this fact greatly troubled Father Willibald. A Christian maiden, whom he had baptized with his own hand, could not, he said, be bestowed upon a heathen; and this marriage could only take place if Olof first allowed himself to be baptized. On this point there was now a sharp exchange of opinions among the women, for Asa sided with the priest, while Ylva and Ludmilla opposed him. At length Orm told them to stop arguing and close their mouths; their immediate concern, he said, was to plan the voyage, and they would have time enough to discuss this other matter later. If Olof was prepared to allow himself to be baptized, he said, all would be well; if not, he was to have the girl none the less.
“For she will have plenty of opportunities to convert him,” he said, “if she thinks it worth her while to try.”
Asa rebuked him sharply for this judgment; but Orm bade her think of Are and remember that his present condition was the work of Christian hands.
Father Willibald sat dejected in his chair. He said that since the thousandth year had passed without Christ appearing in the sky, people had shown less willingness to become converted. “If things continue the way they are going,” he added, “the Devil will triumph after all, and you will all become heathens again.”