"Digging in the Wanderer's grave, brother, as Iduna challenged me to do."
Now all three of them turned on me eagerly, save Freydisa, who stood by the fire listening, and with one voice asked if I had found anything.
"Aye," I replied. "I found the Wanderer, a very noble-looking man," and I began to describe him.
"Peace to this dead Wanderer," broke in Iduna. "Did you find the necklace?"
"Yes, I found the necklace. Here it is!" And I laid the splendid thing upon the board.
Then suddenly I lost my speech, since now for the first time I saw that, twisted round the chain of it, were three broken wires of gold. I remembered how in my dream I had seen the beautiful woman break such wires ere she gave half of the jewel to the man in whose breast I had seemed to dwell, and for a moment grew so frightened that I could say no more.
"Oh!" exclaimed Iduna, "it is beautiful, beautiful! Oh! Olaf, I thank you," and she flung her arms about me and kissed me, this time in earnest.
Then she seized the necklace and fastened it round her throat.
"Stay," I said, awaking. "I think you had best not touch those gems. Iduna, I have dreamed that they will bring no luck to you or to any woman, save one."
Here the dark-faced Freydisa looked up at me, then dropped her eyes again, and stood listening.
"You have dreamed!" exclaimed Iduna. "I care little what you have dreamed. It is for the necklace I care, and not all the ill-luck in the world shall stay me from the keeping of it."
