“ ’Tis too late to bring a suit—he must take a dear revenge now, if he would right himself in folks’ eyes.”
“I cannot see how Steinfinn could do aught ere now. The mantook pilgrim’s fancies—fled the country with his tail between his legs. But now that we have gotten two unbreeched children for kings, a man may well use his own right arm and need not let the peasants’ Thing be judge of his honour—so I have heard Steinfinn and Kolbein say.”
“Ay, I trow there is many a man now who makes ready to do his pleasure without much questioning of the law of the land or the law of God,” said Arnvid. “There’s many a one is growing restive now, up and down the land.”
“And what of you?” asked Olav. “Will you not be with them, if Steinfinn and Kolbein have thoughts of seeking out Mattias and—chastening him?”
Arnvid made no answer. He sat there, tall and high-shouldered, resting his forehead in his slender, shapely hand, so that his small and ugly face was completely shaded.
Arnvid Finnsson was very tall and slight, of handsome build—above all, his hands and feet were shapely. But his shoulders were too broad and high, and his head was quite small, but he was short-necked; this did much to take the eye away from the rest of his handsome form. His face too was strangely ill-featured, as though compressed, with a low forehead and short, broad chin, and black curly hair like the forelock of a bull. In spite of this, Olav now saw for the first time that Arnvid and Ingunn bore a likeness to each other—Arnvid too had a small nose, as though unfinished, but in the man it seemed pressed in under the brow. Arnvid too had large, dark-blue eyes—but in him they were deep-set.
Arnvid did not belong to the Steinfinn stock, but Tore of Hov had married his father’s sister. And the likeness between his heavy, dark ugliness and Ingunn’s restless charm was not to be mistaken.
“So I see you have little mind to go with your kinsmen in that which is now brewing?” said Olav rather mockingly.
“Be sure I shall not hang back,” answered Arnvid.
“What will he say to it, Bishop Torfinn, your ghostly father, if you make common cause with us in what Steinfinn has on foot?” asked Olav with his little mocking smile.
“He is in Björgvin now, so he cannot hear aught of it till the thing be done,” said Arnvid shortly. “I can do naught else, I must go with my cousin.”
“Ay, and you are not one of his priests either,” said Olav as before.
“No, the more the pity,” replied Arnvid. “Would I were. This matter between Steinfinn and Mattias—the worst of it is, I ween, that it is grown so old. Steinfinn
must
do something now to win back his honour. But then, you may be sure that all the old talk will be chewed over again, and foully will it stink. I hold myself not more fearful than other men—none the less do I wish I could have held aloof from these doings.”
Olav held his peace. Now they were touching again on a matter that was no clearer to Olav than it was to the Steinfinnssons. Arnvid had been put to book-learning in his childhood. But then both his elder brothers had died, and his parents took him home again and married him to the rich bride who had been promised to his brother. But it seemed Arnvid did not count it as good fortune to be called to the headship of his family and to possess the manor in Elfardal, instead of being made a priest.
The wife he got was fair and rich and only five or six years older than he; yet the young couple seemed ill suited to each other. In some measure this may have come from their having little say in the house so long as Arnvid’s parents were alive. Then Finn, Arnvid’s father, died; but just after that his young wife, Tordis Erlingsdatter, died in childbirth. From that time Arnvid’s mother took control, and they said she was somewhat masterful. Arnvid let her have charge both of the estate and of his three little sons and submitted to her in
“I cannot see how Steinfinn could do aught ere now. The mantook pilgrim’s fancies—fled the country with his tail between his legs. But now that we have gotten two unbreeched children for kings, a man may well use his own right arm and need not let the peasants’ Thing be judge of his honour—so I have heard Steinfinn and Kolbein say.”
“Ay, I trow there is many a man now who makes ready to do his pleasure without much questioning of the law of the land or the law of God,” said Arnvid. “There’s many a one is growing restive now, up and down the land.”
“And what of you?” asked Olav. “Will you not be with them, if Steinfinn and Kolbein have thoughts of seeking out Mattias and—chastening him?”
Arnvid made no answer. He sat there, tall and high-shouldered, resting his forehead in his slender, shapely hand, so that his small and ugly face was completely shaded.
Arnvid Finnsson was very tall and slight, of handsome build—above all, his hands and feet were shapely. But his shoulders were too broad and high, and his head was quite small, but he was short-necked; this did much to take the eye away from the rest of his handsome form. His face too was strangely ill-featured, as though compressed, with a low forehead and short, broad chin, and black curly hair like the forelock of a bull. In spite of this, Olav now saw for the first time that Arnvid and Ingunn bore a likeness to each other—Arnvid too had a small nose, as though unfinished, but in the man it seemed pressed in under the brow. Arnvid too had large, dark-blue eyes—but in him they were deep-set.
Arnvid did not belong to the Steinfinn stock, but Tore of Hov had married his father’s sister. And the likeness between his heavy, dark ugliness and Ingunn’s restless charm was not to be mistaken.
“So I see you have little mind to go with your kinsmen in that which is now brewing?” said Olav rather mockingly.
“Be sure I shall not hang back,” answered Arnvid.
“What will he say to it, Bishop Torfinn, your ghostly father, if you make common cause with us in what Steinfinn has on foot?” asked Olav with his little mocking smile.
“He is in Björgvin now, so he cannot hear aught of it till the thing be done,” said Arnvid shortly. “I can do naught else, I must go with my cousin.”
“Ay, and you are not one of his priests either,” said Olav as before.
“No, the more the pity,” replied Arnvid. “Would I were. This matter between Steinfinn and Mattias—the worst of it is, I ween, that it is grown so old. Steinfinn
must
do something now to win back his honour. But then, you may be sure that all the old talk will be chewed over again, and foully will it stink. I hold myself not more fearful than other men—none the less do I wish I could have held aloof from these doings.”
Olav held his peace. Now they were touching again on a matter that was no clearer to Olav than it was to the Steinfinnssons. Arnvid had been put to book-learning in his childhood. But then both his elder brothers had died, and his parents took him home again and married him to the rich bride who had been promised to his brother. But it seemed Arnvid did not count it as good fortune to be called to the headship of his family and to possess the manor in Elfardal, instead of being made a priest.
The wife he got was fair and rich and only five or six years older than he; yet the young couple seemed ill suited to each other. In some measure this may have come from their having little say in the house so long as Arnvid’s parents were alive. Then Finn, Arnvid’s father, died; but just after that his young wife, Tordis Erlingsdatter, died in childbirth. From that time Arnvid’s mother took control, and they said she was somewhat masterful. Arnvid let her have charge both of the estate and of his three little sons and submitted to her in
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