“This will grieve me to death!” whimpered Goldeye.  “If at least it had been you, Sister Prettywing, who had captured him!”

“I would rather see him dead than to go about here the entire summer thinking of Dunfin’s capturing a white goosey-gander!” pouted Prettywing.

However, the sisters continued to appear very friendly toward Dunfin, and in the afternoon Goldeye took Dunfin with her, that she might see the one she thought of marrying.

“He’s not as attractive as the one you will have,” said Goldeye.  “But to make up for it, one can be certain that he is what he is.”

“What do you mean, Goldeye?” questioned Dunfin.  At first Goldeye would not explain what she had meant, but at last she came out with it.

“We have never seen a white goose travel with wild geese,” said the sister, “and we wonder if he can be bewitched.”

“You are very stupid,” retorted Dunfin indignantly.  “He is a tame goose, of course.”

“He brings with him one who is bewitched,” said Goldeye, “and, under the circumstances, he too must be bewitched.  Are you not afraid that he may be a black cormorant?” She was a good talker and succeeded in frightening Dunfin thoroughly.

“You don’t mean what you are saying,” pleaded the little gray goose.  “You only wish to frighten me!”

“I wish what is for your good, Dunfin,” said Goldeye.  “I can’t imagine anything worse than for you to fly away with a black cormorant!  But now I shall tell you something—­try to persuade him to eat some of the roots I have gathered here.  If he is bewitched, it will be apparent at once.  If he is not, he will remain as he is.”

The boy was sitting amongst the wild geese, listening to Akka and the old goose-master, when Dunfin came flying up to him.  “Thumbietot, Thumbietot!” she cried.  “Morten Goosey-Gander is dying!  I have killed him!”

“Let me get up on your back, Dunfin, and take me to him!” Away they flew, and Akka and the other wild geese followed them.  When they got to the goosey-gander, he was lying prostrate on the ground.  He could not utter a word—­only gasped for breath.

“Tickle him under the gorge and slap him on the back!” commanded Akka.  The boy did so and presently the big, white gander coughed up a large, white root, which had stuck in his gorge.  “Have you been eating of these?” asked Akka, pointing to some roots that lay on the ground.

“Yes,” groaned the goosey-gander.

“Then it was well they stuck in your throat,” said Akka, “for they are poisonous.  Had you swallowed them, you certainly should have died.”

“Dunfin bade me eat them,” said the goosey-gander.

“My sister gave them to me,” protested Dunfin, and she told everything.

“You must beware of those sisters of yours, Dunfin!” warned Akka, “for they wish you no good, depend upon it!”

But Dunfin was so constituted that she could not think evil of any one and, a moment later, when Prettywing asked her to come and meet her intended, she went with her immediately.