Now Hallgerda got a household about her; she was prodigal in giving, and grasping in getting.  In the summer she gave birth to a girl.  Glum asked her what name it was to have.

“She shall be called after my father’s mother, and her name shall be Thorgerda,” for she came down from Sigurd Fafnir’s-bane on the father’s side, according to the family pedigree.

So the maiden was sprinkled with water, and had this name given her, and there she grew up, and got like her mother in looks and feature.  Glum and Hallgerda agreed well together, and so it went on for a while.  About that time these tidings were heard from the north and Bearfirth, how Swan had rowed out to fish in the spring, and a great storm came down on him from the east, and how he was driven ashore at Fishless, and he and his men were there lost.  But the fishermen who were at Kalback thought they saw Swan go into the fell at Kalbackshorn, and that he was greeted well; but some spoke against that story, and said there was nothing in it.  But this all knew that he was never seen again either alive or dead.  So when Hallgerda heard that, she thought she had a great loss in her mother’s brother.  Glum begged Thorarin to change lands with him, but he said he would not; “but,” said he, “if I outlive you, I mean to have Varmalek to myself”.  When Glum told this to Hallgerda, she said, “Thorarin has indeed a right to expect this from us”.

CHAPTER XV.

THIOSTOLF GOES TO GLUM’S HOUSE.

Thiostolf had beaten one of Hauskuld’s house-carles, so he drove him away.  He took his horse and weapons, and said to Hauskuld—­

“Now, I will go away and never come back.”

“All will be glad at that,” says Hauskuld.

Thiostolf rode till he came to Varmalek, and there he got a hearty welcome from Hallgerda, and not a bad one from Glum.  He told Hallgerda how her father had driven him away, and begged her to give him her help and countenance.  She answered him by telling him she could say nothing about his staying there before she had seen Glum about it.

“Does it go well between you?” he says.

“Yes,” she says, “our love runs smooth enough.”

After that she went to speak to Glum, and threw her arms round his neck and said—­

“Wilt thou grant me a boon which I wish to ask of thee?”

“Grant it I will,” he says, “if it be right and seemly; but what is it thou wishest to ask?”

“Well,” she said, “Thiostolf has been driven away from the west, and what I want thee to do is to let him stay here; but I will not take it crossly if it is not to thy mind.”

Glum said—­“Now that thou behavest so well, I will grant thee thy boon; but I tell thee, if he takes to any ill he shall be sent off at once”.

She goes then to Thiostolf and tells him, and he answered—­

“Now, thou art still good, as I had hoped.”