The Waif Woman

  Transcribed from the 1916 Chatto & Windus edition by David Price, [email protected]

  THE WAIF WOMAN

  BYROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

  LONDONCHATTO & WINDUS1916

  _First Edition_, _October_, 1916._Second Edition_, _October_, 1916.

  This unpublished story, preserved among Mrs. Stevenson's papers, ismentioned by Mr. Balfour in his life of Stevenson. Writing of the fableswhich Stevenson began before he had left England and "attacked again, andfrom time to time added to their number" in 1893, Mr. Balfour says: "Thereference to Odin [Fable XVII] perhaps is due to his reading of theSagas, which led him to attempt a tale in the same style, called 'TheWaif Woman.'"

  THE WAIF WOMANA CUE--FROM A SAGA

  This is a tale of Iceland, the isle of stories, and of a thing thatbefell in the year of the coming there of Christianity.

  In the spring of that year a ship sailed from the South Isles to traffic,and fell becalmed inside Snowfellness. The winds had speeded her; shewas the first comer of the year; and the fishers drew alongside to hearthe news of the south, and eager folk put out in boats to see themerchandise and make prices. From the doors of the hall on Frodis Water,the house folk saw the ship becalmed and the boats about her, coming andgoing; and the merchants from the ship could see the smoke go up and themen and women trooping to their meals in the hall.

  The goodman of that house was called Finnward Keelfarer, and his wife Audthe Light-Minded; and they had a son Eyolf, a likely boy, and a daughterAsdis, a slip of a maid. Finnward was well-to-do in his affairs, he keptopen house and had good friends. But Aud his wife was not so muchconsidered: her mind was set on trifles, on bright clothing, and theadmiration of men, and the envy of women; and it was thought she was notalways so circumspect in her bearing as she might have been, but nothingto hurt.

  On the evening of the second day men came to the house from sea. Theytold of the merchandise in the ship, which was well enough and to be hadat easy rates, and of a waif woman that sailed in her, no one could tellwhy, and had chests of clothes beyond comparison, fine coloured stuffs,finely woven, the best that ever came into that island, and gewgaws for aqueen. At the hearing of that Aud's eyes began to glisten. She wentearly to bed; and the day was not yet red before she was on the beach,had a boat launched, and was pulling to the ship. By the way she lookedclosely at all boats, but there was no woman in any; and at that she wasbetter pleased, for she had no fear of the men.

  When they came to the ship, boats were there already, and the merchantsand the shore folk sat and jested and chaffered in the stern. But in thefore part of the ship, the woman sat alone, and looked before her sourlyat the sea. They called her Thorgunna. She was as tall as a man andhigh in flesh, a buxom wife to look at. Her hair was of the dark red,time had not changed it. Her face was dark, the cheeks full, and thebrow smooth. Some of the merchants told that she was sixty years of ageand others laughed and said she was but forty; but they spoke of her inwhispers, for they seemed to think that she was ill to deal with and notmore than ordinary canny.

  Aud went to where she sat and made her welcome to Iceland. Thorgunna didthe honours of the ship. So for a while they carried it on, praising andwatching each other, in the way of women. But Aud was a little vessel tocontain a great longing, and presently the cry of her heart came out ofher.

  "The folk say," says she, "you have the finest women's things that evercame to Iceland?" and as she spoke her eyes grew big.

  "It would be strange if I had not," quoth Thorgunna. "Queens have nofiner."

  So Aud begged that she might see them.

  Thorgunna looked on her askance. "Truly," said she, "the things are forno use but to be shown." So she fetched a chest and opened it. Here wasa cloak of the rare scarlet laid upon with silver, beautiful beyondbelief; hard by was a silver brooch of basket work that was wrought asfine as any shell and was as broad as the face of the full moon; and Audsaw the clothes lying folded in the chest, of all the colours of the day,and fire, and precious gems; and her heart burned with envy. So, becauseshe had so huge a mind to buy, she began to make light of themerchandise.

  "They are good enough things," says she, "though I have better in mychest at home. It is a good enough cloak, and I am in need of a newcloak." At that she fingered the scarlet, and the touch of the finestuff went to her mind like singing. "Come," says she, "if it were onlyfor your civility in showing it, what will you have for your cloak?"

  "Woman," said Thorgunna, "I am no merchant." And she closed the chestand locked it, like one angry.

  Then Aud fell to protesting and caressing her. That was Aud's practice;for she thought if she hugged and kissed a person none could say her nay.Next she went to flattery, said she knew the things were too noble forthe like of her--they were made for a stately, beautiful woman likeThorgunna; and at that she kissed her again, and Thorgunna seemed alittle pleased. And now Aud pled poverty and begged for the cloak in agift; and now she vaunted the wealth of her goodman and offered ouncesand ounces of fine silver, the price of three men's lives. Thorgunnasmiled, but it was a grim smile, and still she shook her head. At lastAud wrought herself into extremity and wept.

  "I would give my soul for it," she cried.

  "Fool!" said Thorgunna. "But there have been fools before you!" And alittle after, she said this: "Let us be done with beseeching. The thingsare mine. I was a fool to show you them; but where is their use, unlesswe show them? Mine they are and mine they shall be till I die. I havepaid for them dear enough," said she.

  Aud saw it was of no avail; so she dried her tears, and asked Thorgunnaabout her voyage, and made believe to listen while she plotted in herlittle mind. "Thorgunna," she asked presently, "do you count kin withany folk in Iceland?"

  "I count kin with none," replied Thorgunna. "My kin is of the greatest,but I have not been always lucky, so I say the less."

  "So that you have no house to pass the time in till the ship return?"cries Aud. "Dear Thorgunna, you must come and live with us. My goodmanis rich, his hand and his house are open, and I will cherish you like adaughter."

  At that Thorgunna smiled on the one side; but her soul laughed within herat the woman's shallowness. "I will pay her for that word _daughter_,"she thought, and she smiled again.

  "I will live with you gladly," says she, "for your house has a good name,and I have seen the smoke of your kitchen from the ship. But one thingyou shall understand. I make no presents, I give nothing where I go--nota rag and not an ounce. Where I stay, I work for my upkeep; and as I amstrong as a man and hardy as an ox, they that have had the keeping of mewere the better pleased."

  It was a hard job for Aud to keep her countenance, for she was like tohave wept. And yet she felt it would be unseemly to eat her invitation;and like a shallow woman and one that had always led her husband by thenose, she told herself she would find some means to cajole Thorgunna andcome by her purpose after all. So she put a good face on the thing, hadThorgunna into the boat, her and her two great chests, and brought herhome with her to the hall by the beach.

  All the way in she made much of the wife; and when they were arrived gaveher a locked bed-place in the hall, where was a bed, a table, and astool, and space for the two chests.

  "This shall be yours while you stay here," said Aud. And she attended onher guest.

  Now Thorgunna opened the second chest and took out her bedding--sheets ofEnglish linen, the like of it never seen, a cover of quilted silk, andcurtains of purple wrought with silver. At the sight of these Aud waslike one distracted, greed blinded her mind; the cry rose strong in herthroat, it must out.

  "What will you sell your bedding for?" she cried, and her cheeks werehot.

  Thorgunna looked upon her with a dusky countena
nce. "Truly you are acourteous hostess," said she, "but I will not sleep on straw for youramusement."

  At that Aud's two ears grew hot as her cheeks; and she took Thorgunna ather word; and left her from that time in peace.

  The woman was as good as her spoken word. Inside the house and out shewrought like three, and all that she put her hand to was well done. Whenshe milked, the cows yielded beyond custom; when she made hay, it wasalways dry weather; when she took her turn at the cooking, the folklicked their spoons. Her manners when she pleased were outsideimitation, like one that had sat with kings in their high buildings. Itseemed she was pious too, and the day never passed but she was in thechurch there praying. The rest was not so well. She was of few words,and never one about her kin and fortunes. Gloom sat on her brow,