swung. I was nearly as crazy as she. The seal in the water, what was it? Her father, herbrother? I knew I’d done her wrong.
“At last she lay quiet. Her long hair trailed in the water, over the side of the boat. I looked at her and it came to me that—” Bjorn hesitated. “—that I was in love with a wild thing out of the sea. With no name. What words could there be between us? What understanding? And so I gave her the only gift I could. I named her, ‘Kersten.’
“Kersten,” he repeated gently. “Well, the sea calmed as though we’d thrown oil on the water. And she leaned toward me, shivering and smiling. Yes, she smiled at me and took my hand, and she spoke for the first time. ‘Do you really wish me to be Kersten? Can you pay the price?’
“I said I would, I would pay anything. She put her fingers on my lips.
“‘Hush! It will be a hard price,’ she said, ‘hard as tearing the heart from your body—and we will both pay it.
For as long as you keep the sealskin safe, I will be your Kersten.
And while I am with you, the seal-folk will befriend you and drive the mackerel to your nets. But beware of the day we part.’”
There was quite a silence.
“So that’s the story.” Bjorn looked up, his face bleak. “I kept the sealskin locked away, but the years went by and I got careless. I stopped carrying the key about with me—I left it on the shelf. Surely Kersten knew, although I never told her. I thought she loved me. She did love me! But she took the key and unlocked the sealskin. They’ve called her back, the seal-people. Why did she go? Why, without a word to me? After seven years, how could she leave me?
“I’m going to search for her among the skerries, and I’ll search for that bull seal, too, for I’m sure he lives and hates me. If I find him, I’ll see what a second blow can do. I’ve nothing to lose now.”
“Nothing? What about the baby?” asked Peer.
“What?” Bjorn sounded as though he hardly understood the question.
“Your baby!” Peer repeated coldly. A throb of rage shook his voice as he remembered the stumbling nightmare of the journey home. “I brought her back for you last night. You’ve hardly looked at her. We don’t even know her name!”
Bjorn lowered his eyes. “She’s called Ran,” he said flatly. “Her name is Ran.”
“What sort of an outlandish name—?” Gudrun’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Kersten wanted a name that came from the sea,” said Bjorn wearily. “Change it, if you don’t like it. Call her Elli. That was the name I would have picked.”
Gudrun was horrified. “Oh, I couldn’t, Bjorn. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Listen to Peer, Bjorn,” Ralf urged. “You’re a father now. You mustn’t take risks.”
“A fine father who can’t even give his child a home.” Bjorn stood. “I must go. You don’t mind me coming to see her—from time to time?”
“Really, Bjorn!” exclaimed Gudrun. “What a question!”
Bjorn nodded. His blue gaze traveled slowly over all of them, seeming to burn each of them up. At Peer, he hesitated, a silent appeal in his face. Peer stared back stonily. Bjorn turned away. The door closed behind him.
CHAPTER 5
THE QUARREL
R ALF ROSE TO his feet. “I’ll go after him. We mustn’t leave him alone. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Besides, I left Einar and Harald and old Thorkell searching the tideline, and they may have found poor Kersten by now.”
“But Pa!” Hilde cried. “What about Bjorn’s story? Don’t you believe it?”
“No, Hilde, I don’t.” Ralf paused and looked down at her. “Even Bjorn’s not really sure, is he? Oh, I believe he found Kersten on the skerry. But he talks about sunstroke. That can do strange things to a man—make him see things that aren’t there. Most likely, what he told his brother was true, and she’d been stranded there after a wreck. Those waters are dangerous.”
Halfway out of the door he stopped, and added sternly, “And don’t go
“At last she lay quiet. Her long hair trailed in the water, over the side of the boat. I looked at her and it came to me that—” Bjorn hesitated. “—that I was in love with a wild thing out of the sea. With no name. What words could there be between us? What understanding? And so I gave her the only gift I could. I named her, ‘Kersten.’
“Kersten,” he repeated gently. “Well, the sea calmed as though we’d thrown oil on the water. And she leaned toward me, shivering and smiling. Yes, she smiled at me and took my hand, and she spoke for the first time. ‘Do you really wish me to be Kersten? Can you pay the price?’
“I said I would, I would pay anything. She put her fingers on my lips.
“‘Hush! It will be a hard price,’ she said, ‘hard as tearing the heart from your body—and we will both pay it.
For as long as you keep the sealskin safe, I will be your Kersten.
And while I am with you, the seal-folk will befriend you and drive the mackerel to your nets. But beware of the day we part.’”
There was quite a silence.
“So that’s the story.” Bjorn looked up, his face bleak. “I kept the sealskin locked away, but the years went by and I got careless. I stopped carrying the key about with me—I left it on the shelf. Surely Kersten knew, although I never told her. I thought she loved me. She did love me! But she took the key and unlocked the sealskin. They’ve called her back, the seal-people. Why did she go? Why, without a word to me? After seven years, how could she leave me?
“I’m going to search for her among the skerries, and I’ll search for that bull seal, too, for I’m sure he lives and hates me. If I find him, I’ll see what a second blow can do. I’ve nothing to lose now.”
“Nothing? What about the baby?” asked Peer.
“What?” Bjorn sounded as though he hardly understood the question.
“Your baby!” Peer repeated coldly. A throb of rage shook his voice as he remembered the stumbling nightmare of the journey home. “I brought her back for you last night. You’ve hardly looked at her. We don’t even know her name!”
Bjorn lowered his eyes. “She’s called Ran,” he said flatly. “Her name is Ran.”
“What sort of an outlandish name—?” Gudrun’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Kersten wanted a name that came from the sea,” said Bjorn wearily. “Change it, if you don’t like it. Call her Elli. That was the name I would have picked.”
Gudrun was horrified. “Oh, I couldn’t, Bjorn. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Listen to Peer, Bjorn,” Ralf urged. “You’re a father now. You mustn’t take risks.”
“A fine father who can’t even give his child a home.” Bjorn stood. “I must go. You don’t mind me coming to see her—from time to time?”
“Really, Bjorn!” exclaimed Gudrun. “What a question!”
Bjorn nodded. His blue gaze traveled slowly over all of them, seeming to burn each of them up. At Peer, he hesitated, a silent appeal in his face. Peer stared back stonily. Bjorn turned away. The door closed behind him.
CHAPTER 5
THE QUARREL
R ALF ROSE TO his feet. “I’ll go after him. We mustn’t leave him alone. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Besides, I left Einar and Harald and old Thorkell searching the tideline, and they may have found poor Kersten by now.”
“But Pa!” Hilde cried. “What about Bjorn’s story? Don’t you believe it?”
“No, Hilde, I don’t.” Ralf paused and looked down at her. “Even Bjorn’s not really sure, is he? Oh, I believe he found Kersten on the skerry. But he talks about sunstroke. That can do strange things to a man—make him see things that aren’t there. Most likely, what he told his brother was true, and she’d been stranded there after a wreck. Those waters are dangerous.”
Halfway out of the door he stopped, and added sternly, “And don’t go
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