She was silent, eyeing him with a keen glance which had something in
it of disfavor and suspicion.

"I suppose she doesn't understand English," he thought, "and I can't
speak a word of Norwegian. I must talk by signs."

And forthwith he went through a labored pantomime of gesture,
sufficiently ludicrous in itself, yet at the same time expressive of
his meaning. The girl broke into a laugh--a laugh of sweet amusement
which brought a thousand new sparkles of light into her lovely eyes.

"That is very well done," she observed graciously, speaking English
with something of a foreign accent. "Even the Lapps would understand
you, and they are very stupid, poor things!"

Half vexed by her laughter, and feeling that he was somehow an
object of ridicule to this tall, bright-haired maiden, he ceased his
pantomimic gestures abruptly and stood looking at her with a slight
flush of embarrassment on his features.

"I know your language," she resumed quietly, after a brief pause, in
which she had apparently considered the stranger's appearance and
general bearing. "It was rude of me not to have answered you at
once. You can help me if you will. The keel has caught among the
pebbles, but we can easily move it between us." And, jumping lightly
out of her boat, she grasped its edge firmly with her strong white
hands, exclaiming gaily, as she did so, "Push!"

Thus adjured, he lost no time in complying with her request, and,
using his great strength and muscular force to good purpose, the