II

One day there had been no fish to clean on the quays, so that
Elsalill had stayed at home. She sat at the spinning-wheel and was
alone in the cottage. A good fire was burning on the hearth, and
it was light enough in the room.

In the midst of her work she felt a light breath, as though a cold
breeze had swept over her forehead. She looked up and saw her dead
foster sister standing beside her.

Elsalill laid her hand on the wheel to stop it, and sat still,
looking at her foster sister. At first she was afraid, but she
thought to herself: "It is unworthy of me to be afraid of my
foster sister. Whether she be dead or alive, I am still glad to
see her."

"Dear sister," she said to the dead girl, "is there aught you
would have me do?"

The other said to her in a voice that had neither strength nor
tone: "My sister Elsalill, I am in service at the tavern, and the
hostess has made me stand and wash cups and dishes all day. Now
the evening is come and I am so tired that I can hold out no
longer. I have come hither to ask if you will not give me your
help."

When Elsalill heard this it was as though a veil was drawn over
her mind. She could no longer think nor wonder nor feel any fear.
She only knew joy at seeing her foster sister again, and she