finger she kept. When standing in her mouseskin dress again among all the servants, little did any one think that she had just before stood at the altar as a bride.

In the evening there was dancing, and the young lora danced with her who he thought was his bride; but when he took her hand, he said: "Where is the ring I put on your finger in the church?" The bride was at first embarrassed, but said quickly: "I took it off and left it in my chamber, but now I will run and fetch it." She then ran out of the room, called the real bride, and demanded the ring. "No," answered the maiden, "the ring I will not part with, it belongs to the hand that was given away at the altar. But I will go with you to the door, then you can call him, and we will both stand in the passage; when he comes we will extinguish the light that is there, and I will stretch forth my hand in at the door, so that he can see the ring." Thus it was arranged.

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The bridegroom was standing near the door, when the bride called him into the passage, and said: "See! here is the ring." At the same moment as the one damsel extinguished the light, the other stretched forth her hand with the ring.

But the bridegroom was not satisfied with merely seeing the ring, he seized the hand, and drew the young girl into the room, and then, to his astonishment, saw it was the damsel in the mouseskin dress. All the guests flocked round them, and were eager to know how it had all happened.

She then threw off her mouseskin dress, and stood clad in her beautiful gold embroidery, and was more lovely to look at than the other bride. Every one was impatient to hear her story; and she was obliged to relate to them, how long she had remained concealed in the mount, and that her father had been their former lord. The little dog was fetched from her miserable room, and many of the neighbours knew it again.

Hereupon there was great joy and wonder. Everybody revered her father, who had fought so bravely for his country, and all were unanimous that the estate belonged to her. Her sorrow was now turned into joy, and as she wished every one to be as happy as herself, she bestowed

land and money on the other bride, that she might marry the man of her choice, to whom she had secretly given her heart. The parents were contented with this arrangement, and now the marriage-feast was gay, when the young lord danced with his true bride, to whom he had been wedded in the church, and given the ring.

THE OUTLAW.

a

Ar Palsgaard, in the district of Bjerge, lived once knight, whose name was Eisten Brink. He was addicted to the belief in supernatural agency, and kept an astrologer in his house, that he might foretell him his fate. As Eisten had been many years a widower, he resolved to marry again, and with that object courted the daughter of Jens Grib of Barritskov. Although the young maiden was not very favourably inclined towards her old suitor, her father forced her to give the consenting "Yes" to his proposals.

Two nights before the wedding was to take place, Eisten went up to the Astrologer's tower, and requested him to foretell what his fate would be in the married state.

The Astrologer took out his instruments, and after having for some time consulted the heavens, he told the knight, "that there always appeared a little black spot upon his star, which signified some secret, and with this he must become acquainted before he could possibly foretell his future.'

At first Eisten would divulge nothing; but as the Astrologer refused to proceed before he made a full confession, the knight was at last obliged to acknowledge, that Palsgaard had unjustly come into his possession in the following manner. His brother-in-law, a knight named Palle, had, many years ago, made him the superintendent of the castle, and, at the same time, committed to his care his little son, while he went to join in the war. A few years after this, Eisten received intelligence of Palle's death, and a year later his son also disappeared one day, when he had been seen playing near the lake. The people in the neighbourhood believed that the boy had fallen into the water and been drowned; but the truth was, that Eisten

Brink had got an old woman to kidnap the child, and conceal him, so that he might be no impediment in the way of his becoming master of Palsgaard.

When Eisten had related this tale, the Astrologer asked him, if he had never since heard what had become of Palle's son. "Yes," replied the knight, "old Trude (so the woman was called) sent him first to Sleswig, to live with a sister of hers, but at her death he returned to Trude, and she got him placed as huntsman to my future father-inlaw.'

"And is he there now?" asked the Astrologer.

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No, that he is not; for a day or two ago, as Grib observed that Abel was paying too much attention to Inger, who is to be my wife to-morrow, he turned him out of doors, and forbade him ever to appear again at Barritskov."

When the Astrologer had heard all he wished to know, he predicted much happiness to Eisten in the married state. The next day the knight, richly attired, and attended by a numerous retinue, rode over to Jens Grib's at Barritskov. Jens immediately told his son-in-law in confidence, that Abel, although forbidden the house and grounds, was still lingering about, and that Inger did not appear to be unfavourably disposed towards him. He therefore advised Eisten to have all his eyes about him when they were married, and to be cautious whom he admitted to Palsgaard. Eisten smiled at this warning, and thought that he could very well manage matters.

In the afternoon of that day, he rode down to Rosenvold, or Staxesvold, as it was then called. This place belonged at that time to a noted freebooter who roamed about in Middlefart Sound, and plundered all the vessels he could master. Eisten, through good words and good pay, got a promise that two of the freebooters would waylay and murder Abel, whom they knew by sight, having often met him, as Jens Grib's wood reached down to theirs. They agreed to do their work the following night, so that the knight should never more be troubled with the huntsman. With regard to Abel, Jens Grib's suspicions were well founded. Inger and he had been attached to each other for some time, long, in fact, before Eisten thought of becoming her suitor. The young lover was, therefore,

much grieved at finding himself suddenly dismissed from Barritskov, and knew not how to find an opportunity of speaking to Inger.

In his distress he went in the evening down to the wood, where old Trude, his foster-mother, lived. He confided to her his secret, and asked her what course she thought he had best pursue. After they had had some conversation together, the old woman advised him to accompany her into the wood, to a mount in which lived a Troll, and if he could be brought to interest himself in the matter, Abel need have no fear, either for the father or lover of Inger. The young huntsman felt no great inclination to follow this advice; yet what else could he do? He at length consented, and they set out together, taking the road that led to the Troll's Mount.

The real cause why Trude was desirous of inducing Abel to go with her to the Troll was, that she had sold herself to him, body and soul, after a certain period, unless she could find another willing to enter into the same conditions. This period expired on the very evening of Abel's visit, and the wicked woman resolved in her evil heart to save herself by the sacrifice of her foster-son. When they came to the spot the old woman began to summon forth the Troll. She made a circle of human bones about the hill, within which she placed herself and Abel. A great noise was then heard around them; the mount rose on four pillars of fire, and the Troll appeared.

The woman made known her errand, and presented Abel to him. The Troll was just laying hold of the young man, when a loud cry was heard in the wood, and the Astrologer from Palsgaard rushed towards Abel, but could not enter the circle which the crone had made. He cried again with all his might: "This boy is mine, take him not from me, he is my only son."

To this appeal the Troll gave little heed, and it would have fared ill with the huntsman, had not the Astrologer again cried with a powerful voice: "In the name of our Lord, I conjure you to spare my son!" No sooner had he uttered these words, than the Troll gave a horrible scream, and, seizing old Trude round the waist, disappeared with her in the mount, which immediately closed upon them

and sank down again; but Abel remained behind and was saved.

The Astrologer was no other than the old knight Palle, the brother-in-law of Eisten Brink. He had been outlawed for having joined the king's enemies, hence the reason of his living in concealment at Palsgaard. No sooner had Eisten informed him how he had acted towards his son than he went down to Trude's cottage. Not finding her at home, he wandered into the wood, where he fortunately came to the Troll's Mount, just as Abel was in the greatest danger. When he had made himself known to his son, and they had embraced each other, and thanked God for their happy deliverance, they consulted together as to the course they should pursue, then lay down in the wood to sleep.

That same night the two freebooters left Staxesvold in quest of Abel, as had been agreed between them and Eisten Brink. They first took the road to old Trude's house, then proceeded further along the same path which the Astrologer had taken just before. On the same day, it happened that the king had been out hunting from a neighbouring manor. He had found a white hind, and pursued it throughout the day, over hill and through dale, until it reached the wood of Palsgaard. He thus became separated from his followers, and as the evening was drawing on, he could neither find his way out of the wood, nor any path through it. He rode about for some time at a venture, when the voices of Abel and his father talking together attracted his attention. He went in the direction of the sound, and came to the spot where they had lain down to rest.

Here he was met by the freebooters, who, believing they had found the man they were in search of, entered into discourse with the king, who did not dream of any mischief. Abel looked up on hearing voices, and saw one of the miscreants draw forth a knife and steal softly behind the king. He immediately saw that murder was intended, and sprang up, exclaiming: "Defend yourself, sir! for your life is threatened."

Old Palle rushed to the assistance of his son, and it cost them but little trouble to overpower the two freebooters. One was killed in the fray, the other threw away his weapon