




Transcribed from the 1916 Chatto & Windus edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org





THE WAIF WOMAN


BY
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

LONDON
CHATTO & WINDUS
1916

_First Edition_, _October_, 1916. _Second Edition_, _October_, 1916. This unpublished story, preserved among Mrs. Stevenson's papers, is
mentioned by Mr. Balfour in his life of Stevenson. Writing of the fables
which Stevenson began before he had left England and "attacked again, and
from time to time added to their number" in 1893, Mr. Balfour says: "The
reference to Odin [Fable XVII] perhaps is due to his reading of the
Sagas, which led him to attempt a tale in the same style, called 'The
Waif Woman.'" THE WAIF WOMAN
A CUE--FROM A SAGA


This is a tale of Iceland, the isle of stories, and of a thing that
befell 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; she
was the first comer of the year; and the fishers drew alongside to hear
the news of the south, and eager folk put out in boats to see the
merchandise 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 and
going; and the merchants from the ship could see the smoke go up and the
men and women trooping to their meals in the hall. The goodman of that house was called Finnward Keelfarer, and his wife Aud
the Light-Minded; and they had a son Eyolf, a likely boy, and a daughter
Asdis, a slip of a maid. Finnward was well-to-do in his affairs, he kept
open house and had good friends. But Aud his wife was not so much
considered: her mind was set on trifles, on bright clothing, and the
admiration of men, and the envy of women; and it was thought she was not
always so circumspect in her bearing as she might have been, but nothing
to hurt. On the evening of the second day men came to the house from sea. They
told of the merchandise in the ship, which was well enough and to be had
at easy rates, and of a waif woman that sailed in her, no one could tell
why, and had chests of clothes beyond comparison, fine coloured stuffs,
finely woven, the best that ever came into that island, and gewgaws for a
queen. At the hearing of that Aud's eyes began to glisten. She went
early 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 looked
closely at all boats, but there was no woman in any; and at that she was
better pleased, for she had no fear of the men. When they came to the ship, boats were there already, and the merchants
and the shore folk sat and jested and chaffered in the stern. But in the
fore part of the ship, the woman sat alone, and looked before her sourly
at the sea. They called her Thorgunna. She was as tall as a man and
high 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 the
brow smooth. Some of the merchants told that she was sixty years of age
and others laughed and said she was but forty; but they spoke of her in
whispers, for they seemed to think that she was ill to deal with and not
more than ordinary canny. Aud went to where she sat and made her welcome to Iceland. Thorgunna did
the honours of the ship. So for a while they carried it on, praising and
watching each other, in the way of women. But Aud was a little vessel to
contain a great longing, and presently the cry of her heart came out of
her. "The folk say," says she, "you have the finest women's things that ever
came to Iceland?" and as she spoke her eyes grew big. "It would be strange if I had not," quoth Thorgunna. "Queens have no
finer." So Aud begged that she might see them. Thorgunna looked on her askance. "Truly," said she, "the things are for
no use but to be shown." So she fetched a chest and opened it. Here was
a cloak of the rare scarlet laid upon with silver, beautiful beyond
belief; hard by was a silver brooch of basket work that was wrought as
fine as any shell and was as broad as the face of the full moon; and Aud
saw 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, because
she had so huge a mind to buy, she began to make light of the
merchandise. "They are good enough things," says she, "though I have better in my
chest at home. It is a good enough cloak, and I am in need of a new
cloak." At that she fingered the scarlet, and the touch of the fine
stuff went to her mind like singing. "Come," says she, "if it were only
for your civility in showing it, what will you have for your cloak?" "Woman," said Thorgunna, "I am no merchant." And she closed the chest
and 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 for
the like of her--they were made for a stately, beautiful woman like
Thorgunna; and at that she kissed her again, and Thorgunna seemed a
little pleased. And now Aud pled poverty and begged for the cloak in a
gift; and now she vaunted the wealth of her goodman and offered ounces
and ounces of fine silver, the price of three men's lives. Thorgunna
smiled, but it was a grim smile, and still she shook her head. At last
Aud 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 a
little after, she said this: "Let us be done with beseeching. The things
are mine. I was a fool to show you them; but where is their use, unless
we show them? Mine they are and mine they shall be till I die. I have
paid for them dear enough," said she. Aud saw it was of no avail; so she dried her tears, and asked Thorgunna
about her voyage, and made believe to listen while she plotted in her
little mind. "Thorgunna," she asked presently, "do you count kin with
any 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 goodman
is rich, his hand and his house are open, and I will cherish you like a
daughter." At that Thorgunna smiled on the one side; but her soul laughed within her
at 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 thing
you shall understand. I make no presents, I give nothing where I go--not
a rag and not an ounce.