They had expected to be awakened in the night by the owners of the
house on their return home, but their expectation was not fulfilled;
they slept undisturbed till the morning sun shone in upon them. No one
appeared on any of the following days, and it seemed as if some
invisible power had made ready the house for their reception. They
spent the whole summer in perfect happiness: they were, to be sure,
solitary, yet they did not miss mankind. The wild birds' eggs, and the
fish they caught, yielded them provisions in abundance.
When autumn came, Aslog brought forth a son. In the midst of their
joy at this, they were surprised by a wonderful apparition. The door
opened on a sudden, and an old woman stepped in. She wore a handsome
blue dress; there was something proud, but at the same time something
strange, in her appearance.
"Do not be afraid," said she, "at my unexpected appearance. I am the
owner of this house, and I thank you for the clean and neat state in
which you have kept it, and for the good order in which I find
everything with you. I would willingly have come sooner, but I had no
power to do so till this little heathen (pointing to the new-born
babe) was come to the light. Now I have free access. Only fetch no
priest from the mainland to christen it, or I must depart again. If
you will in this matter comply with my wishes, you may not only
continue to live here, but all the good that ever you can wish for I
will do you.
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