At that time Harald the son of Sigurd [3] was in Constantinople, and
Thorsteinn became friendly with him. Thorsteinn was now a very great
personage, for Spes kept him well supplied with money, and they became
very much attached to one another. She was a great admirer of his skill.
Her expenses were very great because she tried to keep up many friends.
Her husband noticed a great change in her character and her behaviour,
and especially that she had become very extravagant. Treasures of gold
and other property which were in her keeping disappeared. One day her
husband Sigurd spoke with her and said that he was much surprised at her
conduct. "You pay no attention to our affairs," he said, "and squander
money in many ways. You seem as if you were in a dream, and never wish
to be where I am. I am certain that something is going on."
She replied: "I told you as I told my kinsmen when we married that I
meant to be my own mistress in all matters which concern myself; that is
why I do not spare your money. Or is there anything more than this that
you wish to speak about with me? Do you accuse me of anything shameful?"
He said: "I am not without my suspicions that you are keeping some man
whom you prefer to me."
"I do not know," she said, "that there would be very much in that; and
yet of a surety there is no truth in what you say. I will not speak with
you alone if you bring such improper accusations against me."
He dropped the subject for the time. She and Thorsteinn continued to
carry on as before, and were not very heedful of the talk of evil-minded
people; they relied upon her wits and her popularity. They were often
sitting together and diverting themselves.
One evening when they were sitting in an upper room in which her
treasures were kept she asked Thorsteinn to sing something, and thinking
that her husband was as usual sitting at drink she fastened the door.
When he had sung for a time there was a banging at the door, and some
one called to them to open it. It was her husband with a number of his
followers. The lady had opened a large chest to show Thorsteinn the
treasures. When she knew who was outside she refused to open the door,
and said to Thorsteinn: "Quickly! Jump into the chest and keep very
quiet."
He did so. She locked the chest and sat upon it. Her husband then
entered, having forced his way in. She said:
"What are you coming here for with all this uproar? Are there robbers
after you?"
He said: "Now it is well that you yourself give proof of what you are.
Where is the man who was letting his voice run on so grandly? No doubt
you think his voice is better than mine."
"No man is a fool if he keeps silence," she said; "that applies to you.
You think yourself very cunning, and would like to fasten your lies on
to me, as in this case. Well, if you have spoken the truth, find the
man. He will not escape through the walls or the roof."
He searched all through the room and found nothing.
"Why don't you take him," she said, "if you are so certain?"
He was silent and knew not how he could have been deceived. He asked his
men whether they had not heard what he heard, but when they saw that the
lady was displeased there was nothing to be got out of them; they
said that one was often mistaken about sounds. He then went away, not
doubting that he knew the truth, though he could not find the man. After
that he ceased for some time to pry into his wife's concerns.
On another occasion, much later, Thorsteinn and Spes were sitting in a
tiring-room where dresses were kept which belonged to them, both made up
and in the piece. She showed many of the cloths to Thorsteinn and spread
them out. When they were least expecting it her husband came up with a
troop of men and broke into the room. While they were forcing their way
in she covered Thorsteinn up with a bundle of clothes and leaned against
the heap when they entered.
"Do you again deny," he said, "that there was a man here with you? There
are those present here now who saw you both."
She told him not to be so violent. "You will not fail to catch him now,"
she said. "Only leave me in peace and do not push me about."
They searched the room, but finding nothing had to give it up.
"It is always good to have better proofs than people suppose. It was
only to be expected that you would not find what was not there. Now,
my husband, will you admit your folly and free me from this slanderous
accusation?"
"By no means will I free you," he said, "for I know that what I have
accused you of is true, and it will cost you an effort to free yourself
of the charge."
She said she was quite ready to do that, and therewith they parted.
After this Thorsteinn remained entirely with the Varangians. Men say
that he acted by the advice of Harald the son of Sigurd, and it is
thought that they would not have got out of it as they did if they had
not made use of him and his wits.
After a time Sigurd gave out that he was about to go abroad on some
business. His wife did not try to dissuade him. When he was gone
Thorsteinn came to Spes and they were always together. Her house was
built on the very edge of the sea and there were some of the rooms under
which the sea flowed.
Here it was that Spes and Thorsteinn always sat. There was a small
trap-door in the floor, known to no one but these two, and it was kept
open in case of its being wanted in a hurry.
Sigurd, it must be told, did not go away, but concealed himself so as to
be able to watch his wife's doings. One evening when they were sitting
unconcernedly in the room over the sea and enjoying themselves, in came
her husband with a party of men, taking them by surprise. He had taken
some of the men to the window of the room that they might see whether it
was not as he had said. They all said that he had spoken truly, and that
it must have been so too on the former occasions. Then they rushed into
the room.
On hearing the noise Spes said to Thorsteinn: "You must go down here
whatever it costs. Give me some sign that you have got away from the
house."
He promised that he would, and descended through the floor. The lady
closed the trap-door with her foot, and it fell back into its place so
that no one could see any mark of the floor having been touched. Sigurd
entered the room with his men, searched, and of course found nothing.
The room was uninhabited and there was no furniture in it, but only the
bare floor and a bed, on which the lady was sitting and twirling her
fingers. She paid little attention to them and seemed as if their
business did not concern her. Sigurd thought it altogether ridiculous
and asked his followers if they had not seen the man. They declared that
they had seen him most assuredly.
The lady said: "Now we may say as the proverb has it: All good things
are in threes. This is your case, Sigurd. Three times you have disturbed
me, if I remember rightly; and now are you any the wiser than you were
in the beginning?"
"This time I am not alone to tell the story," he said. "For all that you
will have to clear yourself, for on no terms will I allow your shameful
deeds to go unpunished."
"It seems," she said, "that you require the very thing which I would
myself propose. It will please me well to show the falsehood of this
accusation, which has been so thoroughly aired that I shall be disgraced
if I cannot refute it."
"At the same time," he said, "you will have to deny that you have
expended my money and my property."
She replied: "At the time when I clear myself I will refute all the
matters which you brought against me, and you may consider how it will
all end. I mean to go at once, to-morrow morning, before the bishop that
he may grant me full compurgation from this charge."
Her husband was satisfied with this and went away with his men.
In the meantime Thorsteinn had swum away from the house and landed at a
convenient place, where he got a firebrand and held it aloft so that
it could be seen from the lady's house. She stayed long outside in the
evening and the night, for she was anxious to know whether Thorsteinn
had reached the land. When she saw the light she knew that he had
landed, for that was the signal which they had agreed upon.
The next morning Spes proposed to her husband that they should speak
with the bishop on their matter. This he was quite ready to do, so they
went before the bishop and Sigurd repeated his accusation. The bishop
asked whether she had ever been accused of misbehaviour before, but
nobody had heard of such a thing. Then he asked upon what evidence this
charge was brought against her, and Sigurd produced the men who had
seen her sitting in a room with the door locked and a man with her.
Her husband said that this was ground enough for supposing that the man
meant to seduce her.
The bishop said that she might very well purge herself from this
accusation if she so desired. She replied that she desired it very much.
"I hope," she said, "that I shall have many women to swear for me on
this charge."
The form of the oath which she was to swear was then communicated to her
and the day for the compurgation fixed. She returned home and was quite
happy. She and Thorsteinn met and laid their plans.
ENDNOTES:
[Footnote 3: The same Harald who, as King of Norway, would later
challenge King Harald I for the throne of England. He lost at the
Battle of Stamford Bridge--three weeks before Hastings (A.D. 1066).]