He met Earl Sigvald on the pier, and by the light of a lantern he saw that the old man’s face was grave and sad.

“Steel your heart to hear ill tidings, King Estein,” he said.

The “King” smote upon Estein’s ears like a knell, and he guessed the earl’s news before he heard it.

“King Hakon joined his fathers three days past,” said the earl.  “Welcome indeed is your return, for the law says that the dead must not linger in the house more than five days, and it were ill seeming to hold the funeral rites with his son away.”

Estein stood like a man struck dumb, and then muttering, “I will join you again,” he started quickly up the pier, and was shortly lost to view in the darkness.

“Dear was Estein to his father, and dear the old king to his son.  Deep and burning, I fear, will his sorrow be,” said the earl.

“Fain would I comfort him,” replied Helgi.  “But I know well Estein’s humours, and now he is best alone for a time.”

They walked slowly up to Hakonstad, the old earl leaning upon his son’s arm, and as they went Helgi told him the tale of the Jemtland journey.  In his interest the earl forgot even the present gloom, and swore lustily or roared loudly and heartily as the story went on.

“May they lie in darkness for ever as dastards and traitors!” he would cry, or “A shrewd scheme, by the hammer of Thor!  An I were fifty years younger I would have done the same myself, Helgi!” and then again, “Trolls take me, if this be not enough to make a bear laugh!  What next, Helgi?”

When his son had finished his relation of the visit to the old seer, he seemed lost in thought.

“Atli, Atli,” he repeated.  “Call you him Atli?  I cannot remember the name.  A friend of Olaf Hakonson, said he?  I knew of no such friend.  Yet it seems that he spoke indeed as one who had taken counsel with the gods; and if his words acted, as you say, like medicine on Estein, his name matters little.  Yet it is passing strange.”

When they reached Hakonstad, Helgi found that many chiefs had already arrived to take part in the funeral rites and, more particularly, in the feast with which they always ended.  It was not till almost all had gone to rest that Estein returned, and then he went straight to his bed-chamber without exchanging more than the barest greetings with those he found still talking low over their ale around the fires.

The next day was spent in preparations for the solemn ceremonies of pyre and mound, and the great feast which should mark the reigning of another king in Sogn.  The young king himself went about bravely, seeing to everything but speaking little.  Helgi watched him anxiously, for he feared greatly that this new sorrow might cloud his mind afresh.  In the evening he noticed him slip from the hall by himself, and rising at once he followed him out and came to his side as he paced slowly up the night-hushed valley.