"What of women, father? Is there a place for them in the heaven of
which you speak? Was it won for us?"
"Most truly, my daughter. It is for the woman as for the man. There
is no difference."
I saw her face light up with a new wonder and joy, which told me
that here was no idle listener. And so the old teacher went on in
all kindly wisdom, never hurting us in aught he said of the old
gods, but leading us to see the deeper things which our forebears
had forgotten. I listened, and thought it all good; but betimes
Gerda wept quietly, and would fain hear more and more. The little
bell on the chapel rang for the vespers or ever we ended that long
talk, and the old man must go. I raised him up, for he was very
feeble, and again the touch of the gold put a word into his mind.
"Jarl, and son of Odin," he said, smiling, "no need for you to wait
that dim Ragnarok fight of yours for warfare against evil. That
fight has begun, and in it you may take your part now, that you may
share in the victory hereafter."
Then I said, for I minded how useless to me seemed this life here:
"What part have you therein, father--you and the brethren?"
"We pray for those who have forgotten to do so for themselves," he
answered. "And we are of those whose sorest fight has been against
evil within.
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