"The servant told his master. Fear and astonishment ran through the castle like a flame. Who was the mysterious man in the blue coat who would one day destroy the castle? No one knew. No one could even guess. The owner of Vosborg was well liked by all the people. Surely no one would do him harm. The years went by and the castle remained unharmed. Gradually everyone forgot about the prophecy of the English builder. The man in the blue coat was no longer feared.
"Then one year there was a dreadful storm on the ocean. Never before had the people seen such an angry sea. The waves dashed and pounded against the shore as they had never done before. The water rose like a wall and spread over the land for many miles. No one had ever seen a storm like this one. The water pounded against the outer wall of Vosborg. It crumbled and fell. Within a few hours the ocean had rushed in and washed away the rampart around the castle. There was then just one wall left as a protection against the angry sea. It wasn't enough. On the second day of the storm the waves became even more fierce and violent. Finally, that wall crumbled and the whole castle of Vosborg was knocked down by the force of the waves.
"Thus the prophecy, told many years before, had at last come true. The English builder had spoken truly. Vosborg was, as he had predicted, destroyed by a man in a blue coat—the ocean."
"But I thought the ocean was several miles away," said Anna in surprise.
"It is now, Anna, but in those days it was very near. Every few hundred years the shore line changes, due to the rising or falling of the land. So Vosborg is now a mile or more from the ocean."
By this time they had reached the courtyard of the castle. The paving stones that covered the ground had long ago been worn to a smooth, polished roundness. On three sides of the courtyard there were low, white buildings. One of these contained the servants' quarters and the kitchens. Another contained the huge library of the castle. The third was made up of the stables. On the fourth side of the courtyard stood the imposing, four-story building that made up the main part of the castle. In the center of the courtyard there was a lovely, round pool.
"Oh, Greta, it's beautiful," said the delighted Anna, as she looked all around her.
Dinner was served in the Knights' Hall, a long, stately room on the second floor. Tall candles lighted the banquet table and threw flickering shadows in the far corners of the room and against the high ceiling. The walls were covered with brilliant paintings of the knights and ladies who had lived at Vosborg in olden days. Now and then, as the candlelight caught the gleam of a bright red waistcoat or the silken beauty of a lady's satin gown, Greta turned suddenly to look at the portraits. Once she thought that one of the great ladies of long ago was smiling at her. But when she looked again, the lovely face showed only the calm, quiet beauty of a painting. Had she really smiled? Greta could not be sure.