"'Say no!' shouted the brave men; 'we believe thee, son of Thorsten. Say no, and Ingeborg is thine!'
"Fear not, O Helge,' I replied; 'I would not lie to gain the joy of heaven, and I shall not now to gain thy sister. I have seen Ingeborg in Balder's temple, but the laws I have not broken.'
"More they would not let me say. They looked at me with dread as one accursed. 'Though I could order thy death by the laws of our fathers,' said Helge, 'yet will I be mild as Balder whose sacred dwelling thou hast profaned. Across the sea lives Angantyr, who tribute owes to us. Go thither and when summer comes bring back this tribute, or to every man thou wilt be as one without honour, and outlawed shalt thou be.'"
"What did you decide, my Frithiof?"
"Could I choose? Must I not get the gold and thus redeem my honour? To-day I will depart and will get for your brother the gold he craves. But we, my Ingeborg, will sail in Ellide to a friendly land. A little earth from our fathers' graves we'll place upon our ships, and that will be our fatherland. Often has my father told of the beautiful islands of Greece—fresh groves of green in shining waves. There golden apples glow and blushing grapes hang down from every bough. There will we build a little North, more beautiful than this. Happiness stands near to human hearts if they are brave enough to seize it. Come, let us go! All is ready, and Ellide stretches her shadowy wings for flight."
"I cannot go. Dear friend, be not angry. I am not free to go, like you. Helge is now my father, and on his will I go or stay. I will not steal my happiness. Last night I thought about my fate. I must remain obedient to my brother. A child of the Northland cannot live in the south. With eyes filled with tears should I look for the bright northern star which stands over our fathers' graves. And you, my Frithiof, must not desert the land you were born to guard. Let us yield to the voice of duty. Let us save our honour though our happiness be lost!"
"Necessity commands our flight. Come, Ingeborg!"
"What's right and noble, that's necessity."
"Consider well. Is that your last resolve?"
"It is my last. But remember that my thought will follow you wherever you may go. When evening comes I will send a greeting, and the fleeting cloud shall bear it unto you."