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Augustus Carline was a brute, a creature of appetites and desires, who by no chance rose to the heights of his wife's mental demands. Nelia Carline regarded the tragedy of her life with impatience. She studied the looking glass to see wherein she had failed to measure up to her duty; she ransacked her mind, and compared it with all the women she met by virtue of her place as Gus Carline's wife.
These were sort of hit-or-miss, between-the-acts affairs, to which he paid little attention. To Nelia, however, they represented a rite as valid as any solemn court procedure could be, for to her river-trained instinct there was no moral question as to the justice of her claim upon a part of Carline's fortune.
"Blame me not therefor," said Grettir, "I fear me the stroke has been too little, for certes not overmuch weregild were paid for the twain of us, though the price should be one carline's life." "Must she alone be paid?" said Illugi, "little enough then will be laid down for us twain." Now Thorbiorn got him gone homeward, with no greetings at parting. But he said to the carline,
"Well, say I ?" Carline's one question leaped to his lips but remained unasked. For the minute he could not ask it. The thing that had been his rage, and then his wonder, suddenly drew back into his heart as a secret sorrow. "Won't you come over?" Carline asked, "it'd be company!" "Yes, it'll be company," the other admitted, and with a pull of his oars brought the skiff alongside.
One of them noticed that a skiff was coming up from Fort Pillow Landing, and fifteen minutes later Terabon was talking to Despard on the snag to one prong of which was fastened the line of Carline's motorboat. "I was wondering where I'd see you again," Terabon said. "Didn't have a chance at New Madrid, saw you was in business, so I didn't follow up none."
But great shame and grief had Thorbiorn Angle from all these words. <i>Of the Carline's evil Gift to Grettir</i>. Now wore away the time of autumn till it wanted but three weeks of winter; then the carline bade bear her to the sea-shore. Thorbiorn asked what she would there. "Little is my errand, yet maybe," she says, "it is a foreboding of greater tidings."
It is supposed he was caught in the heavy wind-storm of Wednesday night and drowned. The river had planned again. The river had acted again. They went to look at the boat, which was pumped out and in Ash Slough. It was Carline's cruiser. Then they went to the morgue, and it was Carline's body. Nelia broke down and cried. After all, one's husband is one's husband. She did the right thing.
Ralph was glad when he heard this, deeming that if she left him alone there, he would be the less tempted to stray into the wood again. Besides, he deemed that the Lady might come that day when he was alone in the Castle, and that himseemed would make the meeting sweeter yet. So he yea-said the carline's asking joyously, and in an hour's time she went her ways and left him alone there.
Thereafter she went back home to Woodwick; and Thorbiorn said that he knew not if that would come to aught; but the carline answered that he should wot better anon. Now the wind blew landward up the firth, yet the carline's root went in the teeth of the wind, and belike it sailed swifter than might have been looked for of it.
Carline's eyes searched about him with interest, and the three men watched him more and more openly. When he walked toward the bow of the boat, where the slope of the yellow sand led up to the woods of Flower Island, one of them casually left his seat and followed. Carline looked at the stand of guns in the cabin corner and started with surprise. He reached and picked up one of them to look at it.
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