“I heard my Freda say: ‘I see a nisse coming down the track of the moon.’ And I hear her mother laugh, low, like a mother does when her Yndling dreams. I was happy⁠—that night⁠—with my Helma and my Freda, and the Brunhilda sailing like a swan-boat, ja . I heard the child say, ‘The nisse comes fast!’ And then I heard a scream from my Helma, a great scream⁠—like a mare when her foal is torn from her. I spun around fast, ja ! I dropped the wheel and spun fast! I saw⁠—” He covered his eyes with his hands.

The Portuguese had crept close to me, and I heard him panting like a frightened dog.