` All I can tell you is that he will be my husband , if ever I have one , ' returned Helga ; and that was all she would say . Before very long the young men who lived in the neighbouring villages or on the sides of the mountains , had heard of this talk of the three girls , and Sigmunds and Sigurds in scores came to visit the little cottage . There were other young men too , who bore different names , though not one of them was called ` Habogi , ' and these thought that they might perhaps gain the heart of the youngest . But though there was more than one ` Njal ' amongst them , Helga 's eyes seemed always turned another way . At length the two elder sisters made their choice from out of the Sigurds and the Sigmunds , and it was decided that both weddings should take place at the same time . Invitations were sent out to the friends and relations , and when , on the morning of the great day , they were all assembled , a rough , coarse old peasant left the crowd and came up to the brides ' father . ` My name is Habogi , and Helga must be my wife , ' was all he said . And though Helga stood pale and trembling with surprise , she did not try to run away . ' I can not talk of such things just now , ' answered the father , who could not bear the thought of giving his favourite daughter to this horrible old man , and hoped , by putting it off , that something might happen . But the sisters , who had always been rather jealous of Helga , were secretly pleased that their bridegrooms should outshine hers . When the feast was over , Habogi led up a beautiful horse from a field where he had left it to graze , and bade Helga jump up on its splendid saddle , all embroidered in scarlet and gold . ` You shall come back again , ' said he ; ` but now you must see the house that you are to live in . ' And though Helga was very unwilling to go , something inside her forced her to obey . The old man settled her comfortably , then sprang up in front of her as easily as if he had been a boy , and , shaking the reins , they were soon out of sight . After some miles they rode through a meadow with grass so green that Helga 's eyes felt quite dazzled ; and feeding on the grass were a quantity of large fat sheep , with the curliest and whitest wool in the world . ` What lovely sheep ! whose are they ? ' cried Helga . ` Your Habogi 's , ' answered he , ` all that you see belongs to him ; but the finest sheep in the whole herd , which has little golden bells hanging between its horns , you shall have for yourself . ' This pleased Helga very much , for she had never had anything of her own ; and she smiled quite happily as she thanked Habogi for his present .
They soon left the sheep behind them , and entered a large field with a river running through it , where a number of beautiful grey cows were standing by a gate waiting for a milk-maid XXXXX come and milk them .
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