" let us hold our peace till after yule , " she pleaded . " it will be a joy to keep our secret to ourselves for a little space ; there will be time enough then to let all the world know . " rather reluctantly , earl paul agreed ; and next day he set off for the palace at orphir , leaving his lady - love behind him . little he guessed the danger he was in ! for , all unknown to him , his step - aunt , countess fraukirk , had chanced to be in the hall , the evening before , hidden behind a curtain , and she had overheard every word that morna and he had spoken , and her heart was filled with black rage . for she was a hard , ambitious woman , and she had always hated the young earl , who was no blood - relation to her , and who stood in the way of his brother , her own nephew ; for , if paul were only dead , harold would be the sole earl of orkney . and now that he had stolen the heart of the lady morna , whom her own nephew loved , her hate and anger knew no bounds . she had hastened off to her sister 's chamber as soon as the lovers had parted ; and there the two women had remained talking together till the chilly dawn broke in the sky . countess fraukirk ... hidden behind a curtain ... overheard every word . ] next day a boat went speeding over the narrow channel of water that separates pomona ( on the mainland ) from hoy . in it sat a woman , but who she was , or what she was like , no one could say , for she was covered from head to foot with a black cloak , and her face was hidden behind a thick , dark veil . snorro the dwarf knew her , even before she laid aside her trappings , for countess fraukirk was no stranger to him . in the course of her long life she had often had occasion to seek his aid to help her in her evil deeds , and she had always paid him well for his services in yellow gold . he therefore welcomed her gladly ; but when he had heard the nature of her errand his smiling face grew grave again , and he shook his head . " i have served thee well , lady , in the past , " he said , " but methinks that this thing goeth beyond my courage . for to compass an earl 's death is a weighty matter , especially when he is so well beloved as is the earl paul . " " thou knowest why i have taken up my abode in this lonely spot -- how i hope some day to light upon the magic carbuncle . thou knowest also how the people fear me , and hate me too , forsooth . and if the young earl died , and suspicion fell on me , i must needs fly the island , for my life would not be worth a grain of sand . then my chance of success would be gone . nay ! i can not do it , lady ; i can not do it . " 
what will countess fraukirk do the next day ?
meet with snorro the dwarf .
seek snorro 's help to kill paul .