against his heart and his liberty. Thirdly, she was a Gothland blue-stocking, who read Latin and Greek, and for anything he knew, Hebrew also. Fourthly, she had come on shore with a stick in her hand. Fifthly, there was nothing in her which attracted the notice of people; she had an ordinary appearance and manner, she was not distingué. Sixthly, she had not the taste and the knowledge to admire her cousin, or to compliment him on his artistic endowments. Seventhly, she did not take any pains to please him. Finally, she was deficient in everything which could make a young woman amiable or desirable; and Baron Axel, the favourite of the most elegant women of Stockholm, esteemed himself rather too precious to waste a thought upon that little girl from Gothland. He had, besides, quite other views. For the present his thoughts floated around Miss von B, and with the exception of the time when Rosa read or Axel sung, these two young people seemed to become farther and farther apart from each other. But this was not to last always. CHANGE. ALL young people who come to Stockholm in the hope of finding there a gayer and more affluent life than the provinces afford, and with the prospect of amusing themselves, will assuredly have to experience that the life in Stockholm, during the first part of the winter, is of a particularly dead and leaden character, and that it may be very dull and wearisome even in a capital. Nay, many a one may be tempted to sigh as I did, on one occasion, Grey the heavens, grey the earth is ; Grey all nature, grey the sky; A sœur grise, the world in sooth is; As the world is, so am I. It is true that at Stockholm there is the prospect of Christmas, and its life of light always casts some rays of roseate dawn upon the darkening days of October, November, and December; at least in those homes where it is the intention to give and receive Christmas presents. How people live in the other homes-where no bright inner light is burning-I cannot conceive. And I can very well understand one of our great men's humorous sallies during a visit in Stockholm at this season, "People have no other resource, but either to sleep or take supper!" which is a resource of a very deplorable kind. Social life, concerts, theatres, all seem either to sleep or to yawn. The capital resembles the bear which goes to sleep in his lodge, and the inhabitants of the city have hard work not to do the same, hard work to keep themselves properly awake. A bear's hide lies upon the northern land. It is lifted off at Christmas. Christmas Eve and Christmas matins bring with them light and joy. The life of the spirit as well as of nature wake up. And, with the desire of it, and the lengthening days, comes to the capital of Sweden, a new life in society, in art, in literature, in movement and interests of every kind. Rosa had hitherto scarcely remarked the influence of the seasons upon the mind or upon her own quiet occupation. Her fresh, rich, industrious life in her father's house, had maintained her soul in an atmosphere where the chilly fogs of autumn and winter's cold signified very little, nay, where they rather elevated than depressed life. It was, therefore, strange and extraordinary to her to observe the depressive effect which they produced in Stockholm, and which she experienced in the tempers even of her aunt and cousin, which were at this time especially uncertain and irritable. Rosa frequently was obliged to listen to her aunt's complaints of her son, with whose behaviour she now began to be extremely displeased, but which she ascribed less to himself than to Miss von B- -, a very musical but capricious young lady, to whom her son had been paying attentions for now nearly a year, but whom she by no means desired to have for a daughter-in-law. Neither did she believe that Axel was really in earnest, because Miss von B-, a young girl without fortune, had nothing remarkable excepting her musical talent. But it was evident that this 'courtship operated most unfavourably on his temper and character, especially of late. She heartily wished that he would change his mind, and choose some other object of attraction. The Baroness made it very apparent how much she wished that this object should be Rosa, and that Rosa should become her daughter. But Rosa never appeared to understand these hints in the slightest degree, and always turned the conversation to some other subject. But this at the same time was not by any means easy, because the Baroness had very little interest in any subject unconnected with her own concerns or with the circle in society in which she moved, and thus she always came back again to Miss von B-, and that foolish flirtation. One enjoyment, however, there still was which never went perfectly to sleep in Stockholm; that was music. Either within their homes or elsewhere the lovers of music were always assembling and making their time pass agreeably. On the commencement of the new year, these musicparties became more frequent and more lively. Even the little musical evenings at the house of |