OTES:

[5] Anna Lenngren, a distinguished Swedish poetess, admired especially
for her Idyls. She died in 1817.

[6] Sweden.

CHAPTER III.

THE OBJECT.

We must now say how the family grouped themselves in the new house.
Since the arrival of Henrik and Jacobi, the liveliness of the family had
visibly increased, Henrik zealously followed up his purpose of making
his sisters take more active exercise, and Jacobi assisted him with his
whole heart. Long walks were arranged, but, to Henrik's annoyance, it
seldom was possible to induce Louise to take exercise of that kind
which, according to his opinion, she needed so much. Louise had always
such a vast deal to do at home; Sara lived only for her harp and her
singing; Leonore was not strong enough; and for Gabriele, it was
generally either too cold, or too dirty, or too windy, or she was not in
the humour to walk. Eva, on the contrary, was always in the humour, and
Petrea had always the desire to speed away. It was Henrik's greatest
pleasure to give one of his sisters his arm, especially when they were
well and handsomely dressed.

At seven o'clock in the evening all the members of the family assembled
themselves in the library, where the tea-table was prepared, at which
Louise presided. The evenings were uncommonly cheerful, particularly
when the family were alone. Between tea and supper they either talked,
or read aloud, or had music; after supper they mostly danced, and then
Louise exercised herself with remarkable grace. Sometimes they had
charades or social games. Henrik and Petrea had always some new flash of
merriment or other. It was the greatest delight of the Judge to see all
his children around him, especially in an evening, and to see them happy
too. The door of his study, which adjoined the library, always stood
open, in an evening, and, whether he read or wrote there, he still was
conscious of all that went forward among them. Sometimes he would come
out and take part in their entertainment, or would sit on the green sofa
beside his wife, and watch the dance, rejoicing himself over his
daughters, and sometimes was even taken out into the dance, where he was
in much request.

The young people remarked, that whatever might for the time occupy
Jacobi, he was somewhat absent and incomprehensible; he sighed
frequently, and seemed rather to enjoy quiet conversation with the
ladies than charades and other amusements. It was discovered, between
Henrik a