go to bed before I had
made the arrangements necessary to enable me to set out as early as
possible.

The sun rose with splendour. My mind was too active to allow me to
loiter long in bed, though the horses did not arrive till between seven
and eight. However, as I wished to let the boy, who went forward to
order the horses, get considerably the start of me, I bridled in my
impatience.

This precaution was unavailing, for after the three first posts I had to
wait two hours, whilst the people at the post-house went, fair and
softly, to the farm, to bid them bring up the horses which were carrying
in the first-fruits of the harvest. I discovered here that these
sluggish peasants had their share of cunning. Though they had made me
pay for a horse, the boy had gone on foot, and only arrived half an hour
before me. This disconcerted the whole arrangement of the day; and being
detained again three hours, I reluctantly determined to sleep at
Quistram, two posts short of Uddervalla, where I had hoped to have
arrived that night.

But when I reached Quistram I found I could not approach the door of the
inn for men, horses, and carts, cows, and pigs huddled together. From
the concourse of people I had met on the road I conjectured that there
was a fair in the neighbourhood; this crowd convinced me that it was but
too true. The boisterous merriment that almost every instant produced a
quarrel, or made me dread one, with the clouds of tobacco, and fumes of
brandy, gave an infernal appearance to the scene. There was everything
to drive me back, nothing to excite sympathy in a rude tumult of the
senses, which I foresaw would end in a gross debauch. What was to be
done? No bed was to be had, or even a quiet corner to retire to for a
moment; all was lost in noise, riot, and confusion.

After some debating they promised me horses, which were to go on to
Uddervalla, two stages. I requested something to eat first, not having
dined; and the hostess, whom I have mentioned to you before as knowing
how to take care of herself, brought me a plate of fish, for which she
charged a rix-dollar and a half. This was making hay whilst the sun
shone. I was glad to get out of the uproar, though not disposed to
travel in an incommodious open carriage all night, had I thought that
there was any chance of getting horses.

Quitting Quistram I met a number of joyous groups, and though the evening
was fresh many were stretched on the grass