a wood, upon
another a shred of a room, or a street; and so they rushed round one
after the other. Perhaps this is mere slander, for I have my information
from Slagelse; and neighboring towns never speak well of each other."

In this manner Wilhelm gossiped on, and the friends travelled over the
way he had described. Slagelse, and the peasant village of Landsgrav,
they had already behind them, when Wilhelm ordered the coachman to
diverge from the high-road toward the right.

"Where will you take us to?" asked Otto.

"I will give you a pleasure!" returned Wilhelm. "We shall reach the
weariful Korsoeer early enough: the steamboat leaves at ten, and it is
not yet seven. You shall be surprised--I know well that you are half a
Catholic; I will conduct you where you may believe yourself carried back
several centuries, and may imagine yourself in a Catholic country. That
is right pleasant, is it not?"

Otto smiled. The friends alighted from the coach and walked over a
corn-field. They found themselves upon a hill, the whole landscape
spread itself out before them--they saw the Belt, with Sprogoee and
Funen. The surrounding country was certainly flat, but the variety of
greens, the near meadow, the dark stretch of wood in the neighborhood
of Korsoeer, the bay itself, and all this seen in a warm morning light,
produced effect. The friends diverged to the right; and before them,
upon a hill, stood a large wooden cross, with the figure of the
Crucified One. Above the cross was built a small roof to carry off the
rain,--such as one may yet find in Bavaria. The figure of the Redeemer
was of wood, painted with strong, tawdry colors; a withered garland of
corn-flowers still hung around his bowed head.

"It is extraordinary," said Otto, "to find in our time, in the year
1830, such a Catholic symbol in Lutheran Denmark! And yet--yes, you will
laugh at me, but I find it lovely: it affects me, moves me to worship."

"That tawdry, tasteless figure!" cried Wilhelm. "Only see how coarse!
the hair is covered with tar to keep off the rain! The peasants here
have their peculiar superstition. If they allow the cross to fall they
have no luck with their lands. It was upon this hill that the holy
Anders, the celebrated preacher of Slagelse, awoke. He visited the
sepulchre of Christ, but through praying there too long the ship sailed
without him, and he was forced to stay behind. Then came a man and took
him upon his horse, and they would rid