nd the
other on an inclosure. Two rows of windows in the principal facade looked
out on the gulf, and before the principal door was a terrace commanding a
most extensive view. At this moment the sun lit up the polished windows,
and the plain, covered with an immense sheet of snow, shone brilliantly.
The sea with a fringe of ice close to the shore, rolled in the distance
its free and azure waves, and the forests which appeared here and there
in their somber verdure and mute majesty, the vast and silent space, the
little village, the motion of the population of which was already
visible, presented to Ireneus a picture which differed so much from all
he had seen, that it filled him with wonder and surprise.

"The house," said Ebba, "which I see has attracted your attention, is
that of Eric's father, a good and venerable old man, the whole of the
life of whom has been an example of prudence and usefulness. He does
much good around him, by means of his religious exhortations and
agricultural industry. In Sweden, many of the clergy act in this double
capacity. The greater portion of the revenue of many livings consists
entirely of the revenue of the lands with which they are endowed. If the
priest does not take pleasure in rural occupations, he farms out the
lands, and quietly receives the rent. They render important services to
the districts amid which they live. They are teachers of labor, and often
introduce systems of agricultural improvement revealed to them by science
or a new machine.

"The father of Eric is one of those farmer priests; for more than twenty
years without neglecting any of his sacerdotal duties, he has cultivated
a large farm attached to the presbytery. He has given lessons in
agriculture to the peasants, and enforced them by success, for no fields
are more productive than his own, and no yard has seen fine cattle. How
great is his activity!

"How often have his people seen him brave, with a vigor they could not
but admire, the summer's heat and winter's ice. At present the
infirmities of age render this rude toil impossible. He, however, does
not cease to correspond with many agricultural societies, and encourage
those who have recourse to his counsels. He is one of those rare men
gifted with meditative faculties, and with great practical capacity."

"How pleasant is it." said Ireneus, "to suffer my mind to repose in the
asylum you have opened for it. Since my coming hither I have met with
none but