-dress, though the country women
coming in to church on Sundays often wear curious old-fashioned
bonnets, which have the appearance of being heirlooms handed down
from generation to generation.

The men do not dress up to the women. They confine themselves
to a rough trouser suit, generally of dark blue, and a black felt
hat. Even amongst the older men of the Hardanger one seldom sees the
knee-breeches and stockings which used to be worn.

CHAPTER VI

SCHOOL AND PLAY

I am not certain whether Norse boys and girls are very good, or
whether they are spoilt. You may travel all day on a steamer with
a well-to-do family from the town, or you may live in a farmhouse
with a peasant's family for a month, and the chances are that you
will never hear the parents say "Don't." One thing I am sure of: the
children who live in the country parts do very much as they please;
in the summer they go to bed when they feel tired, sometimes not
till nearly midnight; and they are not worried about getting their
boots and their clothes wet, because no Norwegian troubles his or her
head about such matters. Moreover, the life is such a simple one that
perhaps there is little opportunity for real naughtiness.

These country children have a very easy time, as for the greater part
of the year they have no school to go to, and they spend all the
summer out in the open air, looking after the ponies, cows, sheep,
or goats, or hay-making, or rowing about, or fishing, or something
of the kind. In the winter they, as well as the town children,
are all obliged to go to school, from the age of seven to fourteen
or fifteen--_i.e.,_ until their Confirmation, and until this takes
place they receive religious instruction from the priest on Sunday
afternoons, for there is no religious teaching in the schools.

There is a great difficulty about the country schools, because in
some districts the farms are miles and miles apart, and it would be
quite impossible for the children to walk to school and back in the
day. In such districts the Government schoolmasters have to go about
from place to place, and teach the children in their own homes. If
there should be two or three farms close together, one of the farmers
provides a schoolroom in his house, and the schoolmaster lives with
him as his guest for a time, and then goes on to another house. But
the schoolmasters must give every child twelve weeks' schooling in
the year. This does not amount to