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 CARINE 
 
 A STORY OF SWEDEN
 
 CARINE 
 
 A STORY OF SWEDEN 
 
 BY LOUIS ENAULT 
 
 TRANSLATED BY LINDA DA KOWALEWSKA 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY LOUIS K. HARLOVV 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 
 1891
 
 Copyright, 1891, 
 BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY-. 
 
 UNIVERSITY PRESS: 
 JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE.
 
 C A R I N E. 
 
 TOWARD the end of July, in the year 1856, 
 " La Walkyrie " (one of the finest packets of 
 the great Hamburg line) sailed across the Bal- 
 tic Sea, and after a superb voyage entered the 
 fjord of Gothenburg. 
 
 It was nearly midnight ; the sun descended 
 majestically into the depths of the Skagerrak, 
 leaving a golden light on the waves, setting 
 slowly, as if loath to leave our hemisphere. 
 Arriving at the extreme point of the horizon, 
 where sky and sea seemed to unite, the golden 
 disk slowly sank beneath the waters, leaving
 
 2 CARINE. 
 
 behind a mystic haze of mellow light. Ardent 
 tints lingered in the west, of which the domi- 
 nant colors were red and yellow blended in one 
 harmonious cloud of most poetic tone, the 
 brilliant light above melting into a purplish hue, 
 and above all the deep azure of the firmament, 
 in which floated snowy clouds, taking all sorts 
 of grotesque shapes. There were chariots with 
 sparkling wheels, thrones of pale gold, and 
 palaces with glittering spires and of most fan- 
 tastic architecture. The wind arising from the 
 sea dispersing them only to be replaced by 
 still more ideal forms, they seemed like snowy 
 silhouettes, so clearly were they defined by 
 the deep blue background. 
 
 Scarcely had the last rays vanished, scarcely 
 the last splendors effaced, scarcely had this 
 bouquet of many colored flowers died away, 
 when they were followed by tints of lilac ; and 
 then o'er the eastern sky glided, with roseate 
 hue, the first faint rays of dawning, for in this 
 far northern land on this night there had been
 
 CARINE. 
 
 no darkness. All the passengers of " La Wal- 
 kyrie " were standing in groups at the bow of 
 the vessel looking at the distant city which they 
 approached, and from which stretched two long 
 
 piers like welcoming arms to receive them. At 
 the foot of the bay, bathing its feet in the sea, 
 leaning against two granite mountains crowned 
 with fir-trees and surrounded by beautiful for- 
 ests, the city of Gothenburg appeared before 
 them, bathed in the rosy light of the rising sun ; 
 this light, glancing over the waves, seemed to
 
 4 CARINE. 
 
 send its rays not from on high, but from the 
 ocean's depths from which it had just emerged. 
 
 The passengers were joyful, as one always is 
 at a journey's end, however short ; and this is 
 especially so after a sea voyage. To feel one's 
 feet again on terra firma, even if one's feet do 
 step pretty high at first, is a great satisfaction. 
 Most of these people were Norwegians, recog- 
 nized by their heavy build and frank open 
 countenances ; they were returning from Bre- 
 men, Dantzic, and Liibeck, and were going on 
 to Christiania after a halt at Gothenburg. There 
 were also Swedes who had made " the grand 
 tour of Europe " (as they call it in Stockholm), 
 and now returned to their firesides with many 
 souvenirs and curiosities. They were all fair 
 complexioned, with light hair and blue gray 
 eyes, changing from blue to gray like the sea 
 with which they were so familiar; these were 
 typical Norseman. 
 
 Very noticeable among these placid, fair- 
 haired Scandinavians was a young man of a
 
 CARINE. 5 
 
 decidedly different type ; his dark complexion, 
 black eyes and hair, animated manner, and 
 quick step, made it impossible to identify him 
 with his more phlegmatic companions. He 
 was of medium height, slender and well- 
 formed ; and the large-limbed Norwegians 
 could not help admiring his small hands and 
 feet. He went from one group to another, 
 laughing and jesting with all, talking in their 
 own tongue, and making so many droll remarks 
 and mistakes that he provoked smiles on all 
 sides. In the mean time they were passing 
 through a forest of sails, masts, and rigging, 
 " La Walkyrie " opening a way, thanks to the 
 services of a skilful pilot, and soon they 
 perceived the quay reserved for the packet 
 boats. The whistle blew noisily, the chains 
 rattled, and there was excitement on board ; 
 the anchor sank in the shining sand, the small 
 bridge was thrown across, and the people 
 rushed on shore. The young stranger was 
 left alone. He looked at his watch and found 
 it was past midnight.
 
 6 CA RINE. 
 
 "This is no time," said he, " to pay visits. 
 It seems to me the sun has lost his head ; one 
 knows not what to do in this singular country. 
 I cannot distinguish night from day." 
 
 He leaned against a mast and watched his 
 late companions descend ; then he gazed a 
 moment at the silent city. The morning (if 
 one can give this name to the time that with 
 us always belongs to the night) was charming ; 
 the air was clear and fresh as at daybreak in 
 spring-time, the sun was not yet visible, the 
 fjord was bathed in a glimmering light which 
 threw out the piers in strong relief. All was 
 silent. 
 
 Gothenburg slept ! 
 
 In our climate, in the midst of our more 
 exacting and energetic civilization, light to us 
 means labor, and we know little of repose 
 without darkness; therefore, to the inhabi- 
 tant of more southern climes the first sight of 
 these silent and deserted sunlit streets pro- 
 duces a strange, weird impression.
 
 CARINE. 7 
 
 No sound could be heard, except the rip- 
 pling and eddying of the sea, which penetrates 
 almost to the heart of the city. The silence 
 was funereal. A feeling of melancholy seized 
 our traveller, and with this ennui ; he realized 
 that he was fatigued. Saluting with a yawn 
 the Scandinavian sun and his first day under 
 the sky of Sweden, he threw himself on some 
 bales of cotton that were piled at the bow of 
 the vessel, and fell into a profound slumber. 
 When he awoke it was nine o'clock, and the 
 city was already filled with noise and activity. 
 He descended to his cabin, and after taking 
 great pains with his toilet, ventured on the 
 narrow bridge, and soon trod with joyful step 
 the soil of Odin. At first he walked rapidly 
 straight ahead, his elbows bent, shoulders up, 
 nose in the air, eyes afar; he followed for a 
 while the beautiful granite quay which runs 
 in a straight line from the fjord to the moun- 
 tain. After a brisk walk of ten minutes, 
 drinking in the fresh air, he stopped and
 
 8 CAR1NE. 
 
 asked a man whom he met to direct him to 
 a certain location; but he spoke so rapidly 
 and so brokenly that the man shrugged his 
 shoulders, and made a sign which signifies in 
 all languages, " I do not understand you " and 
 
 passed on, leaving our hero much chagrined, 
 for he had supposed that he spoke the lan- 
 guage fluently. However, this young man was 
 not easily discouraged ; so he tried it again, 
 and this time spoke slowly in a loud, distinct 
 voice. The man he addressed stopped, hat
 
 CA RINE. 9 
 
 in hand, smiling a little (no doubt at his 
 strange accent), and made a courteous bow, 
 regarding him with that charming good-will 
 which inhabitants of far-off countries feel 
 toward those who have braved the difficulties 
 of their language. 
 
 After having received instructions, the young 
 man changed his route, and leaving the straight 
 line of the quay took a different direction ; he 
 soon arrived at the suburbs of the city (for it 
 is much longer than it is wide), and paused 
 before a fine substantial mansion whose mas- 
 sive door was ornamented with a burnished 
 copper plate, which shone like gold, and which 
 bore the name of M. Karl Johan Tegner, mer- 
 chant. The stranger raised the knocker, which 
 fell with a sonorous report on a carved bronze 
 head, and presently the door opened, and he 
 found himself in a large hall, the- floor of 
 which was covered with fir branches and sweet- 
 smelling leaves. At the same time a young 
 girl came out of the drawing-room and stopped
 
 10 CARINE. 
 
 before him. They regarded each other a 
 moment without speaking. The maiden was 
 at home, she had the right to wait; it was 
 the place of the new comer to speak. He 
 understood this, without doubt, for after a 
 moment of mute contemplation, at the same 
 time calling to mind all he knew of Sweden, 
 so as to give her a high idea of his erudition 
 and gallantry, he exclaimed, 
 
 " How beautiful you are, Mademoiselle ! " 
 " I am not beautiful," replied the young girl, 
 laughingly; "butjv<?# are a Frenchman." Her 
 face expressed enjoyment, good-humor, and 
 frank gayety, and she spoke (a little slowly, 
 perhaps, but with a pure accent) in the 
 pleasing idiom which is spoken between the 
 Seine and the Loire. When one is four or 
 five hundred leagues from his native land, the 
 sound of his mother-tongue is pleasing to the 
 ear and to the soul. Our hero did not speak 
 for a moment. "Am I mistaken?" said .the 
 young girl. ' " Are you not a Frenchman? "
 
 CA RINE. 1 1 
 
 " At your service, Mademoiselle," replied 
 he, bowing low to her. " I am French, Made- 
 moiselle ; or rather, I am a Marseillais. Do 
 you understand?" he said gayly. 
 
 "But Marseilles is in France, I believe? " 
 
 " Without doubt, I am then French, as you 
 said ; and I am called Marius Danglade." 
 
 Marius paused as if to judge the effect of his 
 name on the young girl. 
 
 " Marius Danglade," repeated the pretty 
 Swede to herself, seeming to remember some- 
 thing. 
 
 " Have I the good fortune to be known to 
 you?" said Marius. 
 
 "Known? No," replied she; "but some- 
 how your name sounds very familiar. You say 
 you are from Marseilles. Do you know the 
 Swedish consul, M. Frederick Waldstrom?" 
 
 " Very well ; I have a letter from him, and 
 also one for M. Karl Tegner, who lives here." 
 
 " He is my father," said the young girl. " Be 
 so kind as to come in the drawing-room. I will
 
 12 CAKINE. 
 
 let him know you are here." All this was said 
 gracefully, and with an air of perfect ease and 
 good-breeding. 
 
 Marius saw no difference in her manners 
 from those of the most well-bred French ladies. 
 He was not aware that the Swedes are called 
 the French of the North, and that the Swedish 
 women are noted for their elegance of manner, 
 serious education, and force of character. Fol- 
 lowing the young girl, he entered the salon ; 
 then, ringing a bell, she gave a brief order, 
 which Marius did not understand, to the ser- 
 vant, who soon appeared with a tray, from 
 which she offered to her guest a glass of that 
 hydromel the Swedes call mjod. It is a liqueur 
 much esteemed by them, sweet as honey, and 
 bitter as the beer from which it is composed. 
 
 Marius, before drinking, saluted her with a 
 mixture of politeness and cordiality, and re- 
 placing the glass on the silver salver, regarded 
 her with more attention than he had formerly. 
 She appeared to him to be about twenty years
 
 CARINE. 13 
 
 old, and he was not far wrong. The excla- 
 mation he had made on first seeing her was 
 perhaps a little exaggerated, for her features 
 were not regular enough for her to be considered 
 in a strict sense a beauty ; but she had many 
 claims to the term. Her complexion was ex- 
 tremely fair, fresh, and rosy, and her expression 
 brilliant. Added to this she was tall, and of an 
 exceedingly beautiful form ; her high forehead 
 was crowned by an abundance of auburn hair, 
 which curled lightly around her temples, and 
 her dark-brjown eyes were large and lustrous. 
 All these charms dazzled Marius. He wished 
 to continue the conversation, but could not 
 think of a word to say, so he contented him- 
 self by drawing from his pocket his letters of 
 introduction. Handing them to the young 
 girl, he said, " Here are my credentials." 
 
 " You can give them to my father in a 
 moment," she said smiling ; " I hear his step 
 in the room above. In the mean time be so 
 kind as to give me some news of Madame
 
 14 CA RINE. 
 
 Waldstrom, the lady who has given us the 
 pleasure of your acquaintance. It seems to me 
 she is becoming idle in France, for she seldom 
 writes to me since she has been in Marseilles." 
 
 Marius had met the lady several times at 
 balls. He assured the pretty Swede that her 
 friend enjoyed herself very much in France, 
 and that she found Marseilles the most charm- 
 ing city in the world. 
 
 " She ought to have taken the trouble to tell 
 me so," said the young girl, smiling. 
 
 "She sent me to Gothenburg expressly to 
 tell you," said Marius, gayly. 
 
 " Be seated then, Monsieur 1'Ambassadeur." 
 
 She was still speaking when the door opened 
 and gave passage to the majestic person of 
 M. Karl Johan Tegner, most honored citi- 
 zen of Gothenburg, one of the greatest lights 
 of the Consul du Banque, and one of the 
 first notables of the Bank of Commerce. The 
 young girl in a few words, and with the ease 
 Marius had already admired in her, presented
 
 CARINE. 15 
 
 the new comer to her father, and made known 
 to him the situation. 
 
 " M. Marias Danglade, welcome to Gothen- 
 burg, and to my house ! " said M. Johan 
 Tegner, in much the same tone that Hamlet 
 took when he received his mother's guests. 
 Then he read the letter slowly, at times mak- 
 ing expressive little nods. Folding it carefully 
 and putting it back into the envelope, he said : 
 " \Valdstrom is one of my best friends ; any 
 friend of his is mine also. We have expected 
 you for a long time, and we have interested 
 ourselves in you before knowing you. Your 
 name has been mentioned here more than 
 once. Has it not, Elfrida?" asked the honest 
 merchant. 
 
 " It is true, Monsieur. That is the reason 
 why your name seemed so familiar." 
 
 "All this is very well, my child," said the 
 merchant, looking affectionately at his daughter ; 
 "but instead of talking, have Monsieur Dan- 
 glade's trunks sent to his room."
 
 1 6 CARINE. 
 
 " It is necessary to know where they are," 
 said she. " Monsieur, in coming here, had his 
 cane in one hand, hat in the other. That is 
 all I have seen." 
 
 " Mademoiselle is right," said Marius. " My 
 modest artist's baggage ' is on board ' La 
 Walkyrie.' " 
 
 " Artist, artist ; it is not of an artist he has 
 written me," thought Tegner. " May be it is 
 a fancy of this young merchant to pass himself 
 off as an artist. Of course I will say nothing ; 
 but I do not understand it. Then," said 
 he aloud, " you have left your trunks in your 
 cabin?" 
 
 " Yes ; and I am afraid I will not be 
 permitted to bring them here without ex- 
 amination." 
 
 " That may be, young man ; but 7 will have 
 them brought here." 
 
 "Will it not be necessary for me to go? " 
 
 " At one word from me, Karl Johan Tegner, 
 they would bring ' La Walkyrie ' herself,"
 
 CARINE. 17 
 
 said the merchant, with a gesture of proud 
 confidence. 
 
 " I fear to abuse your hospitality." 
 
 " Have we the air of putting ourselves out for 
 our guests? " 
 
 " No, indeed." 
 
 " Then, a truce to ceremony. We will be 
 delighted to have you stay with us ; one does 
 not come here from the other side of the world 
 for we are a little far off to stop at a hotel. 
 When you are tired of us, young man, it will be 
 time to think of going." 
 
 " Elfrida, see if our guest's chamber is 
 ready." 
 
 Elfrida tripped out on the tips of her toes, 
 light as a bird who condescends to walk on the 
 earth, but who seems always ready to take wing. 
 
 " Meme, quand 1'oiseau marche, ou voit qu'il a des 
 ailes." 
 
 Five minutes later, a valet in livery an- 
 nounced that the French gentleman's chamber 
 was ready. 
 
 2
 
 1 8 CARIXE. 
 
 "You are at home here," said the merchant, 
 as he showed his guest upstairs, and ushered 
 him into a large comfortable room containing 
 one large window opening on to a charming 
 view. 
 
 " How beautiful it is here ! " cried Marius, 
 looking out at the fir-crowned mountains. 
 
 " Try to amuse yourself, then ; and stay a 
 long time. I will give you the programme of 
 the house : breakfast at ten, dinner at four, 
 supper at nine, and all with a very good 
 appetite. Be prompt at your meals; it is the 
 one thing I ask of you. I do not like to wait ; 
 that is my greatest fault. The rest of the time 
 belongs to you." 
 
 After this little speech, delivered with much 
 frankness and good-will, Monsieur Tegner 
 closed the door, and left Marius alone to 
 unpack his trunks at his leisure. 
 
 " What hospitable people these strangers 
 are ! " cried the young man. " It would be 
 impossible to show more cordiality and con-
 
 CARINE. 19 
 
 sideration ! Added to this the house is hand- 
 some and comfortable, and the view from this 
 window most beautiful. Those grand old 
 mountains seem to be posing expressly for me ! 
 I have only to look out of my window to find 
 the most admirable models that a landscape 
 painter could wish for. I do not forget that 
 the daughter is charming ; if she were blond, 
 the lovely Elfrida would be perfection." 
 
 Marius was aroused from his pleasant revery 
 by some one knocking at his door. It proved 
 to be two sailors who were porters on board 
 " La Walkyrie," who brought his baggage, 
 and soon placed at the foot of his bed his 
 haversack and an enormous box of artists' 
 materials.
 
 MARIUS DANGLADE was a gay young man, 
 not ashamed of being young, and to whom 
 one could never dream of applying these 
 lines, 
 
 " Donnez-moi vos vingt ans, si vous n'enfaites rien ! " 
 
 for he employed his time in the best manner 
 possible. It is true, his twenty years were 
 twenty-five. He had first seen the light of 
 day in one of our most poetic cities, a city 
 where almost every one has a sentiment and 
 taste for the fine arts, where nature has largely 
 endowed her citizens with aptitude to seize 
 and the faculties to express the beautiful. We
 
 22 CA RINE. 
 
 have already said Marius was a Marseillais. 
 Marseilles is filled with painters, musicians, 
 and poets, whose artistic productions reveal 
 remarkable talent ; but in general its inhabi- 
 tants make a pastime of art in their hours of 
 leisure. Nature has been lavish, almost to 
 prodigality, to these Marseillais; and like all 
 inhabitants of southern regions, the more she 
 gives the less they dream to restore to her. 
 Like the peasants of this too fertile clime, 
 who are content to stir the soil with their feet, 
 and after sowing their seeds leave the rest 
 confidingly to the showers and the sunshine, 
 the Marseillais are too indolent to push to the 
 end that strong culture of the mind, without 
 which the human plant lacks the full perfection 
 of flower or fruit. 
 
 Marius was the son of a rich ship-owner, 
 who had a counting-house on the Cannebiere, 
 a villa on the Prado, and a country-seat with 
 a pflste-a-feu near the Gorges d' Ollioules. 
 He had shown from a tender age a great
 
 CARIffE. 
 
 2 3 
 
 talent for drawing. At six years he drew 
 noses and ears ; on his eighth birthday he 
 presented an eye to his father. His parents 
 were very proud of his talent, and his grand- 
 parents said to themselves that one day their 
 grandson would be a model cashier. 
 
 When he was fifteen they began to think 
 he drew too much, and wished to take away 
 his pencils and give him a pen. He gave up 
 his pencils, but substituted a brush ; one does 
 not do sums in addition with carmine, ultra- 
 marine and raw sienna ! The family began to 
 be alarmed. When he was eighteen, Marius 
 declared that he would be an artist or nothing.
 
 24 CARINE. 
 
 What a disappointment ! It was not for this 
 his father had nurtured him so carefully. This 
 worthy man was a ship-owner ; he had destined 
 his son for the same business ; he possessed 
 capital in ten counting-houses which brought 
 him in a fine income, was not this better than 
 to be a dauber of canvas? Menaces, prayers, 
 supplications were in their turn employed to 
 make Marius renounce his brushes and color- 
 box ; but he had one of those decided voca- 
 tions which nothing can alter. He continued 
 to paint; he painted always, and he painted 
 well ; he was successful even in his own 
 country. Every one praised his son's talent 
 to the ship-owner; this only augmented his 
 despair, each compliment was like a dagger 
 in his heart. 
 
 " Our little Marius has great talent," said 
 to him one of his confreres at the bank. 
 
 " The little rogue will be the death of me ! " 
 cried Monsieur Danglade, shrugging his shoul- 
 ders mournfully.
 
 CARINE. 25 
 
 Notwithstanding, when Marius had obtained 
 the gold medal and a prize of five hundred 
 livres in a competition opened by the artistic 
 society of the Bouches-du- Rhone, his paternal 
 vanity was a little moved ; but he was very 
 careful to conceal it. When, the following 
 year, Marius sold for two thousand francs to 
 the Cercle des Phoceens, a little picture no 
 larger than his two hands, the merchant con- 
 cluded that, after all, perhaps the commerce 
 of pictures might prove a good business for 
 his son, especially if the rascal would always 
 paint large pictures ; for he supposed the larger 
 they were, the more money they brought. 
 
 After this, and in consequence of the de- 
 clared intentions of his son, Monsieur Danglade 
 who loved Marius sincerely but in his own 
 way only resisted in form ; and after scold- 
 ing a little more, gradually softened and finally 
 surrendered, and finished by permitting this 
 "wayward boy "to follow his penchant. What 
 happiness for the young artist !
 
 2 6 CARINE. 
 
 Yet our most excellent merchant was des- 
 tined to undergo more tribulations. His son 
 the son and heir of a banker and ship- 
 owner was not content to be a portrait 
 painter; he preferred landscapes. Of all 
 branches of the art of painting, landscape is 
 the most delicate and the most reserved, and 
 also most inaccessible to the bourgeois, whose 
 unimaginative candor and simplicity demands 
 something real and tangible. Nature only 
 reveals her charms to the initiated, and will- 
 ingly conceals them from industry and com- 
 merce. 
 
 Many persons, when they buy a picture, like 
 to see men and women like themselves, sitting 
 or standing, and gayly clad. They play, they 
 eat, they drink, they kill, they die, they marry ; 
 in a word, they do those things which we are 
 accustomed to see, and which we understand. 
 This kind of painting is that which the artists, 
 in their picturesque and imaginary language, 
 name so well chercher la petite bete. La petite
 
 CA RINE. 
 
 2 7 
 
 bete is that which best pleases Monsieur Tout 
 le Monde. But to feel the mystic charm of 
 daybreak or twilight in the great forests, the 
 rushing and murmuring of the brook which 
 runs under the willow's drooping branches, to 
 perceive and feel Nature's most secret har- 
 monies, one must be more than man : one 
 must be a poet, a rare species. 
 
 Marius could not content himself with being 
 a painter, aggravating circumstance ! He 
 was a landscape painter. And as if to mark 
 the contrast between his birth and his des- 
 tiny, in the midst of all these models, arid, 
 chalky, desolate, burned by the sun (never- 
 theless beautiful), which presented itself at each 
 step in his native Provence, this child of 
 the South had a decided preference for north- 
 ern scenery. A journey to Switzerland en- 
 chanted him. His delight was unbounded 
 when he went from Martigny to Chamouni 
 by Le Col de Balme. He divined the Al- 
 pine nature as it is given few men to divine.
 
 28 
 
 CA RINE. 
 
 He trembled with the black branches of the 
 great fir-trees ; the dazzling snow was full of 
 charms for him ; and he found a supreme 
 pleasure in the vertigo one feels at the brink 
 of an abyss. He even longed to descend into 
 
 the green depths of the sea of ice. He re- 
 turned home in a state of febrile exaltation. 
 He felt that he was not merely an artist with 
 a brush in his hand ; for he sought to penetrate 
 the 'deepest secrets of Nature, and his inmost 
 being thrilled with an enthusiastic love of the 
 beautiful.
 
 CARINE. 29 
 
 Marius's father was rich ; and as every one 
 knew he did not need money, they bought his 
 pictures at a high price. Monsieur Danglade, 
 pere, was not avaricious, but he was a merchant, 
 that is to say, profit touched him ; he began 
 to believe that painting might, in some cases, 
 be a very profitable business. The sight of 
 the checks warmed his heart toward Marius ; 
 to tell the truth it had never been very cold 
 toward his only son, and he was very glad of 
 an excuse to show his affection. 
 
 About this time there came to Marseilles 
 a friend of Monsieur Danglade. He was a 
 lumber merchant from the North ; one of the 
 most influential men of Sweden. He had a 
 counting-house at Stockholm, a manufactory 
 at Motala for iron and steel, and lumber-yards 
 at Christiansand, with a steam saw-mill. Mon- 
 sieur Danglade and he had known each other 
 many years, and had formed one of those 
 friendly liaisons quite natural between mer- 
 chants in the same line of business whose in-
 
 30 CARINE. 
 
 terests are the same. The old Swede took a 
 great fancy to Marius. 
 
 " I have a beautiful daughter," said he to 
 his friend. " As your son loves the fir-trees, 
 the granite, and the snow, send him to us ; he 
 will be glad to go. As for the girl, motus ! 
 These things should come naturally, or not at 
 all. If they do not fancy each other, there 
 are plenty more beautiful maidens in Sweden ; 
 and they are as good as they are beautiful. 
 Marriage will do great things for your son. 
 He will then settle down, and will not be so 
 restless." 
 
 The business was soon settled. They agreed 
 that Marius should leave home toward autumn, 
 and pass the winter in Sweden. Winter is the 
 proper time to visit northern countries. 
 
 It was then spring-time ; and the summer 
 months are long under the burning southern 
 sun. Marius, who did not dream of love, and 
 whose mistress was art, asked nothing better 
 than to go to Sweden, and spend his time in
 
 CARINE. 31 
 
 the country fields. He had begun the grand 
 tour of Europe, which every artist ought to 
 take, at least once in his life, and was eager 
 to set off again immediately. But his father 
 was inflexible ; he loved his son after his own 
 fashion. He had made up his mind to this 
 separation, for he believed it would prove for 
 his good ; but he would not let him depart 
 until the appointed time. He engaged a Swe- 
 dish professor for him, so that he might pay 
 court to the Swedish ladies in their own lan- 
 guage, which is always an advantage. 
 
 Monsieur Danglade knew that Marius had 
 resisted all the seductions of Marseilles; that 
 he seldom went to the poste-a-feu where the 
 young men of his age usually resorted for 
 shooting-matches, etc. ; and that he disap- 
 proved of the gallantries and dissipations of 
 his companions. 
 
 His father, prosaic as he was, comprehended 
 that there was something unusually noble and 
 pure in his son's character ; and he was secretly
 
 32 CARINE. 
 
 proud of him, and respected him. He did 
 not even hint of his marriage projects ; so he 
 signed his furlough for the first of July, and 
 bade him God-speed. 
 
 Our hero, sufficiently ballasted with letters 
 of credit, and to such recommendations the 
 business men of the North always pay due 
 honor, travelled through Europe slowly, loi- 
 tering on the way ; and, after several weeks' 
 pleasant journeying, arrived at Gothenburg. 
 
 The address of the first letter of introduction 
 we have already seen was to one of the most 
 influential merchants of that city. His recep- 
 tion was most cordial, and Marius was prepared 
 to enjoy everything.
 
 THE Tegner family breakfasted invariably 
 at ten. Punctuality was M. Karl Johan Teg- 
 ner's hobby ; and for the right to the most 
 beautiful of the three crowns of Sweden, he 
 would not have consented to change for one 
 instant the accomplishment of this important 
 duty. The morning after our hero's arrival, he 
 walked up and down the wide hall before his 
 guest's chamber, and consulted his watch, which 
 was regulated every three or four days ; and 
 when he saw that it only lacked one minute 
 3
 
 34 CARINE. 
 
 of ten o'clock, he knocked at the door of the 
 young man's room. Marius immediately ap- 
 peared, dressed and ready. 
 
 " You are punctual," cried his host. " Why, 
 this is a marvel ! Nothing is so injurious as to 
 change one's meal hours. The stomach should 
 be respected, like misfortune ! Come, let us 
 go down." 
 
 The clock on the staircase, the clock in the 
 hall, and the French time-piece in the drawing- 
 room (a time-piece of Boule brought from 
 France in the time of the Revolution, which 
 has scattered over the world our arts and our 
 ideas), and the summons of the dining-room, 
 sounded at the same time with a precision 
 which would have done honor to the marine 
 watch of an admiral. They had struck six 
 times when the two men put their feet on the 
 last step of the staircase. At the same mo- 
 ment, that most respectable lady Madame 
 Brigette Tegner appeared at the entrance of 
 the vestibule.
 
 CARINE 
 
 35 
 
 "Come, then, my dear," said the merchant, 
 with the manner of a Louis XIV. bourgeois; 
 "we have waited for you." 
 
 " I came out of church during the Reverend 
 Oxen's sermon," replied Madame Tegner in 
 
 a meek voice, "and I do not think I am to 
 blame." 
 
 " Come, then, to table," said her husband. 
 " I hope Ulrica has been as punctual as we. 
 My dear, in my haste I have forgotten to 
 present to you our guest, M, Marius Danglade, 
 a friend of that excellent Waldstrom, our 
 consul at Marseilles."
 
 36 CARINE. 
 
 "Monsieur, I am happy to meet you," said 
 Madame Tegner, making a stiff and cere- 
 monious bow. 
 
 Madame Brigette seated herself at the foot 
 of the table, in a large wooden arm-chair, with 
 a high back crowned with a canopy of elabo- 
 rately carved wood, and with an air of dry 
 dignity asked the young man to take the 
 seat at her right. Then between them she 
 placed a large prayer-book bound in black 
 leather, whose well-worn corners attested con- 
 stant use. Marius had hardly seen her yet; 
 and as he loved to observe people, he profited 
 by a moment when her attention was distracted 
 to examine her hastily. She was a woman as 
 tall as her husband was short, as thin as he 
 was fat ; she was tall, stiff, and straight, with 
 strongly marked features. Her complexion 
 was colorless, and the only expression she 
 possessed was in her small gray eyes, which 
 were keen and piercing, and shone with a hard 
 cold light. Her hair, which cruel age had at
 
 CARINE. 37 
 
 the same time faded as well as thinned, might 
 once have been auburn, if one could judge by 
 the stray locks which occasionally escaped from 
 her close black crape bonnet. She was dressed 
 in a woollen robe of that sad color, to which 
 the Carmelites have given their name, falling 
 by a single plait from her shoulders to her 
 feet ; it looked like a meal sack. Altogether 
 her appearance (despite the pleasant expres- 
 sion of her mouth when she smiled, which 
 was rarely) was not very reassuring, and our 
 young Frenchman felt somewhat chilled. She 
 even had a bad effect on his appetite ; but he 
 soon learned not to mind the pious Brigette, 
 who was always occupied with her religious 
 duties, and who had very little to do with the 
 housekeeping. 
 
 Besides, Marius had always before him, to 
 nullify the depressing effects of the mother, 
 the fresh young face of Elfrida, with all the 
 careless grace and gayety of youth. This 
 pretty creature went to and fro, making the
 
 38 CARINE. 
 
 tea, and attending to everything, without even 
 tasting the raw fish, smoked meats, and other 
 delicacies of no less rude digestion, which her 
 parents seemed to relish so much. 
 
 "Do you never eat?" asked Marius. 
 
 " Sometimes," replied she, laughingly ; " and 
 I will keep you company in a moment. Will 
 you not take one of these tartines and a cup 
 of tea?" 
 
 It was she who served this perfumed bever- 
 age, and Marius looking at her rosy fingers 
 and lovely hands found the tea of superior 
 quality. He was not mistaken, for this was 
 " caravan tea," brought overland through the 
 steppes of Russia, which had not lost its deli- 
 cate aroma by a sea voyage, for never had 
 the iron and copper of a vessel mixed their 
 perfidious odors with its subtile fragrance. 
 
 "And Carine?" cried Monsieur Tegner; 
 "where is she? You well know that I do 
 not enjoy my breakfast without her ! " 
 
 "Behold," thought Marius, -'a reflection,
 
 CARINE. 39 
 
 which with these adorable mutton chops and 
 this beef tongue, comes a little late ! " 
 
 " You think too much of that little one, and 
 your sensibilities will kill you," said Madame 
 Tegner with a seriousness so profound and a 
 countenance so grave and impenetrable, that 
 the most skilful physiognomist had been unable 
 to decide whether this was a sarcasm or the 
 expression of a sincere and solicitous affection. 
 
 Marius's eyes went from wife to husband 
 without arriving at any conclusion. " Per- 
 haps," thought he, " I shall be more successful 
 with the daughter, who ought to be less dis- 
 sembling," and he looked quickly at the young 
 girl. 
 
 Klfrida was no less impenetrable than her 
 honorable parents. She poured the cream 
 into her tea, and seemed to pay the greatest 
 attention to this difficult task, and her chief 
 object seemed to be to see if she had suffi- 
 ciently paled the Chinese nectar ; but through 
 her lowered eyelids, with that intuitive power
 
 40 CARINE. 
 
 of divination with which nature has endowed 
 young girls, she felt that the stranger was 
 watching her. She took from the table a cup 
 of pink porphyry of Dalecarlia, which served 
 for a sugar-bowl, and handing it to him said, 
 "Will you have some sugar?" at the same 
 time giving him a coquettish glance from her 
 lovely brown eyes. Her expression was calm 
 and serene, and Marius did not appease his 
 curiosity in this quarter. 
 
 In the mean while Monsieur Tegner, who 
 was of a positive nature, and was not the man 
 to be satisfied with vague words when he took 
 it into his head a reply was necessary, said 
 severely, " I asked you," and he glanced 
 from the venerable Brigette to Elfrida, "I 
 asked you," repeated he, "where is Carine?" 
 
 Madame Tegner, who could dissimulate no 
 longer, made a quick gesture of impatience, 
 which was promptly suppressed, and looked 
 down. As for Elfrida, a close observer might 
 have remarked a trace of irritation in the fine
 
 CARINE. 41 
 
 and delicate arch of her eyebrows ; but as her 
 father had spoken particularly to her, she could 
 no longer elude the question. 
 
 " Carine has already breakfasted," replied 
 she, sweetly. 
 
 "Always the same!" said Monsieur Tegner 
 in a grieved tone. 
 
 "Why do you wish her to change?" said 
 his wife. . " She is to-day what she was yester- 
 day, and she will be to-morrow as to-day." 
 
 These remarks, questions, and replies, had 
 been made quickly and in a low tone in 
 Swedish, although French had been spoken 
 before all through breakfast. Marius spoke 
 the language tolerably well, but not well 
 enough to understand perfectly this brief dia- 
 logue. Perhaps he would not have taken such 
 an interest in the mysterious Carine had it not 
 been for this ; his curiosity was aroused by 
 the reiterated questions of the merchant, the 
 insufficient, and embarrassed replies of his wife 
 and daughter, which seemed to throw a little
 
 42 CARINE. 
 
 restraint over all, as each one hastened to leave 
 the table. Madame Tegner gave the signal 
 by taking her book, which she placed under 
 her arm ; then raising herself stiffly from her 
 chair, like an automaton worked by springs, 
 she left the room, followed by Elfrida. 
 
 Tegner was much chagrined by the unfortu- 
 nate result of his remarks, and hastened to 
 console himself with a little glass of old rum ; 
 then making the tour of the room two or 
 three times, to gain the thread of his ideas 
 interrupted by the copious breakfast he had 
 swallowed, as one unites the ends of the 
 transatlantic cable broken by a tempest, and 
 putting his hands on Marius's shoulder, he 
 said, 
 
 " Young man, you are as free as a bird in 
 the air, as a fish in the water. The city is 
 pleasant, the country is beautiful, and the roads 
 are good. I wish I could accompany you and 
 do the honors of my country ; unfortunately, I 
 am obliged to make much money, and I work
 
 CARINE. 43 
 
 harder than any two of my clerks. Do you 
 wish a guide ? I cannot promise a good 
 one." 
 
 " Keep him, then," said Marius, gayly. " I 
 do not like a courier. I make voyages of dis- 
 covery, which amuse me infinitely. I am cap- 
 able of discovering that you have a church, a 
 prison, and a bank. Do not fear ; I will amuse 
 myself all day." 
 
 " Very well, my dear boy, on condition that 
 your day is finished at four o'clock ; for at 
 four o'clock and thirty seconds we shall be 
 seated at the dinner-table. You have seen 
 that I allowed a little delay at breakfast, but 
 in regard to dinner I am inflexible ; pass that 
 time, and your punishment will be severe." 
 
 Before leaving the house Marius looked for 
 Elfrida ; but she was nowhere to be seen. 
 She had retired to her room to sew or to 
 study ; for although the Swedish ladies give 
 their evenings willingly to hospitality, polite 
 conversation, and honest familiarity, they re-
 
 44 CARINE. 
 
 serve at least the greater portion of their days 
 for the cultivation of their minds, and for the 
 performance of household duties. 
 
 The young Frenchman occupied the whole 
 day, which seemed very short, in roaming 
 about the city. It is a rare enjoyment, 
 always appreciated by an. artist, to find one's- 
 self in the midst of a foreign country, where 
 everything is new. strange, and surprising, and 
 where each step leads to the unknown. Ma- 
 rius, with artistic instinct, sought everywhere 
 new types of beauty or ugliness. He followed 
 an elegant form across the street ; he walked 
 a half mile to meet again a beautiful blonde 
 with floating hair under a large hat. All this 
 without the least thought of wrong ; his admi- 
 ration was purely artistic. A man, provided 
 that he was well built, that he had a figure 
 which would look well on canvas, was as 
 much the object of his minute examination 
 ami systematic research as the most beautiful 
 woman. With Marius passion had not yet
 
 CARINE. 45 
 
 awakened ; it was the artistic sense that dom- 
 inated his spirit. 
 
 The day passed rapidly, like enchantment ; 
 without leaving the city, Marius had enjoyed 
 himself greatly. He saw, he lived, he studied, 
 and he learned ; he found everything attractive, 
 
 and everything he saw charmed him. Gothen- 
 burg is truly a pleasant city, admirably situated, 
 full of life and movement, attracting all the 
 neighboring population as the centre of com- 
 merce, and presenting to the traveller numerous 
 samples of different races, and a foretaste of
 
 46 CARINE. 
 
 Swedish civilization which he will find later 
 on at Stockholm, its brilliant capital. 
 
 Our Marseillais would have gladly passed 
 the rest of the day wandering around the city ; 
 but he had constantly on his mind the urgent 
 request of his worthy host to be punctual at 
 dinner. He had faithfully promised this mag- 
 nificent diner to be prompt, and he did not 
 wish to give his host a bad opinion of his good 
 breeding, on the first day at least. On pass- 
 ing a church he looked at the dial, the hand 
 of which pointed to twenty minutes before 
 four. He was not sure of his way, and as he 
 did not wish to lose any time asking people 
 who might find his Swedish unintelligible, he 
 hailed one of the six public carriages of Go- 
 thenburg and pronounced the name of Tegner. 
 The driver on hearing it smiled knowingly, 
 and nodding, as if to say, " I understand," 
 whipped his horses ; and after a rapid drive 
 of five minutes through the narrow streets, 
 Marius found himself before the substantial
 
 CARINE. 47 
 
 mansion of the honorable merchant, easily 
 recognized by its granite corners, its salmon-, 
 colored walls, and its light green outside 
 window-blinds. He paid the man liberally, 
 laughing to himself at his narrow escape, and 
 entered the house.
 
 .'-> ;J&' _"&' 
 ^/-^^v.^.^/- 
 
 *4-v4i 
 
 THE house had taken on an air of festivity. 
 There were fresh leaves and sweet-smelling 
 herbs on the floor of the wide hall ; there was 
 sage, thyme, lavender, rose-leaves, and other 
 fragrant herbs new to Marius. An appetizing 
 odor from the kitchen spread itself from cellar 
 to garret ; the stew-pans smoked on all the 
 stoves ; the butler carried in a basket filled with 
 bottles of all sizes ; and the majestic Ulrica 
 showed her importance before the vast fire- 
 place, where three stories of roasts were baking 
 at the same time. 
 
 4
 
 50 CARINE. 
 
 The honorable Karl Johan Tegner stood 
 with his hands crossed behind his back, in a 
 satisfied manner. He went from one thing to 
 another, giving everything the finishing touch ; 
 he tasted the sauces and the salads, and laid 
 out in a row on the vast sideboard the bottles 
 brought from the cellar, in the order he wished 
 them to be served, and himself placed on each 
 napkin the name of the distinguished guests 
 who were to dine with him. 
 
 " A la bonne heure ! " cried he on seeing 
 Marius. " Behold a punctual man ! But be 
 tranquil ; before forty minutes we will eat a 
 soup of swallows-nests, which has been sent 
 to me expressly from Holland, and which will 
 be served by the hands of no less a person than 
 Madame Karl Johan Tegner." 
 
 " You are superb ! " cried Danglade, regard- 
 ing the brilliant cravat, the chamois waistcoat 
 with large revers, and the maroon coat with 
 golden buttons of the merchant. " Is it then a 
 fete? Are you going to marry your daughter?"
 
 CA R/VE 5 I 
 
 "Not yet," said Tegner, winking his eye. 
 
 "Then you have the viceroy, the admiral, 
 the general, for your guests?" 
 
 "You will soon see," said Tegner, strutting 
 like a peacock, which proudly displays its bril- 
 liant plumage. 
 
 "Well, as it is thus, I will go to my room 
 and make myself worthy of the illustrious 
 company." 
 
 " Ha, ha ! make yourself handsome ! " cried 
 the jolly host ; " every one cannot be that." 
 
 When Danglade reappeared in a costume 
 of which the elegant simplicity contrasted per- 
 haps with the gorgeous apparel displayed by 
 Tegner, he found five or six men in the salon. 
 The merchant named them successively, 
 the president of the bank; the commander of 
 a squadron of artillery, charged with the coast 
 defence ; several wealthy merchants of the city. 
 The young Frenchman was received with that 
 courtesy and good-will which all Swedes feel 
 for us.
 
 52 CARINE. 
 
 As the guests had all arrived, the folding 
 doors opened, and Madame Tegner appeared, 
 followed by Elfrida. The elder lady had not 
 as usual her prayer-book under her arm ; but 
 it was clearly to be seen that she missed it, 
 for at times she pressed her elbow to her side 
 as if to prevent its falling, and seemed em- 
 barrassed on not finding it in its accustomed 
 place. The gray woollen gown was replaced 
 by a robe of violet silk, the shape of which was 
 the same as a sack ; it hung in shapeless folds 
 around her bony figure. It was evident that 
 crinoline had not yet reached Sweden, or else 
 the pious lady objected to it on religious 
 grounds. 
 
 Happily Madame Tegner had a lovely 
 daughter, who dressed well. Whether she 
 had a particular reason for appearing more 
 beautiful than usual this evening we cannot 
 say ; but it is certain that she was so charming 
 that the gentlemen of the party could not re- 
 frain from an exclamation of admiration when
 
 CARINE. 
 
 53 
 
 she appeared before them. Their praises 
 were merited. It was hardly possible to look 
 fresher, or more like a lovely half-blown rose 
 from which the dew had never been shaken. 
 
 Her brilliant eyes shone like two black dia- 
 monds, her forehead gleamed like polished 
 white marble, and her lovely complexion was 
 as transparent as alabaster. 
 
 Perhaps in Paris, where capricious fashion 
 exercises always an empire as ridiculous as it
 
 54 CARINE. 
 
 is absolute ; at Paris, where a thing is out of 
 fashion to-day for the simple reason that it was 
 the fashion yesterday ; and where the first titl e 
 to be is of not having yet been, at Paris one 
 might have considered this costume of Elfrida 
 old-fashioned. It was simply a velvet spencer 
 of a light green color, fitting perfectly her 
 charming figure, open at the neck, revealing 
 her beautiful swan- like throat, and ending with 
 three little sashes over a white, hooped silk 
 skirt. This might have been the fashion of 
 1820; but for Marius it was all the same. In 
 1856 this costume certainly was not worn 
 at Paris or at Marseilles ; but the dress 
 was pretty, and exceedingly becoming to 
 Elfrida. 
 
 In the mean while our worthy host had not 
 forgotten the dinner; and after his guests had 
 sufficiently admired his daughter's beauty, and 
 paid tribute to her good taste, which pleased 
 the father, for it tickled his paternal vanity, 
 he hastened to remind them : " All this is
 
 CARINE. 
 
 55 
 
 very well," said he, " but my daughter is 
 modest, and the dinner is getting cold." 
 
 Elfrida then rang a bell, when a servant in 
 full livery entered the room bearing a large 
 tray loaded with sandwiches, in which smoked 
 fish took the place of our ham or tongue, and 
 with little glasses of white brandy distilled from 
 potatoes. Each one ate a sandwich or two, 
 and swallowed his glass of this beverage, which 
 Marius found frightful ; after which they passed 
 into the dining-room, where most of the guests 
 showed veritable prowess. 
 
 Our young friend had been superseded in 
 the place of honor at Madame Tegner's right 
 by two gray, bald, and portly functionaries ; 
 but as he was placed between Elfrida and her 
 jolly old father, the change was a most agree- 
 able one to him, and he did not dream of 
 complaining. He spoke often in French to 
 his lovely neighbor, much to the displeasure 
 of their i>is-a-vis, a young merchant, whose 
 appetite suffered from ineffectual attempts to
 
 56 CARINE. 
 
 hear fragments of their conversation, of which 
 unfortunately the meaning escaped him more 
 than the words. He was a handsome young 
 man with thick red hair, light- blue eyes, carry- 
 ing lightly his thirty-four years, and answering 
 to the name of Frederick Brask. He had long 
 sighed for the fair Elfrida, but they were not 
 yet fiances. 
 
 After a while, when the edge of their appe- 
 tites was somewhat appeased, and when the 
 wines of France and Germany had elevated 
 their spirits, the host rose, and holding a bottle 
 in one hand, and in the other a champagne 
 glass of Bohemian ware, cracked to imitate ice, 
 a glass so rare and beautiful that it seemed 
 to improve the piquant aroma of the generous 
 and insidious liquor, "I drink," said he, 
 " ' fraternity ' with the young Frenchman Ma- 
 rius Danglade, whom I have had the pleasure 
 to present to you this evening." 
 
 " Provided that it be not paternity that we 
 drink together," murmured Frederick Brask.
 
 CA RIVE. 5 7 
 
 Elfrida lightly shrugged her shoulders ; but 
 Tegner heard nothing, or feigned not to hear ; 
 for filling the glass of Marius and his own, and 
 locking his right arm in the left arm of his 
 guest, they raised at the same time the glass to 
 their lips. This ceremony is called in Sweden 
 " Drinking fraternity," and is a sacred tie 
 between two men. All the guests came in 
 their turn and touched their glasses to that 
 of the young Frenchman. Only one thought 
 best to refrain, and remained aside ; this was 
 Frederick Brask, who observed all the details 
 of this little scene with an uneasy attention. 
 Marius showed his good breeding by not no- 
 ticing this apparent slight, which seemed to 
 mortify Elfrida very much. 
 
 By this time their vast libations had begun 
 to take effect, and would have sent under the 
 table long ere this less experienced drinkers. 
 Many of the guests, no doubt, on returning 
 home found the streets very narrow and the 
 walls very unsteady.
 
 58 CARINE. 
 
 When they had all gone, Tegner, whose 
 tongue was a little thicker than usual, said in 
 that deep grave voice in which a man speaks 
 after drinking, "Where then is Carine? " 
 
 "She is in her room," replied his wife, 
 coldly, who during dinner had drunk nothing 
 but water. 
 
 Elfrida looked toward her mother, but said 
 nothing. As for Tegner, he arose, not without 
 leaning heavily on the arm of his chair, and 
 went into the other room.
 
 "WHO is- this Carine?" Marius asked him- 
 self, entering his chamber after his host had 
 wished him " Good-night and golden dreams." 
 " Is there then a tragedy being played in this 
 patriarchal family? Am I at the entrance of 
 a mystery of Udolpho? This frank and honest 
 appearing father, is he an ogre, with an appe- 
 tite for human flesh, and to whom is served 
 infants for supper? The austere Brigette, this 
 shy Puritan, does she conceal under an aspect 
 of piety a cruel nature, persecuting innocence
 
 60 CARINE. 
 
 and tyrannizing over weakness? and, last, this 
 pretty Elfrida, does she get her rosy cheeks 
 only by sucking huma*n blood? Is she a 
 vampire ? And for the unlucky stranger whose 
 evil star has led him into this house, ought he 
 to barricade his room, bolt the door, and put 
 some loaded pistols near his bed before sleep- 
 ing? Come," said he, "all this is absurd! 
 How do I know who this Carine is ? She may 
 be a nervous aunt, a cousin in disgrace, or 
 some unfortunate girl. I will not bother my 
 head with the affairs of others. Behold, a 
 voyage begun under happy auspices, and my 
 first day in Sweden has been well occupied." 
 
 Marius then looked at his watch for the 
 tenth time that day (he was becoming me- 
 thodical like his host), and was astonished to 
 find that it was past eleven. It was still day- 
 light, and he thought that if he went to bed he 
 could not sleep a wink, as he was not accus- 
 tomed to sleep by daylight. So he took out 
 his sketch-book and began to sketch from
 
 CARINE. 6 1 
 
 memory a beautiful tree he had noticed during 
 his morning ramble. He went vigorously to 
 work ; but like the oaks and the laurels of the 
 forest of Armida, the tree opened its trunk to 
 reveal a female form ; its branches became 
 beautiful arms, and its spreading roots changed 
 to little feet. The head only was always lost 
 in the leaves ; and if the beautiful Elfrida her- 
 self had been looking over his shoulder she 
 could not have accused his crayons of im- 
 pertinence. 
 
 Suddenly Marius threw down his work, like 
 an unfinished essay unworthy to see light. 
 "This champagne is no good/' cried he; 
 " it is not true Cliquot, but a detestable imi- 
 tation. My hands tremble, my face is flushed, 
 and I feel horribly. This cooking with so 
 much red pepper burns my very entrails ; I 
 am always drinking to quench my thirst, and 
 as the proverb says, ' Who has drunk will 
 drink.' " He then poured out a glass of fresh 
 water, took off his dress-coat and put on a
 
 62 CARINE. 
 
 soft shooting-jacket that he usually wore in his 
 studio, rolled a cigarette deftly between his 
 fingers, and opened the window. 
 
 The sky was of a deep blue, and the light 
 of infinite softness. The eye travelled far in 
 the distance. For Marius, who was accustomed 
 to the brilliant southern sun, this was delightful, 
 and he gave himself up to the charm of the 
 northern sky, so blue and opaline. Nervous, 
 like all artists, sensitive as a woman, accessible 
 to all the impressions of the exterior world, 
 his feelings were instantly touched with an 
 ineffable tenderness, which closed around him. 
 This calm, this silence, this delicious air, these 
 ethereal lights that softly bathed the sleeping 
 earth, all this aroused his inmost being. His 
 window opened from the floor on a large 
 balcony, which commanded a beautiful and 
 extensive view of the mountains. He leaned 
 his elbows on the iron railing of the balcony, 
 near which he had rolled his arm-chair, and 
 looked at the beautiful landscape which lay
 
 CARINE. 63 
 
 before him. Then perceiving that the bal- 
 cony ran around the house, and made what 
 the architects call a retour (Fequerre, he 
 advanced toward the part which overlooked 
 the flower garden. But at the moment when 
 he turned the corner which separated one 
 facade from the other, he was struck with as- 
 tonishment ; for at the entrance to a bower 
 formed by clematis and hop-vines, whose 
 climbing shoots were interlaced around some 
 pine-trees (forming a natural bower), he saw 
 a woman ! She was so motionless that she 
 might have been taken for a beautiful statue. 
 Leaning on the massive trunk of a linden -tree, 
 her chin in her left hand, her bare right arm 
 falling its full length, one foot advanced, 
 her head bent as if listening, one would 
 have said that she listened with all the forces 
 of her being, and that not the slightest noise 
 floating in the air could escape her. But 
 reassured by the silence and calm which 
 reigned around her, she started forward, and
 
 64 CARINE. 
 
 coming out of the shadow entered into the 
 full light. Marius, who had an artist's eye, 
 could see her perfectly, as in daytime. 
 
 She was a young girl, who seemed to be 
 about eighteen years old ; she was not quite 
 so tall as Elfrida, and she did not seem to have 
 the force or the vigor of the blooming maiden 
 who had only that morning welcomed him 
 as her father's guest. This maiden appeared 
 delicate almost to weakness; she was slender, 
 frail, and pliable as a reed, and as easily 
 broken. The distance did not as yet permit 
 Marius to distinguish her features very clearly, 
 but they appeared to be small and regular. 
 She was bareheaded, and her blond tresses 
 fell over her shoulders in a golden cloud near- 
 ly to her feet. She wore a strange costume, 
 with which he was not familiar. It was that 
 of the Dalecarlia fisherwomen, who perform 
 at Stockholm (the Venice of the North) the 
 same office that the gondoliers there per- 
 form on the grand canal, and in the lagoons
 
 CARINE. 65 
 
 of the beautiful and unfortunate city of the 
 Adriatic. 
 
 Marius, charmed with this adventure, re- 
 mained immovable and mute. He scarcely 
 breathed, so fearful was he of frightening away 
 this lovely vision ; and he remained so closely 
 pressed against the wall that he looked like a 
 bas-relief set in Tegner's house. The young girl 
 took a few steps in the direction of the garden- 
 walk, then paused, and seemed to sink into a 
 deep revery; she remained some time in this 
 position, the soft light enveloping her form, 
 and enabling Marius to examine her more at- 
 tentively than he had yet done. Completely 
 assured that she was alone, the lovely phantom 
 shook back her floating hair, then advanced 
 into the garden and paused beside a bed 
 of pansies and forget-me-nots, those little 
 blue flowers that the Germans have made the 
 emblem of remembrance. She seated herself 
 almost opposite the balcony where the young 
 man was concealed behind a pillar. This time 
 5
 
 66 CARINE. 
 
 the artist could contemplate the apparition at 
 his ease, and almost as well as if she had been 
 in the drawing-room. 
 
 The young girl was indeed charming, despite 
 an expression of profound melancholy im- 
 printed on her youthful features. Danglade. 
 enthusiastic as a poet, never remembered hav- 
 ing seen before a face so beautiful and be- 
 witching. All her movements were as graceful 
 as a wild fawn's, like one who had always lived 
 near Nature, and far from the world. She was 
 occupied in arranging the flowers she had just 
 plucked. With great care she assorted the 
 colors and combined the shades ; her task was 
 absorbing, and she gave it her undivided atten- 
 tion. Marius followed the motion of her light 
 fingers, now breaking off the stalks, now 
 pruning the leaves, and arranging the flowers 
 with exquisite taste. The oblique light struck 
 her face, and brought out in strong relief her 
 beautiful head, so purely modelled, and her 
 low broad forehead, white as the newly fallen
 
 CARINE. 67 
 
 snow ; and under her snowy brow, under the 
 long dark eyelashes, her eyes, which she raised 
 several times to the heavens, had the dark-blue 
 tint of wet violets. Her profile was poetic, 
 correct, and fine, and had the ideal pallor of 
 marble. 
 
 Upon a man like Marius, easily exalted and 
 prompt to admire, such a vision at such an 
 hour and under singularly romantic conditions, 
 naturally produced a lively impression. Mute, 
 immovable, retaining almost breathless all his 
 soul in his eyes, which he could not detach 
 from this beautiful face, he contemplated the 
 little scene with that profound and absorbing 
 attention which engraves forever such scenes 
 on the memory. 
 
 Soon the young girl arose ; her task was 
 finished. Perhaps the chill of the night had 
 fallen on her, for a slight tremor shook her 
 frail form. For a moment she stood still ; 
 then she looked at her bouquet, untied the 
 ribbon with which it was fastened, and separat-
 
 68 CARINE. 
 
 ing the flowers she had just arranged with so 
 much patience and care she threw them into 
 the deep foliage near her. Then brushing back 
 a long curl which had fallen over her brow, she 
 gave a furtive glance around her, and hearing 
 a window open and a voice calling, " Carine ! 
 Carine ! " she ran across the walk and entered 
 the house.
 
 MARIUS looked longingly after her; then 
 lightly recrossed the balcony and returned to 
 his room without having attracted any one's 
 attention. 
 
 Safe in his chamber, Marius was more agi- 
 tated and perplexed than ever. Nevertheless, 
 he had seen Carine ! This name which had 
 so interested him, and of which he had been 
 dreaming all day, did not belong to an ugly 
 old woman, but to the most charming creature 
 he had ever seen. Carine was a young and
 
 70 CARINE. 
 
 lovely girl ; she lived under the same roof, 
 near him, perhaps she was in the next room ! 
 But who was she? Was she Elfrida's sister, 
 Monsieur Tegner's daughter? Was she a 
 stranger sheltered by this benevolent Tegner? 
 Was she a culpable child, under punishment? 
 This seclusion to which she was condemned, 
 was it voluntary? All these and many more 
 questions he asked himself. His very soul was 
 agitated with the intense ardor of his youthful 
 nature, yet he could not solve the problem. 
 I do not believe he slept much that night ; but 
 I do know that never before had he had such 
 dreams. 
 
 The next morning he awoke early, and 
 quickly dressing himself descended into the 
 garden. As yet the whole household slept. 
 All was fresh and quiet ; indeed, the air was 
 so clear and invigorating that it acted like wine 
 upon our hero's spirits. He seated himself 
 on the same bench where the night before he 
 had seen Carine (it seemed natural for him to
 
 CARINE. 71 
 
 prefer the seat she had so long occupied) ; 
 then making sure that he was alone, he entered 
 the thicket, and bending, picked up some of the 
 flowers scattered here and there by the lovely 
 vision of the night. Calmer now, and his head 
 refreshed by the sweet morning breeze, Marius 
 returned to his room, threw himself dressed 
 on the bed, and fell into a profound sleep. 
 
 Our hero awoke a little late, and remem- 
 bering his host's hobby about being punctual, 
 made a hasty toilet, not wishing to injure the 
 best regulated stomach in Gothenburg, and was 
 rewarded by entering the dining-room one quar- 
 ter of a second before Tegner, who believed 
 that he paid his young guest an unequalled 
 compliment by telling him that he had never 
 met a watch or a Frenchman who kept time 
 better than he. Marius was not endowed with 
 extreme penetration, but he could not help 
 seeing a cloud on the face of the honest mer- 
 chant ; for after wishing him good-morning 
 very cordially, Tegner seemed to pay no further
 
 72 CARINE. 
 
 attention to the young man for some time, but 
 walked up and down the large room with his 
 hands crossed behind his back, seeming to be 
 thinking out or trying to solve some difficult 
 problem. He even went once or twice to the 
 vestibule, then to the street door, and also to 
 the one that led to the garden, as if looking for 
 some one. At last, seeing that it was nearly 
 ten o'clock, and that the majestic Ulrica, with 
 an important and busy air, began to lay the 
 warm plates on the table, Monsieur Tegner 
 armed himself with a sudden resolution, and 
 taking his guest's arm silently invited him to 
 join his promenade. After a moment of silence 
 he coughed and said, 
 
 " I have only known you since yesterday ; 
 nevertheless, it seems to me that we are old 
 friends, and I feel a confidence in you. I 
 believe that we are destined to pass some time 
 together, and you will do me a favor if you will 
 look on this house as your own. It is better, 
 therefore, that I should apprise you of some-
 
 CARINE. 73 
 
 thing that you are certain to find out sooner or 
 later for yourself." 
 
 After saying this, Tegner was silent for a 
 moment; but as Marius said nothing, he 
 coughed once or twice and continued. 
 
 " You already know," said he in a low voice, 
 " my wife and my daughter ; but Elfrida and 
 Madame Tegner are not all of my family ; you 
 will see another person. If in her words or 
 actions you remark anything singular, you will 
 do well to take nociotice of it whatever." 
 
 Marius was visibly agitated by these words ; 
 he made a gesture of assent and replied, " This 
 person you call her Carine, I believe?" 
 
 " Ah, you know her name? " 
 
 " Did you not mention it before me twice 
 yesterday at table ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I believe I did. Well, Carine is 
 not " 
 
 M. Karl Johan Tegner did not have time to 
 finish his sentence ; for just then the door 
 opened, and Madame Tegner entered the
 
 74 CARINE. 
 
 room, followed by two young girls. The first 
 was Elfrida, with whom Marius already felt well 
 acquainted, and who greeted him cordially, 
 giving him her hand, which Marius pressed 
 gently a r Anglais. (Our ancestors kissed the 
 hand of lovely woman; we shake it!) The 
 other girl, who seemed to be a year or two 
 younger than Elfrida, kept a little behind Ma- 
 dame Tegner, it seemed as if she wished to 
 hide in her shadow. The merchant hesitated 
 a little before presenting her to his guest ; then 
 taking her by the hand said simply, " Carine," 
 without other designation. 
 
 Marius had already recognized the lovely 
 nocturnal vision ; but he had only seen her the 
 night before at a certain distance, and could 
 not now refrain from looking at her with much 
 curiosity, which did not surprise Monsieur 
 Tegner, as he attributed it to his previous 
 remarks, as well as to the singular though 
 picturesque dress worn by Carine. She wore 
 the Dalecarlian costume, which was so striking
 
 CARINE. 75 
 
 and peculiar that, thought the honest Tegner, 
 an artist would naturally examine it with atten- 
 tion. As for Elfrida, she followed with an 
 interest no less lively the impressions which 
 successively manifested themselves on the mo- 
 bile and frank countenance of the artist; but 
 Marius, feeling himself thus observed, immedi- 
 ately threw over his face an impenetrable mask, 
 promising himself, however, to lose no occasion 
 whatever of continuing his observations. 
 
 As for the lovely inconnue, she bowed to the 
 stranger, in whom she took no interest, with 
 an air of perfect indifference ; and without fur- 
 ther notice or thought of him, she seated her- 
 self at what seemed to be her accustomed place 
 at the table, at the left of Monsieur Tegner. 
 
 Marius was not only an artist, he was a man 
 of the world, used to the best society. He 
 understood instantly that he was in a difficult 
 position ; that every one was restless, and that 
 his presence aggravated this feeling. Indeed, 
 he mentally resolved to beat a quiet retreat as
 
 7 6 CARINE. 
 
 soon as possible ; but for the present he must 
 not appear ill at ease or constrained, thereby 
 annoying his entertainers. Therefore he drew 
 on all his resources of wit and good-humor : he 
 made gay and witty speeches ; he. explained 
 the theory of the bouillabaisse to Tegiier, ap- 
 ropos to a certain sauce served with the trout ; 
 he talked religion with the austere Brigette, and 
 discussed the latest Parisian fashions with El- 
 frida; he even tried to attract Carine's atten- 
 tion, but was finally obliged to admit to himself 
 that the beautiful unknown had not even the 
 slightest suspicion of his intentions. Once or 
 twice, however, if he had observed her more 
 closely, he might have seen a faint smile ap- 
 pear at the corners of her lips without daring 
 to spread on her serious mouth. He was al- 
 most sure that she understood French as well 
 as the rest of the family ; for while the Norwe- 
 gian, forgetful of France, turns more and more 
 to the side of England, the Swede remains 
 faithful to our language and literature. Once,
 
 CARINE. 77 
 
 for an instant, Marius thought he caught the 
 eye of this dreamer ; but she turned her head 
 quickly, and dropped her eyelids promptly, 
 not soon enough, however, for the artist 
 had time to look into her soul, where he 
 divined a profound sadness. During the re- 
 mainder of the time the young girl appeared 
 entirely indifferent to all that passed around 
 her ; and our hero, fearing to annoy the family, 
 appeared not to notice her. He profited how- 
 ever by the revery into which she sank to ad- 
 mire her natural elegance and exquisite grace, 
 which greatly enhanced her beauty ; he found an 
 infinite charm in her profound and fleeting air 
 of sadness, and in her delicate and transparent 
 complexion. She seemed a maiden expressly 
 created to love and to suffer. Although she 
 had spoken but few words, her voice seemed 
 to Marius to possess a depth of timbre, and at 
 the same time it was melodious, penetrating, 
 and pure ; even when she spoke softly, this 
 charming voice had that peculiar sympathetic
 
 78 CARINE. 
 
 quality which is so rare that one can describe 
 it only in a word, voix sympathique, and the 
 sound seemed to come from afar. Marius 
 noticed in the maiden an air of dejection ; and 
 she looked so very frail and spirit-like that 
 it seemed as if she said in a low voice, " Do 
 not approach me, for a great misfortune has 
 happened to me, and I am as one apart ! " 
 
 Thanks to the unheard of efforts made by 
 Marius to keep up the conversation, the ice 
 was broken ; one felt no longer constrained, 
 and they all seemed to wish to atone to their 
 guest for the temporary coldness which had 
 prevailed. Tegner was radiant, for he had 
 feared that this gloom might impair his diges- 
 tion, and his usual beaming smile appeared 
 on his face when his dear Elfrida prepared 
 his tea as of old. Carine, who had not even 
 tasted the wine or beer, drinking only water, 
 now quietly left the room, and seemed to 
 carry with her the last trace of anxiety and 
 apprehension ; for she had done nothing to
 
 CARINE. 
 
 79 
 
 justify their fears, and a general feeling of 
 relief prevailed. 
 
 After breakfast Marius took his sketch-book 
 and wandered out into the country, under the 
 pretext of study ; his real motive was a desire 
 
 to be alone. Was he truly alone in the midst 
 of this Nature, so grand, rugged, and melan- 
 choly ; these mountains covered with heather, 
 and these granite rocks crowned with the eter- 
 nal verdure of the firs ? Did he not carry with 
 him an image, which time had hardly as yet 
 graven on his soul, but which passed and re-
 
 80 CARINE. 
 
 passed before his eyes? This question he 
 alone can answer. All that we as his historian 
 know, is that until now he had only known one 
 type of beauty. that of the southern bru- 
 nette, with dark complexion, brown eyes, hair 
 black as ebony, or lustrous blue-black like 
 a raven's wing. God forbid that ! should 
 decry the beauty of the women of Marseilles ! 
 There are many families in Marseilles where 
 this peculiar type of beauty is a heritage from a 
 remote ancestry. The splendor of their orien- 
 tal charms is rarely outdone elsewhere in Eu- 
 rope ; at least nowhere can be found such 
 perfect mouths, such pure profiles, or brews so 
 finely modelled, in a word, living heads 
 resembling so faithfully the immortal beauty of 
 the statues and medallions of Sicily and Greece. 
 But brilliant as is brunette beauty, it has only 
 one note ; and when one has sufficiently sung 
 of it, one remembers that the scale complete 
 has seven notes, without counting the sharps 
 and flats.
 
 CARINE. 8 1 
 
 Independently of this prestige of the un- 
 known, so full of seduction for a nature young 
 and susceptible to all the emotions of life, 
 Carine was for Marius a revelation, a revela- 
 tion of the blond type, which was that of Eve, 
 of Venus, and of Helen of Troy, and of almost 
 all the celebrated heroines which artists and 
 poets have made immortal. She was also to 
 him a revelation of northern beauty, which 
 appeals more to the soul than to the senses, 
 so pure that it seems immaterial, like the icy 
 glaciers which are at the same time cold and 
 brilliant, and which give to the lakes in which 
 they are reflected their limpidity and trans- 
 parency. At home Marius had been so occu- 
 pied with his art that he had no place for other 
 seductions, and this was the first time his soul 
 had been aroused. He thought of Carine's 
 beautiful face, her rosy lips, her perfect mouth, 
 her snowy, satin-like complexion, her long light 
 hair, fine as spun silk and golden as amber. 
 Would she ever think of him ? Alas ! he feared 
 6
 
 82 CARINE. 
 
 not ; she had not even looked at him ! He 
 wished to be alone ; he had wished to plunge 
 even into the bosom of the mountain, to be 
 alone all this long day under the shadow of the 
 firs and beeches. He desired to be far away 
 from the world, and for a week or two to flee 
 from Tegner, Elfrida, and Carine herself, to 
 commune with his own soul and with Nature. 
 At last he tried to think of something else ; 
 and as his was a brave nature, he courageously 
 aroused himself, took his brushes, worked 
 with ardor, and made a study which occupied 
 half the day. " He who labors suffers not ; " 
 " activity of spirit makes sentiment sleep ; " 
 and his heart had an intermission. But when 
 his work was finished, and he was closing his 
 portfolio, he said to himself, " If she only 
 loved painting ! " Then he hastened to re- 
 turn to the city, bounding like a chamois 
 over the crevices in the rocks. When he 
 saw the houses of the city his chest heaved, 
 and he paused. " Down there," said he, look-
 
 CARINE. 83 
 
 ing at Tegner's house, " it is there she 
 lives ! " 
 
 They dined that day en famille. No one 
 came, to our hero's great joy ; for he felt quite 
 incapable of carrying on a polite conversation 
 with strangers, answering questions as to " how 
 he liked Sweden," and if he " expected to 
 remain long." The weather was warm, the 
 evening charming. After dinner Tegner pro- 
 posed a walk in the country ; but his wife, who 
 soon retired to say her prayers, pleaded fatigue, 
 and they remained in the garden. 
 
 It was a very pleasant, quaint old garden, but 
 rather small, like all city gardens. When they 
 had sufficiently surveyed its length and breadth, 
 Tegner, who was no walker, seated himself on 
 the marble bench where Carine, the preced- 
 ing night, had remained so long. This was 
 near the house, opposite a beautiful porphyry 
 vase, which although not quite so large as 
 that of Rosendal (which is the special ad- 
 miration of all visitors at Stockholm) was
 
 84 CA RINE. 
 
 no less worthy of figuring in the park of a 
 prince. 
 
 No one talked, and each individual seemed 
 plunged in revery. Does not melancholy seem 
 the natural attribute of certain hours? The 
 three women were seated in rustic chairs, the 
 men at each end of the bench. By chance 
 Marius was placed near Carine. He greatly 
 desired to speak to her, but a certain respectful 
 fear withheld him. It seemed as if she was 
 enveloped in an atmosphere of sadness, and 
 that it would be almost a profanity to address 
 her in the polite language of society. Little 
 by little the pure and chaste beauty of the 
 young Swede had calmed the ardor of his 
 southern blood ; he wished to respect this snow 
 maiden. Looking down he perceived in the 
 grass at his feet a tuft of withered myosotis 
 and a sprig of thyme, waifs from the bouquet 
 of the past evening. He picked them up and 
 inhaled their perfume, for even when crushed 
 certain flowers retain their sweetness ; and
 
 CARINE. 85 
 
 when he was certain that he had attracted 
 Carine's attention he turned to her quickly, and 
 showing her the flowers, pointed to the bal- 
 cony that had served for an observatory. Her 
 hands trembled, and she blushed deeply. It 
 was the first sign of emotion that he had 
 observed in her ; however, it was promptly 
 repressed, and an instant after Marius had only 
 an alabaster statue at his side. 
 
 Soon after this they withdrew to the drawing- 
 room to wait the tea-hour, of which our 
 worthy host made a veritable lunch with all 
 sorts of comfortable and savory accompani- 
 ments.
 
 THE place to see the Swedes at their best is 
 in the drawing-room. In general this room 
 much resembles that of the English, little 
 luxury, little useless superfluities, and not so 
 many of those cumbersome curiosities with 
 which our ladies cover their tables, overload 
 their mantelpieces, and weigh down their 
 etageres, but everywhere comfort and an ele- 
 gant simplicity. At Madame Tegner's it was 
 easily to be seen that this room was the sanctu- 
 ary of intimate home-life. It was there that
 
 50 CARINE. 
 
 you found your favorite friends and books, 
 books which you could read to the family, and 
 which one loved to re-read alone. The 
 embroidery frame, the work-box, the half- 
 finished tapestry, and in one corner the open 
 piano, all proclaimed the home. On the 
 piano were scattered loose pieces of music, 
 many of which were the national airs, which 
 are so popular in Sweden. The Swedish 
 women give themselves up to domestic cares 
 with much activity and vigilance. They love 
 needlework no less than instructive reading ; 
 and, endowed with a most happy aptitude, 
 they soon acquire a relative superiority in the 
 fine arts. Marius soon perceived this, and he 
 wondered that he had known so little of the 
 customs of these fair women of the North- 
 land. 
 
 The twilight shadows fell, and the lamps 
 were brought in, the windows draped with long 
 heavy curtains which fell to the floor, shutting 
 out the uncertain light which prevailed at that
 
 CARINE. 89 
 
 1 
 
 hour, and which is all the darkness if it 
 can be called darkness which they have in 
 Sweden at this season of the year. Tegner 
 seated himself in a vast arm-chair, and the 
 three women sat near the table sewing. The 
 artist approached a small stand on which were 
 several French novels and illustrated journals 
 from all parts of the world ; he tried to read, 
 or rather he looked at the pictures, while the 
 ladies worked and Monsieur Tegner twirled his 
 thumbs. 
 
 These quiet hours passed in the bosom of 
 the family in peacefulness, embellished by all 
 the charming sociability, and by the graces 
 for which the Swedish women are particularly 
 noted, and which renders Sweden so dear to 
 foreigners, seemed delightful to this child of 
 the South. It was a great contrast to the bril- 
 liant and animated outdoor life of Provence. 
 Marius felt himself living in a more serene 
 atmosphere than he had yet known. Madame 
 Tegner herself stiff, awkward, and constrained
 
 90 CARINE. 
 
 before the world here found herself in her 
 natural element. She harmonized well with the 
 objects which surrounded her. She was a 
 woman of the North, severe but good, reserved 
 to strangers, and profoundly devoted to her 
 family ; and was on close acquaintance always 
 loved by those who had at first feared her. El- 
 frida worked with great attention a complicated 
 piece of tapestry, which, however, did not pre- 
 vent her listening to the young Frenchman's 
 accounts of his travels, and of French life. 
 The merchant, fatigued by his long day of 
 business, and determined not to impair his 
 digestion by troublesome thoughts, forgot when 
 he entered the drawing-room all business cares. 
 He was seated in his enormous arm-chair, 
 which seemed made expressly to accommo- 
 date his embonpoint, his hands crossed before 
 him over his capacious waistcoat, saying 
 nothing, thinking nothing, and enjoying a 
 satisfactory feeling of well-being and of vege- 
 table life.
 
 CA RINE. 9 1 
 
 A little aside, deftly handling two large 
 netting-needles, her long slender hands plunged 
 in- the brown wool, her head bent, sat Carine, 
 working near a little table by the light of a 
 solar lamp, which enveloped her person in a 
 sort of aureola. Marius regarded her with 
 restrained but profound emotion. In her suave 
 beauty he found everything to satisfy his artistic 
 taste, the light which dazzles, the candor 
 which charms. His gaze went from the lim- 
 pid blue eyes to the soft golden-blond hair, 
 descended from the head to the sloping shoul- 
 ders, lingered at the waist, and followed the 
 undulating lines of her beautiful figure. " O 
 sister of Galatea ! " thought he, " how happy 
 would he be who could animate thee by a 
 kiss ! O Carine ! Oh, if life's passions have 
 never touched thee, if those lovely eyes 
 have never been illumined by the light of 
 love, then wilt thou be transfigured, adorable 
 statue, and enchant all hearts that are now 
 desolate ! "
 
 92 CARINE. 
 
 Monsieur Tegner addressed to the young 
 girl several questions, to which she replied in 
 monosyllables. It was apparent that he de- 
 sired to break this obstinate silence, and to 
 draw her into the general conversation ; but 
 she resisted, and silently refused all overtures. 
 In speaking to her the merchant's voice was 
 affectionate and tender ; it was evident that his 
 regard for this maiden was mixed with pity. It 
 was the same also with Madame Tegner and 
 Elfrida. Marius observed everything, and with 
 his usual tact refrained from any attempt to 
 pay Carine those ordinary attentions which are 
 customary between young persons of opposite 
 sexes in company, for he saw that she was timid 
 as a hind in the deep forest. 
 
 One of the guests of the preceding evening, 
 the red-haired Frederick Brask, came at nine 
 o'clock to pay a visit to Tegner. His coming 
 brought a little diversion and activity into this 
 home party, which had begun to languish and 
 imperceptibly feel the effect of the cloud
 
 CARINE. 93 
 
 which Carine's melancholy threw over them. 
 Elfrida, seeing Frederick enter, blushed slightly 
 and made a joyful movement, which did not 
 escape the artist ; she gave him her hand with 
 a sweet smile and a good-will which rendered 
 her charming. "Ah," thought Marius, " these 
 are lovers ! " 
 
 After the arrival of a new comer in a little 
 circle there is always a certain movement ; one 
 profits by it to change his position ; the group 
 disperses and re-forms at one's pleasure : this 
 one leaves a sofa to take an arm-chair, that one 
 goes to the table, another to the piano. Elfrida 
 rang for tea, and she made it in the broad 
 window-seat, a little aside with Brask, who 
 seemed perfectly restored to good-humor. 
 Marius arose, spoke a few words to Madame 
 Tegner, then seated himself near the little table 
 ^here Carine worked: then he sharpened a 
 pencil, took a piece of Bristol board, and began 
 to draw. The young girl did not at first seem 
 to notice what he was doing, and continued
 
 94 CARINE. 
 
 her monotonous task with her usual apathetic 
 indifference to everything. At last she noticed 
 the steadiness with which the stranger regarded 
 her. Marius drew with an unequalled ardor 
 and rapidity ; he had rarely felt more rapture 
 and transport; a living image seemed to be 
 created from his fingers. But from time to 
 time he raised his eyes and fixed them on 
 Carine in a manner which was naturally em- 
 barrassing to her. She seldom raised her eyes ; 
 once or twice however their eyes met, and find- 
 ing those of the stranger so ardent, tenacious, 
 and magnetic, she quickly dropped her eyelids ; 
 and if she felt under this magnetic glance a 
 new emotion, she did not permit it to be seen, 
 for not a muscle trembled on her impassable 
 visage. In the mean time the work advanced ; 
 already the outline of the delicately modelled 
 forehead appeared on the paper; already one 
 could divine the living expression under the 
 long lashes, and the elegant oval (a little thin 
 perhaps) of the face was modelled in all its 
 classic purity.
 
 CAR1NE. 95 
 
 The worthy host, impatient because the tea 
 was not yet served, arose and walked up and 
 down the room. He drew near the artist. 
 Elfrida and Frederick came too, and grouped 
 around him. Marius and Carine were in the 
 centre of a little curious group. The latter 
 endured with impatience the prolonged atten- 
 tion of which she was the object, and wished to 
 leave the room ; but she could not. She there- 
 fore remained immovable and silent; but her 
 hands trembled, and spoke for her by feverishly 
 fingering the long box-wood needles with red 
 sealing-wax heads, which moved only by fits 
 and starts.
 
 " GOOD heavens ! what a resemblance ! " 
 cried Tegner, "it is really striking!" 
 
 " Yes," said Brask, " it would be impossible 
 to make a better portrait. It is Carine herself ! 
 it is Carine ! " 
 
 " Do you think she is as pretty as the pic- 
 ture?" said Elfrida, in a low voice to the 
 young banker. 
 
 "Oh, it is Carine!" replied he, with more 
 frankness than gallantry. 
 7
 
 98 CARINE. 
 
 "Yes, it is like her," admitted Elfrida, whose 
 natural goodness overcame a little jealousy. 
 
 Ulrica and Gustavus now entered with the 
 tea-trays, and the little circle was broken, much 
 to Carine's satisfaction, who disliked to attract 
 attention, and preferred always to remain in 
 the background. She did not rise, but leaned 
 toward the table ; at the same time Marius held 
 his drawing up to the light in order to criticise 
 it. The original and the copy thus confronted 
 each other. Carine, who had taken no notice 
 of the picture before, recognized her own like- 
 ness, and was struck with surprise, which she 
 betrayed by a quick gesture of her hands. 
 She opened her mouth as if to exclaim, but 
 suppressed the desire ; then she looked again 
 at the drawing, and at the artist who had drawn 
 it so skilfully, so promptly, and successfully. 
 Her face expressed her astonishment, and also 
 perhaps a little grateful recognition for that 
 which he had done so admirably. Her eyes 
 glistened, as if tears arising from her heart had
 
 CARINE. 99 
 
 suddenly moistened the eyeballs ; a pinkish hue 
 tinted her cheeks, delicate and pale like the 
 leaf of a white rose, and a light and fugitive 
 smile deepened imperceptibly the two charming 
 little dimples in her cheeks. All this, however, 
 was over in an instant ; she drew herself up, 
 the smile disappeared, she became as cold as 
 marble. Again she was a statue maiden, im- 
 passable and gloomy. 
 
 Our hero at least now knew that there was 
 a woman within this statue, and that perhaps 
 he might find there a heart which would 
 respond to the palpitations of his own; but 
 he fully realized that he must proceed cau- 
 tiously, and that it is at all times necessary to 
 deal tenderly with" such delicate nervous organi- 
 zations. He finished with a few strokes of his 
 pencil the picture, which he only considered a 
 sketch ; then he threw it carelessly on the table 
 to show Carine that he did not consider it of 
 much importance. He then went to receive a 
 cup of tea from Elfrida, who was doing the
 
 IOO CARINE. 
 
 honors with her accustomed grace ; but he 
 could not refrain from casting sly glances at the 
 lovely creature who always kept in the back- 
 ground. In a few moments, when all seemed 
 occupied, Elfrida with Brask, Tegner with a 
 plate of salad, and his wife with her prayer- 
 book, in which each evening she read the 
 psalter for the day, Marius, encouraged by 
 circumstances which seemed favorable, took up 
 his sketch and approached Carine. 
 
 " What do you think of my work ? " said he. 
 
 The maiden seemed a little troubled by this 
 unexpected question ; but she replied quickly, 
 without raising her eyes, " I think you have 
 wasted your time. People do not take por- 
 traits of the dead ! " 
 
 I do not know which impressed Marius the 
 most, this despairing reply, or the sound of 
 Carine's voice. This voice was of a strange 
 timbre ; it had the immaterial purity of crystal, 
 and resounded like the ideal note of a har- 
 monica; it seemed suited to the angelic ^beauty
 
 CA RINE. 
 
 101 
 
 of her face, for human passions could never 
 trouble it. 
 
 Now that Marius had broken through the 
 first barrier of reserve, and with many women 
 
 that is always the most difficult thing to do, 
 he did not dream of abandoning the siege so 
 soon. "It seems to me," said he, softly, "that 
 you are not as dead as you think you are ! " 
 
 " I am," replied Carine. " I am a hundred 
 times more dead than those who sleep out there
 
 IO2 CARINE. 
 
 under the lindens." She alluded to the beau- 
 tiful trees that threw their shadows, their mur- 
 murings, and their perfume over the graves in 
 the cemetery of Gothenburg. 
 
 "Happy, then," continued the artist, "will 
 be the one who can make you hear the trumpet 
 of the archangel, and say to you, taking your 
 hand, 'Carine, arise from the dead ! ' " 
 
 Unconsciously Marius had made the ges- 
 ture which would naturally accompany such 
 words ; and if he had not blown the trumpet, 
 his hand had at least sought that of Carine. 
 But she had hastily drawn hers away, as if the 
 contact had been for her a fault or a profanity, 
 and replied, " The archangel will not sound the 
 trumpet for or summon me, until the day of 
 judgment." 
 
 Marius was now extremely agitated ; his eyes 
 flashed, and a light of enthusiasm illumined his 
 brow. He had never experienced such feelings 
 before ; and doubtless he affected also the 
 beautiful Swede, for she seemed frightened, not
 
 CARINE. IO3 
 
 daring to look at this impetuous youth again, 
 nor to speak to him. She devoted her atten- 
 tion closer than ever to her work, and her face 
 became as usual cold and expressionless, and 
 the gulf between them seemed deeper than 
 before. 
 
 The different time-pieces struck ten. Tegner 
 arose, and with characteristic punctuality gave 
 the signal to retire by shaking hands with 
 Frederick Brask and Marius Danglade ; then 
 he turned down the lamps, and pulled back the 
 curtains. The twilight entered and filled the 
 apartment with misty shadows. Brask, who 
 was serene, having been restored to his usual 
 good-humor by his long tt'te-a-tfte with Elfrida, 
 took leave of the young Frenchman with a 
 politeness almost affectionate ; and after many 
 good wishes, each one retired. 
 
 Marius, once more in his room, went to the 
 balcony and eagerly looked into the garden 
 below ; but the lovely vision of the preceding 
 night did not appear. That vision seemed like
 
 104 CAR1NE. 
 
 a dream ; and the remembrance of her face, so 
 noble and so pure, so virginal and chaste, came 
 over him, and he felt sure that a thought of evil 
 could not exist before the light of her eyes. 
 All his suspicions had vanished, and in their 
 place remained the tenderest sympathy.
 
 THE days passed quietly by. One day 
 resembled another, and nothing important 
 occurred in the household of mine host 
 Tegner. 
 
 Our hero was feeling completely at home, 
 and as if he was one of the family. The 
 austere hostess, finding him to be an honor- 
 able young man, of good habits and respectful 
 manners, began by tolerating him, and ended
 
 106 CARINE. 
 
 by really feeling for him a warm friendship. 
 Tegner treated him like a son. Elfrida be- 
 haved toward him as if he was her brother, 
 since she saw that he had no intention of mak- 
 ing love to her. For this amiable girl was sin- 
 cerity itself; she loved Frederick Brask, and 
 did not possess a shadow of real coquetry. 
 
 As for Carine, she was always the same. 
 This beautiful creature, endowed with such 
 unusual attractions, so well calculated to love, 
 so worthy of being loved, seemed to live in a 
 dream, and to be indifferent to everything. 
 She often remained for days in her room, and 
 on certain days it seemed as if she redoubled 
 her sadness. Her manner toward Marius was 
 also odd ; sometimes she seemed attracted 
 toward him, and took a real interest in his 
 conversation. It is true she never looked at 
 him ; but when he talked, a certain animation 
 was visible, and she was surprised to find her- 
 self listening with a sentiment which resembled 
 pleasure. After having allowed herself this
 
 CA RINE 107 
 
 temporary relief from a mourning which she 
 had no doubt sworn should be eternal, she fell 
 into a melancholy more profound than ever. 
 But at least there was one pleasant result, 
 the family no longer remarked those strange 
 changes of humor which had before been so 
 marked and so disturbing. The clouds were 
 lifting a little ; she was still sad but not des- 
 pairing ; she did not talk, but she listened ; 
 and it was no longer forbidden for others to 
 address her. Slowly and almost imperceptibly 
 she improved ; and her friends dared hope one 
 day to see her enter into their common life, 
 and interest herself once more in the things of 
 this world. 
 
 Marius alone could not see this improvement, 
 perhaps because he had not known her so long 
 as the others, and was also too impatient. 
 From the first time he had seen her, he had 
 felt for the lovely unfortunate a profound inter- 
 est ; soon that interest was changed to tender- 
 ness ; little by little, without being conscious of
 
 108 CARINE. 
 
 the change, the tenderness had become love, 
 and the love a profound passion, more in- 
 tense, perhaps, because hopeless. It seemed 
 to him that a bottomless gulf separated Carine 
 from the love of any man. He understood all 
 this ; but instead of turning him from his pur- 
 pose, this almost unsurmountable difficulty only 
 made him more determined to vanquish all 
 obstacles, and overcome fate itself. Very soon 
 this passion, which seemed to grow rapidly, 
 took such possession of him that he became 
 melancholy^ and almost ill. He would have 
 given half his life to penetrate with a ray of 
 light this soul, so closed and so obscure ; and 
 seeing that he could not, his heart was wounded 
 sorely, Like the wounded stag, he fled to the 
 forest depths , he explored the beautiful coun- 
 try that surrounded the city ; he was always on 
 the mountains or in the valleys ; he often left 
 the house before daybreak, under pretext of 
 interesting explorations of the magnificent 
 country, or of curious studies, and did not
 
 CARINE. lOQ 
 
 return until late at night. On those days he 
 saw no one ; but he carried with him every- 
 where the dear image, which peopled for him 
 the solitude. When he was thus far from men, 
 far from her, he, if possible, loved her better; 
 then he spoke to her and she replied to him, 
 
 and he carried on imaginary conversations, and 
 every day found himself more deeply in love. 
 The solitude at such times was restful, and he 
 was content. At other times, on the contrary, 
 he felt an imperious desire to return to the 
 family life, to see Carine oftener, and to speak 
 with her if possible.
 
 SWEDISH hospitality, which gives without 
 thought of return, and which restricts no one's 
 liberty, permitted our hero to follow his own 
 fancies, without notice or comment. In this 
 second crisis of his life, he did not go out so 
 much, but under pretext of work remained al- 
 most constantly in his room, hearing the many 
 noises which were around him, and which his 
 ear, owing to his nervous state, could distin- 
 guish with startling correctness, though vague 
 and uncertain for others. He had learned to
 
 112 CARINE. 
 
 distinguish Carine's lightest footstep. Often 
 before dawn he carried his easel into the gar- 
 den, under the fallacious excuse of studying the 
 trunks of the fir-trees so as to paint the bark 
 well, but in reality to catch distant glimpses of 
 Carine's dress floating between the trees, as she 
 took her early matinal walk. 
 
 The house of Monsieur Tegner was truly a 
 pretty villa on the hillside, somewhat like those 
 chalets which give such a picturesque appear- 
 ance to the country around Brisgau and to the 
 Oberland ; but to Marius its principal charm 
 consisted in the presence of the golden-haired 
 maiden called Carine. This villa had on the 
 second floor a projecting window which was 
 beautifully carved. The architect, or builder, 
 who placed it there was a true artist ; he had 
 displayed much originality in the carving, which 
 was in the arabesque or oriental style of 
 Damascus or Cairo, of which the Swedes and 
 Norwegians are very fond. A little balcony 
 surrounded this window, which was at the same
 
 CARINE. 113 
 
 time both elegant and rustic. Over the win- 
 dow was a sort of projecting roof, which formed 
 a tower, covered with a dome ; and all along 
 the dome and spire climbed a profusion of 
 flowering creepers, sweet-scented jasmine, 
 and hop-vines, accompanied by a light squadron 
 of wall-flowers, climbing rapidly, as if to take by 
 storm on their aerial route all the other flowers 
 and leaves. But that which Marius valued 
 about all this was that one day on 'the railing of 
 this balcony he had seen Carine leaning, to 
 look into the garden ; another time he had 
 seen her lovely blond head peep out of the 
 thick vines, when she had mechanically broken 
 off some flowers of clematis and plucked 
 dreamingly some silver stars of the fragrant 
 jasmine. From that time this balcony was 
 sacred to our hero ! He made a masterly 
 drawing of it, which only needed her presence 
 to be perfect ; but the window was a picture in 
 itself. The simple merchant was astonished 
 that his young. guest took such an interest in 
 8
 
 114 CARINE. 
 
 that window and balcony; but he finally 
 attributed it to the vagaries of an artist ; and 
 he considered all artists a little queer. It was 
 a constant source of trouble to the honest 
 Tegner to comprehend the attraction which 
 made a young man with such brilliant prospects 
 prefer art to trade; so he set all his little 
 eccentricities down to the same score, and 
 thought that perhaps age would bring reason ; 
 and in the mean while he formed a veritable 
 attachment for Marius, and loved him as a 
 son. 
 
 At the hours of family reunion Marius was 
 always the first at the rendezvous. Tegner was 
 much surprised to find him before himself in 
 the drawing-room, and pointed his young friend 
 out as a model to Elfrida, who had perhaps a 
 ribbon to tie or a pin to put in, and was usually 
 a little late. Our hero's chief happiness was to 
 see Carine enter the room, with her light grace- 
 ful carriage, her figure at the same time elegant 
 and frail, her lovely blond head bent shyly
 
 CARINE. 115 
 
 down. She never even looked at Marius, but 
 he could look at her ; and at table he was at 
 her side, and it was a pleasure to render her the 
 many little services by which well-bred men 
 can show women their deference and respectful 
 attention. At first she received these attentions 
 with apparent indifference, but ended by be- 
 coming accustomed to them. 
 
 Etiquette was less severe here in Tegner's 
 house than at the court of the petty German 
 princes. Each guest did not have behind his 
 chair a valet in black cloth to anticipate his 
 wishes and satisfy his desires ; one had there 
 the right and the duty to occupy himself with 
 his neighbor. Carine handed his glass to 
 Marius, and he in turn took the basket and 
 offered her the bread, passed her the fruit and 
 asked her for the cream and sugar. Therefore 
 there was between them a continual interchange 
 of courtesies. Carine thanked Marius some- 
 times by a word and sometimes by a smile. 
 He was indeed the light of the company. He
 
 Il6 CARINE 
 
 well knew how to make himself interesting, 
 sometimes gay, and sometimes even a little buf 
 foonish : the southern temperament is welcome 
 everywhere. The beautiful melancolie took no 
 part in the conversation, but she listened. 
 Sometimes Marius turned to her suddenly, and 
 his eyes said, " It is for you I talk ! " But 
 instead of flattering her these attentions dis- 
 turbed Carine ; she immediately became dis- 
 contented, formal, and abstracted ; she seemed 
 by her cold glance to say, " Do you not know 
 that I am dead to the world?" Under such a 
 glance Marius felt a certain bitterness ; he real- 
 ized that his hopes had soared too high, only to 
 fall heavily to the earth. 
 
 At times also Carine did not come to her 
 meals for days, and Marius did not even hear 
 her name mentioned. These were bad days 
 for him ; but there were greater trials in store 
 for him. He had now been Monsieur Tegner's 
 guest over three weeks, and believed that he 
 had somewhat influenced this young girl; that
 
 CA RINE. 117 
 
 he had in a measure overcome her shyness 
 and softened her bitter moods, when all at 
 once he perceived to his great sorrow a sad 
 change come over her. For several days she 
 had appeared more calm, more interested in all 
 around her, as if she was gliding imperceptibly 
 from her melancholy and returning to ordinary 
 life. Physically she was expanding ; her eyes 
 were brighter, her complexion more rosy ; she 
 was no longer an invalid, and her friends smiled 
 hopefully on regarding her. It was then that 
 she had a relapse a hundred times worse than 
 the first. She enveloped herself with a cold- 
 ness and reserve greater than ever before. 
 Formerly toward Marius she was simply apa- 
 thetic ; for her he did not exist. At present it 
 was much worse ; she appeared to have an 
 aversion for him which was almost hatred ; she 
 carefully avoided meeting him, and fled from 
 his presence ; she shunned the garden because 
 he went there ; and if at times she went to her 
 meals, she arrived late and left early, without
 
 1 1 8 
 
 speaking a word to any one. Marius did not 
 complain ; but he thought her unjust in her 
 caprices, and mentally accused her of all his 
 sufferings. 
 
 Nevertheless (who can sound the depths of 
 a feminine heart?), once or twice, turning sud- 
 denly, he found Carine looking at him intently ; 
 and moreover the expression in her eyes was 
 not hatred. Another day Marius was reading 
 under the shade of the large trees beside the 
 fountain near the porphyry vase ; it was a 
 volume of Carlen's poems, which described in 
 beautiful language the secret bitterness and the 
 deceitful sweetness of love. He let the book 
 fall, and raised his eyes to heaven ; but on the 
 way he looked into Carine's window. His 
 glance did not go farther, for behind the 
 curtain he saw a little white hand holding 
 the muslin apart. The hand was withdrawn 
 quickly and the drapery fell, but not so 
 promptly as to prevent his recognizing Carine ! 
 This so agitated our hero that he arose sud-
 
 CAR1NE. Up 
 
 denly and went for a long walk in the country, 
 through an extended avenue of lindens and 
 beeches which led to the foot of the moun- 
 tains ; there he thought over his acquaintance 
 with this strange but adorable creature, and 
 even dared to hope for the future ! 
 
 " Strange girl ! " murmured he as he walked 
 rapidly on, beating with his cane the under- 
 growth of vines and grasses that grew so 
 thickly in the borders of his path. " Oh, shall 
 I ever penetrate the mysteries of her heart?" 
 
 This mystery was one of Carine's strongest 
 attractions for Marius, and was no doubt the 
 very thing which had enchained him. To this 
 careless son of the South, accustomed to an 
 easy artistic life, everything with him so far 
 had been couleur de rose , he had yet to learn 
 that often the heart of man is revealed to 
 himself by suffering. He was aware that his 
 love was more than he could endure ; he 
 sought everywhere the remedy, but found it 
 not. It was impossible to appeal to Carine ;
 
 I2O CARINE. 
 
 he well knew that she would not listen to him 
 for a moment. Elfrida was too young and 
 gay for a confidante ; he was afraid she would 
 laugh at his woes. There was nothing about 
 Madame Tegner to inspire confidence in re- 
 gard to love affairs. There remained only his 
 host ; undoubtedly Monsieur Tegner was the 
 best of the family for that purpose. Two or 
 three times the young man tried to speak on 
 this subject to the worthy man. At first he 
 began by asking some questions about Carine ; 
 but at the first word poor Tegner looked so 
 embarrassed and troubled that from sheer pity 
 Marius could not continue the subject, nor 
 demand answer to his question.
 
 YET our hero well knew that this tense state 
 of affairs could not continue, and that a de- 
 nouement was imminent. He grew thin and 
 nervous; and avowed that he was no longer 
 himself; he certainly felt that he no longer 
 rendered himself as agreeable to his host as 
 politeness demanded. Like Carine, he needed 
 solitude. He therefore resolved to leave, at 
 least for a time, this hospitable house, and to 
 set out immediately on a voyage to the great 
 lakes and immense forests of the North, which 
 he had intended to visit in the autumn.
 
 122 CA R[NE. 
 
 One morning, then, Marius brusquely an- 
 nounced his intention to his host at breakfast, 
 just as they had finished their meal. No doubt 
 Carine was dreamily absorbed in her own 
 thoughts, for at that moment she let fall to 
 the floor, instead of putting on the table, the 
 glass from which she was drinking. 
 
 " What ! you are going already? " cried 
 Tegner, putting his hand on the young man's 
 arm. 
 
 "Yes," replied Marius; "but I will return," 
 added he, looking at Carine. She had resumed 
 her mask, and her face expressed nothing. 
 
 "And when do you go?" asked Tegner. 
 
 "To-morrow." 
 
 "Isn't this very sudden?" 
 
 " I can wait no longer." 
 
 "And you go " 
 
 "To the North." 
 
 "By what route?" 
 
 "By the Gotha Canal." 
 
 " Impossible ! all the places are taken."
 
 CA RI.VB. 
 
 123 
 
 " Mine is reserved." 
 
 "Why, you are a careful young man." 
 
 " It is necessary in travelling." 
 
 " Well, the captain is one of my best friends. 
 I will recommend you to him with great 
 pleasure, if you will permit me ; but this 
 abrupt departure seems odd to me." 
 
 " Do not suspect me of ingratitude, my dear 
 friend ! " cried the young Frenchman, taking 
 in his both of the merchant's hands and press- 
 ing them affectionately, ' but introduce me to 
 your friend as soon as possible." 
 
 The remainder of the day was passed in the 
 nervous occupations and the little preparations 
 which always accompany a departure. Tegner, 
 his wife, and Elfrida did everything they could 
 to insure their guest's comfort on his journey ; 
 they took as much interest as if he had been 
 really their child and brother. They loaded 
 him with as many provisions and other articles 
 as if he were undertaking a voyage to the north 
 pole. Marius was overwhelmed and touched
 
 124 CARINE. 
 
 by these delicate attentions ; he had never 
 seen such goodness and generosity united with 
 such frank and unaffected cordiality. 
 
 Carine remained shut up in her room, and 
 he was obliged to depart without seeing her.
 
 THE vessels that run between the North and 
 the Baltic Seas by the Gotha Canal leave the 
 port of Gothenburg at three o'clock in the 
 morning. Therefore most of the passengers 
 go on board the preceding evening. Marius, 
 therefore, left the dear mansion where he had 
 been so hospitably received, after tea, accom- 
 panied by Karl Johan and Brask, the latter 
 having come to pass this last evening with the 
 young Frenchman, whom he now loved like a 
 brother. Standing erect and solemn on the
 
 126 CARINE. 
 
 threshold like a sibyl, Brigette Tegner deigned 
 to wish him " a happy voyage and a safe 
 return ; " and Elfrida, giving him her hand, 
 said in a sweet voice (but looking at Brask), 
 " Do not forget us, Monsieur, and return 
 soon." And Marius, without doubt willing 
 to pique his jealous friend, kissed the pretty 
 hand held out to him, with all the grace of a 
 gentleman of the court of Louis XV., and then 
 with a rapid step joined his worthy host, who 
 had already started in the direction of the 
 port ; but on arriving at the corner of the 
 street he turned to take a last view of the place 
 where life had suddenly taken on for him an 
 intensity so profound. He looked earnestly at 
 the roof which sheltered Carine, then dashing 
 a tear from his eye and sighing deeply, he 
 hastily rejoined his companions. 
 
 The three friends soon reached the quay 
 where were stationed the little packet-boats 
 that run on the Gotha Canal. The captain, 
 standing on the bridge, overlooked the loading
 
 CARINE. 127 
 
 of merchandise and the arrival of the pas- 
 sengers. Seeing his old friend Tegner, he 
 descended to meet him and to make the 
 acquaintance of the young Frenchman whom 
 Karl Johan warmly recommended to his care. 
 The captain received our hero with great cour- 
 tesy, and immediately installed him in one of 
 the best cabins near his own. Now that he 
 was convinced that his young friend was well 
 cared for, Karl Johan remembered that it was 
 his hour for retiring ; so wishing Marius 
 "good-night" and ban voyage, he took Fred- 
 erick's arm and went on shore, where, after 
 waving his handkerchief to his late guest, he 
 wended his way homeward. 
 
 Left to himself, Marius, son of a ship-owner, 
 naturally inspected the boat to which he had 
 intrusted his life. He also glanced at his 
 fellow travellers, condemned like himself to a 
 forced intimacy between these narrow planks ; 
 then he went to the forward part of the deck 
 and seated himself on a bundle of ropes, and
 
 128 CARINE. 
 
 idly listened to the songs of the sailors as they 
 worked in the rigging. At the same time he 
 reviewed the events of the past weeks once 
 more. It seemed incredible to him that in 
 so short a time more had happened to him 
 than in his whole previous life.
 
 THE English are justly proud of the beau- 
 tiful Caledonian Canal between Oban and 
 Inverness, connecting the Irish and the North 
 Seas, and which they call with their ' usual 
 emphasis " Neptune's Staircase," no doubt 
 because its liquid steps raise like mere play- 
 things the heavy vessels of Victoria, which 
 pass with sails set and at full steam through 
 this artificial roadway to traverse the pine 
 forests of Glen Nevis. It is a great work, no 
 doubt ; but one admires it less when he has 
 seen the Canal of Gotha, between Gothen- 
 burg and Stockholm.
 
 130 CARINE. 
 
 This immense work is the actual result of 
 labor, and is really one of the most brilliant 
 miracles of force and human patience. It is 
 difficult to realize the money and labor it has 
 cost to cut this great canal from one sea to 
 another; to force through forests and moun- 
 tains a stream of water forty leagues long. 
 Here following the level of torrents and lakes, 
 there on the contrary digging through granite 
 beds and rocks of porphyry, it is achieved by 
 a vast system of bridges, gates, dams, basins, 
 and aqueducts, which vanquish all the obstacles 
 and wash the highest hills with salt sea waves. 
 And this beautiful canal runs through such a 
 charming and picturesque country, filled with 
 so much historical interest ; here one can recall 
 all the pomps of history and all the enchant- 
 ments of poetry. As one passes through the 
 beautiful country filled with noble ruins, and 
 the marvels of legendary lore unroll, mixed 
 with the splendors of Nature, one must ac- 
 knowledge that the Rhine itself, with its cor-
 
 CA RINE. 131 
 
 fege of feudal castles and ruined turrets, even 
 the old German Rhine, is vanquished. 
 
 September was near at hand : daylight no 
 longer reigned supreme, and there was already 
 a little darkness, though of very short duration ; 
 
 and toward three a band of satin lightened 
 the horizon, and announced once more the day- 
 break. The bell sounded its last call, the chain 
 which fastened the boat to the wharf was taken 
 in, and above the masts and ropes puffed and 
 streamed the waves of black smoke ; then the 
 heavy mass shook, the water became agitated
 
 132 CA RINE. 
 
 and foamy, the paddle wheel revolved, and the 
 " Edda " confided herself to the waves of the 
 river Gotha, and struggled bravely against 
 the current. 
 
 Seated on a pile of ropes near the sailor who 
 held the tiller, insensible to the beauties of the 
 landscape which unrolled before him, Marius 
 followed eagerly with his eyes the fading view 
 of Gothenburg, which grew fainter each mo- 
 ment, and soon almost disappeared on the 
 horizon. At last a bend in the river and a 
 small hill concealed even this distant view. 
 Our hero's heart sunk within him ; but he soon 
 rallied, and said to himself, " Be a man ! Am 
 I a weak child that I should give way like 
 this ? " He arose, and going to the bow of the 
 boat mingled with the busy group of passengers, 
 who looked admiringly on the beautiful scenery 
 through which they were passing. To the fer- 
 tile plains that surrounded the city already suc- 
 ceeded the most wild and abrupt scenes. The 
 vessel glided swiftly by steep hills bristling with
 
 CARINE 133 
 
 great rocks of grotesque forms, covered with 
 moss, lichens, and heather, above which enor- 
 mous pine-trees stood like superb odalisques of 
 verdure. In any other mood the young artist 
 would have been enchanted with such grand 
 scenery (now smiling, now terrible) incessantly 
 offered to his regard ; but when one suffers, it 
 is the heart and not the sky which must change. 
 Nevertheless, he took his sketch-book and his 
 pencils, and anxious to forget himself in labor 
 he tried to draw rapidly, in passing, the marvels 
 of Nature by which he was surrounded. 
 
 Toward evening the " Edda " entered at full 
 steam the waters of Wener, a lake large as a 
 sea. The atmosphere was transparent and 
 serene ; the water was like a vast crystal mirror, 
 smooth as glass. In the wake of the steamer 
 lay a long track of silver, with occasionally light 
 flakes of foam. All Nature was calm, quiet, 
 and peaceful. Marius gazed dreamily at this 
 silver pathway ; the soft light of Aurora threw 
 upon it the prismatic colors, Which lighted with
 
 134 CARINE. 
 
 unearthly radiance, and like the velvet lining of 
 a jewel-casket, the little rainbow-colored drops 
 
 diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and liquid 
 rubies that sparkled and scintillated. In the 
 distance appeared the lofty mountain of Kinne- 
 kulle, which is called the " Crown of Sweden," 
 
 like to an immense wave which in time of 
 tempest had risen up from the depths of Lake 
 Wener, and which the wand of a magician had 
 suddenly struck with an eternal immobility. 
 On its sides Nature has lavished her richest 
 treasures. Forests spread over it; meadows 
 with luxuriant verdure bloomed upon it, en- 
 amelled with thousands of wild flowers ; lovely 
 gardens smiled near flourishing orchards, 
 everywhere were beauty and verdure, and the 
 pretty cottages on the hillside were surrounded 
 by well kept lawns. Here and there little vil- 
 lages climbed on the mountain's shoulder, and 
 the large iron cross (the holy symbol of Chris- 
 tianity) which surmounted the little white or 
 red churches rose to heaven in the midst of
 
 CARINE. 135 
 
 large trees. Soon the steamer passed by the 
 famous rock of Whalle-Hall, from the top of 
 which the Scandinavian warriors who had not 
 been so fortunate as to fall in battle precipi- 
 tated themselves into the lake, hoping by this 
 voluntary sacrifice to propitiate the gods, and 
 
 to obtain admission into their military para- 
 dise. At last, after having saluted en passant 
 the Gothic ruins (which are rare in Sweden) 
 of the old manor of Lecko, and the pleasant 
 village of Bruneby, which seems to burst out 
 of the bosom of verdure, the " Edda " stopped 
 in front of the convent of Wreta-Kloster. 
 The captain, who had been busily occupied
 
 136 CARINE. 
 
 conducting his vessel safely through the lake, 
 had not yet had time to pay Marius any atten- 
 tion, as he had promised his friend Tegner he 
 would do. But arrived at the station where 
 the steamer was to make a little stay, he sought 
 the young stranger, and claimed, with a win- 
 ning cordiality full of grace, the pleasure of 
 his company. He had already noticed the 
 melancholy expression of the Frenchman ; and 
 he felt that he owed it to the honor of Sweden 
 to disperse, if possible, the cloud under which 
 the young man evidently rested, and to cause 
 him to carry home with him a good impression 
 of this northern land. 
 
 Petrus Mandel was the captain's name ; he 
 was a distinguished officer in the Swedish navy, 
 and like many of his fellow officers had passed 
 several years in the French squadron, where 
 he had acquired those elegant manners and 
 customs which form part of the traditions of 
 this elegant corps. Called to a brilliant career, 
 Petrus, officer of fortune (that is to say, he
 
 CARINE. 137 
 
 had no fortune), chanced to meet an extremely 
 beautiful and seductive woman, with whom he 
 fell in love. But he remembered the old 
 stanza in the Saga : " On land make love ; on 
 the water never ! On a vessel even Freya 
 herself would deceive ; it is a deceitful smile 
 which dimples her lovely cheeks, and her 
 floating tresses become nets to ensnare thee." 
 Ebba was the name of his beloved, and she 
 drew him to the shore with silken tresses. 
 He no more took pleasure in these long 
 voyages which separated him so cruelly from 
 his sweetheart ; a year seemed an age. So 
 he resigned his position in the navy, and 
 accepted the command of one of the finest 
 steamers belonging to the canal company. 
 
 " I regret," said he to Marius, " that my 
 duties have thus far prevented me from enjoy- 
 ing your society. It would have given me 
 great pleasure to point out to you the beauties 
 of our lakes and torrents ; but one cannot 
 always do as one wishes : I am a proof of this
 
 138 CARINE. 
 
 saying. But at present, at least, I am at lib- 
 erty; that is to say, I am at your service." 
 
 Marius was in such a melancholy mood that 
 perhaps he would have preferred solitude to 
 even the excellent company of the good cap- 
 tain ; but the offer was made with such frank 
 cordiality, that it was not possible to refuse. 
 The captain took his new friend's arm, and 
 while the other passengers went on shore and 
 installed themselves in a shabby-looking inn, 
 he conducted our hero to supper in his private 
 salon. 
 
 There is nothing like full glasses when 
 one has emptied them to establish confi- 
 dence/ At the end of an hour Danglade and 
 Mandel were like old friends ; they had already 
 discussed many subjects, and found that they 
 agreed very well. Between two men both 
 young and both men of the world there is 
 usually a certain sympathy ; and with elbows 
 on the table they talked and laughed with 
 the abandon which one always finds at the
 
 CARINE. 139 
 
 bottom of the third bottle of good Rhine wine. 
 Love in its thousand varieties, the sentiment 
 under many aspects, the fidelity of some, 
 the hypocrisy of others, was analyzed and 
 discussed gravely, with a calmness of words 
 and a brightness of observation which would 
 have done credit to two philosophers. But 
 for intelligence of affaires du cceur find me 
 two philosophers equal to two lovers ! 
 
 This conversation completely changed the 
 course of Danglade's ideas, for he had passed 
 the day in a sort of dreamy stupor. 
 
 The captain, delighted with the effect he 
 had produced, wishing to profit by the leisure 
 he now enjoyed (for the steamer had a number 
 of locks to pass through), proposed a visit to 
 the beautiful ruins of the ancient convent of 
 Wreta-Kloster. The evening was superb, the 
 air pure and bracing, the sky serene and un- 
 troubled. In a cortege of purple and gold 
 clouds the sun descended slowly toward the 
 mountains of Norway ; the pine-trees which
 
 140 CARINE. 
 
 fringed the borders of the lake exhaled their 
 pungent and balmy odor on the air ; the heath- 
 cocks flew about overhead, sending forth hoa'rse 
 and shrill cries; little squirrels hopped from 
 branch to branch, peering at the strangers 
 curiously but fearlessly with their bright eyes, 
 then bounding lightly from tree to tree ; the 
 oblique rays of the setting sun threw a rosy 
 light on the water, and all Nature was beautiful, 
 fresh, and serene. 
 
 The young men walked slowly for some time 
 in silence amid the vast ruins made by the 
 hand of man, but which kind Nature had 
 already partly covered with a verdant mantle 
 of ivy and saxifrage. In the midst of these 
 broken columns, these inverted arches, these 
 prostrate pillars ; in face of this cloister, dead 
 itself, and which only interested by its death, 
 they arrived at the entrance of a vast cemetery 
 covered with tombs, some fallen, others still 
 standing, but all covered with inscriptions. 
 The -people of the North are known to excel
 
 CARINE. 141 
 
 in this literature of the tomb. Death always 
 inspires them with pious thoughts, often pro- 
 found ; but it has for them no fear or terror, 
 and they always greet it as a kind friend. 
 
 The thoughts of Marius were far from being 
 so calm ; his wounds were again opened. He 
 gradually withdrew from his companion and 
 began to dream again; but the captain, who 
 did not wish to leave him alone, soon joined 
 him, and surprised him in the act of reading 
 earnestly this epitaph, engraved on the tomb 
 of a young man, 
 
 "King, behold thy destiny! 
 Slave, behold thy release ! 
 Beauty, behold these bones ! 
 Savant, behold this empty skull! 
 Rich man, behold this dust! 
 Pauper, behold this world ! " 
 
 "Very good," said Petrus; "see him fallen 
 into melancholy again. Attention ! " and then, 
 following a manceuvre familiar to great tacti- 
 cians, he made what is called a "diversion."
 
 142 CAR1NE. 
 
 " Come," said he, " I wish to show you one 
 of the most beautiful views in Sweden." 
 
 Then drawing Marius away from the tomb, 
 the captain led him through a serpentine path, 
 and soon arrived at a large rock, which formed 
 a natural platform in the midst of the most 
 luxuriant vegetation. Here were trees and 
 shrubs of all colors and varieties, and spread 
 out like a vast panorama before them was a 
 magnificent scene. There were the two lakes, 
 the winding canal which united them, a range 
 of hills rising one above the other like the 
 steps of a gigantic ampitheatre, and still farther 
 off, in the extreme distance, a waving girdle of 
 large trees. 
 
 "Behold Sweden! Is it not beautiful?" 
 asked the captain, touching the young man's 
 shoulder good-naturedly. 
 
 " Magnificent ! " replied he ; then, stretching 
 his arm toward the southwest, " Is not Gothen- 
 burg there?" asked he, not without blushing 
 a little.
 
 CARINE. 143 
 
 "Yes," replied Mandel, looking at him 
 roguishly ; " Gothenburg is there and Carine 
 also ! " 
 
 At the sound of the name so ever present 
 to his thoughts, Marius blushed deeply; then 
 grew suddenly pale. "Ah," said he in a few 
 moments, without looking at Mandel, " you 
 know Carine?" 
 
 "Yes," said the captain; "and I am, per- 
 haps, of all her friends, he who best knows 
 the secrets of her sad young life." 
 
 Marius was silent ; but his trembling lips 
 and fixed look spoke for him. His very 
 silence was as eloquent as a prayer, and seemed 
 to say to the young officer, " Speak ! I im- 
 plore you ! " 
 
 " Have you heard nothing of her history 
 from Tegner?" asked the captain at last. 
 
 " Absolutely nothing. I have not even 
 dared to ask her father." 
 
 "She is not Tegner's daughter." 
 
 "Who is she, then?"
 
 144 CARINE. 
 
 " His niece." 
 
 "Is she an orphan?" 
 
 " No ; but she is unfortunate. When Tegner 
 (who is goodness itself) heard of the event 
 which had almost unsettled her reason and 
 compromised her life, . . . the good man pro- 
 posed to his sister, the mother of Carine (who 
 lives in the country), to send her daughter to 
 Gothenburg to him, so that she might be 
 diverted by the distractions of city life." 
 
 " He has succeeded well ! " murmured 
 Marius. 
 
 " That is not his fault ; it is rather Carine's, 
 for she will not be consoled." 
 
 "What has she lost, then?" 
 
 "That is a long story," replied the captain, 
 "and it would take a long while to relate it 
 to you." 
 
 " But the hours are long, and we have noth- 
 ing to do," said Marius, leaning his elbow on 
 his knee and resting his head upon his hand, 
 in the attitude of one who wishes to listen
 
 CARINE. 145 
 
 attentively and without losing a word of the 
 story. 
 
 "Carine is not a native of Gothenburg," 
 said Mandel ; " she was born some distance 
 
 from that city, in a little village that we passed 
 this morning on our way." 
 
 " What ! and you did not tell me ? " cried 
 the young man, interrupting him. 
 
 "Eh? How did I know that it would 
 interest you, I should like to know?" 
 
 "You are right," replied Marius, hanging his 
 head, " pardon me. I know you will, won't 
 you?" 
 
 10
 
 146 CARINE. 
 
 "Certainly, my friend," said the good cap- 
 tain, laughing ; " we never expect reason from 
 a lover, eh? " 
 
 Marius did not reply, but continued the sub- 
 ject : " You say that we passed her native 
 village?" 
 
 " Yes ; it is called Lilla-Edet, and is situated 
 a few miles from the cascades of Trolhatta, 
 which you did not care to visit." 
 
 "What did she do? Why has she left her 
 home ? Why is she now in Gothenburg ? And 
 above all, why is she so so sad?" 
 
 " But you demand the whole history in a 
 word ! " 
 
 " Yes, without doubt. I wish to hear all." 
 
 " Listen, then," said the captain. " Carine 
 is the daughter of Monsieur Tegner's sister ; her 
 family is not wealthy, but they are in comfort- 
 able circumstances, and highly respectable. 
 She has an unusual sense of honor, and has 
 received an excellent education. I do not 
 know how old you think she is, but she is just
 
 CAR1NE. 147 
 
 nineteen, although she does not appear to be 
 more than sixteen ; but misfortune has already 
 pressed heavily on this poor girl." 
 
 "What, then, has happened to her?" cried 
 Marius ; " really, you frighten me ! " 
 
 The captain did not reply directly, but con- 
 tinued : " With her father and her mother she 
 lived peacefully and happily, honored and re- 
 spected. She is very beautiful ; but I need 
 not tell you that, you have seen her." 
 
 Marius made an affirmative sign, and sighed. 
 
 "Unfortunately," continued the captain, "the 
 son of a rich neighboring farmer, who had been 
 educated in Stockholm, returned to establish 
 himself in the neighborhood. I can only tell 
 you that he was a phoenix. Carine was nearly 
 eighteen, admired and courted by all the rustic 
 beaux of the vicinity ; she had never loved, 
 and she had arrived at that age when young 
 people are most susceptible. Olaf was the 
 young man's name ; he soon paid her marked 
 attention, and sought not to deceive her.
 
 148 CARINE. 
 
 Carine had been raised too chastely for him to 
 hope to persuade her against honor. He re- 
 spected her, and contented himself with being 
 honest, and spoke of marriage." 
 
 "And she listened to him?" cried Marius. 
 
 The captain not heeding this question went 
 on with his story : " The more chaste a maiden 
 is the better she knows how to love. She had 
 never before listened to words of love ; her 
 heart was as virgin as that of Mother Eve the 
 day when, taking her by the hand, God gave 
 her as a wife to the first man. But more faith- 
 ful than Eve, this lovely blonde did not listen 
 to the serpent. In a word, she loved with all 
 her heart." 
 
 Mandel could see by the expression of his 
 young friend's face that it was very bitter for 
 him to hear that Carine had loved another 
 man, and he hastened to say : " She was wrong, 
 and will some day realize it ; very few men are 
 worthy of such love." Then he again resumed 
 the story :
 
 CARINE. 149 
 
 " Carine's parents, wise and prudent, did not 
 view the prospect of this union with enthu- 
 siasm. They loved their daughter, and Olaf 
 did not seem to them likely to be a husband 
 who would make his wife happy. But what 
 reply could they make to their beloved daugh- 
 ter, who came to them so confidingly, and em- 
 bracing them said, ' I love and I am loved ! ' 
 Could they say, ' Bless you child," and rejoice 
 with her? It was Olafs father who solved the 
 problem. Where his son had the merit of see- 
 ing only a question of sentiment, he saw a 
 question of ciphers. He weighed Carine's dot, 
 and found it too light compared with that of 
 his son ; it lacked some hundreds of rix-dol- 
 lars before the ' Pearl of Sweden ' (as Carine 
 was called) would be worthy of this peasant, 
 who had been refined in the schools. 
 
 " To do Olaf justice, he was very sorry that 
 his father should be so determined against the 
 marriage ; for he loved the maiden as much 
 as he was capable of loving, and that perhaps
 
 150 CARINE. 
 
 is not saying much. But he did not possess 
 enough force of character to combat his 
 father's will. 'We will wait,' said he to Ca- 
 rine. 'Wait! for what?' cried she. 'You 
 know that I will never be any richer.' ' Life 
 is long,' replied he, 'and my father may 
 change.' 
 
 " In the mean time family pride, the con- 
 sciousness of a long line of worthy ancestors 
 and of a spotless name, awakened in the 
 soul of Carine's father. 'You must forget 
 him,' said he to his daughter. ' It is impos- 
 sible ! ' cried the poor girl. ' You can if you 
 wish,' replied the father, who had passed the 
 age of love ; and as he believed that one love 
 would drive away another, he made up his 
 mind to find a husband for his child. When 
 this was proposed to her she was in despair, 
 and resisted with an energy of which one 
 would not have believed her capable. Her 
 mother called her ' disobedient.' Carine wept, 
 but would not consent. Her father said he
 
 CARINE. 151 
 
 would turn her out of the house. ' Very well/ 
 said she, ' I will go to-morrow.' 
 
 "Do not be too indignant, my young friend," 
 continued the captain, perceiving the wrath of 
 Marius, whose fists were doubled. " Her 
 parents were neither wicked nor heartless ; if 
 they tried to compel their daughter it was 
 because they believed it was for her happiness. 
 It is always the happiness of their children 
 that most parents desire ; only it often happens 
 that they take the worst means to obtain it. 
 But when Carine's parents realized that they 
 were only making matters worse, they changed 
 their tactics and returned to their former ten- 
 derness and natural goodness, at times more 
 tender than ever, because they wished to atone 
 for their seeming cruelty. 
 
 " But Carine had lost her peace of mind ; 
 she regarded herself as an ungrateful and dis- 
 obedient child, whom God would punish. She 
 reproached herself with this obstinate resist- 
 ance to the will of her parents ; and yet she
 
 152 CARINE. 
 
 could not make up her mind to yield. First 
 love had taken deep root in her young soul. 
 With the courage she had, with this noble faith 
 in her beloved (which is found in the hearts 
 of all women who have not been deceived by 
 man, who have not been disenchanted), all 
 was possible ! 
 
 " Ah, if Olaf had really been worthy of her, 
 if he had even had the same courage and the 
 same strength of character, these two loving 
 hearts might have conquered all, and would 
 have overcome every obstacle and have been 
 happily united. But Olaf, and mark that 
 these weak and cowardly men are too often 
 the heroes of a romantic passion of the best 
 and the most noble of women, Olaf lacked 
 all the strong virtues; he did not possess 
 mental strength enough to take a decided 
 position, or to oppose a stronger will. He 
 was a handsome animal, and contented him- 
 self by giving Carine the vulgar consolations 
 of his barren tenderness. He believed that
 
 CARINE. 153 
 
 if they were patient, something would happen 
 in their favor, and that time only could aid 
 them. He said he was very sorry that Carine's 
 dot was not larger or rather that his father 
 did not think it enough. * Always this ques- 
 tion of money ! ' murmured the girl, a secret 
 bitterness already arising in her heart. She 
 finally took an heroic step. She had an aunt 
 at Stockholm who was her mother's sister; 
 she had no children and was well off, living 
 very comfortably. She was very fond of her 
 niece, and loved to have her with her. Carine 
 asked permission to go and stay with her aunt 
 for some time. Her parents seeing her so 
 sad dared not refuse ; they hoped that this 
 journey would prove a distraction for her, and 
 that she would return cured. Man is ingenious 
 to persuade himself, and it is that which he 
 desires that he usually believes ; so her parents 
 made all necessary preparation, and saw their 
 daughter depart tearfully but hopefully. 
 
 " Stockholm is not as large as Paris ; but
 
 154 CARINE. 
 
 at least it is the capital of Sweden. That is 
 enough to say that all the miseries concentrate 
 here ; that here covetousness and greed as- 
 semble ; that the ambitious here fight the 
 battle of life. What could a simple country 
 maid, who had nothing but her innocence and 
 her beauty, do in the midst of this crowd? 
 Gain money? It was for that she had come ! 
 Gain money ? terrible word full of anguish, 
 even in the mouths of strong men ; a hundred 
 times more frightful in that of a woman ! 
 
 " But there was a Providence. Carine found 
 that her aunt was very good ; she received her 
 niece with sincere affection, and forced her 
 to busy herself. There are many dangers for 
 a lovely young girl in a large city like Stock- 
 holm ; but God permitted Carine to escape 
 them. She threw around herself a strange 
 fascination, you yourself have felt it ; but at 
 the same time she lived in such a serene 
 atmosphere of modesty and reserve as to 
 command respect. Her aunt took a great
 
 CARINE. 155 
 
 interest in her, and protected her, and found 
 her employment. It did not promise to make 
 her rich rapidly, but at least it gave her a 
 certain independence so dear to those who 
 have true self-respect and dignity. 
 
 " Built on three islands, on the border of a 
 large bay, pierced by canals which divide it 
 into quarters, or sections, the city of Stockholm 
 has more boats than carriages ; indeed it has 
 been called 'the Venice of the North.' Its 
 inhabitants, born sailors, prefer their rapid skiffs 
 to the fiacres and to the droschkies, which wait 
 at each wharf the orders of the voyagers. 
 Without having the grand classic shape of the 
 Venetian gondola or the svelte, or the robust 
 lightness of the ka'iks of Constantinople, yet 
 the boats of Stockholm are charming. It is 
 very pleasant on the morning of a beautiful 
 summer day to see the squadron, with their 
 green-painted decks, their sterns ornamented 
 with leaves and flowers, dash up Skeppsbro 
 (Quai de la marine} to take on their pas-
 
 156 CARINE. 
 
 sengers, proud of making the trip in ten 
 minutes. These boats are entirely managed 
 by young girls, who are usually good-looking, 
 having graceful forms and fresh complexions. 
 The man who would dare to interfere with 
 their business would immediately be thrown 
 head first into the bottom of the Baltic. The 
 rudder falls like a distaff, and it is really a 
 picturesque scene like the opera comique 
 to see on deck these water-women, at the same 
 time , engaging, modest, and romantic, with 
 their white, sleeveless, open blouses over a 
 red bodice with red sleeves, their short green 
 skirts reaching only to the knees, and their 
 scarlet stockings. While the two strongest 
 girls put in motion the ingenious machinery 
 of the wheels, which obey their hands better 
 than steam, the third plays on the bagpipe or 
 sings the national songs, which last always find 
 an echo in the depths of the Swedish heart. 
 Most of these batelieres are fiancees, too poor, 
 alas ! to marry ; and they have come from
 
 CARINE. 157 
 
 their native province to gain the modest 
 salary which will aid them to buy their 
 trousseau, whilst their patient lovers cut por- 
 phyry in the quarries of Elfsdal, or seek for 
 silver in the mines of Kongsberg. All these 
 maidens form a unique and charming class of 
 Swedish society, and are so strongly banded 
 together that they form a veritable corporation, 
 administered by women. 
 
 " This, then, was Carine's work. They gave 
 her one of the best places in the office. It 
 would not do to expose her delicate com- 
 plexion to the ardent rays of the summer sun 
 or the fierce winds of the Baltic sea. Our 
 young heroine soon won the esteem and love 
 of her companions ; it was impossible to resist 
 her sweetness and good temper. In a short 
 time she wore their costume ; and it was 
 worth while to see her when she appeared in 
 the morning on the quay to give the orders 
 and instruction of the day. Fresh as the dawn 
 and as smiling, her cheeks no longer pale, but
 
 158 CARINE. 
 
 colored like the wild rose ; her graceful form, 
 her beautiful hands, and her lovely blond 
 hair, one could easily imagine they beheld 
 one of the immortal Valkyries who dwell in 
 the Scandinavian paradise of Odin. 
 
 " Carine would have been happy if regret for 
 the absent had not oppressed her heart. She 
 had written to her lover one of those adorable 
 letters in which a woman unveils her whole 
 heart ; she told him that now she was support- 
 ing herself, and that it was for him she was 
 working. ' For the rest,' added she, ' for those 
 who are intelligent and courageous, Stockholm 
 is an admirable city, where each one is sure to 
 find employment of his forces, the price of his 
 courage, and the recompense of his labors. It 
 is only necessary to will and to dare.' Carine 
 was not learned, and, God be praised ! she did 
 not write like an author; but her letter was 
 adorable ; it was full of charming things, strong 
 sentiments, written admirably. On receiving 
 such a letter a true-hearted man would have
 
 CARINE. 159 
 
 been willing to bound over the cataracts of 
 Trolhatta, and swim the two lakes to throw 
 himself at her feet." 
 
 "A true-hearted man never would have let 
 her go ! " cried Marius. 
 
 "You are right," said the captain; "but 
 Olaf was not such a man. He replied by 
 phrases more or less ambiguous; he assured 
 her that he was happy to hear she was doing 
 so well; that it would always be a happiness 
 to him to have known her; that he regretted 
 very much the position they were in ; that 
 times were hard, and it took a great deal of 
 money to live ; and that he had not yet found 
 any way of gaining it. Many reasons and 
 excuses, but not a trace of emotion i When 
 .she received his letter Carine felt her heart rise 
 in her throat ; but when she read it, she trem- 
 bled with cold chills. Ah, it was not thus that 
 she had written to him !
 
 "YET the illusion that she was truly loved 
 soon returned to this beautiful soul, too pure to 
 admit a thought of evil, too generous to cherish 
 suspicion. I know not how she deceived her- 
 self, or what excuse she made for such conduct ; 
 but she soon resumed her dreams of love and 
 hope. 
 
 " Meanwhile the rumor of her great beauty 
 and grace and of her wisdom spread through 
 the city, and one talked of nothing else in 
 Stockholm but the beautiful Dalecarlian ; for
 
 1 62 CARINE. 
 
 they attributed to her the nationality of her 
 costume. Thank God ! we do not yet put all 
 our poetry in our books, and we are careful to 
 keep some for our lives. All the world faisait 
 la cour, as the French call it, to the charming 
 Carine ; but when they found their gallantry 
 was wasted, and that nothing could impair this 
 virtue, intact and brilliant as a diamond, several 
 men of good standing among others the son 
 of a very wealthy banker offered their for- 
 tunes and their name ; but this girl believed 
 that one could love but once, and would not 
 listen to them. Then her aunt was taken sick 
 and died, leaving her little fortune to her niece. 
 Carine had but one thought, but one end, to 
 return to her home and to Olaf ! Her aunt's 
 affairs were in good shape; everything was 
 soon settled, and she took possession of her 
 heritage. 
 
 "Carine left Stockholm. Oh, happy voyage ! 
 although she found it very long. With what 
 joy she watched the shining roofs, the brilliant
 
 CARINE. 
 
 163 
 
 cupolas of the capital disappear ! It was the 
 country and her province that she longed to 
 see. With what emotion she traversed the 
 grand lakes which separated her from her 
 
 beloved ! What ineffable delight when afar off, 
 in the midst of the lofty trees which surrounded 
 it, she perceived the spire of the village church 
 in which she had so often prayed, and where 
 the priest who had instructed her from infancy 
 would soon ask God's blessing on her union 
 with Olaf ! Yes, he was worthy of her, she
 
 164 C A RINK. 
 
 thought : she was too sincere to suspect. She 
 would try to return unobserved, for she wished 
 to give every one a surprise, and to see how 
 happy they would be to hear of her good for- 
 tune, and to hear each one wish her good-luck. 
 She avoided disembarking at the village wharf. 
 so as not to attract too much attention. Soon 
 she found herself in the fields a little below 
 Lilla-Edet, and by a detour with which she was 
 familiar she hastened to her parental roof. 
 
 " But after entering the village Carine paused 
 a moment on the summit of a hill which com- 
 manded a view of the valley below, that she 
 might see the houses, the streets, and the gar- 
 dens in the midst of which she had passed her 
 youth, her happiest years. Suddenly she 
 heard a joyous chime of bells, and as their 
 merry peals rang out on the clear summer air 
 they seemed to welcome her with their light 
 and poetic voices : these daughters of the sky 
 chanted her joy ! The maiden's heart palpi- 
 tated as she recognized these charming voices
 
 CARINB. 165 
 
 that were so familiar to her ear ; they seemed 
 like a distant call from her lover. She hastened 
 her steps, and taking a short path down 
 the hill, she ran joyously eyes beaming, 
 cheeks glowing like the rose toward the 
 village. 
 
 "The house of God is the first thing one 
 meets on entering Lilla-Edet. Situated at the 
 extreme limit of the parish, it seems to salute 
 the stranger, and to promise a clement hos- 
 pitality to all travellers who arrive in this beau- 
 tiful valley. Carine resolved to stay a few 
 moments in the church ; hers was a devout 
 soul, like all pure, tender natures. She wished 
 to thank the good God for having protected 
 her in such a wonderful manner, the good 
 God who had conducted her and led her. She 
 entered. The edifice was full ot people, 
 dressed in holiday attire. A young girl was 
 at tfte altar in bridal costume, with the bril- 
 liant crown of a Scandinavian virgin upon her 
 head ; the goiden circle, set with pale pearls
 
 1 66 CARINE. 
 
 from Lapland and with brilliant island stones, 
 adorned her tresses. ' I will pray for her 
 happiness,' thought Carine, kneeling reverently 
 and making the sign of the cross ; ' to-day I 
 wish every one in the world were happy ! ' 
 But just as she raised her head, the bride- 
 groom turned, so that she saw his face. 
 
 "It was Olaf! 
 
 " Carine with difficulty repressed a scream ; 
 she grew pale, and trembled, but she did not 
 say a word. She arose, left the church, and 
 tried to find her way home ; but she was so 
 dazed that she soon lost herself in the fields. 
 A peasant who met her, struck with her wild 
 looks and her Dalecarlian costume, so differ- 
 ent from that of this province, ran to her ; at 
 the same moment, overcome with weakness, 
 she sank fainting to the ground. Happily the 
 peasant recognized the poor child; and bear- 
 ing her in his arms, like the good shepherd 
 
 \ 
 
 caring for his wounded lambs, he carried her 
 to her father's house.
 
 CARINE. 167 
 
 " The sorrowful parents did not understand 
 their daughter's malady for a long time. They 
 questioned her, but she could not reply intel- 
 ligently. Only the name of Olaf and the 
 word ' forgotten ' passed her lips, and that so 
 quietly that nothing could be made of it. 
 Carine had lost her reason ! But, thanks be 
 to God, it was only temporary; the divine' 
 spark was not extinct, and its flame soon re- 
 appeared. But the poor forsaken one had 
 fallen into melancholy, from which nothing 
 could rouse her. 
 
 " Olaf and his young wife dwelt near Carine 
 in the village, and their presence was intoler- 
 able to her. She often met him, sometimes 
 alone, sometimes with his wife ; but alone or 
 with his wife, each time she met him she felt 
 the secret wound in her heart open and bleed 
 afresh. She did not wish to put off the Dale- 
 carlian costume, which recalled happier days ; 
 she kept it to remind her of her wrongs. In 
 other ways she was more tender, more helpful,
 
 1 68 CARINE. 
 
 and affectionate than ever toward her parents ; 
 she did not wish them to suffer for her sadness. 
 But they would not be consoled ; they knew 
 she suffered, and they wept. At times her 
 sadness was so profound that they feared she 
 could not survive. 
 
 " Luckily, about this time Tegner came to 
 Lilla-Edet. You know he is good and affec- 
 tionate, and that under his egotism he is an 
 excellent man after dinner. He found his 
 niece very ill ; he saw that she needed a 
 change of scene, and he proposed a visit to 
 Gothenburg. Carine would have preferred to 
 remain at home. Without daring to own it 
 even to herself, it seemed to her that she would 
 suffer more where he was not; but her uncle 
 and her father insisted, and she yielded. 
 Without seeing or speaking with her false 
 lover she left Lilla-Edet and went with her 
 uncle. 
 
 " I have told you all. The cloud which 
 overshadowed her reason is gone, but there
 
 CARINE. 169 
 
 remains a profound sadness. She is indifferent 
 to everything, flies from the world and loves 
 solitude. At her uncle's they are wise, and 
 never notice her peculiarities ; she has perfect 
 liberty in her actions, her words, and her 
 silence, you must have observed it. She 
 goes and comes as she pleases ; remains shut 
 up in her room, or mingles with the family. 
 Little by little they can perceive that this calm 
 and peaceful home-atmosphere has had a salu- 
 tary influence over her troubled soul. The 
 bitter part of her sorrow is softened, and she 
 may recover."
 
 IT is not necessary to tell what emotions 
 assailed the heart of the listener to this mel- 
 ancholy tale. Mandel spoke no more ; yet 
 Marius listened still, until the steam-whistle 
 and the ringing of the bell were heard. 
 
 " They have passed the ninth sluice," said 
 the captain; "it is time for us to join the 
 boat. The portion of the canal which follows 
 is very different, and I must take charge myself 
 when we enter the Wetter."
 
 172 CARINE. 
 
 Marius did not reply. He remained motion- 
 less, leaning against a rock, his head bent on 
 his hands, lost in profound thought. 
 
 " Come," said Mandel, touching his shoulder 
 lightly. 
 
 "Where? Why?" cried Marius with a wild 
 air. 
 
 "To Stockholm, then," replied the captain. 
 "The sun sets; it is true it will soon rise," 
 added he, "but that is no reason why you 
 should pass the night on this heath. Come ! " 
 
 The young artist arose and followed the 
 officer mechanically. He was a little like 
 Carine when she returned from the city and 
 found her lover married. He had no energy, 
 no will. 
 
 The night was passed on the canal. Al- 
 though so short, it seemed very long to our 
 hero, perplexed as he was by the most cruel 
 thoughts which could agitate a 'loving heart. 
 But in spite of his troubles he had one consola- 
 tion. Carine had been unhappy, very unhappy
 
 CARINE. 173 
 
 without doubt, and he felt a deep pity for her ; 
 but she had not been guilty of any wrong ; and 
 it was happiness for him to know that which for 
 a loyal and true heart is everything, to know 
 that he could esteem as much as he loved. 
 But his uncertainty was no less great ; and in the 
 interest even of Carine he really did not know 
 what part to take. If he had listened to his 
 heart he would have returned immediately to 
 Gothenburg. But how could he explain to 
 Tegner this sudden return? How would he 
 justify it in Carine's eyes ? Her manner toward 
 him had never encouraged him to be attentive 
 to her. Had she ever shown him anything but 
 coldness and indifference, even aversion? And 
 had he any right to console her? On the other 
 hand it was evident to him that Carine suffered 
 more than was right, and that her grief was 
 more in her head than her heart. At her age 
 there is no wound so deep that it cannot be 
 healed, and she would some day realize that 
 Olaf was unworthy. Ah, now that he knew the
 
 174 CARINE. 
 
 secret of her sadness, how he would like to 
 speak consoling words to her, words which 
 would calm her irritation and soften her re- 
 grets ! But would she ever listen to him ? 
 Alas, he knew not. 
 
 Aurora already threw her silvery light over 
 the forests, lakes, and mountains, and still 
 Marius was wrapped in revery, as uncertain, 
 troubled, and vague as ever. All the other 
 passengers had retired to their cabins to sleep 
 away the hours that in this radiant season they 
 call night. Only our young friend remained on 
 deck. He had not slept the previous night, 
 and sad as he felt he could not prevent the 
 goddess of slumber from enveloping him in her 
 dusky mantle ; he gradually drooped, over- 
 come with fatigue. A sailor who passed by 
 threw over him a pilot-cloth, and for several 
 hours Marius forgot the world and Carine. 
 
 When he awoke it was broad daylight, for 
 the sun was already high in the heavens. He 
 saw the captain by his side.
 
 CARINE. 175 
 
 "Well, how goes it?" said the Swede, giving 
 him his hand in hearty greeting. 
 
 " I have slept," murmured Marius, shrugging 
 his shoulders. 
 
 " That is a good sign," said Mandel, " espe- 
 
 flf 
 
 cially if your sleep has been dreamless. But 
 shake your feathers and walk a little, for you 
 have taken a very good way to get the rheuma- 
 tism." 
 
 Marius arose, and threw a rapid glance 
 around him. The " Edda," under a fresh west
 
 1 76 CARINE. 
 
 wind, glided lightly over the waters of Lake 
 Wetter, which still bears the superstitions and 
 terrors of ancient days. Here, perhaps, is one 
 of the most beautiful scenes of a Swedish 
 voyage. The foliage of the oaks, the birch- 
 trees, and the elms intermingle with the pines, 
 forming a mass of verdure which is lovely in- 
 deed, and the lofty banks have an incomparable 
 grandeur and majesty. In face of these beau- 
 tiful scenes the artist awoke in the man, and 
 our hero could not refrain from taking a lively 
 interest in this unrivalled display of grandeur 
 and beauty. 
 
 Soon detonations, hollow and irregular, like 
 the sound of distant artillery, came from the 
 bosom of the waves. "The Undine of the 
 Lake, the Sea Nymph, the Spirit of the 
 Wetter," explained the captain. "She fore- 
 sees the approach of a storm, and will soon 
 fly from her palaces, her gardens, and her 
 castles to seek in the depths of the abyss a 
 sure refuge."
 
 CARINE 177 
 
 " Where then are her gardens, her palaces, 
 and her castles?" demanded Marius, "for I 
 have not seen them." 
 
 The air was calm, the atmosphere serene, 
 and the sun was encircled by a girdle of vapor, 
 which often promises a fine day. Suddenly the 
 lake was transformed : the horizon dilated, the 
 waves seemed to touch the clouds , and strange 
 phantoms, weird and marvellous, seemed to 
 float between heaven and earth before the 
 astonished eyes of the travellers. 
 
 Marius, who had seen the beautiful mirage 
 which misleads the steps of the hunter in the 
 plain de la Crau immense, who had seen in 
 the Strait of Messina the wonderful phenomena 
 of the Fata Morgana, was nevertheless struck 
 with astonishment on perceiving in the distance 
 these gothic castles, these impregnable for- 
 tresses, which seemed to float in the air, in the 
 clouds, and over the mountains. He was 
 astonished, and asked himself if in the midst 
 of these apparitions he would not at last per-
 
 178 CARINE. 
 
 ceive the enchanting and lovely form of Carine ? 
 It seemed a fitting place for her in this en- 
 chanted world of fairy palaces. But while he 
 still sought her form in this magic scene the 
 atmosphere became troubled ; the tempest 
 descended in fury, the castles and palaces 
 faded silently away, and the beautiful vision 
 vanished. 
 
 The " Edda," which was elegantly built, but 
 not strong enough to brave a tempest, ap- 
 proached the east shore of the lake, near the 
 walls of the ancient city of Wadstena, where 
 may still be found the noble ruins of a convent, 
 founded ages ago by Saint Brigitta, who was 
 the daughter of a king. The ruins are beauti- 
 ful, and not less celebrated. Marius said he 
 wished to stop and visit them, to seek for traces 
 of the vanished splendor which had formerly 
 rendered Wadstena so famous. He added that 
 he found the vessel light, the waves heavy, and 
 that he did not wish to continue his voyage 
 that day.
 
 CARINE. 
 
 179 
 
 " Well, go if you must," said Mandel, as he 
 saw the trunk of our hero put on shore. " Go, 
 and may God guide you ! One cannot avoid 
 destiny." 
 
 Marius had not yet decided what to do, and 
 he walked carelessly through the town until he 
 came to a modest inn near the ruins of the 
 convent. Here he decided to remain, at least 
 for the present. Reason told him it would 
 be the height of folly to return to Gothenburg, 
 but he did not wish to go farther away from her. 
 He could see the noble ruins from his window, 
 and spent much time musing on their former 
 grandeur. To-day there remained very little but 
 the abbey, besides the cell and oratory of the 
 saint. Many times he visited the ruins, and he 
 never crossed their threshold without feeling a 
 profound and pious emotion. If he could not 
 regain his calmness of mind, which seemed to 
 have fled from him, he still sought at least to 
 hear the mysterious murmur of that spirit 
 which passed over him like a breath in his
 
 l8o , CARINE. 
 
 dreams of Saint Brigitta, declaring to him the 
 revelation so celebrated in the Scandinavian 
 world. 
 
 Our young friend remained five days in 
 Wadstena. It was the season of the year 
 in which formerly came the devout pilgrims ; 
 and in the middle ages a pilgrimage to this 
 place ranked second only to a voyage to Rome 
 or Palestine ; but the pilgrims were godly men 
 and women, and seldom carried to the feet of 
 Saint Brigitta hearts troubled by earthly pas- 
 sions like that of Marius. At the end of five 
 days his impatience was greater than his will; 
 and if he still resisted his desire to join Carine, 
 he decided at least to abbreviate the distance 
 which separated them. He once more em- 
 barked on the "Edda," which after touching 
 at Stockholm returned to her station at Gothen- 
 burg. 
 
 " I hoped to see you to-day," said the cap- 
 tain, receiving him at the top of the ladder. 
 "You are very welcome."
 
 CARINE. l8l 
 
 The men shook hands warmly. They had 
 both loved : this was enough to make them 
 sympathetic. 
 
 "Do you return to Gothenburg?" asked 
 Mandel. 
 
 " No," said Marius, shaking his head ; " I 
 do not go so far as that yet." 
 
 " Where are you going, then? " 
 
 " I do not know yet myself, but not far from 
 her." 
 
 He passed a day on board the " Edda," and 
 then said good-by to his friend again, at the 
 foot of the mountains of Trolhatta. 
 
 There is not perhaps in all Sweden a land- 
 scape more austere, more grand, and at the 
 same time more melancholy than this region of 
 Trolhatta. In the distance a loud murmur is 
 heard ; it increases as one draws nearer, and 
 sounds like distant thunder. Soon the mighty 
 voice of the cataract becomes more distinct ; 
 the solitude is filled with the sound of rushing
 
 1 82 CARINE. 
 
 waters ; nothing can yet be seen, as yet one 
 hears it only. Soon the whole mountain seems 
 to be covered with a cloud of spouting, dashing 
 dust; but the waterfalls still elude the sight. 
 For a long time one must scale the highest, 
 steepest rocks in the midst of fallen trunks of 
 immense trees, of thorn bushes and stunted 
 birches. At last one finds himself in face of 
 this wonder ! Over heaps of jagged rocks a 
 river precipitates itself, furioue, foaming, and 
 tormented in its narrow bed, torn by the bris- 
 tling, pointed rocks, unquiet, violent as a steed 
 which rears and escapes in a moment of fury 
 or fright, from a height of one hundred feet it is 
 engulfed in the abyss below. The scene is ter- 
 rible, yet beautiful ! Imagine an avalanche of 
 foam, a torrent of snow, of liquid snow, a 
 dazzling hell of water ! Some distance below 
 the abyss, burying all this foam and wrath, the 
 torrent becomes suddenly calm and limpid. 
 After having vanquished all, it is itself van- 
 quished. The mise en scene is admirably sus-
 
 CAR1NE. 183 
 
 tained, and around the cataracts the forest-trees 
 and shrubs crown the steep banks with their 
 varied foliage. Here all the different species 
 mix and marry. The silvery willows lean over 
 almost into the foam of the torrent, trailing 
 their long weeping branches in the water ; the 
 beeches, with their smooth, shining, and mot- 
 tled bark, struggle for place side by side with 
 the rugged oaks ; nor do the graceful elms 
 shrink from their neighbors the stately pines. 
 In the bosom even of the rushing, foaming 
 water, where a little earth was heaped up 
 among the stones and pebbles, grew different 
 shrubs and bushes peculiar to this northern 
 climate, silver poplars and the weeping ash, 
 whose branches and leaves scattered and floated 
 in the wind. Here and there even in the midst 
 of the torrent, in the bosom of the dashing, 
 tumbling waves, little verdant islets sprang up, 
 like the baskets of flowers that the water 
 nymphs of the cascade bear in their arms. 
 The Flora of the waters loosed her girdle over
 
 184 CARINE. 
 
 them, their variegated banks contrasting with 
 the severe nakedness of the grand rocks which 
 surrounded them. 
 
 The cataracts of Trolhatta form in them- 
 selves a little world. Divided into five branches 
 which swerve, then reunite in such a way as to 
 resemble a double fan, they occupy a vast 
 space on the mountain ; and the artist, the 
 poet, the unhappy lover, or the enthusiastic 
 lover of Nature can pass there long days, nour- 
 ishing his dreams, his thoughts, his desires, and 
 his illusions. From time immemorial, in the 
 bosom of this strange freak of nature, the weird 
 and gigantic imagination of the North has 
 exalted the name alone of Trolhatta, which 
 means Terreur des Sorciers, the name indicat- 
 ing the role that the marvellous plays in its 
 history. The Norse legends of this region tell 
 us of miracles and enchantments more or less 
 terrible ; of lovely princesses carried off by 
 sorcerers ; of murdered travellers ; of mis- 
 chievous dwarfs ; of knightly heroes seeking
 
 CARINE. 185 
 
 their assistance to deliver some fair lady im- 
 prisoned by a stern father; of giants who 
 thought nothing of hurling the highest moun- 
 tain against a foe ; and of men swallowed up 
 in the depths of the treacherous earth, which 
 opened to receive them. But from all these 
 marvellous stories, like the country to which they 
 belong, there exhales a wild and poetic charm. 
 Even a stranger feels this influence ; and how 
 much more must a native of this far northern 
 clime feel penetrated with what the ancients 
 call so aptly " the genius of the place." 
 
 Gradually a certain calm fell on our hero's 
 troubled soul. As he slowly recovered the 
 balance of his mind, he no longer thought des- 
 pairingly of Carine ; he could not believe that 
 she would persist in keeping him at a distance. 
 He said to himself that she would yet respond 
 to his love, that love would create love. He 
 would make her forget all she had suffered, and 
 create in her a new soul, a new heart ! But he 
 well knew that with an organization so timid,
 
 1 86 CARINE 
 
 delicate, and tender, it would not do to be pre- 
 cipitate ; he must wait until the time came 
 when she would voluntarily yield. So reasoned 
 this grand master of female hearts ! A ray of 
 hope, feeble and uncertain, like the first light 
 of dawn, began to illumine his heart. Courage 
 returned with hope. He had done almost 
 nothing since his arrival in Sweden ; but now he 
 returned to his work with new ardor. Labor ! 
 is it not always the great consoler of noble and 
 valiant natures? 
 
 The place where Marius found himself was 
 in every way propitious to his studies ; here he 
 found all the beauties for which he had come 
 to study in the North, the sombre forests, 
 the severe aspect of the mountains, the grand 
 vegetation nourished by the snow and the 
 winter, the rocks with their metallic tints, 
 and the beautiful cascades leaping from the 
 mountain's height into the gigantic basins of 
 granite. He made no more plans; for the 
 present he drifted. Where could he be better
 
 CARINE. 
 
 i8 7 
 
 situated to work and to wait? The " Edda " 
 passed the Trolhatta every ten days, and 
 Captain Mandel never went to Gothenburg 
 without seeing Tegner and his family. Thus 
 our young friend could often have news of 
 
 Carine : was not that what he most desired ? 
 He arranged his time as well as possible, and 
 began a series of curious studies (which later 
 on proved very valuable to him). He was not 
 unhappy, for he was not devoid of hope ; and 
 even an unrequited love may suffice to fill a
 
 1 88 CARINE. 
 
 life, for those who truly love find a charm 
 in mere existence. 
 
 The first week proved uneventful, and was 
 passed in the bosom of the most profound 
 solitude that Marius had ever known. He 
 had left the little inn at Trolhatta, for it was 
 too much frequented by English travellers, and 
 their company was distasteful to him. They 
 treated the world like a conquered country, 
 were too arrogant, and were also noisy and 
 blustering, as they often are in strange lands 
 (seeming to look down on all foreigners be- 
 cause, forsooth, they are not English), although 
 they are usually cold and reserved at home. 
 So our hero sought lodgings elsewhere, and 
 established himself at some distance from the 
 village, in the home of a simple peasant, whose 
 good wife thought she was making a golden 
 bargain by renting him half of their cottage 
 at five francs per week. He arranged in an 
 empty granary a studio lighted from the north, 
 with the most admirable and the purest light
 
 CARINE. 189 
 
 that the most fastidious artist could desire. 
 When he had worked eight days, and had just 
 finished a beautiful picture of the grand cas- 
 cade, and was busily criticising it, he looked 
 up and perceived, smiling at the entrance 
 (when he least expected him), his friend 
 Petrus Mandel.
 
 "You are surprised?" said the captain; 
 " and I also. I did not expect to be here so 
 soon ; we are twenty-four hours ahead of time, 
 and that for various reasons too long to 
 enumerate." 
 
 " And which I am not curious to hear," said 
 Marius, greeting him warmly. 
 
 "Very well, then, that suits me. But give 
 me a cigar, and order me a cup of tea ; for I
 
 192 CARINE. 
 
 have not taken anything to-day, and we leave 
 in an hour." 
 
 "And Carine?" asked Marius. 
 
 " Oh, there is some news." 
 
 " Wretch ! not to have told me ! r 
 
 " I came as soon as possible." 
 
 "You have seen her?" 
 
 " No ; and I know no one in Gothenburg 
 at present who sees her." 
 
 " I beg you to explain," cried Marius. 
 
 "Very well. Carine has left her uncle's ! " 
 
 "Gone?" 
 
 "You have said it." 
 
 " How long since?" 
 
 " Four or five days." 
 
 " Does any one know where she has gone? " 
 
 "Not I, at least." 
 
 "Then you have not the details?" 
 
 " No ; I know only that she is much better." 
 
 Marius experienced an indefinable feeling of 
 well being, like a drowning man, who has 
 remained a long time under water, and who
 
 CAR1NE 193 
 
 returns to the fresh air and to the sweet light. 
 Now that Mandel had told him all he knew, 
 and he had drawn from him all he could, 
 Marius experienced an imperious desire to be 
 alone. Thus, in spite of his sincere friendship 
 for the young Swede, it was not without a 
 secret pleasure that he saw him draw out his 
 watch, and on perceiving the time take his 
 hat, and, pressing his friend's hand warmly, 
 say, " Adieu, my dear boy. I must go ; it will 
 not do to keep my boat waiting." He quickly 
 took his departure. 
 
 Marius was now both glad and sorry, glad 
 to know that Carine was better, and that now 
 he might hope one day to see her in complete 
 health, not only of body but of mind ; unhappy, 
 because he knew not where she was, and for 
 those who love, uncertainty is a bitter torment. 
 Yet he did not wish to return to Gothenburg. 
 He told himself, not without reason, that he 
 had no right to question Tegner, to ask him 
 to unfold family secrets to a stranger, or to try 
 13
 
 194 CARINE 
 
 and force a confidence that had not been given 
 voluntarily. If he hoped to learn anything, it 
 was by the interposition of the captain, who 
 was a mutual friend, well acquainted with all 
 the circumstances. 
 
 The result of these meditations was that 
 Marius remained at Trolhatta, and finished 
 his large picture. It was a simple study of the 
 landscape, but was painted in such a free and 
 powerful style, that on beholding it one in- 
 stinctively felt the master, for there was genius 
 in it. He found, however (was this a lover's 
 idea, or was it the idea of an artist?), that 
 without a human figure, animated with life, 
 Nature was cold and empty. " A figure would 
 look so well," thought he, " at the base of this 
 rock ; there, where the sunlight brightens and 
 glances over the transparent cascade, there is 
 the place ! " Our artist was prompt to exe- 
 cute : with him, to think was to act. He took 
 his palette r.nd his brushes, and set to work. 
 
 The figure which soon began to appear under
 
 CARINE. 195 
 
 his skilful fingers, will our readers need to 
 see it, to divine who it was? It was the same 
 which once already, under the light of the 
 family lamp, in face even of the charming 
 model, he had drawn with so much pleasure 
 and interest. The picturesque Dalecarlian 
 costume accorded well with the landscape in 
 the midst of which he painted it ; it seemed 
 very natural for him to clothe her in that cos- 
 tume here. The beautiful face which he had 
 drawn more than once before seemed to beam 
 with happiness ; for now it was not the care- 
 worn, despairing maiden : it was a new Carine, 
 full of youth and life, and bearing on her coun- 
 tenance the brilliant hue of health. It was 
 Carine as she would have been if her cruel 
 destiny a wicked man had not destroyed 
 her budding beauty in the morning of her 
 springtime. 
 
 Danglade was not a portrait painter, and I 
 dare say a critic might have found some flaw in 
 his picture ; but one felt in this work a certain
 
 196 CARINE. 
 
 passion and sincerity which art alone cannot 
 give. He had painted the landscape in the 
 open air and from Nature ; the portrait in his 
 studio, from memory. Perhaps the result of 
 this was a certain discord in the ensemble; 
 some retouches were still necessary to obtain 
 that general harmony without which no picture 
 is perfect. He had a very simple way to arrive 
 at the desired result. It was to take the picture 
 to the same place where he had painted it, and 
 to give to the whole (the sky, the trees, and the 
 rocks) a last touch of the brush, those su- 
 preme retouches which perfect and harmonize 
 a work, even change its quality, and complete 
 the seal of a powerful whole. Marius resolved 
 to complete his work on the spot whence he 
 had taken his point de vnc. 
 
 It was on one of those lovely little islands of 
 Trolhatta, joined to the shore by a picturesque 
 alpine bridge, which shakes and trembles under 
 the passer's feet. Crossing this frail bridge the 
 path leads to the promontory, where our artist
 
 CARINE. 197 
 
 had established himself opposite one of the 
 most beautiful of the five cascades. This path- 
 way was surrounded by a dense mass of foliage, 
 which prevented one seeing ten steps ahead, 
 and ended at an immense rock straight as a 
 wall ; behind the rock there was a little espla- 
 nade, whence the view was beautiful and exten- 
 sive, taking in the whole majesty of the cata- 
 racts. The peasant at whose cottage Marius 
 lodged knew the place well, for there he had 
 often carried his lodger's easel, camp-stool, and 
 canvas, for the artist called this place his 
 open-air studio. Here he sent his picture, then, 
 for the last time. The honest peasant, not 
 knowing how to set up the canvas, contented 
 himself with placing it at the foot of the easel 
 near the rock ; and putting the palette and the 
 box of colors near by he returned to his work, 
 leaving all in God's care, which is sufficient in 
 this neighborhood, where dishonesty is almost 
 unknown, here especially where men are not 
 numerous.
 
 198 CARINE. 
 
 Marius remained in his room a little later 
 than usual. At first he had been detained by 
 Mandel ; then he had taken some time to write 
 letters home to his parents, who had been 
 sadly neglected since his arrival in Sweden ; 
 lastly, he rested because he had so little to do, 
 keeping back the moment, like an epicure with 
 a dainty dish, so as to enjoy it longer, tast- 
 ing it in advance. Toward noon he sealed his 
 letters, locked his trunks, told the peasant to 
 give him his account and to come after the 
 picture about four o'clock ; then he took the 
 path to the cascade. He lingered some time 
 on the border of the torrent, filling his soul 
 with the grand spectacle offered to his vision, 
 with concentrated and absorbed attention, 
 for he wished to seize all the details, and to 
 engrave this scene forever on his memory. At 
 last he crossed the little bridge, and, hastening 
 his steps, entered the pathway which led to the 
 esplanade where he had established his obser- 
 vatory. Imagine his astonishment on behold-
 
 CARINE. 199 
 
 ing a woman before his picture ! She seemed 
 to be examining it with profound attention ; 
 that is, he judged so by her attitude, for he 
 could not see her face. But her bending head, 
 her arms hanging down full length, in a 
 word, her motionless and statue-like form 
 showed that her whole soul had passed into 
 her eyes. This woman appeared to be young, 
 from the svelte elegance of her form. She was 
 very simply clad in a dress of dark stuff. It 
 was so sombre that it might have passed for a 
 mourning robe (mourning for her youth and 
 for her love), and falling by a single plait from 
 her shoulders to her feet. 
 
 Our hero's heart beat violently. What would 
 he have given to see her eyes, her neck, or 
 even a floating tress of her hair ! But a little 
 silk fichu which covered her shoulders reached 
 almost to her ears, and a large straw hat 
 trimmed with black lace covered her head. 
 It was impossible to discover who she was at 
 this distance. At last Marius, whose southern
 
 2OO CARINE. 
 
 temperament did not include patience among 
 the number of his virtues, advanced resolutely 
 toward the picture. At the sound of his steps, 
 which he did not try to conceal (for he did 
 not wish to surprise the stranger too suddenly), 
 the unknown turned. 
 
 It was Carine ! 
 
 On seeing the young girl, with a gesture 
 stronger than his will, by an impulse more 
 prompt than his thoughts, Marius held out 
 both arms and bounded toward her. Carine 
 on the contrary, on perceiving him, became 
 deathly pale ; her knees trembled, and she 
 looked around for a support in vain. Dan- 
 glade approached, took her hand and drew 
 it within his trembling arm. 
 
 " Me ? " cried Carine in a feeble voice, 
 pointing to the young Dalecarlian seated on 
 a rock in the foreground of the picture. 
 "Me?" repeated she, looking at the artist. 
 
 "Yes, you!" replied he, warmly. "Yes, 
 Carine, you ! always you ! Why may I not
 
 CAR1NE. 2O I 
 
 fill my picture with the image of one who fills 
 my life?" 
 
 " Monsieur ! Monsieur ! " cried the maiden, 
 trying to draw away her hand. 
 
 But Marius held it tightly in his, and would 
 not let it go. 
 
 Near them was the trunk of a fallen pine- 
 tree, a prostrate giant, the roots of which like 
 long hair floated in the rushing waters. Her 
 lover placed her on this rustic seat and seated 
 himself by her side, still holding tightly her 
 little hand, for he was resolved she should not 
 escape him this time. They were silent a few 
 moments : it was enough for him to look at her 
 for the present. Carine did not speak, and on 
 her beautiful face was an expression of fear, 
 with which, however, already mingled a little 
 joy. 
 
 Marius well understood what tact and deli- 
 cacy he would need to tame, little by little, 
 this timid gazelle. He began, therefore, by 
 not speaking of themselves ; it was without
 
 202 CARINE. 
 
 doubt the best way to reassure her. He asked 
 news of Tegner, of her aunt, and of Elfrida. 
 At first greatly troubled, Carine gradually be 
 came self-possessed, and soon conversed in a 
 more rational manner than Marius had ever 
 before heard her. When he believed that he 
 had sufficiently put to flight her fears, he gave 
 to their conversation a more intimate tone. 
 
 "You were suffering," said he, "when I met 
 you at Gothenburg?" 
 
 Perhaps the remembrance of her grief was 
 still too fresh and too bitter, for on hearing 
 these words Carine started from her seat as if 
 stung by a serpent, and essayed to flee; but 
 Marius held her hand tightly, and gently forced 
 her to sit down again and listen to him. 
 
 " Why do you wish to fly from me?" said 
 he. "Am I not your friend?" 
 
 " My friend ! " said Carine, hanging her head 
 with an air of profound melancholy. " You 
 appear to know my history. Well, then, you 
 must know that I have no friends."
 
 CARINE. 203 
 
 " Do not be ungrateful," replied he, still 
 holding her hand. "Yes, I know all," con- 
 tinued he, looking at her fixedly. 
 
 "Then you know a sad history," and Carine 
 blushed deeply. 
 
 " Yes, sad for him who has made you suffer." 
 
 " Oh, do not attack him ! " cried she ; " that 
 is no consolation to me." 
 
 " I know that you have a noble and generous 
 nature ; but do you think God wills you to 
 condemn not only yourself but others to per- 
 petual mourning?" 
 
 Carine did not reply, but hung her head. 
 
 " Because your first experience has been un- 
 fortunate," continued he, " is that any reason 
 why you should despair?" 
 
 " One loves but once," murmured the 
 maiden. 
 
 " And are you sure that you really loved ? 
 Is it then really a serious love, this first ten- 
 der experience of a young heart that hardly 
 knows itself, and, like the wandering shoots of
 
 204 CARINE. 
 
 your hop-vines, attaches itself to the first object 
 it meets." 
 
 Carine raised her eyes to heaven, her 
 lovely blue eyes, wet with tears, as if to call 
 it to witness the injustice of these words, and 
 to prove the ardor and sincerity of the senti- 
 ment which had inspired her youth. 
 
 " But at present, at least, you do not love 
 him?" asked Marius, anxiously. 
 
 " No," replied she, with more firmness than 
 she had yet shown. 
 
 "And you cannot live without love? " 
 
 Carine blushed and hung her head, and an 
 expression of unspeakable melancholy stole 
 over her face. " The tree struck by a thunder- 
 bolt," said she, "bears never again flowers or 
 leaves ! " 
 
 " Ah, no doubt it is thus when celestial fire 
 has devoured its sap and drained its life ; but 
 when it only strikes the branches, then when 
 the springtime comes again it is covered with 
 buds and blossoms, and reclothed with leaves."
 
 CARINE. 205 
 
 The maiden looked at this very persistent 
 youth wonderingly ; then blushed, and turned 
 away her head. 
 
 " Carine," said Marius, drawing a little 
 nearer, " shall I offend you if I tell you that 
 the first moment I saw you, I was attracted 
 toward you by an ardent sympathy, and that 
 ever since this feeling has increased?" 
 
 " Oh, how can I believe you ? I am so un- 
 worthy of such sentiments ! " 
 
 " That is not the question," said he, smiling ; 
 " no one can ever give a reason for loving." 
 
 Carine became agitated, and her heart beat 
 violently. 
 
 " Do you remember," continued he, " the 
 first day I arrived at Gothenburg? " 
 
 " Yes ; they had spoken of you. I did not 
 come down, for I did not wish to meet a 
 stranger." 
 
 " On that day," said Marius, " I heard your 
 name twice. I thought it sweet ; it seemed to 
 caress my ear, and stirred some strange feeling
 
 206 CARINE. 
 
 in my heart. I had not yet seen you, and yet I 
 was interested in you. Perhaps that was the 
 dawn of my love. The night came. I could 
 not sleep in this strange country where it was 
 always light. Leaning from the balcony, I saw 
 you in the garden ; you seemed to me beautiful 
 as a dream- maiden, pensive as Melancholy, 
 sad as Niobe. I was young ; I had never 
 loved ; and my heart went out into your keep- 
 ing, and you have had it ever since." 
 
 Carine raised her hand as if to warn him to 
 speak no more. 
 
 " The next day," continued the young man, 
 who was not so easily silenced, " the next day 
 I saw you again. From that moment I could 
 not turn away my eyes from your dear face. 
 To me you were the only woman in the world. 
 You were for me a radiant image of beauty. 
 In a word, I loved you. And yet, cruel girl 
 that you were, nothing seemed to touch you ; 
 my attentions seemed to irritate you, and my 
 sympathy for you was only equalled by your 
 antipathy for me."
 
 CARINE. 207 
 
 " Antipathy ! Ah, it was necessary to make 
 you think so," cried Carine. " If you had 
 known " 
 
 " Do not fear. I did not know. I was in 
 despair: and as I could not forget you I re- 
 solved to fly from you." 
 
 " When I knew it," said Carine, with a touch- 
 ing simplicity, " it was too late ; you had 
 gone ! " 
 
 " And you regretted me ? Tell me that you 
 missed me ! " 
 
 " The house seemed very empty," replied 
 the maiden, blushing. 
 
 " But I did not lose you entirely," said 
 Marius, " for I carried your image and your 
 name everywhere. The captain of the ' Edda,' 
 Petrus Mandel, is a friend of your family; 
 he knew your history, and I learned it from 
 him." 
 
 A vivid blush covered the young girl's face, 
 and she turned away, saying, " He did wrong 
 to tell you."
 
 2O8 CARINE 
 
 " Ah,*Carine, beloved ! do not blush for thy 
 virtue ; do not blush for the noble and gener- 
 ous devotion of thy soul ! " cried her lover, 
 with a fire which he could not master. " Few 
 women have suffered such wrong ; no one has 
 been more basely deceived ; believe me, he 
 was never worthy, your idol was but clay. 
 I am sure you already perceive that it was a 
 fortunate escape ; you never would have been 
 happy as his wife, for you are his superior in 
 every way. Do not regret these trials out of 
 which you have come purified, and for which 
 God will perhaps permit me to recompense 
 thee with my love." 
 
 Carine, a little troubled by the vehemence of 
 the young man, and by his ardent language of 
 passion, such as she had never heard before, 
 Carine trembled ; but she dared not interrupt 
 him. 
 
 " Ah," continued he, " I soon felt that my 
 life was changed ; that I lived for you alone, 
 and that at any cost I must see you once more.
 
 CARINE. 
 
 2O9 
 
 Perhaps you have heard your uncle say that I 
 wished to visit the North, and to penetrate as 
 far as possible those terrible regions where 
 gradually the cold seizes you and slewly freezes 
 your heart. Yes, it was there I wished to go, 
 so as to forget you ; but after having heard 
 your history, it was not the north pole that I 
 sought, it was you ! I begged Mandel to put 
 me on shore, and I took the route to Gothen- 
 burg but slowly. I did not wish to arrive 
 too soon. How did I know, alas ! if you 
 desired my return? How could I approach 
 one who appeared resolved to fly from me? 
 How could I speak to one who desired not to 
 listen to me? I disliked speaking to your 
 uncle ; there are subjects on which it is better 
 to be silent if one cannot avow them to the 
 person who inspires them. I so much feared 
 a cold reception that though my desire to 
 obtain the end was great, I sought every pre- 
 text to loiter on the way. At last, one day's 
 journey from Gothenburg I resolved to make a
 
 2IO CARINE. 
 
 final halt, and I hoped in some way to receive 
 news of you. To pass the time I painted these 
 trees, these rocks, and these cascades, all which 
 perhaps had seen you pass by in your youthful 
 beauty. Then I invoked my memory. You 
 can see," added he, pointing to the picture, 
 " if my memory was faithful. In my picture 
 you see yourself! " 
 
 " But a hundred times more beautiful ! " 
 cried Carine, secretly flattered by this chef- 
 d'oeuvre before her eyes. " But," continued 
 she, " to paint thus it is necessary to have great 
 talent." 
 
 " No, it suffices to love and " 
 
 "Oh, tell me no more ! " 
 
 " Because you know all, is it not so, dear 
 girl ? Because you know very well that I love 
 you?" 
 
 A pale rose-flush tinted the maiden's cheeks, 
 like the first rosy light of dawn touching the 
 immaculate whiteness of the snow on the 
 mountain's height.
 
 CA RINE. 211 
 
 " Never, never speak of love again ! " said 
 she, softly. 
 
 "Yes, I will, dear Carine. I will repeat 
 these words, ' I love you, Carine ! I love 
 you ! ' You must accustom yourself to hear 
 them." 
 
 "And if I cannot return your love?" 
 
 " I ask nothing of you," said he, " only to let 
 me love you, to let me console you. For a 
 long time you gave without receiving ; for the 
 present, you can receive without giving." 
 
 "You believe, then, that I could be so 
 selfish?" 
 
 " I forbid you not to be ! Believe me al- 
 ways, those who love most have the better 
 part. You need not pity me ; I am so happy 
 you ought rather to envy me." 
 
 " Dear and generous friend ! how can I ever 
 thank you enough? " cried the girl. 
 
 "By forgetting the past, by confiding the 
 future to me, dear Carine ; by permitting your- 
 self to be happy ! "
 
 212 CARINE. 
 
 Marius took both Carine's hands in his, and 
 this time she did not withdraw them. He was 
 very near her, their heads nearly touched ; he 
 gently passed his arm around her waist and 
 drew her to him. Carine did not resist, but 
 let her lovely blond head fall on his shoulder. 
 " Dearest," murmured he, caressing her beau- 
 tiful hair, "will you be my wife, before God 
 and before man, forever?" 
 
 " Ah," said she, " that would be too great 
 happiness ! I do not deserve it." 
 
 " It is not for thee that I pray," said Marius, 
 "it is for myself; for I cannot live without 
 thee, I cannot separate my destiny from thine ; 
 and I will make the future so happy that the 
 remembrance of the past will never present 
 itself to thy thoughts." 
 
 Carine disengaged one of her hands, and 
 placing it on Marius's forehead murmured, 
 "Oh, it seems that I can feel my heart 
 reborn ! Can I ever endure such perfect 
 happiness?"
 
 CAR1NE. 213 
 
 "Joy never kills," replied her lover. "To- 
 morrow I will go to Lilla-Edet, and I will ask 
 thy father for thee." 
 
 " My father is not at Lilla-Edet ; we have 
 left that sad place, which recalls so many cruel 
 thoughts. He now lives a mile from here on 
 a little farm which he owns; and he will be 
 so happy to see you ; but he will believe, as I 
 do, that it is all a dream." 
 
 "A dream which will have no wakening," 
 said Marius, pressing the hand of the beautiful 
 Swede and looking at her tenderly. But he 
 perceived that to this poor soul, so long 
 plunged in the depths of despair, sorrowful 
 thoughts continually returned ; and as his 
 desire was at any cost to distract her, he 
 resolved no longer to speak of love, but asked 
 her what she had done after he left her uncle's 
 house. 
 
 " I regretted you," replied Carine with an 
 adorable naivete. Then remembering suddenly 
 where she was she blushed, and said, " That
 
 214 CA RINE - 
 
 was not what I meant to say. I was very glad 
 to see you go." 
 
 "One is precisely the contrary of the other," 
 said Marius, smiling, " and I am puzzled which 
 to believe." 
 
 "Neither one nor the other," said she, shrug- 
 ging her shoulders. " How stupid men are 
 not to comprehend what we mean, without 
 explanation ! Yes, I was at the same time sad 
 and joyous to see you go, joyous because 
 your presence was a restraint upon me, for I 
 felt that I was learning to love you ; and I did 
 not wish " here she hid her face in her hands. 
 " Sad," continued she, " for it seemed to me 
 that I should never see you again." 
 
 Marius's eyes glistened with the sweetest 
 tears that ever moistened a man's eyes. " Now 
 at least tell me all," cried he. " I wish to 
 know all, before my coming, after my arri- 
 val, during my absence, all, all ! " 
 
 " Mon Dieu ! all is almost nothing," replied 
 Carine, alarmed at the profound tenderness he
 
 CARINE. 215 
 
 showed. " Know only that you were never 
 indifferent to me. From the first time I saw 
 you I thought you affectionate and good ; my 
 judgment then was disinterested, for I believed 
 myself separated from the world and from life. 
 After a while I could not help seeing that you 
 took an interest in me. My first impulse was 
 to reciprocate ; then fear took possession of 
 me. I feared that a new love would also prove 
 a new misfortune ; and believing that I had yet 
 time, I kept out of your way. A new love, 
 it horrified me even to think of it ! / was 
 then false as he, and he had done well to scorn 
 me and to deceive me ; for I was as bad as he 
 if I was capable of so soon forgetting such 
 profound sentiments." 
 
 Here the young girl, who had spoken rapidly,, 
 paused for breath ; then she continued. 
 
 "The evening when you drew my picture, 
 a portrait so admirably done, and which I have 
 looked at many times since, I felt emotions 
 that I had believed forever dead. But I would
 
 2l6 CARINE. 
 
 not permit myself to think of you ; I fled from 
 you ; and when by chance I met you, I turned 
 another way. But in spite of all, my friend, 
 when you went away it seemed to me that the 
 world was empty. Dear absent one ! I sought 
 you everywhere. I sought your eyes, so many 
 times tenderly fixed on mine, and reproached 
 myself with my coldness to you. I listened for 
 the sound of your steps, and I grieved when I 
 heard them not, for I had learned to distinguish 
 them from all others. I ought to tell you also 
 that in giving a new interest to my life, in 
 creating in me, whether I would or no, a new 
 source of thought, you had done me much 
 good ; you taught me that I had more life in 
 me than I supposed. But the remembrance 
 of my first mistake and of my resistance to 
 my parent's will always came between us, and 
 told me that I was not worthy of you, and that 
 I did not deserve the happiness of being a 
 good man's wife. I resolved to fly from the 
 house where you were sure to return. Now,
 
 CARIXK. 217 
 
 my friend, you know all ; you have judged me, 
 and I feel that you have pardoned me." 
 
 " Ah, what have I to pardon, my beloved ? 
 God himself, who sees the depths of our hearts, 
 finds thee as pure as the youngest of his angels. 
 Come, conduct me to your parents. To-day 
 we will love ; we will work to-morrow."
 
 THE end of our story draws near. The 
 father of Carine had already learned about 
 Marius from Tegner, of the arrival of the 
 young Frenchman at Gothenburg, and of the 
 great interest he had taken in Carine, and of 
 the happy influence he had over her. There- 
 fore our hero was received as a dear friend, 
 and before many days the young couple were 
 betrothed. 
 
 In Sweden the ceremony of betrothal, or as 
 we call it in France fiancailles, is completely 
 distinct from that of marriage. Between the
 
 22O CARINE. 
 
 first and the second there elapses sometimes 
 several years. This custom has few inconven- 
 iences and many advantages ; it is like a novi- 
 tiate of marriage. Gradually the young couple 
 become accustomed to the grave ideas which 
 ought to be born of this sacrament ; they slowly 
 awake to life's seriousness, and advance step by 
 step toward the end which they have so long 
 contemplated, instead of precipitating them- 
 selves headlong toward the irrevocable. They 
 do not improvise eternal bonds, but tighten the 
 knot more and more each day, until the hour 
 when it becomes indissoluble. They replace 
 the fierceness of love .by a peaceful companion- 
 ship, learning to love each other more by a 
 mutual understanding. Their manners are puri- 
 fied and refined by this companionship, while 
 their happiness preserves always the hope of 
 greater joy. Thus the first years of life are not 
 deprived of their sweetest charm ; the spring- 
 time of youth is not allowed to remain a 
 stranger to love, but this preliminary bond,
 
 CA RINE. 221 
 
 which nothing can diminish in purity or 
 strength, preserves the youthful heart from ills 
 which might otherwise overtake it. Between 
 the first youth unreflecting, untrained, and a 
 little foolish and life cold, serious, and posi- 
 tive, this custom puts an interval of calm en- 
 joyment, of delightful reflection, and of labor 
 sweetened by prospective happiness, and these 
 first years of strength, always restless, pass thus 
 consoled and serene. When evil hours and 
 temptations come to a youth, he has at least as 
 a defence that which is wanting with us, a 
 remembrance and a cherished thought ; life has 
 from the first an aim, which becomes its charm ; 
 wisdom is less difficult to follow when one 
 knows the recompense ; and in waiting the time 
 when he will also be the head of a family, the 
 young man takes refuge in hope to escape the 
 solitude of soul, the worst of all solitudes. 
 Dreamer by nature, in place of dreaming of an 
 unknown woman, or doing worse still, he dreams 
 of the maiden who will one day be his wife.
 
 222 CARINE. 
 
 The fiances have a social position, recognized 
 by law as well as by custom. They cannot 
 break the bond without cause ; one cannot dis- 
 miss lightly, or repudiate without motive, a faith- 
 ful fiance. For the rest they enjoy a sufficient 
 liberty; they accept invitations together, and 
 without the family; together they go to the 
 play or to the ball, and they walk together, 
 together and alone! two words which mean 
 much to lovers. No one dares to criticise this, 
 for they know that a woman is never more safe 
 nor more respected than by him who expects 
 one day to be her husband. By giving young 
 girls more liberty an inordinate desire for free- 
 dom is prevented, or woman's rights, which 
 compromise in many cases the happiness of 
 homes. In France the women marry more to 
 obtain social position and freedom than for love 
 of their husbands. In Sweden, where they 
 have more to lose than to gain by marriage, 
 they accept the husbands in spite of marriage.
 
 ONE day Tegner was delighted to welcome 
 Marius and Carine. But was this Carine? 
 Could one recognize the poor abandoned one 
 in this brilliant beauty with dazzling smiles, 
 beautiful in her happiness ? Every one hastened 
 to congratulate them ; and Brask, who was at 
 the time assisting Elfrida to wind a skein of 
 silk, was not the last one to wish them joy. 
 
 In the mean time Marius had written a long 
 letter to his father, to explain how he had
 
 224 CARINE. 
 
 fallen in love with a beautiful and amiable girl, 
 and that they were already fiances ; that he had 
 not thought to find a wife in Sweden, but that 
 he loved this maiden very much, and knew he 
 would be happy with her. Here followed en- 
 thusiastic praises of Carine. He ended by 
 begging his father to permit him to marry her 
 at her uncle's house, before setting out for 
 France. 
 
 The father replied : 
 
 " Unfortunate child ! you are the pest of my 
 life. But as you have deserted a noble career 
 of commerce, marry whom you will ; any 
 woman is good enough for an artist." [Here 
 allow us to add in parenthesis that the consul 
 had given to Monsieur Danglade the best 
 references in the world of the family of 
 Carine.] " I do not think it was precisely for 
 that I sent you to Sweden, as you say, although 
 I have not the advantage of knowing your 
 future wife ; but I had reserved for you here a 
 certain brunette, who is not a beauty, but
 
 CARINE. 225 
 
 whose complexion the sun will never harm 
 (unlike your blond), and with whose dot you 
 might forever be relieved of the necessity of 
 selling your poor pictures. 
 
 " However, bring home your incomparable 
 blonde ! I would like to see her. But if she 
 does not prove the marvel you describe, I will 
 send you both to seek your fortunes in Lap- 
 land. Tell her I hope she will learn to love 
 her old father-in-law a little, and that I will 
 try to support you both and even all three 
 next year ! "
 
 AT the end of October, when already the ice 
 descending from the Gulf of Bothnia began 
 to heap up in the entrance of the Belt, " La 
 Walkyrie" made her last trip for the season. 
 At the stern of the vessel a young man and 
 woman enveloped in furs, and like two chilly 
 birds pressed closely against each other, gazed, 
 hand in hand, at the swiftly passing shores of 
 Sweden, the beautiful fjord where the river 
 Gotha rolls her silver waves, and the noble 
 hills, crowned with oaks and young elms, which 
 rise above the city. The young woman, at the 
 moment when the vessel passed into the open
 
 228 CARINE. 
 
 sea, waved a silent adieu to Sweden. She was 
 not sad, there was on the contrary an ex- 
 pression of happiness in her eyes ; but she was 
 agitated, pensive, and serious, as one always is 
 when for the first time their native land is left 
 behind. 
 
 " Dear Carine," said her husband, pressing 
 her close to his heart, " fear nothing. We shall 
 be together, and we will soon return." Then 
 leading her to the other side of the vessel, he 
 pointed southward, saying : " Dearest, there, in 
 that sunny clime, you will find loving hearts to 
 welcome you ! " 
 
 Carine smiled, and placed her hand in his. 
 Then silently they watched the fast receding 
 shores.
 
 3337 
 
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