ast two days, and you have anticipated what I had
thought," said Helga.

They had arrived at Hoisted, where they had to pass the night. The
modest little inn did its best for them, and the Pastor was glad to
rest; but after dinner his enjoyment of his pipe was great. It is not
understood in England that such is good or necessary. _Tot homines
quot sententiae_. The question is in England, Is it wrong for a parson
to enjoy his pipe? The answer is, "No," with some people, "Yes," with
others; but the question whether it is good for him is very generally
answered in the negative.

"You have but few stories of the people, or, as you call them,
Eventyr?" asked Hardy.

"There are very many," replied the Pastor. "But in Norway you will
have found an even richer store. The grandness of nature there has
influenced the imaginations of the people. Their legends, traditions,
and stories are more romantic and weird. Their traditions of the Huldr
are exquisitely fantastic and picturesque to a degree. Their
Folke-Eventyr is rich in colour. There is a depth of thought and of
the knowledge of human nature as it is that fills the mind with
astonishment. There is in them all a sense of justice, a feeling of
appreciation of what is good and true, as if the thought had been
inspired. Nationally, the Norwegians are honest, and their
Folke-Eventyr has contributed to form the character of the people. It
has engendered a respect for what is good and true. There is also an
idea of rough justice and humour; and I will tell you a story which
will illustrate this. There was once a priest who was very
overbearing. When he drove in the roads, he shouted to the people he
met, 'Out of the way, I am coming; out of the way!' He did this so
often that the king determined to check his pride, and drove to the
priest's. As he was coming, he met the priest, who shouted as usual.
The king drove as he should do, as king, and the priest had to give
way. When the king was at the side of the priest's carriage, he said,
'Come to me at the palace to-morrow, and if you cannot answer three
questions I put to you, I will punish you for your pride's sake.' This
was treatment the priest was not accustomed to. He could bully the
Bonder, but answering questions did not suit him. So he went to his
clerk and told him that one fool can ask more questions than ten wise
men could answer, and that he must go up to the palace to the king and
reply to his questions. So the clerk