ance of good influence. That is good of you,
indeed."

"Where is Axel?" asked Hardy.

"He is at Copenhagen, at a school for a time," replied the Pastor. "He
will be home in the summer for a holiday."

"What about Rosendal?" asked Hardy.

"It is much improved; in a month or six weeks it will be lovely,"
answered the Pastor. "The plan was excellent that you adopted, and, as
you have been written, it has been executed well."

When Mrs. Hardy appeared, perfectly well dressed, as she always was,
John could see that the Pastor observed her well-bred manner. "Your
parsonage, Herr Pastor," she said, "has a look of calm contentment and
quiet that strikes me in coming from busy England."

"That is near the reality, Mrs. Hardy," replied he; "but it is not the
fact with all our Danish parsonages, men vary here as they do
elsewhere."

"That may be; but you have the greater opportunity for attaining the
actuality of what is simple and true," said Mrs. Hardy.

"Possibly we have," replied Pastor Lindal; "but I fear we are all
liable to neglect opportunities which suggest only."

John Hardy had been obliged to assist at this conversation as
interpreter, when Kirstin announced dinner was served. Hardy rose and
shook hands with Kirstin.

"It is an old servant, mother," said Hardy; and Mrs. Hardy rose and
shook hands with Kirstin, and then the Pastor took Mrs. Hardy in to
dinner.

Mrs. Hardy's ladylike tact soon enabled her to get on with the
Pastor--she used the simplest English words, and Hardy was able to
talk to Helga.

"I have brought the side saddle," he said.

"I have seen it at Rosendal; and your man Garth has been exercising
the horses with a skirt daily, to make them more accustomed to a lady
riding them," said Helga.

"Well?" said Hardy, inquiringly.

"I shall be glad to learn to ride, Herr Hardy, if you will kindly
teach me," said Helga. "Your man has told us that the horses and
carriage were at our disposal until your mother came. We have not
often used them, as my father said that if I wished to learn to ride,
I had better wait until you came, as you understood horses, and that
he was afraid some accident might occur."

John Hardy had apprised Mrs. Hardy of the inevitable porcelain pipe,
which, as she did not like tobacco smoking, her son asked the Pastor
to hold his tobacco-parliament in his own study, where he went to keep
him company.

Thus Mrs. Hardy was alone with Helga for some time. She found th