le liked the
state of things, although he tried to control himself. Hans understood
this, and laughed.

"Do not bother yourself about Hauk," said he. "He has been in Paris
and has learned French manners, and consequently he likes women's
society best; but even if he is a little grand, he will quickly become
Norse again, keep to his pipe and his glass, and let the women take
care of themselves."

Balle bit his lips; the pastor smiled a little. "Young people are more
bashful here in Norway," said he. "That is true," he continued. "You
have read the new novel 'Virginia,' that the people have waited so
long for?"

"'Virginia'?--pfh! that is a vile book," answered Hans, and smiled.

"Vile?" said the chaplain questioningly.

"It is a scandalous book! says Christiania. It has set the whole town
on end. It works destruction upon marriage, they say; upon morals,
upon society. I have never seen Christiania so moral as in these
days."

"H'm!" said Balle; "Christiania is on the whole a moral town."

"It is at this time! The young poets are happy for all the days of
their life. The men forbid the women to read the book, and the women
forbid their daughters--"

"And so they all read it together?" said the pastor.

"Certainly! The women read it and say, 'Paugh! the poets do not know
life.' The daughters, the poor dear angels, they read it and say,
'Dear me, is that anything? Have we not read worse books than that?'"

"But tell us, then, what the book is about?" said the pastor.

"It is about--that married people shall love each other," said Hans
stoutly.

"Oho! free love!" called out the chaplain.

"Certainly! Free love! 'All true love is free,' says the fool-hardy
fellow of a poet."

"Do you hear that, pastor?" said Balle.

"If our own poets also take it up, let us have a care! Then he
recognizes 'free thought'; and what then?" asked the chaplain.

"That is true," replied Hans. "'All thoughts are free,' he says, 'and
not merely duty free.'"

"Of course he does not believe in God?"

"I doubt it; but even that is not the worst."

"Not the--"

"No, for there are many people in Christiania who do not believe in
God. But these poets do not even believe in the Devil!" Hans laughed
like a child at the face that the chaplain made; the pastor looked
severely at Hans, who cast down his eyes and was silent.

"Worthless fruit," sighed the chaplain. "Our poets have hitherto kept
themselves free from these godless thou