something there for you; you must change
the air a little. Come, come!"

"Ah, how charming!" was Leonore's exclamation as she entered Eva's
chamber; and in fact nothing could be imagined more charming than that
little abode of peace, adorned as it now was by the coquetry of
affection. The most delicious odour of fruit and flowers filled the air,
and the sun threw his friendly beams on a table near the sofa, on which
a basket filled with beautiful fruit stood enticingly in the midst of
many pretty and tastefully arranged trifles.

"Here, dear Leonore," said Eva, "you will remain during this time. It
will do you good to leave your room a little. And look, they have all
left you an offering! This gothic church of bronze is from Jacobi. It is
a lamp! do you see? Light comes through the church window;--how
beautiful! We will light it this evening. And this fruit here--do you
see the beautiful grapes? All these are a plot between Henrik and
Petrea. The copperplate engravings are from my father; Louise has worked
you the slippers; and the little lady, she----"

Leonore clasped her hands. "Is it possible," said she, "that you all
have thought so much about me! How good you are--ah, too good!"

"Nay, do not weep, sweet Leonore," said Eva; "you should not weep, you
should be joyful. But the best part of the entertainment remains yet
behind. Do you see this new novel of Miss Edgeworth's? Mamma has given
us this, for us to read together. I will read to you aloud till
midnight, if you will. A delicate little supper has been prepared for us
by Louise, and we shall sup up here. We'll have a banquet in our own
way. Take now one of those big grapes which grow two on one stem, and I
will take the other. The king's health! Oh, glorious!"

Whilst the two sisters are banqueting at their own innocent feast, we
will see how it goes on in the great company at

AXELHOLM.

Things are not carried on in so enviably easy and unconstrained a manner
at every ball as at that of the citizens in the good little city of
* * * ping, where one saw the baker's wife and the confectioner's wife
waltzing together, but altogether in a wrong fashion, to which the rest
only said, "It does not signify, if they only go on!" Oh, no! such
simplicity as that is very rarely met with, and least of all among those
of whom we write.

At Axelholm, as at other great balls, the rocky shores of
conventionality made it impossible to move without a thousand
ceremoni