s of
flowers and ground pine. The word _farvel_, "farewell," was worked in
green over the front door. The coffin, which was carried on a bier by
the neighbors to the little cemetery not far away, was covered with
flowers, and following it were a number of women clad in somber black
with little white shawls tied under their chins, each carrying a
wreath in her hands. The minister led the procession. He was dressed
in a long black gown reaching to his heels, like the cassock of a
Catholic priest; his hat was of felt, with a low crown and a broad
brim, similar to those worn by the curates of the Church of England,
while around his neck was a linen ruff that looked as if it might have
been worn in the time of Queen Elizabeth.

"A grave had been dug in the churchyard. The neighbors who had borne
the body, lowered it tenderly to the bottom, and when they had lifted
the cover of the coffin in place, each man, the oldest first, threw in
a shovelful of earth. All the women did not use the shovel, some of
them took up handsful of soil and let it gently filter through their
fingers into the open vault; and finally three children, somewhere
about ten or eleven years of age, followed the example of their elders
and added their little share to the brown coverlid of the dead.
The pastor removed his hat, extended his arms and pronounced a
benediction. Then the women laid their wreaths on the newly covered
grave and sorrowfully turned homeward."

Independence and frankness characterize all classes of society. Norway
has no hereditary aristocracy. In 1821 it was provided that those
holding titles might be allowed to retain them during their lives, but
they could not transmit them to their children. The Norse character
has never been marred by the yoke of slavery. The feudal system, with
its serfdom, never got a footing in the north. The people have always
been small landholders, which has developed among them an independence
of character not found in countries where the mass of the inhabitants
have no direct property interests. There is no class in Norway
corresponding to the country gentleman of England or to the grand
seigneurs and provincial noblemen of the Continent. The wealthiest
landlord is only a peasant.

Honesty is one of the valuable assets of the Norwegian people.
Attempts at extortion are so rare that tourists, accustomed to the
proverbial dishonesty of the Latin races, find travel in Norway and
Sweden a joy. An English