nly see them; that is another kind of thing!"

"Another kind of thing! What other kind of thing? I will wager that
there is not a single goose in Sweden which could compare with our
excellent Norway geese."

"No, not one, but a thousand, and all larger and fatter than these.
Everything in Sweden is larger and more excellent than in Norway."

"Larger? The people are decidedly smaller and weaker."

"Weaker? smaller? you should only see the people in Uddevalla, my native
city!"

"How can anybody be born in Uddevalla? Does anybody really live in that
city? How can anybody live in it? It is a shame to live in such a city;
it is a shame also only to drive through it. It is so miserably small,
that when the wheels of the travelling-carriage are at one end, the
horse has already put his head out at the other. Do not talk about
Uddevalla!"

"No, with you it certainly is not worth while to talk about it, because
you have never seen anything else besides Norwegian villages, and
cannot, on that account, form any idea to yourself of a proper Swedish
city."

"Defend me from ever seeing such cities--defend me! And then your
Swedish lakes! what wretched puddles they are, beside our glorious
Norwegian ocean!"

"Puddles! Our lakes! Great enough to drown the whole of Norway in!"

"Ha, ha, ha! And the whole of Sweden is beside our Norwegian ocean no
bigger than my cap! And this ocean would incessantly flow over Sweden,
did not our Norway magnanimously defend it with its granite breast."

"Sweden defends itself, and needs no other help! Sweden is a fine
country!"

"Not half as fine as Norway. Norway reaches heaven with its mountains;
Norway comes nearest to the Creator."

"Norway may well be presumptuous, but God loves Sweden the best."

"Norway, say I!"

"Sweden, say I!"

"Norway! Norway for ever! We will see whose throw goes the highest, who
wins for his country. Norway first and highest!" and with this, Harald
threw a stone high into the air.

"Sweden first and last!" exclaimed Susanna, whilst she slung a stone
with all her might.

Fate willed it that the two stones struck against each other in the air,
after which they both fell with a great plump down into the spring
around which the small creatures had assembled themselves. The geese
screamed; the hens and ducks flew up in terror; the turkey-hens flew
into the wood, where the turkey-cock followed them, forgetting all his
dignity; all the doves had vanished in a