o make use of everything. Alvilde had always a little attack of the
tooth-ache; Julle went shopping, and Miss Grethe was the bride. She was
also musical, and was considered witty. Thus she said one evening when
the house-door was closed, and groaned dreadfully on its hinges, "See
now, we have port wine after dinner." [Translator's Note: A pun which it
is impossible to translate. The Danish word Portviin according to sound,
may mean either port wine or the creaking of a door.] The brother, the
only son of the house, with whom we shall become better acquainted, had
written down this conceit; "but that was only to be rude toward her,"
said Miss Grethe. "Such good ideas as this I have every hour of the
day!"

We ought really to accuse these excellent girls of nothing foolish; they
were very good and wise. The lover, Mr. Svane, was also a zealous wit;
he was so lively, they said. Every one with whom he became a little
familiar he called immediately Mr. Petersen, and that was so droll!

"Now the father has invited Mr. Thostrup to come on Thursday!" said the
lady. "I also think, if we were to squeeze ourselves a little together,
he might find a place with us in the box; the room is, truly, very
confined."

Otto besought them not to incommode themselves.

"O, it is a large box!" said the lady, but she did not say how many of
them were already in it. Only eleven ladies went from the family itself.
They were obliged to go to the theatre in three parties, so that
people might not think; if they all went together, there was a mob.
One evening, when the box had been occupied by eighteen persons, beside
several twelve-year old children, who had sat in people's laps, or stood
before them, and the whole party had returned home in one procession,
and were standing before the house door to go in, people streamed
together, imagining there was some alarm, or that some one had fallen
into convulsions. "What is the matter?" they asked, and Miss Grethe
immediately replied, "It is a select company!" [Translator's Note: A
select or shut-out company. We regret that this pun, like the foregoing
one, is untransferable into English.] Since that evening they returned
home in separate divisions.

"It is really a good box!" said Alvilde; "if we had only other
neighbors! The doors are opening and shutting eternally, and make a
draught which is not bearable for the teeth. And then they speak so
loud! the other night I did not hear a single word of