whereas from my childhood I had made up my mind that I would never be a
master in a school, this conversation nevertheless ripened my
determination to give up my law studies, but of course only when by
successfully competing for the prize the next year I had satisfactorily
proved my still questionable ability.


VI.

The Meeting of Scandinavian students at Copenhagen in June, 1862, taught
me what it meant to be a Scandinavian. Like all the other
undergraduates, I was Scandinavian at heart, and the arrangements of the
Meeting were well calculated to stir the emotions of youth. Although, an
insignificant Danish student, I did not take part in the expedition to
North Zealand specially arranged for our guests, consequently neither
was present at the luncheon given by Frederik VII to the students at
Fredensborg (which was interrupted by a heavy shower), I was
nevertheless deeply impressed by the Meeting.

It was a fine sight to behold the students from the three other
Scandinavian Universities come sailing across the Sound from Malmoe to
Copenhagen. The Norwegians were especially striking, tall and straight,
with narrow faces under tasseled caps, like a wood of young fir trees;
the national type was so marked that at first I could hardly see any
difference between them.

For me, there were three perfect moments during the festivities. The
first was at the meeting of all the students in the Square of Our Lady,
after the arrival of the visitors, when the scholars of the Metropolitan
School, crowding the windows of the building, greeted them with a shout