Just then there was a light knock at the door. In walked two girls, one
tall and one short, the former of whom positively bewildered me. She was
fair, her sister as dark as a negro. They were ten and eight years old
respectively, were named Henrietta and Nina K., came from Brazil, where
their home was, and were to spend a few years in Denmark; came as a rule
every day, but had now arrived specially to inspect the strange boy.
After gazing for two minutes at the lovely Henrietta's fair hair and
wonderful grey eyes, I disappeared from the room, and five minutes
afterwards reappeared again, clothed in the dark-blue jacket and the
white waistcoat with gold buttons, which I had been strictly forbidden
to wear except on Sundays. And from that time forth, sinner that I was,
I wore my Sunday clothes every blessed day,--but with what qualms of
conscience!

I can still see lovely fields, rich in corn, along the sides of which we
played; we chased beautiful, gaudy butterflies, which we caught in our
hats and cruelly stuck on pins, and the little girls threw oats at my
new clothes, and if the oats stuck fast it meant something, sweethearts,
I believe. Sweethearts--and I!

Then we were invited to the manor, a big, stately house, a veritable
castle. There lived an old, and exceedingly handsome, white-haired
Chamberlain, called the General, who frequently dined with Frederik VII,
and invariably brought us children goodies from dessert, lovely large
pieces of barley sugar in papers with gay pictures on the outside of
shepherd lovers, and crackers with long paper fringes. His youngest son,
who owned a collection of insects and many other fine things, became my
sworn friend, which means that I was his, for he did not care in the
least about me; but I did not notice that, and I was happy and proud of
his friendship and sailed with him and lots of other boys and girls on