May 10th. Oh, joy! thou lovely seraph of heaven! How beauteous art thou, how worthy of adoration, when thou lightest up the tear-bedewed eye, when thou shinest forth in the glance of the dying; how good art thou when filling the pitcher for the great and fortunate; how beneficent and full of mercy when relieving the afflicted of the burden on his memory, and strewing his couch with roses; how charming and delightful seemest thou to me when I perceive thy light step in the hearts of men! Oh, that thou wert but a mortal that with my prayers, with my heart's blood, I might summon you when needed. Then should you be a still more frequent visitor of earth.

But perchance thou mightest be less beautiful, less entrancing if grief did not precede you; as the sun never shines more gloriously than after storm and rain! Are not joy and sorrow the wings of life, wherewith man raises himself to the final end?

Ah-I

The light step of joy in the hearts of men. have this day in our own house, in my own people seen it, although we dare not yet speak openly of it. Respect for Flora's memory and her self-denial has laid an embargo upon our lips, but the glory she has thrown around herself by her conduct is fast dissipating all the gloomy shades of grief.

Lennartson and Selma have met like two creatures who have long been in search of, and at last met each other like two souls originally in unison by the wish of the Creator.

Her happiness has been extracted from suffering too severe for her joy to have full scope at present; but behind the veil of deep melancholy which yet enshrouds

her, I hear the laughing god of love and the flutter of his wing. Yes, the Sylphide will yet dance, dance on

roses!

Flora's letter to Lennartson is such that he cannot reject the emancipation she proffers to him. She expresses herself decidedly and unmistakeably, and beseeches him to concede her the satisfaction of making two loved beings happy, and thereby restoring to her their and her own esteem.

"Repentance and self-condemnation," she writes, "would ever pursue me even at thy side, Lennartson! and you would be unable to protect me against them, for you could not love me. But apart from you I shall be nearer to you. Oh, Thorsten, I am sure that when united to Selma you will think on me with tenderness, and I shall again be lovely in your eyes. Alas! possibly it is more of selfishness than pure affection which instigates me even now. If it be so- -forgive me." Lennartson's reply to Flora must pierce her heart with an ineffaceable thrill of pleasure and noble content. And Flora is in the right. They will now be more closely attached than if they had been husband and wife.

My stepmother is delicious; she pleases and touches me at the same time. She is silent and quiet, often laying her hands together and sighing; but her sigh is qualified by a smile, and brighter thoughts break forth from her heart through the sedateness which she yet sees fit to adopt. She speaks very admirably of the "wonderful ways of providence," and of the duty of man "to be resigned." When will she take courage to give us Prince Metternich again?

And myself-for I am also in the business-I partici

pate. I rejoice, I hope, and am thankful; but in my heart of hearts I am not happy nor at ease. I am disturbed about William Brenner, and am not on good terms with myself.

Many people remain single from worthy, nay estimable grounds; but many-from selfishness; the latter I detect in myself, and with shame. We desire to be beloved, we desire to receive warmth from the flame of a noble heart, nay even to give back some portion of that flame-as much at least as our convenience, our personal comfort will permit. But marriage, particularly if this is associated with a few difficulties, with some apprehension of trouble in the future, we cannot face; we have not virtue enough!

Meanwhile I am anxious whether I shall see the Viking again before his departure! No either! I am not anxious! For if he will not, I will, and "ce que femme vent Dieu levent."

May 13th.

Most memorable event in cabinet between my stepmother and myself.

When we were yesterday afternoon settling the state of the nation, we remarked an unwonted concurrence in our views. Congratulating ourselves on this, we set about inquiring into the cause of this approximation; and it transpired that my stepmother, who had zealously read certain royalist journals, had lapsed a little over to the side of the opposition; while I, after daily plodding through the columns of an opposition paper, was inclining towards the government. Specially delighted at this discovery, and felicitating each other on

our independence, we settled for the future to keep the balance even, to consider ourselves the organs of both parties, and terminated our political discussion by having patience with each other.

66

May 14th.

Something of the altered condition and circumstances of our house must have got wind, for our spasmodic acquaintances," who during the dark periods had let us hear nothing of them, were now reviving like flies in sunny weather.

The Gyllenlöfs and Silfverlings have been smothering us to-day with friendship and compliments. Lennartson came, and now their friendship knew no limits, but made the most desperate rush for an indissoluble personal intimacy. My stepmother was polite, and took the world as it was; but Selma put on her princess's mien, and responded very coldly to the Silfverling empressement.

The not-spasmodical, but in all circumstances friendly Signora Luna was allowed a peep into our recent happy position, and her fine eyes were radiant with pleasure, as well at Flora's behaviour as at Selma and Lennartson's happiness. She was in full court dress, and so handsome and brilliant, that I could not help saying:

"Signora is in full moon to-night, and must feel herself equal to a most shining course."

She threw a look at me, which manifested a secret sorrow, and replied:

"Ah! my dear, all is not gold that glitters, and the shining course But it will do. All goes on,

albeit one might sometimes think every thing is standing still."!

Baron Alexander now made his appearance, and with his customary superiority, remarked:

"I must remind you, cher amie, that it is nearly nine o'clock; it is time to go to court; it will be splendid to-night."

"And I," whispered his wife to me as she rose, "shall this night with many another sigh in secret, as Tegner says:

'Tell me, watchman, how wears the night?

Will it never come to an end?'"

"But, in earnest," said I, "is it not entertaining to be in so splendid an assembly, to see life in gala costume?"

"That would undoubtedly be the case," replied Signora Luna, "especially when one comes in contact with many agreeable and eminent persons-if the heart were only ache-free. But how few are there who pass light-hearted through life; and perhaps not without good too, for in the opposite case we should become too trivial."

She smiled sadly, nodded to me, and disappeared, shaded by the Great Alexander.

Domestic happiness or unhappiness.

That it is

which assimilates the lot of all on earth more than aught else, which levels the palace with the hovel, places the labourer on a footing with the king, and raises up immeasurable differences between the existence and fortune of the mighty.

"Domestic troubles," writes a king, complainingly, who has fretted his little part in this world's scene,