110 TEN YEARS IN SWEDEN. 



ice, snow, and bears, would be struck with astonishment 

 upon entering a Swedish country gentleman's house, and 

 seeing the style of living. At first the stiff politeness of the 

 welcome (for I know no country where the outward forms of 

 politeness are more strictly observed than here, and in this 

 respect they are like the French, whose manners are I fancy 

 much copied) might detract somewhat from its cordiality ; 

 but before he had been an inmate of the house for twenty- 

 four hours he would find himself as much at home as if he had 

 known the hospitable inmates for twelve months. Notwith- 

 standing, however, all the form and ceremony which is far 

 too prevalent among themselves, I have invariably seen that 

 their innate courtesy towards a stranger will cause them to 

 overlook much which they would condemn in a country- 

 man of their own. I have often sat down to dinner in a 

 shoo ting- coat, and received quite as hearty a welcome as 

 the other guests who were in full dress. And I may here 

 add that dress is carried to almost too great an excess among 

 the Swedish gentry, especially in the towns. 



But, as is always the case, the female flowers in the domestic 

 parterre would naturally please the stranger the most ; and 

 what I like in the Swedish ladies is this, that although they 

 never neglect the duties of the house (and I always fancy 

 that the women in Sweden, of all classes, have much more 

 to do than the men), you will never catch a real Swedish lady 

 unprepared to receive you she is always so neat and clean, 

 dressed in a becoming style, and ever with a glad smile to 

 welcome the stranger. Her gown is most probably home- 

 made, but it fits her as if turned out by a first-rate milliner. 

 Her whole dress is plain, and with little ornament. Her hair 

 (and they often have magnificent heads of hair) is either 

 smoothed neatly over her forehead or gathered up behind 

 the head. But the neatest head-dress of all is, I think, a 

 coloured handkerchief thrown carelessly over the head and 

 tied under the chin ; this is the usual head-dress with the 

 peasant women, but not half so much used by the ladies as 

 it would be if they only knew how well it became them. I am 

 scarcely judge enough to say what style of beauty is most 



