THE LINDEN-TREE 83 



"I guess that that is really what is the mat- 

 ter with you/' the Wexio doctor said, ^^ While 

 as for the boy — well, it isn't such a bad S3rmp- 

 tom for him to love natural history. Send him 

 to me. I'll turn him into a doctor." 



And he offered to provide for him, if his 

 father could not, while he finished his course 

 at the ** Gymnasium" or Latin school. And so 

 Carl found his first fairy godfather. For one 

 good, glad year he studied under Dr. Roth- 

 man, and then he was ready for the University 

 of Lund. 



^*Ah, it is all very well," sighed his mother, 

 when they told her that her first-born was not 

 to serve God through the church. ^^Ah, yes," 

 and she glanced at Samuel, her second son, 

 *^But he shall not waste his time on so idle 

 a study as herbs and flowers!" 



Carl started to Lund with this letter of 

 recommendation from the Wexio school : 



*^The youths in schools may be likened unto 

 young saplings in a plantation, where it some- 

 times happens, although seldom, that young 

 trees, despite the great care bestowed upon 



