28 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



of Carl's going to school, ' At the epoch of this deter- 

 mination ' viz. of his father sending him to school 

 ' Linnaeus had seen his second lustre.' This makes 

 Stoever difficult reading, one so often stops to laugh or 

 to consult the dictionary (often Lempriere). His full- 

 sailed prose expresses everything in long measure. 

 Stoever's rococo pages are stiff with embroidery of style 

 rather than embroidery of thought. 



Can one imagine a greater pleasure to an inquiring 

 boy of ten than, escaping from the severe rule of John 

 Tiliander, to travel with his father, also a lover of nature, 

 enjoying an unwonted excursion in spring through an 

 interesting country ? Even though the journey was to 

 end in going to school, still school was a novelty ; and to 

 one with whom travel in his own country was a passion, 

 this was a joy to stand out salient through life. The 

 parting from home gave it the touch of pathos that 

 thrilled the nerves and made the feelings more sensitive 

 to every impression. They were off in the morning 

 early, for they had before them a ride of over five-;, ml - 

 thirty miles. They rode, most likely, both on one horse. 

 Good-bye, loved mother and fond little sisters ! Their 

 handkerchiefs are waved dry before the dear travellers 

 are out of sight from the knoll on which they stand. 

 Sweden in spring is one vast natural history collection, 

 all careless of mankind, and SmSland is the very pith 

 and core of the country as regards entomology and 

 botany, both of them our Carl's wild delights objects 

 that he loved as other bovs love their boats and bats. 



