42 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



how ' old German books, dull as stupidity itself nay, 

 superannuated stupidity gain with labour the dreariest 

 glimpses of unimportant extinct human things.' But 

 they are always trusty as to dates, according to their 

 light, and mostly as to facts, when one can get to the 

 bottom of their meaning. Carl's parents took the com- 

 plaints of the professors and lecturers of the college 

 much to heart, foreseeing in the evil report the 

 probable ruin of their fondest hopes. The mother 

 argued thus : c His father loved plants too, yet he got 

 the divinity, or theology, into his head. Why could 

 not Carl ? Was all the rise in the family to go for 

 nought ? Was the peasant family to be again de- 

 graded to the ranks ? He must toil at this uncongenial 

 study for his forefathers' sake and for theirs. His 

 father had no money to give him, and the boy could not 

 expect to live by picking flowers.' 



His father came out to see him soon after this. 

 The first evening was a happy one. The meeting 

 could not fail to awaken pride and delight in his boy in 

 his merely physical aspect. Nils saw himself young 

 again, with added charms such as he could not remem- 

 ber in himself; besides, he had never been without in- 

 fluence over his son. Oh yes, all things would be set 

 right by some mild yet firm parental talk. The lad had 

 promised to be so clever in earlier days. But the next 

 morning, after the masters of the school had pronounced 

 him unfit for any learned profession, a cloud of sadness 

 rose between father and son ; they were no longer able 



