LARS 35 



them at all times a somewhat sombre aspect. 

 The only exception was our Anders, who 

 thought it fitting to appear in a light brown 

 check suit, which I had recently given to him. 

 Probably the magnificence of this attire was 

 held to compensate for its incongruous hue. 



The two men who had chanted on the road 

 proceeded to conduct the service, which was 

 short, in the same manner. The coffin was 

 then carried to the grave, where there was more 

 chanting, and when the service was over, the 

 grave was at once filled with earth, a process 

 in which, as there did not appear to be any 

 professional gravediggers, all the men took a 

 hand in turn. And so Lars was laid to rest ; 

 so they 



" Gave 

 His body to that pleasant country's earth." 



It was rather a shock to English eyes to see 

 the state of the churchyard. The graves were 

 covered with rank grass and weeds, and the 

 iron or wooden crosses erected on many of 

 them were tumbling in all directions. The 

 most pretentious tomb, belonging to an old 

 family still represented here, was in no better 

 case than the rest. The whole bore an aspect 



