62 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



he could talk to in plain Swedish ; as he looked at the 

 soft blue eyes ' and found them tender too, and made 

 him feel that he could feel again ' eyes shining withal 

 with soft mockery, as if she said, ' Oh, he's nobody.' 

 Nobody, verily, when he went ; somebody when he 

 came back. 



After the Dutch frows and French demoiselles he 

 found his Swedish love perfectly dazzling. The Swedish 

 complexion is never burned by the sun. Elizabeth 

 was not, if we may judge from her portrait, taken in 

 mature life, extremely beautiful, though she was the 

 belle of Falun ; but ' what is there that love will not 

 transfigure into beauty ? She was called beautiful, 

 and beautiful she was if a face be beautiful which 

 to look at is to admire.' 1 And now she was so happy, 

 so secure, that she could lightly rally her lover, after 

 Portia's manner, that he ' bought his doublet in Germany, 

 his round hose in Holland, his bonnet in Harderwyk, 

 and his behaviour ' 



c From home and polished it in France.' He finished 

 the sentence with a kiss. 



' And your manners of some Frenchman who had worn 

 'em out and cast 'em off,' she rejoined. The lovers' quarrel 

 would be made up in a scene touching beyond descrip- 

 tion ; and little attentions would be paid, corresponding 

 to the modern ' turning the leaves on the dreary piano.' 

 But what is there that does not gain a charm from love ? 

 And then would follow the ever-young love-scene, 

 1 Froude. 



