THE KNIGHT OF THE POLAR STAR 307 



oak half hidden by the fruit-blossom, still out now in 

 early June; moving out among still lovelier views ever 

 opening up and fading off; enlivened by ships gliding 

 in and out between islands, as if moving from behind 

 pieces of painted scenery ; the whole scene freshened by 

 a strong but not a cold breeze. 



Here is Drottningholm. A beautifully situated 

 palace ! A white comfortable building, of Renaissance 

 domestic style, approached by an avenue of poplars, 

 opening into fern-fringed glades of kingcups and cows- 

 lips, flowering even as late as June. An abundant and 

 varied vegetation surrounds the palace and its depen- 

 dent village. 



Flowers are the exuberance of Sweden. Beautiful 

 as the Lake Malar is, there is seldom much charm of 

 colour in the water itself at least not to people used to 

 the Swiss lakes ; but there are soft pink-budded trees, 

 and a tender lilac-grey rock, and lichen tints of all sorts 

 these lichens have a great range of hues, from purest 

 amber down through all the greys and sage-greens to 

 crimson and solemn purples and all this is gemmed 

 with flowers. A long floating bridge connects Drott- 

 ningholm with another island, whose rocks are crested 

 with tall black pines and stiff spruce firs a contrast to 

 the softer charms of Drottningholm, or the queen's island. 



In the low ground on the Nockeby side, which is 

 the side by which Linnaeus would leave it to return 

 to Upsala, the park slopes up like an amphitheatre 

 through many golden glades of kingcups. 



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