170 STRAY- AW AYS 



me that hers did the same, and also that it was I 

 who first yawned when the discussion oscillated back 

 to housekeeping. Nevertheless it was to her that 

 our countrywoman bade so pointedly and suddenly 

 a glacial good-night. 



The days remaining to us were few, and Frederiks- 

 borg Castle was still unseen. Our Danish friend told 

 us next day that a tram would take us there; we 

 found one in the Kongens Ny Torv, and said " Freder- 

 iksborg " to the conductor. He nodded. How simple 

 were the means of transit in Copenhagen ! The tram 

 took us by a long semi-suburban road to the gates 

 of a park, where nurses and children speckled the 

 broad walks, and placid male exponents of elegant 

 leisure basked in chilly gleams of sunshine. 



We walked by the curving edge of a lake in which 

 the beech trees and the blue sky and the rustic bridge 

 were charmingly reflected, and by doing four miles 

 an hour persuaded ourselves that the weather was 

 warm. The trim windings of the path took us 

 eventually to a plateau where stood a large, old- 

 fashioned building, too straggling for a hospital, 

 but of that nature. This w^as Frederiksborg, that 

 " dream of architectural beauty " of w^hich the guide- 

 books cannot say enough. We sat down to give 

 the beauty time to sink gradually in, and the white- 

 wash grew whiter, and the windows more baldly 

 regular, till by appealing once more to the guide- 

 books it was discovered that we were looking at 

 Frcdeviksberg, once a royal dwelling, and now a 

 military academy. Frederiksto?'^ Castle was hours 

 away by rail. We wandered very disappointedly to 

 the edge of the terrace, and looked down upon Copen- 

 hagen, a level plain of housetops, out of which rose 

 conspicuously the spiral round toAver, the dark dome 

 of the Royal Theatre and the gilt cupola of the 



