I ’ II E A M ERICA N - S C A N DIN A V IAN REVIEW 
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into the fish-well. Next time there was a bream, a plump rascal. 
Beyond the bridge railing and the stone barrier over by Gustavus 
Adolphus Place it was already black with people. A little boy in a 
blue embroidered blouse tried very cleverly to spit on Leonard’s bat. 
But Leonard began to find the folk up there altogether ephemeral, 
them and the whole muddle of palace, Parliament House, churches, 
theatres, prisons and banks which chance had collected along the river; 
the river which had run when there were only a few islands here inhab¬ 
ited by fishermen, and which would continue to run when all the splen¬ 
dor was dust again. 
But Lundstrom, who grew cheerful with his good luck, began 
little by little to express his opinion about one thing and another. It 
may as well be said first as last that he regarded with slightly ironic 
disapproval a good deal of the bustle up there in the city. 
“Folks babble and gad about so they get tired and cross,” he said. 
“They ought to fish a little more than they do. All the ministers ought 
to come down here and pull the net a couple of times a week. And the 
party leaders and the soloists and the other star actors as well. That 
wouid make them really good. And if there wasn’t room for them all 
here, let the government hire a big boat and carry them all out to the 
coast. It’s right astonishing how folks can work things out when they 
are together in a boat. And likewise how it can thaw one’s head to sit 
and look at a dipsy. I don’t know how it is, but there’s surely some¬ 
thing specially particular about water.” 
“Yes, I need only think about myself,” continued Lundstrom. 
“How should I have ever got straight without this here boat and net? 
It doesn’t help how quiet a man is; he gets stage fright sometimes just 
the same, in my opinion. First night is first night, and that’s just how 
it feels in the pit of the stomach many weeks ahead. The gentleman 
may imagine that it’s a job to turn a wild and desolate wood into a fine 
castle hall with roof chandeliers and a marble floor and pillars and pic¬ 
tures and chairs. And all that must be done in less time than the gen¬ 
tleman needs to empty a glass of punch. It was specially hard with 
that fellow Shakespeare, who was hard on account of all his scenes. 
Imagine if a piece of cliff scenery should come dancing down into the 
middle of a little petite French boudoir, as they call it. That would 
look fine! Aye, if a man went off and worried over all the misfortunes 
that could happen, it was a good thing to have fishing to turn to. Down 
here it was as if all a man’s troubles ran off him. Lord! a man would 
think, it isn’t the only thing in life if a piece of building should go wrong 
up in that play box there. Yes, I’ve been in the theatre line over fifty 
years, I have. So a man lias his memories. A Traveling Troupe was 
a crazy piece, for there a man had to turn the wings hindside front, as 
the gentleman should know, so that only the gray cloth could be seen 
from the hall. I believe I know all the fine lines by heart from that day 
