time an excellent view, and thought that he might cede his place for one instant to me. The plumes came opposite to him; and in despair, or by accident, I pushed against his arm. He turned his

It is a fact; the

head—and the man was blind! zealous king-gazer had no eyes; literally none, for only the sockets were there—a frightful sight.

I suppose the poor fellow believed he saw his king, and was as happy as others. The King of Sweden is truly beloved. It was only the other day that the British attaché, riding in the Djurgord, was stopped by a working man, who, pointing to a military uniform, said,

"Pardon me, dear, noble sir, but tell me, is that our Oscar?"

As native zeal did not allow me a glimpse of 66 our Oscar," I hastened back to the house to prepare for the Swede who was to escort me to the Riks Sal, or States' Chamber, in the Palace, where his Majesty was to receive and dismiss the Parliamentary deputies.

I had just time to dress, as I fancied, very suitably to a public scene, to which we were admitted by tickets, and to a very warm day. I thought myself, in fact, quite comme il faut in a thin lilac dress, black lace mantilla, and light silk

bonnet. But just at the moment when we ought to go, in rushed my Swedish escort in full uniform, of a lightish blue, with steely-looking lace, very like a footman in livery, only with a long, thin sword by his side. He looked confounded at seeing me.

"It is time to be there, Madam, and

not made your toilet."

"Pardon, I am ready."

you have

"Ready! O no! that will not go on. Madam, you must be in black."

"In black!"

"Yes; the King and Queen will be there. Wherever they are, there must be black. I see you do not know our customs; and at first, when I was in England, I assure you I did not know yours; but I know them now perfectly-yes, quite; and so it will give me a pleasure to make your know ours as well. I do not know what is your State dress, but black is the State dress of our ladies. It is worn on all grand occasions, and you must be in black when you go to pay a first visit at a house. Yes, some of our ladies, when they are invited to a first party, go to pay a visit before it, in order not to have to go to a ball in black."

"Dear! But I have only a thick, warm, old, black dress.

"No matter, so it is black. Yes, our ladies always make it a point to have a black dress, and I assure you that goes on; they want very little more."

With a deep sigh I went away, put on the old, warm, black dress, and set off with the uniform Swede, who paused to think if I might go in a bonnet; but as I affirmed I could not walk through the streets without one, he agreed, saying, that I could take it off and carry it in my hand if I must not wear it. On taking our seats, however, in the crowded Riks Sal, I found the kind controller of my toilet was one of the old school of his country, and had told me rather what had been the fashion, but was not the existing practice. The first-visit costume, for instance, is quite exploded; and though black is the State dress in all senses, yet, on such an occasion as this, I might have gone just as I was before he made me change. After the church service-a very long one-the royal party went to take luncheon; and the people, who had been seeing all they could at the church, came pouring to the Riks Sal and were in despair at not getting in there also.

The deputies of each house occupied front benches nearer to the throne; the graceful Queen and her charming young daughter came into the gallery; both were enveloped in white shawls, the latter wearing a wreath of white around her dark hair; with them came the always-present, lively little Dowager Queen, the widow of Carl Johan, in her constant white bonnet and plumes, and with her equally constant eyeglass all, bowing, smiling, and looking so glad to see every one and everything, took their seats, after standing a short time to let the people see them. Then came a most glorious sight! three fine young princes-one son, Prince Oscar, was with the Fleet-came in in royal mantles, and with curious crowns on their heads, and took places at each side of the throne, looking exactly like the pictures in old story books, especially the splendid Crown Prince, whose black beard gave the finishing stroke to the picture.

Last of all came the King himself, in all his regal splendour; his mantle flowing behind, and displaying its golden richness as he ascended the steps. Oh! if the blind man had been in that Riks Sal!

And King Oscar sat on his throne, and there

came a Noble Deputy from the Riddarhus, and read a speech, or address from it, before him; then came a Clerical one and did the same; then a Burgher, wearing a broad green ribbon, as the badge of an order, over his shoulder; and last of all a Peasant. Then every one, royal people and others, rose up, and the King alone sat, and he read his speech, and told his Parliament what it had done; not quite so briefly as our Kings and Queens do: and he thanked it, and bade it good-bye.

And so the Parliament of Sweden was dismissed.

I set to work to learn what I could of Swedish, and found I could read it by a sort of instinct. I really could read it in a few days, without even taking a lesson; but speaking it is quite another thing, for people do not in Sweden talk like a book. The language is spoken quite differently from what it is written.

The society I was in was not the most useful for learning to speak. The Swedes who spoke English either profited by my society, or were so polite as to speak only in that language in my

presence.

One of these English-speaking Swedes one evening pronounced a long eulogy on English