sures the religious instruction of children. This is sometimes represented in a room appropriated for the purpose; and is calculated to impress a young mind with some sacred ideas of a season too generally commemorated only in a worldly

manner.

In this market were many yule trees; but only the skeletons, as it were; a young fir tree set in a tub of earth, and left ready for dressing at home. There were also many yule candlesticks, little wooden chandeliers, covered with cut paper prettily ornamented, and holding about a dozen small tapers. These are for the children's tables, and are the children's delight. We went round and round, looking, examining, asking prices, but not buying. Nowhere was there incivility, urgency, or appearance of suspicion. The space occupied by this temporary market is small, and was densely crowded.

"What a good place this would be for London pickpockets," I remarked. "Is that trade fol

lowed here."

"It has been known to happen," my guide replied; "but not on such an occasion as this. No; do not fear that any one would steal on JulAfton."

before this remark,

Indeed I had, even thought more of the people than of the wares I saw in the yule market. The Swedes are the quietest people in public, or even out of doors, I ever yet saw; but here their quietness surpassed all I could have believed possible at such a season, and in such a scene. Not only was there no boisterous or rude behaviour, no drunken or disorderly person to be seen, no policemen wending their way through the crowd, or appearing demurely unobservant of what was passing; but, while we felt the pressure of human bodies in the act of forcing our way or theirs, we scarcely heard a voice; I am sure we did not hear a laugh. My own seemed to electrify a few good people; in fact, if these persons, who were all of the lower orders, had assembled to buy mourning for a funeral, instead of presents for a festival, they could not have been more quiet and decorous; yet they were all hastening home to give vent to their hilarity-hilarity which, at home, is perhaps much greater than ours.

This outward appearance is to me the great mystery of the nation; it may be the snow on the volcano, and it may be very delightful on public occasions, when contrasted with our

rude or indecorous behaviour; but how it is produced is the mystery. The Swedes, it is too well known, are the most unsober people in the world; next to Sweden comes religious Scotland, in the amount of ardent spirits consumed by the civilized race; yet, the number of drunken men seen in more sober England, would be fifty, at least, to one that would, I believe, be seen in Sweden. This evening I only saw one who had any appearance of being so. Nor is this the only mystery. They are not, statistics or other things say, a moral people, giving morality its common and limited acceptation; yet where, on this earth, is outward propriety more observed? The streets of London would present more immorality in the space of one hour to a stranger, than those of Stockholm-and I have walked them at all hours-would present in perhaps half a year. On this occasion, however, it really seemed to me as if this great Christian festival produced the effect it should do, in shedding forth a spirit of love, good-will, and generous feeling; no excitement, boisterous mirth, or selfish rudeness, such as we too often see in England on such occasions, were anywhere apparent. Now, then, must I hasten back, for my old Countess-house

keeper, who wishes me to say "Madame la Comtesse" when I order my dinner, will not begin her celebration of Jul-Afton till I come.

The scene on our way back was still brighter; the large rooms of large houses were lighted up; supper tables ready, great yule candles placed upon them, people were going in and out, young forms were momentarily seen glancing through the brilliant rooms and among the prettily-arranged house-plants; and without, though all was white and very cold, no sights of actual misery met my view. In one window was a beautiful Jul-träd perhaps such a one as our own excellent mother-queen delights her children with-but the tiny wax-lights were arranged on the dark firbranches in the shape of an immense starwas it an emblematic one?—and it stood in the window glittering and twinkling, while we stood on the snowy plain, and looked up at it, perhaps with nearly as much pleasure as the happy urchins for whom it was prepared, and who, with eager joyous faces, were preparing for their dance around it. We entered the great gate of our court; I climbed the back stone stairs in the dark, and found my way into our Grevinnan's kitchen. The quiet cook was busy at the furnace

preparing the Jul-Afton, or Christmas supper. My little maid-who, I believe, would understand me if I spoke a language known only before the confusion of tongues-was there also. I had brought their Jul-klappar, in the form of a number of rixdaler put up in letters. I did not know the Swedish mode of giving Christmas presents; so, as I had been anxiously expecting the English post all day, I ran in, exclaiming, "The post has come !" and dropped down on the table two letters directed to Beata and Karin; and then I ran on to the great unhome-like, lighted-up, and uncarpeted salong, as, according to the barbarising system of Swedish speech, the French word salon is spelt and pronounced. Here an assembly, chiefly of ladies, expected my return, to begin the lottery.

This lottery is not at all to my taste, and I was stiff-necked enough not to join in it. The articles bought by each person are delivered over to the hostess, who numbers them, and each person draws a number accordingly: but the way in which the business was managed, was not very amusing; and after it was ended, all the housekeeping articles were thrown over to the share of the hostess.

While we were eating dried fruits at another