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A Summer Night in a Norwegian Forest. 280 bottom of a deep, gloomy gorge, the greatest part of which was tåken up by the r: ver. But the road left the river again ; there were certainly twistings and turmngs, as the old woman had said, for at one moment it wound hither and the next thither, and at some places it was almost imperceptible. Now it went up a steep incline, and when I had passed the brow of the hill, I saw between the fir-trees a couple of twinkling tarns before me, and on the margin of one of these a dairy on a verdant slope, bathed in the golden light of the evening sun. In the shady retreat under the hill grew clusters of luxuriant ferns ; the wild French willow stood proudly with its lofty crest of red and gorgeous flowers between the pebbles, but the sedate monk's hood lifted its head still higher and looked gloomily and wickedly down on it, while it nodded and kept time to the cuckoo's song, as if it were counting how many days it had to live. On the verdant slope and down by the edge of the water, the bird-cherry and the mountain ash displayed their flowery garb of summer. They sent a pleasant and refreshing fragrance far around, and shook sorrowfully the leaves of their white flowers over the reiiected picture of the landscapc in the mirror of the lake, wh'ch on ali sides was surrounded by pine trees and mossy cliffs. There was no one at home in the dairy. All doors were locked, — I knocked everywhere, but no answer, — no information as to the road. I sat down on a rock and waited a while, but no one appeared. The evening was setting in; I thought I could not stay there any longer, and started again. It was still darker in the forest, but shortly I came to a timber-dam across a bit of river between two tarns. I supposed this was the place where I " should bear off first to the left, and then to the right." I went across, but on the other side of the dam there were only— as it appeared to me — flat, smooth, damp rocks and no trace of a road ; on the opposite side, the right side of the dam, there was a well-trodden path. I examined both sides several times, and although it appeared to be contrary to the direction I had received, I decided on choosing the broader road or path, which was continued on the right hand side of the water. As long as it followcd the course of the dark tårn, the road was good and passable, but suddenly it turned off in a