The Neighbors Author:Fredrika Bremer Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE NEIGHBOURS. CHAPTER I. FBAlfSISKA WEBNEB TO MABIA. M- Rosenvick, 1st June, 18—. Hebe I am now, dear Maria, in my own house and home, at my own wr... more »iting-table, and sitting by my own Bear. And who is Bear ? you probably ask: who should it be but my own husband, whom I call Bear because the name suits him so well. Here then I am, sitting by the window; the sun is setting; two swans swim on the lake, and furrow ib| clear mirror; three cows, my cows, stand on the green shore quite sleek and reflective, thinking certainly upon nothing. How handsome they are! Now comes the maid with her stool and milk-pail; how rich and good is country milk! but what, in fact, is not good in the country ? air and men, food and feeling, heaven and earth, all is fresh and animated. But now I must conduct you into my dwelling—no, I will 'begin yet further off. There, on that hill, in Smaland, several miles off, whence I first looked into the valley where Eosen- vik lies, behold a dust-covered carriage, within which sits the Bear and his wife. That wife looks forth with curiosity, for before her lies a valley beautiful in the light of evening. Green woods stretch out below, and surround crystal lakes ; corn-fields in silken wares encircle grey mountains; and white buildings gleam out with friendly aspects among the trees. Here and there, from the wood-covered heights, pillars of smoke ascend to the clear evening heaven; they might have been mistaken for volcanoes, but they were only peaceful chapter{Section 4": '." . ' '": svedjor. Truly it 'was beautiful, and I was charmed; I bent myself. Qppand, :-ajid was flunking 0:1 a certain happy natural family ijjf faradis'e, on.ejiflsm uijd,-E"e, when suddenly the Bear laid Kis"great paws upon me, and held me so tight that I .s.9arljgiving...« less