"You see, Sally," he began, "in Denmark there is a very large, beautiful estate, with a beautiful lawn before the house to which one can go directly through large doors out of the halls, and in the middle of the lawn are the beautiful flower-beds just filled with roses; and on the other side of the house one goes across to the large, old oaks, where the horses graze--for there are many beautiful horses.
And on the left side of the house one comes directly into the small forest; there is a pond quite surrounded by dense trees, and a small bench stands above and from there one descends three steps to the little boat that has two oars, and my mother liked best to sit there and row about the pond.

For, you see, my mother lived there when she was a child, and also later when she was grown up.

And there below, where the lawn stops, begin the large stables where the horses are when they are not grazing; and my mother had her own little white horse.

She rode about on that with grandfather or with old John.

Oh, that was so beautiful! But once Mother was disobedient to grandfather, for she wanted to go far away with my father, and grandfather would not have it; but she went, and then she was not allowed to come back, and everything was over." Sally had listened with breathless attention.