REAT-GRANDFATHER was so very nice and wise and good that we all looked up to him．He was reallycalled，as far back as I can remember，"Grandfather，"but when my brother's little son，Frederick，came intothe family，he was advanced to"Great-grandfather"；higher up he could not get！He thought so much of all ofus，but he seemed not to think so much of our times．

"Old times were the best times，"he said，"theywere steady and solid：now there is such a rush and sucha turning up and down of everything．Youth leads thetalk，and speaks of royalty itself as if they were its equal．Every person from the street can dip his rag in dirty waterand wring it out on the head of a gentleman．"

With such talk Great-grandfather got very red in theface but a little time after，his friendly smile reappeared，and then the words，"Well，well，perhaps I am a littlemistaken！I stand in old times and cannot get a properfoothold in the new．May our Father lead and guidethem！"

When Great－grandfather talked about old times itwas just as if I had them before me．In thought I drove ina golden chariot with attendants in livery，saw the guildscarrying their signs in procession with music and flags，and took part in the delightful Christmas parties，with for-feits and mumming．

There was certainly，also，in those times much thatwas horrible and nasty；the stake，the wheel，and theshedding of blood，but all the horrible had something al－luring and exciting about it．I learned about the Danishnoblemen who gave the peasants their freedom，and Den- mark's Crown Prince who abolished the slave－trade．

It was delightful to hear Great-grandfather tell aboutall this，and to hear about the days of his youth．Still thetime before that was the very best，so strong and so great．

"Rough it was，"said brother Frederick，"God bepraised that we are out of it，"and he said this straight outto Great－grandfather．It was not nice to say that，but yet Ihad great respect for Frederick；he was my eldest brother，and he could have been my father，he said．He said somany funny things．He was a very successful student，andso diligent in my father's office that he would soon be ableto go into the business．He was the one that Great-grandfa-ther was most familiar with，but they always ended in dis- puting about something．These two did not understand eachother，and never would，the family said；but little as Iwas，I soon noticed that these two could not do withouteach other．

Great－grandfather listened with shining eyes whenFrederick spoke or read about progress in science，aboutthe discoveries of the powers of nature，and about all theremarkable things of our time．

"People become wiser，but not better，"he said；"they invent the most terrible weapons of destructionagainst each other．"

"The quicker will war be past，"said Frederick；"onewill not have to wait seven years for the blessings of peace！The world is full－blooded and must occasionally be bled；itis necessary．"

One day Frederick told him something which had re－ally happened in our time in a little town．

The Mayor's clock，the big one on the town－hall，setthe time for the town and the people．The clock did not goquite correctly，but all the same the town ordered itself byit．By and by the railways came，and they are connectedwith all other countries，and so one must know the time ex－actly，or there will be collisions．The railway got a clockwhich was set by the sun and so kept，good time；and nowthe whole of the townspeople settled everything by the rail-way clock．

I laughed and thought it was a funny story，but Great- grandfather didn't laugh；he became quite serious．

"There is a great deal in that story of yours，"hesaid，"and I also understand your idea in telling it to me．There is instruction in your clockwork．It makes me thinkof another instance，my parents'simple old grandfather'sclock，with its leaden weights；it was their and my child－hood's chronometer：it did not go quite correctly，but itwent，and we looked at the hands；we believed in themand did not think of the wheels inside．So also was it withthe machinery of the state at that time；one looked at itwith confidence and believed in the hands．Now the statemachine has become like a glass clock，where one can lookright into the machinery and see the wheels turn and whirl．One gets quite afraid for this pivot and that wheel！I won－der how it will go with the striking，and I have no longermy childhood's faith．That is the weakness of the presenttime！"

And so Great－grandfather talked himself quite angry．He and Frederick could not agree，but they could not sepa－rate either，just like the old and the new time！Theylearned that，both of them and all the family，when Fred－erick had to start on a long journey，far away to America．It was on the business of the house that the journey had tobe made．It was a terrible separation for Great－grandfather，and the journey was so long，right across the ocean toanother part of the globe．

"Every fortnight you will have a letter from me，"saidFrederick，"and quicker than all the letters，you will beable to hear from me by telegraph；the days become hours，and the hours minutes！"

Over the telegraph wires came a message from Eng-land，when Frederick went on board．Quicker than a let－ter，even if the flying clouds had been the postman，camea message from America when Frederick landed．It wasonly a few hours since he had done so．

"It is a divine thought which is granted to our time，"said Great-grandfather；"a blessing for mankind．"

"Yes，and Frederick has told me that it was in ourcountry that these powers of Nature were first understoodand made known．"

"Yes，"said Great－grandfather，and kissed me．"Yes，and I have looked into the two mild eyes which firstsaw and understood this power of Nature；they were child－ish eyes，like yours！and I have shaken hands with him！"

And he kissed me again．

More than a month had gone，when we had a letterfrom Frederick with the news that he was engaged to acharming young girl，whom the whole family would as-suredly be delighted with．Her photograph was sent，andwas examined with the naked eye and with a magnifyingglass，for that is the charm of these pictures，that they canstand examination with the sharpest glass，and that thelikeness becomes even clearer in that way．No painter hasever been capable of that，not even the greatest of the oldtimes．

"If one had only known the discovery in those times，"said Great-grandfather，"we should have been able to seethe world's great men and benefactors face to face．Howgood and sweet this young girl looks，"he said，and gazedthrough the glass；"I shall know her now when she comesin at the door．"

But it was very near not happening：fortunately we athome scarcely knew of the danger until it was past．

The young newly-married couple arrived in England injoy and good health；from there they proceeded with thesteamer to Copenhagen．They saw the Danish coast，thewhite sand－hills of Jutland：then a great storm arose，andthe ship grounded on one of the sand－banks and stuck fast．The sea rose high and seemed as if it would wreck theship；no lifeboat could work．The night came，but in themiddle of the darkness a rocket was thrown from the shoreover the stranded ship．The rocket carried a rope over it，aconnexion was made between those out there and those onthe shore，and soon a beautiful young lady was drawnthrough the heavy rolling waves in a cradle，and glad andhappy was she when her young husband stood by her sideon dry land．All on board were saved，and it was not day－light yet．

We lay sleeping soundly in Copenhagen，thinkingneither of sorrow nor danger．As we assembled for break- fast，there came a rumour，brought by a telegram，that anEnglish steamer had gone down on the west coast．We werein great anxiety，but just then came a telegram from Fred－erick and his young wife，who had been saved and wouldsoon be with us．

They all wept together；I wept too，and Great-grand-father wept，folded his hands，and—I am certain of it—blessed the new times．

That day Great-grandfather gave twenty pounds forthe monument to Hans Christian Oersted，the electrician．

When Frederick came home with his young wife andheard it，he said，"That was right，Great-grandfather！now I shall read to you what Oersted many years agp saidabout the old and new times！"

"He was of your opinion，no doubt？"said Great－grandfather．

"Yes，you may be sure of that，"said Frederick；"and you are too，since you have subscribed for the mon-ument to him！"

曾祖父

曾祖父是一个非常可爱、聪明和善良的人，所以我们都尊敬曾祖父。就我所能记忆得起的来说，他事实上是叫做“祖父”，也叫做“外公”。不过当我哥哥的小儿子佛列得里克来到家里以后，他就提升到“曾祖父”了。再升可就............