“It’s vaccination (bole, an Icelandic word) day, and we are all going to meet the doctor, who will be here from Strandebarm by two o’clock. We must all of us get a bolen-attest (certificate of vaccination). That’s the King’s order.”
The merchant’s establishment supplied us with some tolerable Madeira wherewith to drink to our next merry meeting, and my Irish friends, who were pressed for time, took boat that afternoon for Graven.
That evening and the next day (Sunday) I spent under the hospitable roof of the parson of the district. His house is beautifully situate on a nook of the Hardanger, with a distant view of the Folgefond.
“Ah!” said he, “it won’t be so difficult to explore the beauties of our Fjords for the future. Our Storthing, I see, by the last Christiania papers, has voted several thousand dollars for setting up steamers on this and the Romsdal Fjord, which are to stop at the chief places. The abrogation of Cromwell’s Navigation Act has done great things for Norge’s commerce, and brought much money into the country.”
“Norway is getting richer,” said I, “no doubt, if one is to judge from the increase in the price of living.”
“That may be caused in some measure by the increase of capital, but the chief cause is another, though it, too, lies at England’s door. We used to get a great deal of butter, cheese, meal, and meat from Jutland, but now, since the English steamers run regularly thither, and carry off all the surplus provisions, that source of supply is stopped, and the articles of food are dearer.”
“That would not affect us much up here,” put in the Frua (priest’s lady); “No, no; it is the travelling English that do the mischief. Last year, sir, when I and my husband went up to see the Vöring foss, everything was so dreadfully dear, we said we must never venture out on another summer trip. And then, only think, there was an English lord there with his yacht, who saw a pig running on the shore, and said he would have the pig for dinner cost what it might. It was quite a small one, and they charged him six dollars. Yes, it positively makes us tremble, for you know we parson’s wives have not a great deal of money, though we have good farms.”
“At all events, I can’t be charged with this sort of folly,” said I; “for I resisted the extortions of the merchant at Jondal.”
“What, he! he is one of the Lesere, and is considered a very respectable man.”