With autumn came cleaning time. And what a cleaning it was! Everything scrubbed and polished and washed! There were harvest festivals, at which the peasants danced on the threshing floor.
Erik spent as much time as he could visiting Fru Svenson, sitting over bowls of small shellfish, pulling off the claws, and stuffing himself. For this was crawfish season in Sweden and crawfish decorated tables everywhere. They were even designed upon dishes and napkins and painted upon signs.
Autumn was also shooting season, and hunting parties were given at the country estates.
All during the winter, the peasants spun at their looms. Everybody was busy. Fru Hansson began to count profits.
Yet Nils and Greta still hesitated about asking the proud lady's consent to their marriage. They feared that she would refuse it. Nils was only a poor agricultural student.
One day Erik received a letter from Johan, the banker's son, inviting him again to visit the banker's family in Stockholm.
This time, the family did not travel and Erik learned to know Sweden's beautiful capital. He even went to the opera. A guest artist sang in a foreign language, but the other performers sang in Swedish.
A SWEDISH STREET MUSICIAN