"Tak for maden," he said.
This was another mysterious usage I could not unravel. A few days afterwards, amid the general din of the same ceremony, I asked a young lady, who spoke French, what it all meant; and she then told me it was an ancient habit of returning thanks for a good dinner.
"But I have given them no dinner," I said.
"That is true," replied my fair informant; "but they thank you all the same."
While she spoke, a Norwegian gentleman took possession of her hand, and exclaimed,
"Tak for maden!" while a second did the same with my hand, and repeating similar words, passed on all round the table.
FOOTNOTES:
[3] "Ja," pronounced "yar," signifies "yes," in the Norwegian language.