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66 BIOGRAPHY.
she wrote to me, asking at the same time, in a touching
letter to my parents, permission for me to spend the follow-
ing winter with her.
In the beginning my father thought this impossible, and
that I could not be spared from home; but after turning
the matter over in his mind a few days, being very fond
of his niece, — she being a daughter of the sister whom he
had loved so much, — and deeply sympathizing with her
grief and her wish to have a friend staying with her, he
gave his consent at last.
Preparations were at once made for my departure. It
gave me great pain to part from my sisters, especially
Fredrika. We had hitherto faithfully shared joys and sor-
rows together, and we promised to write frequently to each
other. We kept our word, and the mail had to carry, at
least once a week, a heavy letter from the one to the other.
These letters from Fredrika, or extracts from them, are
now laid before the public, together with the verses and
beautiful pieces of poetical prose writings which she com-
posed during this time, and sent to me.
In company with a relation and friend, General H. ;
I went about the middle of December to his estate in
Smaland, where, a few days before Christmas, I had the
happiness of embracing my two cousins, — his wife and my
sorrowing friend, the Countess W: , who had arrived
there a short time previously. After the Christmas holi-
days, spent in quiet and sisterly confidence, we both set out
for her home in C——a.
Fully determined not to make any new acquaintances,
or go into society, I wished to live only for my friend, and
endeavor to make her life as happy and as comfortable as
possible. We tried to arrange our mode of living in the
most agreeable way. The greater part of the day one of
us read aloud to the other the works of good authors.
Now and then, gloomy forebodings cast for a moment their
shadows over our happiness; but they were entirely dis-
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