14 Ellen Key great forests of the district, untouched at that time, and a white glimmering point, the lighthouse, two miles distant, on the coast of the Baltic, inspiring in the young a yearning for the sea. The interior of Sundsholm was very different from ordinary Swedish homes of that day. The aesthetic and literary father had arranged all with exquisite taste. The black Gothic silk furniture in the drawing-room had once been in the possession of the celebrated act- ress Emilie Hogquist, and the walls were hung with valuable pictures. A precious collection of engravings, and a large and excellent lib- rary were rich sources from which the daughter Ellen, thirsting for knowledge, could help herself. The advantages of high culture were here combined with simple habits and hard work. Besides her own home, there were three others from which Ellen Key received impres- sions in childhood and youth that set their stamp on her character and mind. One was the stately old mansion Bjorno, situated on the Sound, two miles from Kalmar, which, together with several other estates, belonged to Ellen's maternal grandfather, who had renovated and built them up, laying out