58 Ellen Key down from memory, as well as everything Bjomson had said on occasions when she had met him; and she lived in a new world of inspiration. She, who always believed that her mother overrated her when she had iirged her to "exercise her talents, " now learned that Bjomson had said to the mother that Ellen would be an honour to her parents, though he could not tell what her life-work might be, her extreme shyness making him uncertain as to whether she would ever dare to use her ' ' Evne ' ' (power) . What he did know, however, was that she ought first of all to be a wife and make some one happy, but, he added, "Women with such rich inner life are seldom under- stood by men, and to a woman who, at the age of twenty-three, has not yet herself been in love, love will some day come with tremend- ous seriousness." That Bjornson believed in her seemed wonderful to Ellen, and she pro- mised to try not to disappoint him. He had said that he would always keep in touch with her. And the friendship thus begun lasted through life. Notwithstanding the strong in- fluence of Bjornson, who then was a Grimdt- vigian,' Ellen Key remained averse to Grundt- ' Member of the religious body denominated Grundtvigians after Grundtvig, the Danish hberal divine, who was pubhcly