170 Ellen Key This did not impress her much, but one good result came from her renown—the many readers of her books had made it possible for her to realise her dream of a home in the country. It is for this reason that the green oak-leaf wreath with the red ribbons which decorate her books is painted in the frieze in her hall. It is the books that have built the house, she says. In the preface to my biographical sketch of Ellen Key, I said that my intention was simply to give a true picture of the woman, Ellen Key, not a study of her literary works, and that these had been mentioned only in so far as they served to interpret the personality of the author. Since then John Landquist's essay on Ellen Key has complemented my sketch, as I have already said. But as Ellen Key's spiritual development has proceeded in the same direction as my own, my personal experiences make me feel that I stand nearer to her, in certain ways, than John Landquist. I wish to add a few words of warm gratitude because she has given us the history of her religion of life, and has communicated to us the sources of her spiritual life. To be able to assimilate the spiritual food offered in Ellen Key's Life-Lines, one needs calmness and the