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A MARVELLOUS HEAD-DRESS.
259
that it seemed never to have been trodden on: in
addition to all this, the walls were papered. This is,
to my taste, one of the best stations I have met with
in Norway. It has no hotel pretensions, yet there is
a certain air of elegance, combined with a thorough
farmhouse homeliness and comfort; and the cleanliness
of the place is quite exhilarating. The charge for all
this was one mark, or elevenpence English.
It was well worth the money, and a day’s journey,
to see the work of art borne by the hostess upon her
head. It was a mighty structure of white cambric,
or some such material, similar to those already described
(page 252), but far more marvellous. The great arch
overhead spread aloft like a peacock’s tail; and, instead
of depending on wire or cane, was self-supporting by
virtue of starch and a wonderful complication of fine
crimping: I believe that is the proper term; if not,
I will try another, and say "goffering."* The
immaculate whiteness of all its vast expanse was in perfect
harmony with the cleanliness of the whole establishment.
This station is situated at the commencement of the
Sör Fiord, which is one of the terminal branches of
the Hardanger Fiord. I walked on over a rough path,
sometimes keeping the shore, then mounting the steep
hill sides, commanding fine views of the fiord. There
is a fine combination of savage grandeur and smiling
* Zinc or ironwork treated in the same way would be called "
corrugated." Our modern corrugated zinc for roofs and walls is but an
imitation of this method of strengthening a thin material that has
been practised by laundresses for ages.
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