CopenhagenAndItsEnvirons_A

7

m ay lead to an un pleasan t re su lt, for he h a s the co u n try ’s law on his side. Sw ept crossings a re n o t un dersto o d ; so th a t in w et w eath er the w alking is doubly bad. A m an w ith a b room m ig h t m ake a fortune betw een the corner o f Ø sterg ade an d th e statue in K ongens N ytorv. Often h av e I suggested th is m ode of earning m oney to a p oor m an ask in g a lm s ; bu t the idea h as startled th e m : none w ill be th e first in such a novel undertaking. T here are two d ay s in the y ear, one in A pril, the other in O ctober, on w hich, " o r day before o r d ay after,” should a stran g er a rriv e in C openhagen he w ould be not a littleastonished.T h e tow n h a s th e ap pearance o f its inh ab itan ts flying w ith th e ir effects, as though an enem y w ere a t the gates. It is "F ly tted a g !” the h a lf y e arly m oving day, w hen e v ery fam ily in ev ery hou se m ay deposit in th e streets all the accum ulated dirt and filth o f the last six m o n th s , o f w hich th e p o o r contribute th eir q u o ta in the old straw stuffing ofth eir m attrasses w ith all th eir live s to c k ! Should it blow a gale o f w ind on th a t d a y , im agination can conceive th e scene w hich description w ould fail to paint. P eo p le a re h u rry in g to and fro — fu rn itu re driven an d carried in all directions — the g re atest confusion prevailing — one fam ily m oving th e ir effects into a set o f room s w hile the other .fam ily is m oving theirs o u t; fo r, a t 12 o’clo ck , the old occupants