Part 27 (2/2)
The Ethnographic is open only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and open only two hours at a time,--on Sunday, from twelve to two; on the week days, from ten to twelve. There are in this museum over thirty large rooms, and nearly six hundred cases of labelled and numbered objects. All the rooms are of great interest; one could easily spend the whole two hours of the allotted time in any one of them. To attempt even to walk through the whole museum in the two hours is undertaking too much.
The Museum of Northern Antiquities is open on Thursdays, Sat.u.r.days, and Sundays, from twelve to two; on Tuesdays, from five to seven. On Sundays, you see, it is at the same hour as the Ethnographic! In this museum are eighteen large rooms filled with objects of the greatest interest, from the old ”dust heaps” of the lake dwellers down to Tycho Brahe's watch.
The Rosenborg Castle Collection is probably, to travellers in general, the most interesting of all the collections. It is called a ”Chronological Collection of the Kings of Denmark,”--which, being interpreted, means that it is a collection of dresses, weapons, ornaments, etc., the greater proportion of which have belonged to Danish kings, from the old days of Christian IV. (1448) down to the present time. These are most admirably arranged in chronological order, so that you see in each room or division a graphic picture of the royal life and luxury of that period. The whole of the great Rosenborg Castle, three floors, is devoted to this collection. How many rooms there are, I do not know,--certainly twenty; and there is not one of them in which I would not like to spend a half-day. Now, how do you think the Danish Government (for this is a national property) arranges for the exhibition of this collection? You may see it, on any day, by applying for a ticket the day beforehand; the hour at which you can be admitted will be marked on your ticket; you will arrive, with perhaps twelve others (that being the outside number for whom tickets are issued for any one hour); you will be walked through that whole museum in _one hour_, by one of the Government Inspectors of the museum; he will give you a rapid enumeration of the chief objects of interest as you pa.s.s; and you will have no clearer idea of any one thing than if you had been _fired_ through the rooms out of a cannon.
Have I spoken unjustly when I say that the Dane appears to have done all in his power to shut up from the general public of travellers these choicest collections of his country?
Now I will tell you all I know of the Rosenborg Collection, and how it happens that I know anything; and my history begins like so many of the old Danish histories, with a fight.
In the outset I paid for a full ticket, as there happened to be no one else who had applied to go in that afternoon. Later, two Englishmen wis.h.i.+ng to see the museum, their commissionnaire came to know if I would not like to have them go at the same time, which would reduce the price of the tickets by two thirds. This I declined to do, preferring to have the entire time of the Museum Inspector for my own benefit in way of explanations, etc. With the guide all to myself, I thought I should be able far better to understand and study the museum.
Equipped with my note-book and pen and catalogue, and with the faithful Harriet by my side, I entered, cheerful, confident, and full of enthusiasm, especially about any and all relics of the famous old Christian IV., whose impress on his city and country is so noticeable to this day.
The first scene of my drama opens with the arrival of the Inspector whose duty it was on that occasion to exhibit the museum. There are three of these Inspectors, who take turns in the exhibition. He was a singularly handsome man,--a keen blue eye; hair about white, whiter than it should have been by age, for he could not have been more than fifty or fifty-five; a finely cut face, with great mobility, almost a pa.s.sionateness of vivacity in its expression; a tall and graceful figure: his whole look and bearing gave me a great and sudden pleasure as he approached. And when he began to speak in English, my delight was kindled anew; I warmed at once in antic.i.p.ation of my afternoon.
Mistaken dream!
I said to him, ”I am very sorry, indeed, that we have so short a time in which to see these beautiful and interesting collections. Two hours is nothing.”
”Oh, I shall explain to you everything,” he said hastily, and proceeded to throw open the doors of mysterious wall-closets in the room which was called the Presence Chamber of Christian IV.
The walls of this room are of solid oak, divided off into panels by beautiful carved pillars, with paintings between. The ceiling is like the walls, and the floor is of marble. In the south wall are four closets filled with more rare and exquisite things than I could describe in a hundred pages; all these in one side of the first room!
The first thing which my n.o.ble Dane pointed out was the famous old Oldenborg horn, of which I had before read, and wished much to see,--an old drinking-horn of silver, solid chased, from brim to tip.
The legend is that it was given to Count Otto of Oldenborg by a mountain nymph in a forest one day in the year 909.
As he pointed out this horn, I opened my catalogue to find the place where it was mentioned there, that I might make on the margin some notes of points which I wished to recollect. I think I might have been looking for this perhaps half of a minute, possibly one whole minute, when thundering from the mouth of my splendid Dane came, ”Do you prefer that you read it in the catalogue than that I tell you?”
I am not sure, but my impression is that I actually jumped at his tone. I know I was frightened enough to do so. I then explained to him that I was not looking for it in the catalogue to read then and there, only to a.s.sociate what I saw with its place and with the ill.u.s.trations in the catalogue, and to make notes for future use. He hardly heard a word I said. Putting out his hand and waving my poor catalogue away, he said, ”It is all there. You shall find everything there, as I tell you; will you listen?”
Quite cowed, I tried to listen; but I found that unless I carried out my plan of following his explanations by the list in the catalogue, and made little marginal notes, I should remember nothing; moreover, that it was impossible to look at half the things, as he rapidly enumerated them. I opened my catalogue again, and began to note some of the more interesting things. The very sight of the catalogue open in my hands seemed to act upon him like a scarlet flag on a bull.
Instantly he burst out upon me again; and when I attempted to explain, he interrupted me,--did not give me time to finish one sentence,--did not apparently comprehend what I meant, or what it was that I wished to do, except that it reflected in some way on him as a guide and explainer. In vain I tried to stem the tide of his angry words; and the angrier he got, the less intelligible became his English.
”Perhaps you take me for a servant in this museum,” he said. ”Perhaps my name is as good in my country as yours is in your own!”
”Oh, do--do listen to me one minute,” I said. ”If you will only hear me, I think I can make you understand. I do implore you not to be so angry.”
”I am not angry. I have listen to you every time,--too many time. I have not time to listen any more!”
This he said so angrily that I felt the tears coming into my eyes. I was in despair. I turned to Harriet and said, ”Very well, Harriet, we will go.”
”You shall not go!” he exclaimed. ”Twenty years I have shown this museum, and never yet was any one before dissatisfied with what I tell them. I have myself written this catalogue you carry,” he cried, tapping my poor book with his fingers. ”Now I will nothing say, and you can ask if you wish I should explain anything.” And thereupon he folded his arms, and stepped back, the very picture of a splendid man in a sulk. Could anything be imagined droller, more unnecessary? I hesitated what to do. If I had not had a very strong desire to see the museum, I would have gone away, for he had really been almost unpardonably rude; yet I sympathized fully in his hot and hasty temper. I saw clearly wherein his mistake lay, and that on his theory of the situation he was right and I was wrong; and I thought perhaps if he watched me for a few minutes quietly he would see that I was very much in earnest in studying the collection, and that nothing had been further from my mind than any distrust of his knowledge. So I gulped down my wounded feelings, and went on looking silently at the cases and making my notes. Presently he began to cool down, to see his mistake, and before we had gone through the second room was telling me courteously about everything, waiting while I made my notes, and pointing out objects of especial interest. In less than half an hour he had ceased to be hostile, and before the end of the hour he had become friendly, and more,--seized both my hands in his, exclaiming, ”We shall be good friends,--good!” He was as vivacious, imperious, and overwhelming in his friendliness as in his anger. ”You must come again to Rosenborg; you must see it all. I will myself show you every room.
No matter who sends to come in, they shall not be admitted. I go alone with you.”
In vain I explained to him that I had only one more day in Copenhagen, and that I must spend that in going to Elsinore.
”No, you are not to go to Elsinore. It is not necessary. You shall not leave Copenhagen without seeing Rosenborg. Promise me that you will come again to Rosenborg. Promise! Take any hour you please, and I will come. You shall have four--five hours. Promise! Promise!” And he seized my hand in both of his, and held it, repeating, ”Promise me!
Promise! Oh, we shall be very good friends,--very good.”
”Ah,” I said, ”I knew, if you only understood, you would be friendly; but I really cannot come again.”
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