In his more intimate relationships, on the other hand, in
face to face conversation or in the home circle, the man
takes on a quite different aspect; the prophet has become
the friend, the impassioned preacher has become the genial
story teller, and shares the gladsome or mirthful mood of
the hour. Such a personality as this may be analyzed; it
defies any concise synthesis. One resorts to figures of
speech, and they were abundantly resorted to by those who
paid him the tribute of their admiration and love upon the
occasion of his seventieth anniversary. Let us take an
instance at random from one of these tributes.

"The cataract that roars down to the free foaming sea.
The mountain with its snowclad peaks towering up into the
immensity of the starry heavens. The rustling of the
woodland above the blossom-spangled and smiling meadows,
the steep uptowering, the widely growing, and the joyously
smiling. At once the soft melody that stirs the heart and
the strong wind that sweeps over the Northern lands."

This concourse of metaphors gives some slight idea of the
way in which Bjornson's personality affected those who came
into contact with it. The description may be supplemented
by a few bits of anecdote and reminiscence. The composer
Grieg contributes the following incident of the old days
in Norway:--

"It was Christmas eve of 1868 at the Bjornsons in Christiania.
They lived then in the Rosenkrantzgade. My wife and I were,
as far as I can remember, the only guests. The children were