About noon
There our friends again found themselves on smooth level roads , frequently obstructed by turnpike gates , where they were obliged to pay a toll of five or six shillings . This was a fertile region , abounding in trees that looked like weeping willows , so heavily did the branches droop under their burden of fruit . As they neared Drammen , which is situated upon an arm of Christiania Bay , the country became more hilly . About noon they reached the city with its two interminable streets , lined with gayly painted houses , and its wharves where the countless rafts left but a meager space for the vessels that come here to load with the products of the Northland . The carriage paused in front of the Scandinavian Hotel . The proprietor , a dignified-looking personage , with a long , white beard , and a decidedly professional air , promptly appeared in the door-way of his establishment . With that keenness of perception that characterizes inn-keepers in every country on the globe , he remarked : `` I should not wonder if these gentlemen and this young lady would like breakfast . ''