Midsummer Memoranda 



If that test fails, your case is serious, 

 indeed, and you can hardly hope that the 

 deepest draughts you may drink from all 

 the fountains of youth this side eternity 

 will ever do you much good. 



To make the test perfect the field should 

 spread out wide and beautiful upon a 

 gentle slope, beyond a wooded ravine, 

 faintly musical with laughing water; the 

 cool west wind should be blowing lightly 

 across it; there should be a wealth of 

 violets thickly scattered in amongst the 

 dewy grass under foot, and away over in 

 the open a single tall oak, still leafless, 

 should rise sharply clear in every black 

 outline against the far horizon, to give per- 

 spective to the scene and lift it heaven- 

 ward. 



But, with these conditions around you, 

 the rest is easy. 



Here he comes now! first from the hay- 

 loft — exactly when you have climbed the 

 round ascent sufficiently to get your vision 

 on a line with the level lay of the ground 

 at the top. Here he comes now! — skim- 



[143] 



