THE WANING YEAR 159 



enjoyment of its message t The question is mocked 

 by the solitary limb that has stained its leaves with 

 the brightest tints of autumn, and is ready to cast 

 them to the first determined wind. 



It is hard to avoid a twinge of regret at the un- 

 expected reddening of the leaves. The Maple is 

 generally first to give the warning, and the varied 

 richness of its new colours does not atone for the loss 

 of its contented uniformity, A single limb will some- 

 times take on the brilliant colouring of autumn, and 

 stand out day after day, a bright splash on the varied 

 greens of the background. 



Where a lake, river, or open clearing exposes a 

 stretch of natural forest, and Maples, Elms, and 

 Beeches crowd up to the foreground, a branch here 

 and there will take on the richest of colours, as if 

 nature sought to warn the heedless world of an 

 inhospitable time at hand. The Golden-rod may have 

 given warning already by a few firm touches of bright 

 pure colour on its rising fronds. The earlier Asters 

 may also have held out at once a promise and a 

 warning of the coming autumnal glory. The yellow 

 trumpet of the Fox-glove may have blended another 

 tint with the colours of the advancing season. But 

 the distinctive flowers of autumn can never give the 

 chilling warning that comes with the first brilliant 

 markings in the foliage of the Maple, Sometimes a 

 small tree that has stood modest and unnoticed among 



