88 RIVERSIDE LETTERS xi 



light coming from behind you. When walk- 

 ing through fields with the sun on one side 

 of you the grass on the side that the sun 

 is on looks far richer in colour than it does 

 on the other side ; in fact the whole land- 

 scape is richer and stronger in effect when 

 the light comes through it to the spectator, 

 though the other aspect has great beauties 

 of its own as well. The early morning is 

 by far the best time of the day in which 

 to see a garden in perfection, the rays of 

 the sun are then low and horizontal, and, 

 therefore, as they come across the Mowers 

 towards you, the transparency of leaf and 

 petal is doubly intensified, added to which 

 the flowers themselves are fresh and lovely 

 after their night's rest and adorned with 

 glittering dewdrops. 



A few days ago I made the acquaintance 

 of a little bird that was new to me, namely, 

 the redstart. The afternoon had been very 

 wet and warm, at about six o'clock the rain 

 cleared off and the sun came out, everything 



