xxv RIVERSIDE LETTERS 197 



the one he painted in was lit by a large 

 ordinary window, with the lower part covered 

 up : it was a gloomy looking place, the light 

 just focussed on the easel at which he worked, 

 whilst darkness brooded over the rest of the 

 room, in which were other easels with canvases 

 on them that were abandoned for the time. 

 There was not the slightest attempt at 

 decoration or adornment anywhere about the 

 place. He had hollancl cloths fixed to the 

 top edge of all his canvases, which he pulled 

 down over his work the moment he left it. 

 He moved his largest pictures about his room 

 by himself, and resented any offers of assist- 

 ance. In an armchair near a gloomy-looking 

 stove his collie bitch " Lass " generally lay 

 curled up. 



Landseer was 'painfully nervous about 

 showing his work to any one ; sometimes he 

 would only allow you to see it as reflected in 

 the large glass. It was dangerous to make 

 any remark, even though it might be in 

 praise, as I once found out to my great 



