THOMAS CARLYLE. 375 



firmament, as we returned, was a deep blue, the western 

 sky a fiery crimson. Newton's suggestion it could . 

 hardly be called a theory as to the cause of the 

 heavenly azure was mentioned. Carlyle had learned a 

 good deal of natural philosophy from Leslie, of whom 

 he preserved a grateful remembrance. From Leslie he 

 had learnt Newton's view of the colour of the sky, and 

 he now stood up for it. Leslie, he contended, was a 

 high and trustworthy authority. 'An excellent man,' 

 I admitted, < in his own line, but not an authority on 

 the point now under discussion.' Carlyle continued to 

 press his point, while I continued to resist. He became 

 silent, and remained so for some time. A 'dependance* 

 of the Villa Madonna had been placed at his sole dis- 

 posal, and in it his fire was blazing pleasantly when we 

 returned from our drive. I helped him to put on his 

 dressing-gown. Throwing himself into a chair, and 

 pointing to another at the opposite side of the fire, he 

 said : ' I didn't mean to contradict you. Sit down 

 there and tell me all about it.' I sat down, and he 

 listened with perfect patience to a lengthy dissertation- 

 on the undulatory theory, the laws of interference, and 

 the colours of thin plates. As in all similar cases, his 

 questions showed wonderful penetration. The power 

 which made his pictures so vivid and so true enabled 

 him to seize ph\ sical imagery with ease and accuracy. 

 Discussions ending in this way were not unfrequent 

 between us, and, in matters of science, I was always 

 able, in the long run, to make prejudice yield to reason. 

 On the day of my departure we all drove to Monaco 

 our warm-hearted hostess, Carlyle, and a young lady 

 who was then a lovely child, and who is now a charm- 

 ing mother. On the little pier I bade them good-bye 

 and went on board the steamer for Nice. Almost at 

 the point where we had quitted the rime the train 



