The Open Air 



difficulty in describing a colour is that different 

 people take different views of the terms employed; 

 ladies have one scale founded a good deal on dress, 

 men another, and painters have a special (and 

 accurate) gamut which they use in the studio. This 

 was a clear swarthiness a translucent swarthiness 

 clear as the most delicate white. There was some- 

 thing in the hue of her neck as freely shown by the 

 loose bathing dress, of her bare arms and feet, some- 

 what recalling to mind the kind of beauty attributed 

 to the Queen of Egypt. But it was more delicate. 

 Her form was almost fully developed, more so than 

 usual at her age. Again and again the foam rushed 

 up deep enough to cover her limbs, but not sufficiently 

 so to hide her chest, as she was partly raised on one 

 arm. Washed thus with the purest whiteness of the 

 sparkling foam, her beauty gathered increase from 

 the touch of the sea. She swayed slightly as the 

 water reached her, she was luxuriously recked to and 

 fro. The waves toyed with her; they came and 

 retired, happy in her presence; the breeze and the 

 sunshine were there. 



Standing somewhat back, the machines hid the 

 waves from me till they reached the shore, so that 

 I did not observe the heavy roller till it came and 

 broke. A ton of water fell on her, crush! The edge 

 of the wave curled and dropped over her, the arch 

 bowed itself above her, the keystone of the wave fell 

 in. She was under the surge while it rushed up and 

 while it rushed back; it carried her up to the steps 

 of the machine and back again to her original position. 

 When it subsided she simply shook her head, raised 

 herself on one arm, and adjusted herself parallel to 

 the beach as before. 



Let any one try this, let any one lie for a few 



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