Outside London 



thence to London Bridge. London is within a stone 's- 

 throw, as it were, and yet, to this day the forest 

 lingers, and it is country. The very atmosphere is 

 different. That smoky thickness characteristic of the 

 suburbs ceases as you ascend the gradual rise, and 

 leave the outpost of bricks and mortar behind. The 

 air becomes clear and strong, till on the brow by the 

 spring on a windy day it is almost like sea-air. It 

 comes over the trees, over the hills, and is sweet with 

 the touch of grass and leaf. There is no gas, no 

 sulphurous acid in that. As the Edwards and Henries 

 breathed it centuries since, so it can be inhaled now. 

 The sun that shone on the red deer is as bright now 

 as then ; the berries are thick on the bushes ; there is 

 colour in the leaf. The forest is gone; but the spirit 

 of nature stays, and can be found by those who search 

 for it. Dearly as I love the open air, I cannot regret 

 the mediaeval days. I do not wish them back again, 

 I would sooner fight in the foremost ranks of Time. 

 Nor do we need them, for the spirit of nature stays, 

 and will always be here, no matter to how high a 

 pinnacle of thought the human mind may attain; still 

 the sweet air, and the hills, and the sea, and the sun, 

 will always be with us. 



237 



