176 STUDIES OF NATURE 



fury in the labyrinth of holes and passages 

 among them. 



Immediately beyond the rocks, which form 

 a kind of headland, there is a delightful cove 

 in which the water is clear and still, and the 

 sand clean, smooth, and free from stones. By 

 this time the twilight is almost gone, and the 

 full moon, followed by the evening star, has 

 become resplendent. Just now she is behind 

 a small but thick cloud, and is raining down 

 a plenitude of light upon the sea. The place 

 and the hour are both enchanted, and we say 

 to each other, ' No man, at any time since ever 

 the world began, could possibly have seen any- 

 thing, in its kind, more lovely than this.' 



Although, in our return, we have full moon- 

 light along the shore, we find the North Glen 

 and its burn lying in deep shadow. It is too 

 dark to cross the stepping-stones, and we follow 

 the right bank of the stream in order to find 



