THOUGHTS FROM WRITINGS 



IF the air at the sea beach is good, 

 that of the hills above the sea is 

 at least twice as good, and twice 

 as strengthening. It possesses all the 

 virtue of the sea air without the moisture 

 which ultimately loosens the joints, and 

 seems to penetrate to the very nerves. 

 Those who desire air and quick recovery 

 should go to the hills, where the wind 

 has a scent of the sunbeams.— * The 

 Life of the Fields ' : Clematis Lane. 



THE lost leaves measure our 

 years ; they are gone as the 

 days are gone, and the bare 

 branches silently speak of a new year, 

 slowly advancing to its buds, its foliage, 

 and fruit. . . . With their annual loss of 

 leaves, and renewal, oak and elm and 

 ash and beech seem to stand by us and 

 to share our thoughts.— 'The Life of the 

 Fields ' : January in the Sussex Woods. 



62 



