THE COUNTRY LIFE. 255 



horizon, then turned crimson, and the upper 

 edge of the sun's disk lifted itself over the 

 hill. A swift beam of light shot like an arrow 

 towards him, and the hawthorn bush obeyed 

 with instant shadow ; it passed beyond him 

 over the green plain, up the ridge and away. 

 The great orb, quivering with golden flames, 

 looked forth upon the world." 



The finest of all the papers written by 

 Jefferies as I have already said is that called 

 " The Pageant of Summer." It came out in 

 Longmans Magazine. I know nothing in the 

 English language finer, whether for the sus- 

 tained style or for the elevation of thought 

 which fills it. Herein Jefferies surpassed him- 

 self as well as all other writers who have 

 written upon Nature. This is perhaps because 

 he fills the " Pageant " which he describes 

 with human love and human regrets. With- 

 out the life and presence of man, what is the 

 beauty of Nature worth ? I should like to 

 quote it all nay, to those who have read it 

 again and again, the words live in the memory 

 like the lines of Wordsworth's " Ode to Immor- 



