THE CHILD WANDERS IN THE WOOD. 319 



these hard surfaces are no more to be com- 

 pared to it than sand and gravel. They are 

 but stones, hard, cold, pitiful: that which gives 

 them their lustre is the light. Through deli- 

 cate porcelain sometimes the light comes, and 

 it is not the porcelain, it is the light that is 

 lovely. But porcelain is clay, and the light 

 is shorn, checked, and shrunken. Down 

 through the beauteous azure came the Light 

 itself, pure, unreflected Light, untouched, un- 

 tarnished even by the dew- sweetened petal of 

 a flower, descending, flowing like a wind, a 

 wind of glory sweeping through the blue. A 

 luminous purple glowing as Love glows in 

 the cheek, so glowed the passion of the 

 heavens. 



" Two things only reach the soul. By 

 touch there is indeed emotion. But the 

 light in the eye, the sound of the voice ! the 

 soul trembles and like a flame leaps to meet 

 them. So to the luminous purple azure his 

 heart ascended." 



In " Wood Magic" Jefferies carries on the 

 story of "Bevis" and of Guido." The 



