THE BEAUTY 23 



never lost for me an atom of its unique 

 charm. 



The beautiful mountain-pictures which 

 remain clearly in memory are too many 

 for description in this study, but, among 

 them, there is one which was so entranc- 

 ingly beautiful that I am unwilling to 

 pass it by. I will try to paint the scene 

 precisely as it comes to me now after six 

 years. 



It was early in June, and I was at Gun- 

 ten, on the eastern side of the Lake of 

 Thun, which is, according to Leslie Ste- 

 phen, "the loveliest of all conceivable 

 lakes." I had chosen a position where 

 there was the widest possible view of that 

 matchless group of peaks which is named 

 the Bliimlisalp. It was a few minutes 

 before sunset, and I was alone, watching 

 the spreading silver of the light as it 

 played in soft, chasing witchery over the 

 vast fields of snow. 



Suddenly, just out of my line of vision, 

 the sun dropped behind the curved edge 



