284 TREES IN NATURE, MYTH & ART 



they had not been seized upon and lovingly 

 portrayed by the artist. 



These changes of the trees are in appearance 

 only, except occasionally, when a tree that has 

 lost but few leaves will, in a sudden gale, be 

 swept nearly clear of them between morning 

 and evening. Trees change their appearance, 

 often many times, during a single hour. 

 Perhaps I was wrong in saying that such 

 changes are in appearance alone. I was 

 standing once at the window of a house that 

 commands a wide view over wood and lake, 

 and range beyond range of hills. ** I never tire 

 of looking out over those hills," said the occu- 

 pant of the house, ''they are always thinking^ 

 The speaker was a Celt. The Saxon may 

 smile. But, in the sense in which the words 

 were used, not the hills only, but any landscape, 

 and the trees also, are always thinking. Even 

 on the most monotonous or monotonously grey 

 days, the monotony, the oneness of tone is 

 never absolute and unchanging. Especially is 

 this so in the morning and the evening. You 

 look out — there is one effect. Five minutes 

 later you look out again — the effect is quite 

 different. Increase or decrease of mere grey 



