286 TREES IN NATURE, MYTH & ART 



The late Walter Severn once told me — it was 

 at Coniston, on the day of Ruskin's funeral — 

 that Ruskin, watching him when he was paint- 

 ing a sky, through which clouds were rapidly 

 passing, said to him : '* Severn, you try to do 

 too much. You cannot paint moving things. 

 I never do. I never paint anything that 

 can move. I get quite nervous, fearing it 

 may move off! " Perhaps to realise fully the 

 momentary changeful ness of landscape one 

 must have tried to give some impression of it. 

 At least, the attempt to do so, even if the 

 result has been failure, enormously increases 

 one's consciousness of it, and enjoyment of its 

 beauty. 



It would be idle to begin to describe such 

 variations. In every season of the year, the 

 chanofefulness is inexhaustible in interest. Few 

 people, perhaps, do not feel this with respect 

 to the sea ; at which, many are content to sit 

 and look for hours. The never-ceasing move- 

 ment of the waves, the changing light and 

 shade, the gleam and glitter of the reflections, 

 the varying effects of transparency ; all this is 

 of fascinating interest. Fewer people get as 

 keen enjoyment from the changefulness of land- 



