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of lights and shadows. Every change of tempera- 

 ture, every change of day, every change of cloud or 

 sun, is reflected upon the mountains. They are the 

 grand expositors of the atmosphere. Sometimes they 

 stand in a dreamy mood hazy, indistinct, absent- 

 minded. All irregularities seem effaced. The lines 

 of depression or the bulges of rock, are lost, and they 

 lie in airy tranquility, as if the Deity had sloped 

 them from base to summit with an even line. Per- 

 haps the next morning all reserve is gone. They 

 have travelled up towards you. They seem close at 

 hand, and look you right in the face. Every line is 

 sharp, and there is no longer any dreamy expression, 

 but one of solemn and earnest out-looking. There is 

 a dark, dignified, and positive expression, as if they 

 had come to judgment with you. They are the fa- 

 vourite grounds for shadows. They lie patiently 

 still while clouds amuse themselves with painting 

 every form and shape upon their huge and rugged 

 sides, and they even choose to make their own sha- 

 dows rather than have none. A mountain shadow, 

 when the sun is in the west a sombre sheet of 

 transparent darkness, cast loosely and mysteriously 

 down from cliff to base is a very witch with the 

 imagination. One's thoughts play with it rushing 

 in and out like swallows in their summer evening 

 sportings. 



But no effects are finer than those which are some- 

 times seen at or near sunset, when the heavens are 

 full of white-gray and blue-gray clouds. The light 

 which re veals them is entirely reflected down from the 



