84 



THE OPAL SEA 



In the 

 Cycladet. 



Sapphire 

 water. 



light shattered into heliotrope hues without a suspicion of 

 dark shadow. Where is the master, old or young, who 

 has painted it? Claude Monet has attempted it and 

 been laughed at for his pains — more's the pity! " 



During great heat the fiery colors of the 

 opal seem to come forward and (especially at 

 sunset) to accent and even dominate the color 

 scheme of the waters. 



"July 14. Steaming through the Cyclades. The 

 day is reeking hot, with a blue sky and small heap clouds 

 that seem to have a pink flush about them. The air 

 is opalescent and radiant but not a breath of wind. 

 The sea, sky, and air are all married to-day — all blended 

 into one rosy blue glow. Even the heliotrope hills on 

 the little islands come into the harmony. I have never 

 seen such a wonderful reflection of the air from the sea. 

 It is much stronger than the mirage on the desert which 

 produces the illusion of water by reflecting the sky from 

 the strata of heated air lying along the ground. Yet the 

 water when out of the angle of reflection (as at the bow 

 of the steamer looking down) is blue, almost sapphire- 

 blue, and so oily-smooth that the white foam thrown 

 out by the cut-water rolls over upon the blue in patterns 

 that suggest white lace. Amidships the steamer makes 

 a swelling wave, but the surface does not break nor does 

 the blue show. The swell is opaline and is curved like 

 the edges of the mosaic arches in San Marco at Venice. 

 Opaline, indeed, is the only word that approximates 

 the description of the color. At times it is golden and 

 rosy, then milky blue, reminding one of absinthe mixed 

 with water, and then again pearl-like. Last night at 

 sunset the color of the sea ran into the high notes of the 



