THE GREAT MIRROR 



87 



the pewter tone that comes with a dull day, or 

 the cold gray tone that follows rain. 



The striking effects of light and color at sea 

 are usually at dawn and twilight, but it is not 

 often that these equal in brilliancy similar dis- 

 plays along shore. It requires apparently much 

 dust in the atmosphere to make very bright col- 

 oring and the sea has less of it than the land. 

 However, brilliant sky-effects do appear at sea. 

 The dawn is usually cool gray, pale yellow, 

 or possibly in summer months rose-tinged, or 

 lilac. The light spreads up toward the zenith 

 and around the horizon ring showing in the 

 sky with apparently greater ease than upon the 

 sea. That is to say, the envelope of air which 

 we call the sky must be lighted before the sea, 

 which is but its reflection, can respond. At 

 times the water seems to lie cold and inert, 

 giving back indifferently the light and color 

 from above; but as soon as the sun rides up 

 from the ocean's rim and the direct rays strike 

 the surface, there is a change. The wide sea 

 is instantly flooded with light; not the pictorial 

 compromise in yellow paint of Claude and Tur- 

 ner, but the pure white light of the sun, scin- 

 tillant, penetrant, above all things luminous. 



Oh, the radiance of summer mornings at 

 sea when the ship goes driving straight into 



The dawn 

 light at sea. 



Spread of 

 the light. 



