34 mature Studies in Berkshire. 



farm, and at two twenty-five slung our lunch-boxes 

 and started up the path for the summit. Like most 

 well-regulated mountain trails this one began in a 

 wood-road, old and grass-grown and mossy, but 

 easy of grade and for the most part clear to the eye. 



The first half-hour was spent in doubling back- 

 ward and forward, beating up-hill as it were, against 

 a fairly heavy grade. The way was lined with hard- 

 wood bushes, with ferns and mosses most cool and 

 refreshing to sight and to smell. Here and there a 

 group of wild sunflowers lent their bright yellow 

 hues to the scene, and once we stumbled upon some 

 foxglove. The mountain vegetation was showing 

 the effects of the drought which had been searing 

 the fields in the valleys, and had made great strides 

 toward autumnal hues in the three weeks since we 

 were over the path before. A little spring beside 

 which we had eaten our supper on that previous 

 ascent was now but the shadow of a refreshing 

 name, a mere dry and empty earthen bowl. We 

 were disappointed in our expectations of a cool 

 draught at this wayside fountain, but remembering 

 another, only a mile or so farther up, we pushed on 

 in hope. 



Ten minutes more along a pathway through fresh 

 young birches and maples, brought us to the turning 

 in the path where before we had made the mistake 

 of keeping straight on which cost us an hour and a 

 half of needless tramping. This time we swung to 

 the left, by the "blazes" we ourselves had made, 



