186 CARPE DIEM 



green, and the boughs so thickly are twined across, 

 that little of the blue sky is seen between ; " but 

 there is no lack of blue underfoot, for the hyacinths 

 seem to have claimed the wood as their own pro- 

 perty, and shine like a shimmering sea of blue 

 between the tree-stems, quite putting out of coun- 

 tenance with their blaze of colour the modest violet, 

 growing by the side of the runnels leaping down- 

 ward to join the noisy brook. 



We crossed the Morcla, a purling trout stream, 

 out of which you may easily basket a score of trout 

 in the spring ; up a lane, the banks of which were 

 crowded so thickly with spring flowers, starwort, 

 and other snow-white flowers, deep-blue germander 

 speedwells, red ragged robins, and wild geraniums, 

 monkshood, daisies, dandelions, and buttercups, that 

 the green of the leaves and grasses was quite 

 absorbed and lost in the brighter hues ; up and up, 

 until our legs began to ache, and at last we came 

 to the crest of the hill, in the hollow a few feet 

 below which lay the tarn, gloomy enough, but 

 weirdly beautiful. The water itself looked green 

 from the prevailing colour of the rushes and flags, 

 and the deep belt of green alders, which grew half 

 in and half out of it all round. 



" Look," I said, " there are two herons, a couple 

 of wild-ducks, with their young brood just hatched, 



