BY TWILIGHT. 157 
surroundings, deepened mysteriously as the harsh 
cry of the nightjar breaks in upon the silence ; 
and though it is difficult to find our way amidst 
the mass of brake and gorse and other forest 
growths which cover the ground, and are now 
deepened in hue by the shadows of the approach- 
ing darkness, the brilliant heads of foxglove- 
bloom stand out vividly into the night. 
And now our westerly course is ended. We 
pass the Crown enclosure, and can again strike 
northwards. It is too dark to discern the letters 
on the face of our compass, but we see the direc- 
tion taken by the purple line of the hand shown 
in relief against the white ground of the plate. 
So we keep due north, and, after a mile or 
two of open forest—gorse, brake, and heather, 
without the presence of a single Tree—we strike a 
high-road, running east and west. We take the 
western turning, which we know will bring us to 
our starting-point at Stoney Cross, by a circuitous 
road of two or three miles in length. 
The last glimmer of day has now disappeared, 
and night has fairly come ; but there is still much 
to enjoy on our roadside walk, We are traversing 
K 
