LAKE AND STREAM 227 



when one shook oneself to break the spell 

 was there any sense of incongruity in 

 beholding hills tapering from their bases 

 downward. 



All the conditions favoured the purpose 

 with which I had climbed ; but what was 

 this? 



Below, a little to the east, rather 

 more than a gunshot off, something was 

 happening. In the midst of the sunlight, 

 floating a little above the hillside, was 

 an unshapen column, too fragile to be 

 thought material. It did not intercept 

 the beams. Permeated, indeed, it was 

 with these, which seemed to be all the 

 brighter for having something to play 

 upon ; and there was no shadow on the 

 ground beneath. The column moved. 

 Almost imperceptibly, it was changing 

 its shape at every moment. Very slowly 

 it was coming upwards, and was growing 

 larger. On it came ; on, and on, and on ; 

 silently ; radiant and softly sparkling, and 

 that not only on the irregular edges, but 

 all through its apparently impalpable 



