NOVEMBER 257 



Perhaps he never saw it reflected from the western 

 ocean, having made his escape over night, as I have 

 done from darkness as of the pit — darlaaess which might 

 not only be felt, but smelt. 



' Nor Springe nor Somer's bewty hath such grace 

 As I have seen in one Autumnall face.' 



A fleeting boon — so brief is the span from sunrise to 

 sunset, but how priceless while it lasts! Looking over 

 the myrtle and arbutus which fringe the window at my 

 elbow, how gracious is the scene ! The sun, low circling, 

 sheds oblique radiance, touching scarlet and coral berries 

 into splendour, waking the close sward into breadth of 

 intense, voluptuous green, firing the russet of withered 

 oak and beech, and limning their shafts and branches 

 with oxydised silver. Birds of many sizes, hues, and 

 gaits, turn their breasts to him, preening themselves in 

 all the pride of fresh plumage ; positively there is a 

 sub-tropical suggestion in the sulphur and black and 

 slaty blue of that ox-eye tit, so bravely is he lit up. 

 As for the chaffinch on the spray above, he is always so 

 well dressed that a little sunshine more or less scarcely 

 brings him into the category of the showy. He reminds 

 one of somebody's definition of a really well-dressed man 

 — one that, when he left the room, you could not for the 

 life of you describe what he had on. 



XLIV 

 Fieldfares are surely unusually abundant with us this 

 autumn. The last time I paid them much 

 attention was in July, when they were busy, oh 

 so busy, with their nests in the alders fringing a great 



