THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN. 17 
surface with a thick velvety nap which is the 
distinguishing characteristic of the blossom. 
The perfume of this flower is both powerful and 
pleasant. When freshly picked it suggests the 
scent of the water-lily, coupled with something 
as spicy and enduring as the heavier perfume of 
heliotrope. 
Fifteen or twenty minutes’ walking over the 
beech leaves brought me within hearing of the 
torrent which flows from the heart of the moun¬ 
tain. Presently I came to the edge of its cut¬ 
ting and saw far below me, through the trees 
which filled the gorge, the flash of its waters 
and the vivid green of mosses. Walking up¬ 
stream along the face of the bank, yet neither 
climbing nor descending, I struck the level of 
the water at a point not many rods distant. I 
had not gone down to the brook; it had come 
up to me. The whole ravine was filled with its 
music, and following down with its eager flow 
was a current of cold air. Above, in the woods, 
quiet and heat had prevailed. Here noise and 
coolness ruled with absolute sway. The sound 
came in waves as did the water and the breeze, 
but no human senses could measure the inter¬ 
vals between the beats. The sound seemed 
threefold, — a splash, a murmur, and a deeper 
roar. The roar reached me even if I pressed 
my hands tightly over my ears; while, if I made 
