foliage, 
the smooth greensward shining in the aftemoon sim- 
light. Here, at least, was absolute quiet after the roar 
of London; and it was somewhat wistfully that she 
asked her husband how far this place was from her 
home, and whether, when he was at work, she could 
not come down here by herseif. 

"Certainly," he said, never dreaming that she 
would think of doing such a . 

By and by they retumed to the hotel, and while 
they sat at dinner a great  of sunset spread over 
the west, and the far woods became of a rieh purple, 
streaked here and there with lines of pale white mist. 
The river caught the  of the crimson clouds 

1^^ 



244 A PRINCESS OF THULE. 

above, and shone duskily red amid the dark green c 
the trees. Deeper and deeper grew the colour of the 
sun as it sank to the horizon, unti! it disappeared be- 
hind one low bar of purple cloud; and then the wild 
 in the west slowly faded away, the river became 
pallid and indistinct, the white raists over the distant 
woods seemed to grow denser, and then, as here and 
tliere a lamp was lit far down in the valiey, one or 
two pale Stars appeared in the sky overhead, and the 
night came on apace