lake shone under the calm clear frost in one marble field, as
strong as the floor of Milan Cathedral, half a mile across and four
miles down; and the first entries in my diary which I read you
shall be from the 22d to 26th June, 1876, of perfectly lovely and
natural weather.

"_Sunday, 25th June, 1876._

Yesterday, an entirely glorious sunset, unmatched in beauty since
that at Abbeville,--deep scarlet, and purest rose, on purple gray,
in bars; and stationary, plumy, sweeping filaments above in upper
sky, like '_using up the brush_,' said Joanie; remaining in glory,
every moment best, changing from one good into another, (but only
in color or light--_form steady_,) for half an hour full, and the
clouds afterwards fading into the gray against amber twilight,
_stationary in the same form for about two hours_, at least. The
darkening rose tint remained till half-past ten, the grand time
being at nine.

The day had been fine,--exquisite green light on afternoon hills.

_Monday, 26th June, 1876._

Yesterday an entirely perfect summer light on the Old Man;
Lancaster Bay all clear; Ingleborough and the great Pennine fault
as on a map. Divine beauty of western color on thyme and
rose,--then twilight of clearest _warm_ amber far into night, of
_pale_ amber all night long; hills dark-clear against it.

And so it continued, only growing more intense in blue and
sunlight, all day. After breakfast, I came in from the well under
strawberry bed, to say I had never seen anything like it, so pure
or intense, in Italy; and so it went glowing on, cloudless, with
soft north wind, all day.

_16th July._

The sunset almost too bright _through the blinds_ for me to read
Humboldt at tea by,--finally, new moon like a lime-light, reflected
on breeze-struck water; traces, across dark calm, of reflected
hills."

These extracts are, I hope, enough to guard you against the
absurdity of supposing that it all only means that I am myself
soured, or doting, in my old age, and always in an ill humor.
Depend upon it, when old men are worth anything, they are better
humored than young ones; and have learned to see what good there
is, and pleasantness, in the world they are likely so soon to have
orders to quit.

Now then--take the following sequences of accurate description of
thunderstorm, _with_ plague-wind.