These  two  great  revelations  had
made  his  life  one  long,  orderly,  quiet
unfolding;  as  the  physical  charac
teristics  of  one  age  had  passed  away
its  spiritual  quality  had  been  wrought
into  him,  and  he  had  gone  on  from
one  period  to  another  with  stead
ily  increasing  wealth  of  impression,
knowledge,  and  power.  Instead  of
weakening,  the  years  had  enriched
him ;  at  the  ripe  moment  in  each
succeeding  period  he  had  trans
muted  the  physical  into  spiritual
strength,  and  his  past  lived  in  his
present,  unwasted  and  unforgotten.
Old  now  in  years,  the  joy  and  fresh
ness  of  childhood,  the  ardour  and

m  [  97  ]


enthusiasm  of  youth,  the  organised
and  tempered  strength  of  maturity,
were  his  in  higher  measure  and  finer
quality  than  he  had  possessed  them
before.  For  him  the  Faun  still
piped  far  afield  when  the  tenderest
green  was  on  the  trees  ;  for  him  the
far-sounding  chords  of  Apollo's  lyre
were  still  struck  when  the  beauty
of  the  summer  flooded  the  world ;
and  now,  at  the  summit  of  the  long
ascent  of  the  years,  he  walked  with
Nature  with  quick  eye,  kindling  im
agination,  and  a  repose  in  his  heart
as  deep  as  that  which  folded  the
world  in  a  vast  peace.
