By ORDER OF THE CZAR. 237
passengers with a calm, steady regularity of speed that seemed to be quite in keeping with the panorama. Here and there a river would swell out into lake-like pools, which reflected the adjacent country as in a glass, following which the stream would break out into turgid rushes of yellow turbulent water. Then you would come to the banks of shingle and dots of houses and blue smoke.
At one place Philip was very busy with his sketch book, the train having slowed up at a signal, and he brought into use a smalt case of water colors, that he might at least have a note of the bits of delicious color that appealed to the eye and to the imagination. A company of field laborers were at breakfast, men and women ; they had been busy with the vines ; the men wore jackboots, and had handkerchiefs round their heads ; it was in a green and flowery valley with fruit trees in rich blossom ; and for a background there was a double range of mountains, the front range a black battalion, the furthest away range white sentinels, guarding the valleys against the march of Summer, the spring vanguard of which, nevertheless, made its way to the plains with silent tread and gay with floral banners.
In the valleys there were houses like Swiss chalets; these repeated themselves now and then ; but not like the mountains, which, as the trains went pounding along, seemed to come and go, and march on and off, like the supers in a theatrical army. Now and then the white peaks would go right up into the sky, as if to challenge the sunshine. Once in a way a streak of silver would appear on the mountain sides ; it was alive, and making its way down the great hills to run off into the meadows at their feet. By and by the country became more and more Italian, softer outlines of foothills, vaster mounts of distant snow. Near one station a company of soldiers were engaged at rifle practice ; and henceforth there were frequent church towers and steeples among the poplars.
