Gordon, doubting whether the horses' shoes had
been lately roughed, descended, but, to his surprise,
found that the scoring had been properly maintained,
in spite of the fact that it had not had his
attention. He had little cause to swing the heavy
whip -- the off horse, a raw-boned animal colored
yellowish-white, never ceased pulling valiantly on
the traces; he assumed not only his own share of
the labor but was willing to accept that of his
companion, and Gordon had continually to restrain
him.

The glitter spread transparently over the road;
the horses dug their hoofs firmly into the frozen
ruts. Suddenly a burst of sunlight enveloped the
land, and the land responded with an instant, intolerable
brilliancy, a blinding sheet of white radiance.
Every limb, every individual twig and blade of
grass, was covered with a sparkling, transparent
mail; every mound of brown earth scintillated in a
crisp surface of ice like chocolate confections glazed
in clear sugar. The clouds dissolved; the trees, encased
in crystal pipes, rose dazzling against a pale,
luminous blue expanse. Gigantic swords of incandescence
shifted over the mountainside; shoals of
frosty sparks filled the hollows; haloes immaculate
and uncompassionate hung above the hills.

Viewed from the necessity of the driver of the
Stenton stage this phenomenon was highly undesir-

[[358]]

p357 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p358w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p359

v?