88

89

lours.
102
Chapter IV.-Light and its
Propertics-Colour, and
other peculiarities of bo-
dies, due to Light-De-
composition of a Sunbeam
-Fraunhöfer's Spectral
Lines Anticipated re-
sults from using the Elec-
tric Light as a Photogra-
phic Agent-Reflection of
Light from plane, convex,
and concave surfaces
. 142
Chapter V.-Refraction of
Light Experiments to
prove that Light is Re-
fracted-Angles of Re-
fraction-Effects of Re-
fraction by Prisms-How
to construct a Simple and
Economical Prism-Ex-
periments with Prisms to
demonstrate the Refrac-
tion of Light-Construc-
tion of a Prism explained 235
Chapter VI.-The action of
Lenses-The Refraction
of Light by Lenses im-
portant to Photographers
-Different forms of Len-
ses-Parts of a Lens-The
general Action of Lenses,
and Theory of Action-
Properties of Lenses-
The formation of Images
by Lenses.

333

SELBORNE HALL.

CHAPTER I.

A FAMILY PICTURE.

THE purple splendour of a beautiful sunset was fading along the line of low hills by which the western extremity of the Vale of Selborne is bounded. The rich meadows, and hedge-rows fresh with the verdure of spring, were tinted with rays of golden light, which, as they fell upon the clumps of trees that indicated the various homesteads, were reflected back from white walls and windows that glittered, diamond-like, in the receding sunshine. The landscape was of rare beauty; one of those to be seen in no other country, and which can only be found to perfection in some of the woodland districts of England. The range of hills that lay to the westward stretched away to the left, gradually sloping upwards, until they were lost in a wide expanse of down and moor, which was relieved at intervals by patches of dark copsewood, or bright green furze, In the distance arose a thickly-wooded eminence, on

VOL. XI. NO. CXXV.

the summit of which stood the old manorhouse of Selborne, its towers and quaint gables standing out in bold relief against the glowing sky. Across the centre of the valley extended a wide tract of fertile cornland, which, even thus early, afforded abundant indications of a goodly harvest. It was traversed by one of those fresh, delightful, sparkling streams, by whose side old Izaak Walton would have loved to linger. At the distance of a few fields from its banks, the road ran in a direction parallel to its course. Within the shadow of the hill on which the manor-house stood, and at no great distance from it, was the village church, built of that gray stone peculiar to the country. Its old ivied tower, rising from the surrounding foliage, was tipped with gold, as the woodland scenery lay steeped half in sunshine and half in shadow, until the sun had entirely disappeared behind the long low range of hills, when the curtain of twilight, blending, as it were, with the mist which rose from the meadows, fell like a pall of silver haze above the whole.

About this time, a pedestrian might have been seen wending his way along the road which has been already mentioned, and proceeding at a rapid pace in the direction of the eminence on which stood the manorhouse of Selborne. We shall not pause to

B