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slope down to this little bay; and they look gay even in
winter from their profusion of evergreens, and from the ivy
which clothes their walls. The church just peeps out behind
the houses above. Looking over the lake, Curwen's Island is
just opposite. In May and early June, the woods of that
island, and of all the promontories round, present a most
diversified foliage,- from the golden tufts of the oak to
the sombre hue of the pines with every gradation of green
between. In July and August, the woods are what some call
too green,- massy and impenetrable,- casting deep
shadows on the sward and the waters. Within the shadow on
the shore stands the angler, watching the dimpling of the
surface, as the fly touches it, or the fish leaps from it:
and within the shadow on the water, the boat swings idly
with the current; and the student, come hither for
recreation, reads or sleeps as he reclines, waiting for the
cool of the afternoon. Turning to the north, the highest
peaks are not seen from this strand; but Fairfield and
Loughrigg close in the head of the lake.
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Turning southwards along the margin, and walking about a
mile, the explorer reaches the point of the promontory,
Ferry Nab, which stretches out opposite the Ferry House,-
itself on the point of an opposite promontory. There can
hardly be a more charming resting-place than a seat under
the last trees of this projection. It is breezy here; and
the waters smack the shore cheerily. The Troutbeck hills
come into view, and the head of the lake is grander. The
round house on Curwen's island is seen among the trees. The
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