two circles of trees the outer had bark of snowy white, and were leafless but beautiful in their shapely nakedness ; the inner were mallorn - trees of great height, still arrayed in pale gold. high amid the branches of a towering tree that stood in the centre of all there gleamed a white flet. at the feet of the trees, and all about the green hillsides the grass was studded with small golden flowers shaped like stars. among them, nodding on slender stalks, were other flowers, white and palest green glimmering as a mist amid the rich hue of the grass. over all the sky was blue, and the sun of afternoon glowed upon the hill and cast long green shadows beneath the trees 