summer
noon
At one of the ends of the verandah was a rough flight of stone steps , much overgrown with moss , at all times difficult to descend , and , after rain , positively dangerous , from the slippery nature of the footing it afforded . It led to the edge of the river down the bank already described . A longer and more circuitous path began at the opposite extremity of the verandah , and ended at the same point . The view which this balcony commanded was one of the most beautiful that can be conceived ; and in the first freshness of a spring morning , in the intense heat and repose of a summer noon , in the glorious beauty of an autumnal sunset , or in the grandeur of a wintry storm , we were wont to stand and revel in the varying aspects which this lovely landscape presented to our eyes . It was a combination of wood , stream , and mountain , with a few cottages scattered here and there , as if a painter 's hand had placed them where they stood . Altogether , they formed a picture which the eye loved to dwell upon , and which memory strives to recall . It was on one of those glorious days , when existence in itself , and apart from all other circumstances , is felt to be a blessing , that I stood leaning against one of the pillars of the gallery I have described .