Why, it is

in writing to acknowledge it, said: "I know how unlimited are your means, but did not know that you were the modern Monte Cristo. only a short time since I was with you, and now find that you have built and finished your house."

On the day I took the negatives above described, Mrs. Noble asked me to photograph her baby in its cot, the latter as handsome a thing of its sort as I had ever seen. How little did I think at the time what an interesting part this cot would play hereafter! This, though, will be mentioned in its proper place.

One of the guests at the time I stayed at Berry Hill was Mr. William Millais, Sir John's brother, who amused himself sketching on the river. Between Maidenhead Bridge and that of the railway there were some old but very picturesque eel-bucks, made, as is known, of wicker or cane. Mr. Millais had worked there for two days, his drawing being then unfinished. One morning I was up early and took the camera to the point from which he had made his drawing, and obtained a negative, which, having developed, I brought into the breakfast-room.

Looking at it, Millais exclaimed, "Why, this is positively too disheartening, and enough to drive one mad. Here have I been giving any amount of care and time to my drawing, and you go, and in a few minutes bring back my subject showing a wealth of detail no artist could approach."

While staying at Berry Hill I obtained my first negatives of clouds. There was by far too much wind for landscape work, but the sky was rich with the beautiful forms and colours of clouds, and so it occurred to me to try to photograph them.

My first plate was exposed by taking off and putting on the cap of the lens as quickly as possible, and on developing the plate it was gratifying to find that a strikingly perfect cloud negative had been obtained.

As during the morning the clouds were constantly changing both in form and appearance, my work was continued, several negatives being secured.

In the first place, these negatives were dealt with as merely interesting records of cloud effects, but quickly it was made apparent to me

that there was an application of some importance for them.

My scheme was, by double printing, to combine them with prints made from landscape negatives. This was simply and readily carried out, for as the sky portion of the usual landscape negative is represented by a white space on the resulting print, it is easy to adjust that space on to the part of the cloud negative it is desired to print in, and at the same time protect the landscape portion of the print from the action of light.

A great gain in pictorial effect was hereby accomplished, for a photograph having a suitable sky supplied to it became more artistic, and therefore more in relation to art and its demands.

At the following Exhibition of the Photographic Society I sent several landscapes which had been printed by this double method, and these excited much interest.

- At the next Exhibition the landscape photographers had adopted my plan, but not altogether successfully; indeed, it was too amusing to see what some of them had done.

Deeming it to be sufficient if they combined a

sky negative with a landscape one, they took for this purpose any sky negative that was at hand and appeared suitable. So that sometimes negatives had been used in which the shadows of the clouds were on exactly the opposite side to the shadows of the landscape! One exhibitor, though, had gone much further than this, for he had turned his clouds upside down!

What is needed is to keep a careful record of the direction the camera points to, both when taking a landscape and a sky. It is also desirable to register the time of day when negatives are taken. The printer should be guided strictly by this when he selects a cloud negative to combine with a landscape.

CHAPTER XII.

At the Grange, Alresford; Lord Ashburton's: Met Thomas Carlyle and his Wife and the Bishop of Oxford-An extremely interesting discussion-A graceful Act-Landseer's Portrait of William Lord Ashburton.

In a long experience I do not recollect a more gratifying and pleasant visit than fell to my lot in the autumn of 1862. The Lady Ashburton of those days had invited me to The Grange, Alresford, an oasis in that part of Hampshire.

I was there a fortnight, and for some portion of the time Mr. Carlyle and his wife were also guests, so that I had many opportunities of talking to the author of "Frederick the Great" and "The French Revolution." One Sunday an addition was made to our circle by the arrival of the Bishop of Oxford (Wilberforce). An intellectual feast ever to be remembered resulted.

Imagine a dinner-table with two such men as Carlyle and the Bishop present. They were