Eustace Bright compared it to a huge , headless sphinx , wrapped in a Persian shawl ; and , indeed , so rich and diversified was the autumnal foliage of its woods , that the simile of the shawl was by no means too high-colored for the reality . In the lower ground , between Tanglewood and the lake , the clumps of trees and borders of woodland were chiefly golden-leaved or dusky brown , as having suffered more from frost than the foliage on the hillsides . Over all this scene there was a genial sunshine , intermingled with a slight haze , which made it unspeakably soft and tender . O , what a day of Indian summer was it going to be ! The children snatched their baskets , and set forth , with hop , skip , and jump , and all sorts of frisks and gambols ; while Cousin Eustace proved his fitness to preside over the party , by outdoing all their antics , and performing several new capers , which none of them could ever hope to imitate . Behind went a good old dog , whose name was Ben . Two lovers , once upon a time , had planned a little summer-house , in the form of an antique temple , which it was their purpose to consecrate to all manner of refined and innocent enjoyments . There they would hold pleasant intercourse with one another , and the circle of their familiar friends ; there they would give festivals of delicious fruit ; there they would hear lightsome music , intermingled with the strains of pathos which make joy more sweet ; there they would read poetry and fiction , and permit their own minds to flit away in daydreams and romance ; there , in short , -- for why should we shape out the vague sunshine of their hopes ? -- there all pure delights were to cluster like roses among the pillars of the edifice , and blossom ever new and spontaneously . So , one breezy and cloudless afternoon , Adam Forrester and Lilias Fay set out upon a ramble over the wide estate which they were to possess together , seeking a proper site for their Temple of Happiness . They were themselves a fair and happy spectacle , fit priest and priestess for such a shrine ; although , making poetry of the pretty name of Lilias , Adam Forrester was wont to call her LILY , because her form was as fragile , and her cheek almost as pale . As they passed , hand in hand , down the avenue of drooping elms , that led from the portal of Lilies Fay 's paternal mansion , they seemed to glance like winged creatures through the strips of sunshine , and to scatter brightness where the deep shadows fell . But , setting forth at the same time with this youthful pair , there was a dismal figure , wrapped in a black velvet cloak that might have been made of a coffin pall , and with a sombre hat , such as mourners wear , drooping its broad brim over his heavy brows . Glancing behind them , the lovers well knew who it was that followed , but wished from their hearts that he had been elsewhere , as being a companion so strangely unsuited to their joyous errand . It was a near relative of Lilies Fay , an old man by the name of Walter Gascoigne , who had long labored under the burden of a melancholy spirit , which was sometimes maddened into absolute insanity , and always had a tinge of it . What a contrast between the young pilgrims of bliss and their unbidden associate ! They looked as if moulded of Heaven 's sunshine , and he of earth 's gloomiest shade ; they flitted along like Hope and Joy , roaming hand in hand through life ; while his darksome figure stalked behind , a type of all the woeful influences which life could fling upon them . But the three had not gone far , when they reached a spot that pleased the gentle Lily , and she paused . `` What sweeter place shall we find than this ? '' said she .
`` Why should we seek farther XXXXX the site of our Temple ? ''
As Behind although for from in of over that while