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Brief Contents

Part I Production: Processes and People 1

Chapter 1 Production Process 2

Chapter 2 Production Team: Who Does What When? 18

Part II Image Creation: Digital Video and Camera 37

Chapter 3 Image Formation and Digital Video 38

Chapter 4 Video Camera 54

Chapter 5 Operating the Camera 78

Chapter 6 Looking through the Viewfinder 106

Part III Image Creation: Sound, Light, Graphics, and Effects 131
Chapter 7 Audio and Sound Control 132

Chapter 8 Light, Color, and Lighting 168

Chapter 9 Graphics and Effects 206

Part IV Image Control: Switching, Recording, and Editing 225

Chapter 10 Switcher and Switching 226

Chapter 11 Video Recording 242

Chapter 12 Digital Video Editing 256

Chapter 13 Editing Principles 272

Part V Production Environment: Studio, Field, and Synthetic 293

Chapter 14 Production Environment: Studio 294

Chapter 15 Production Environment: Field and Synthetic 318

Part VI Production Control: Talent and Directing 339

Chapter 16 Talent, Clothing, and Makeup 340

Chapter 17 Putting It All Together: Directing 360

Contents

About the Author   xvii

Preface  xviii

PART I Production: Processes and People 1

CHAPTER 1 Production Process 2

PRODUCTION MODEL   4

PRODUCTION PHASES   5

IMPORTANCE OF PREPRODUCTION   5

PREPRODUCTION: GENERATING IDEAS ON DEMAND   6

Brainstorming  6
Clustering  7

PREPRODUCTION: FROM IDEA TO SCRIPT   9

Program Objective   9
Angle  9
Evaluation  10
Script  10

PREPRODUCTION: FROM SCRIPT TO PRODUCTION   11

Medium Requirements   11
Budget  12

MEDIA CONVERGENCE   12
Digital Cinema and Video   14
Studio and Field Production   14
viii CO N T E N T S

CHAPTER 2 Production Team: Who Does What When? 18

PRODUCTION TEAMS   20
Preproduction Team   22
Production Team   25
Postproduction Team   26

PASSING THE BUCK   26

TAKING AND SHARING RESPONSIBILITY   29

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE AND TIME LINE   31

P R O D U C T I O N S C H E D U L E : I N T E R V I E W    31
T I M E L I N E : M A R C H 9 — I N T E R V I E W ( S T U D I O 1 )    32

PRODUCTION WORKFLOW   34

PART II Image Creation: Digital Video and Camera 37

CHAPTER 3 Image Formation and Digital Video 38

BASIC IMAGE FORMATION: VIDEO RASTER   40
Color  40
Scanning  41
Video Raster Formats   43
Flat-Panel Displays   45

WHAT IS DIGITAL?   46

DIGITAL PROCESS   46
Analog and Digital Signals   47
Digital System   47
Compression and Codecs   47
Downloading and Streaming   48

DIGITAL PROCESS RESTATED   48

Analog Signal   49
Digital Signal and Quantizing   49
Sampling  50
Compression and Transport   51

WHY DIGITAL?   51
CO N T E N T S ix

CHAPTER 4 Video Camera 54

BASIC CAMERA FUNCTION AND ELEMENTS   55
Function  56
Lens  57
Beam Splitter and Sensor   62
Shutter  64
Video Signal Processing   64
Viewfinder and Monitor   65

TYPES OF CAMERAS   66
Large Camcorders   66
Small Camcorders   67
Smartphones  68
ENG/EFP Cameras   69
Studio Cameras   70
DSLR Cameras   73
Digital Cinema Cameras   74
3D Camcorders   75

CHAPTER 5 Operating the Camera 78

BASIC CAMERA MOVEMENTS   80

CAMERA MOUNTS AND HOW TO USE THEM   83

Handheld and Shoulder-Mounted Camera   83
Tripod-Supported Camera   86
Studio Pedestal   89
Special Camera Mounts   91

OPERATIONAL FEATURES   96
Focusing  96
Shutter Speed   99
Zooming  99
White-Balancing  100

GENERAL GUIDELINES   101

C H E C K L I S T: C A M CO R D E R S A N D E N G / E F P C A M E R A S    101
C H E C K L I S T: S T U D I O C A M E R A S   103
x CO N T E N T S

CHAPTER 6 Looking through the Viewfinder 106

FRAMING A SHOT   108
Aspect Ratio   108
Field of View   110
Vectors  111
Composition  112
Psychological Closure   116

MANIPULATING PICTURE DEPTH   119

Defining the Z-axis   119
Defining the 3D Z-axes   120
3D Lens Separation and Convergence   120
Lenses and 2D Z-axis Length   123
Lenses and Depth of Field   123
Lenses and Z-axis Speed   125

CONTROLLING CAMERA AND OBJECT MOTION   126

Controlling Camera Movement and Zooms   126
Controlling Object Motion   127

PART III Image Creation: Sound, Light, Graphics, and Effects 131

CHAPTER 7 Audio and Sound Control 132

SOUND PICKUP PRINCIPLE   134

MICROPHONES  134
How Well Mics Hear: Sound Pickup   135
How Mics Are Made   136
How Mics Are Used   138

SOUND CONTROL   149

Manual Volume Control   149
Audio Mixer   151
Audio Console   155
Cables and Patch Panel   156

SOUND RECORDING   158

Digital Audio Recorders   159
Optical Discs: CDs and DVDs   160
CO N T E N T S xi

AUDIO POSTPRODUCTION   161

Audio Postproduction Room   161
Automated Dialogue Replacement   163

SYNTHESIZED SOUND   163

SOUND AESTHETICS   164

Context  164
Figure/Ground  165
Sound Perspective   165
Continuity  165
Energy and Mood   166

CHAPTER 8 Light, Color, and Lighting 168

LIGHT  170
Types of Light   170
Light Intensity   170
Measuring Illumination   171
Contrast  172

SHADOWS  173
Attached Shadows   174
Cast Shadows   176
Falloff  176

COLOR  177
Additive and Subtractive Color Mixing   177
Color Television Receiver and Generated Colors   178
Color Temperature and White-Balancing   178

LIGHTING INSTRUMENTS   181

Spotlights  182
Floodlights  184
Special-Purpose Spotlights and Floodlights   189

LIGHTING TECHNIQUES   191

Operation of Lights   191
C H E C K L I S T: L I G H T I N G S A F E T Y    191
Studio Lighting   192
Light Plot   197
Last-Minute Lighting Techniques   197
Field Lighting   197
C H E C K L I S T: F I E L D L I G H T I N G G U I D E L I N E S    203
xii CO N T E N T S

CHAPTER 9 Graphics and Effects 206

PRINCIPLES OF GRAPHICS   208
Aspect Ratio   208
Essential Area   208
Readability  209
Color  210
Animated Graphics   212
Style  212

STANDARD ELECTRONIC VIDEO EFFECTS   212

Superimposition  212
Key  213
Wipe  216

DIGITAL EFFECTS   218

Digital Image Manipulation Equipment   218
Common Digital Video Effects   219
Synthetic Image Creation   219

PART IV Image Control: Switching, Recording, and Editing 225

CHAPTER 10 Switcher and Switching 226

PRODUCTION SWITCHER   228

BASIC SWITCHER FUNCTIONS   229

SWITCHER LAYOUT   230

Program Bus   231
Preview Bus   231
Key Bus   231
Fader Bar and Auto-Transition   232
Delegation Controls   233

SWITCHER OPERATION   233

Working the Program Bus: Cuts-Only   234
Working the Mix Buses: Cuts   234
Working the Mix Buses: Dissolves   235
Working the Effects Bus: Wipes   237
Working the Key Bus: Keys   237
Working the Downstream Keyer   238
CO N T E N T S xiii

Chroma Keying   239

Special Effects   239

AUTOMATED PRODUCTION CONTROL   239

APC Function   239
Control Panels   240

CHAPTER 11 Video Recording 242

DIGITAL RECORDING SYSTEMS   243
Digital Recording   243
Recording and Storage Media   244
Digital Video Recorders   245
Video Stabilization   247

VIDEO-RECORDING PROCESS   248

C H E C K L I S T: B E F O R E V I D E O R E CO R D I N G    248
C H E C K L I S T: D U R I N G V I D E O R E CO R D I N G   250
C H E C K L I S T: A F T E R V I D E O R E CO R D I N G    254

CHAPTER 12 Digital Video Editing 256

EDITING PRINCIPLE AND SYSTEM SETUP   257
Basic Editing Principle   257
Editing System Setup   258
Editing Interface   258
C H E C K L I S T: P R O D U C T I O N T I P S F O R P O S T P R O D U C T I O N    259

BASIC EDITING PHASES   262

C H E C K L I S T: P O S T P R O D U C T I O N P R E PA R AT I O N S    263
Pre-edit Decision Making   267
Off-Line and On-Line Editing   268
Exporting to the Edit Master   270

CHAPTER 13 Editing Principles 272

EDITING PURPOSE   273

EDITING FUNCTIONS   274

Combine  274
Condense  274
Correct  274
Build  275
xiv CO N T E N T S

AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES OF CONTINUITY EDITING   275

Mental Map   275
Vectors  278
On- and Off-Screen Positions   282
Cutting on Action   287

AESTHETIC PRINCIPLES OF COMPLEXITY EDITING   288

Intensifying an Event   288
Supplying Meaning   290

PART V Production Environment: Studio, Field, and Synthetic 293

CHAPTER 14 Production Environment: Studio 294

VIDEO PRODUCTION STUDIO   296
Physical Layout   296
Major Installations   298

STUDIO CONTROL ROOM   300

Image Control   300
Sound Control   304

MASTER CONTROL   304

Workflow and Quality Control   305
Content Ingest   306
Storage and Archiving   307

STUDIO SUPPORT AREAS   307

Scenery and Property Storage   307
Makeup and Dressing Rooms   308

SCENERY, PROPERTIES, AND SET DRESSINGS   308

Scenery  308
Properties  312
Set Dressings   312

SET DESIGN   313

Process Message   313
Floor Plan   313
Prop List   316
Using the Floor Plan for Setup   316
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CO N T E N T S xv

CHAPTER 15 Production Environment: Field and Synthetic 318

ELECTRONIC NEWS GATHERING   320
News Gathering   320
Transmission  320

ELECTRONIC FIELD PRODUCTION   322

Preproduction: Remote Survey   323
Production: Outdoors and Indoors   324
C H E C K L I S T: F I E L D P R O D U C T I O N E Q U I P M E N T    327
Postproduction: Wrap-Up   332

BIG REMOTES   332

SYNTHETIC ENVIRONMENTS   334

Computer-Generated Settings   335
Computer-Generated Environments   336
Computer-Controlled Environments   336

PART VI Production Control: Talent and Directing 339

CHAPTER 16 Talent, Clothing, and Makeup 340

PERFORMING TECHNIQUES   342
Performer and Camera   342
Audio and Lighting   344
Timing and Prompting   346

ACTING TECHNIQUES   352

Environment and Audience   353
Close-Ups  353
Repeating Action   354

AUDITIONS  354

CLOTHING  355
Texture and Detail   355
Color  356

MAKEUP  357
Technical Requirements   357
Materials  358
xvi CO N T E N T S

CHAPTER 17 Putting It All Together: Directing 360

SCRIPT FORMATS   362
Fact, or Rundown, Sheet   362
News Script   362
Two-Column A/V Script   364
Single-Column Drama Script   368

VISUALIZATION  368

PREPARING FOR A MULTICAMERA STUDIO PRODUCTION   372

CONTROL ROOM DIRECTING   374

Terminology  374
Time Line   374
Rehearsals  381
Directing the Multicamera Show   384

SINGLE-CAMERA DIRECTING   387

Major Differences   387
Single-Camera Studio Directing   388
Single-Camera Field Production   389

Epilogue  394

Glossary  395

Index  409
About the Author

H erbert Zettl is a professor emeritus of the Broadcast and Electronic Commu-
nication Arts Department at San Francisco State University (SFSU). He taught
there for many years in the fields of video production and media aesthetics. While
at SFSU he headed the Institute of International Media Communication. For his
academic contributions, he received the California State Legislature Distinguished
Teaching Award and, from the Broadcast Education Association, the Distinguished
Education Service Award.
Prior to joining the SFSU faculty, Zettl worked at KOVR (Stockton-Sacramento)
and as a producer-director at KPIX, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco. While at

Edward Aiona
KPIX he participated in a variety of CBS and NBC network television productions.
Because of his outstanding contributions to the television profession, he received an
Emmy for the prestigious Governors’ Award of the National Academy of Television
Arts and Sciences (NATAS), Northern California Chapter, the highest honor the
organization can give. He is also a member of the Broadcast Legends of the NATAS
Northern California Chapter.
In addition to this book, Zettl has authored Television Production Handbook,
Television Production Workbook, and Sight Sound Motion. All of his books have
been translated into several languages and published internationally. His numerous
articles on television production and media aesthetics have appeared in major media
journals worldwide. He has lectured extensively on television production and media
aesthetics at universities and professional broadcast institutions in the United States
and abroad and has presented key papers at a variety of national and international
communication conventions.
Zettl developed an interactive DVD-ROM, Zettl’s VideoLab 4.0, published by
Cengage Learning. His previous CD-ROM version won several prestigious awards.

xvii
Preface

F O R T H E S T U D E N T / R E A D E R

D espite the ever-increasing speed and variety of improvements and innovations

in all areas of video equipment, the basic steps of moving from a good idea to a
professional-looking video piece have pretty much remained the same, regardless of
whether you use an old camcorder or the latest DSLR camera. The many automated
functions, such as optimal exposure under various lighting conditions or stabilizing
minor camera wiggles, may tempt you to believe that you can produce an award-
winning video without going through basic training. This may be true—if you have
exceptional luck or an inordinate amount of time and patience to choose the best
shots and assemble them in the most effective sequence. But as a professional, you
cannot rely on luck or intuition—you have to know how to produce effective video
on a regular basis. Video Basics is written in the spirit of helping you learn video pro-
duction from the ground up so that your move from amateur to professional will be
relatively painless and maximally effective. A solid knowledge of the basics of video
will also give you the confidence to judge what is good or bad, even if it is your own
work. Better yet, it will enable you to go beyond the conventional—and to break the
rules if necessary for the optimal clarification and intensification of a message.
Do not be bothered by the term basics. It does not imply an evaluation of the
reader but rather describes an essential prerequisite for providing you with a solid
foundation of video production. Note, however, that reading even this text alone
won’t make you a hotshot videographer. Much like learning how to play a musical
instrument, video production requires considerable hands-on practice.

F O R T H E I N S T R U C T O R

A s with the previous editions, Video Basics 8 is streamlined so that it can be

taught in a single semester. It contains information about the basic studio and
field equipment and its normal use. Although more and more video productions are
done with a single camera to capture shots designed for postproduction editing, mul-
ticamera productions are very much alive and well in the larger entertainment field
and especially in sports coverage. The text is written so that it can be easily adapted to
your specific production setup and emphasis. For example, although your emphasis

xviii
P R E FA C E xix

may be on the editing of single-camera footage, the principle of good and bad cuts
can be demonstrated most effectively by switching with a multicamera setup. A jump
cut, for example, can be demonstrated much more easily and effectively by switching
from one camera to another than by hunting for one in your video archives.
A real, however temporary, problem might be that technology is sometimes
outrunning a common terminology for its use. For example, some directors may still
call for a VR roll to retrieve a news package from a server, even though there is nothing
to roll, whereas others may call for specific server and cut numbers. But this time of
transition should not prevent you from using and teaching a traditional terminology,
even if there are variants from one region or station to another.
The following Video Basics 8 highlights might be helpful even if you have used
a previous edition.

VIDEO BASICS 8 HIGHLIGHTS

To make full use of this text, you should be aware of some its features. All are intended
to help the student learn a complex subject in an expeditious and affable way.

Chapter Grouping
To cover the broad spectrum of video production, this book is divided into six parts:
◾◾ Production: Processes and People
◾◾ Image Creation: Digital Video and Camera
◾◾ Image Creation: Sound, Light, Graphics, and Effects
◾◾ Image Control: Switching, Recording, and Editing
◾◾ Production Environment: Studio, Field, and Synthetic
◾◾ Production Control: Talent and Directing
As you can see, the book describes how to move from an initial idea to an
effective screen event regardless of whether you are doing a wedding video, a docu-
mentary, or large-screen digital cinema. It discusses the people normally involved in
the production process, the major tools of video production, and how to use them
to get the intended job done effectively and on time.

Key Terms
Each chapter’s key terms appear at the beginning of the chapter, in the context of the
text, and again in the extensive glossary. They are intended to prepare you for the
chapter’s terminology and serve as a quick reference as needed. The key terms are also
identified in bold italic in the chapter text in the context in which they are defined.
You should make an effort to read the key terms before moving to the actual
chapter text. There is no need to memorize them at this point—they merely serve as
xx P R E FAC E

the first part of the pedagogical principle of redundancy. Hopefully, they will trigger
an aha! response when you encounter them again in context.

Key Concepts
The key concept margin notes emphasize each chapter’s principal ideas and issues
and are intended primarily as a memory aid. Once you learn a key concept, it should
be easier to retrieve the rest of the related information.

Main Points
These summaries recap the chapter’s most important points and key concepts. They
do not represent a true précis—a precise and accurate abridgment of the chapter
content—but are intended as a final reinforcement of the essential points. Beware
of thinking that all you need to do is read the summaries. They are no substitute for
the in-depth chapter content.
The following information is directed primarily to instructors who are already
familiar with previous editions of Video Basics.

New to Video Basics 8

All chapters in this edition are updated and, where necessary, the text is streamlined
and the concepts clarified:
◾◾ All references to videotape and its operation are deleted.
◾◾ The concept of a raster is introduced in chapter 3.
◾◾ Super-HDTV 4K scanning modes are discussed in more detail.
◾◾ Some new DSLR camera mounting devices are pictured, and there is a new
section on drones.
◾◾ The discussion of electronic shutters is expanded.
◾◾ The equipment contained in an audio postproduction room and the
Pro Tools display are updated.
◾◾ Basic interview lighting is added.
◾◾ New digital video recorders are introduced.
◾◾ All references to linear editing are deleted.
◾◾ The two-column script and its visualization are updated.

SUPPORT MATERIALS
Video Basics 8 offers a wealth of support materials for both instructors and students.
These thoroughly class-tested and highly praised print and electronic supplements
are available to assist you in making the learning—and the teaching—experience as
meaningful, enjoyable, and successful as possible.
P R E FA C E xxi

For Students
As a student you can reinforce the text with MindTap for Video Basics 8.

MindTap for Video Basics 8 This customizable digital learning solution combines
readings, multimedia, activities, and assessments into a singular learning path, guiding
students through the course, maximizing their study time, and helping them master
course concepts. MindTap for Video Basics 8 includes chapter engagement activi-
ties, an interactive e-book, homework assignments (adapted from the Video Basics
Workbook), chapter quizzes, and flashcards. New to MindTap is Zettl’s VideoLab 4.0.
These interactive videos allow you to manipulate production equipment in a virtual
studio or field environment and apply various production techniques from the text.
For example, you can mix audio, frame shots, zoom in and out, create your own light-
ing effects, and have plenty of opportunity for editing. (Zettl’s VideoLab 4.0 is also
available on DVD-ROM.) To learn more, ask your Cengage Learning representative
about MindTap or visit www.cengage.com/mindtap.

For Instructors
To help you with class preparation and classroom activities, several assessments and
additional teaching aids are available. If they don’t fit your teaching style or environ-
ment, however, you should in no way feel obliged to use them.

Zettl’s VideoLab 4.0 Even if you lecture or conduct your lab activities in a studio,
you may find it convenient, at least initially, to demonstrate some of the production
techniques by first showing the class examples from Zettl’s VideoLab 4.0, included with
MindTap for Video Basics 8. Such a primer seems to facilitate the use of equipment
in an actual production or lab situation. Zettl’s VideoLab 4.0 now features Advanced
Labs—challenging exercises designed to improve students’ ability with the equipment
and concepts introduced in the regular modules. (These tutorials are also available
on DVD-ROM.) Ask your Cengage Learning representative for more information.

Instructor’s Manual The Instructor’s Manual for Video Basics 8 includes chapter
notes with teaching suggestions and activities, multiple-choice questions, essay/discus-
sion questions, and additional teaching resources. Note that for the multiple-choice
questions, the correct answer is indicated by a  symbol and the page number where
the specific problem is first discussed in the text.

Cengage Learning Testing Powered by Cognero Cognero is a flexible online

system that allows you to author, edit, and manage test bank content from Cengage
Learning; create multiple test versions in an instant; and deliver tests from your learn-
ing management system, your classroom, or wherever you want. Access Cognero with
an instructor account at login.cengage.com.
xxii P R E FAC E

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with the previous edition, I am indebted to Cengage Learning, specifically Product
Manager Kelli Strieby and Associate Content Developer Rachel Schowalter for their
support in preparing the eighth edition of Video Basics.
This is the eighth time of my searching for a term that goes beyond a mere
thank-you to Gary Palmatier of Ideas to Images and his gifted team of professionals
who helped create the handsome book you are reading right now; but then I decided
that a simple yet sincere thank-you is still the best way to show my appreciation and
gratitude to Gary for his clean and handsome design, to Elizabeth von Radics for
her exceptionally diligent and knowledgeable copy editing, to Ed Aiona for his truly
professional photography, and to Ranjith Rajaram for his photo research.
I would also like to thank the reviewers of the previous edition, all of whom
made valuable suggestions: Matthew Crick, William Paterson University; Gene
Ganssle, Arizona State University; Jim Gleason, Delta College; Jordan Jannone,
Mt. Sierra College; Marsha Matthews, University of Texas at Tyler; J. Patrick McGrail,
Jacksonville State University; Max Negin, Elon University; Brian Roessler, Coastal
Carolina University; Peggy Southerland, Regent University; and Thelma Vickroy,
California State University, Northridge.
My former colleagues in broadcast education and the industry were, once again,
ready to help: Professors Marty Gonzales, Hamid Khani, and Vinay Shrivastava of the
Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Department at San Francisco State
University; Rudolf Benzler, TV match specialist, UEFA Champions League; and Don
Thompson, manager of engineering operations, KTVU, Fox 2.
Very special thanks go to Steve Shlisky, producer/editor at KTVU and media
professor at Laney College; Television Engineer Michele French, Broadcast and
Electronic Communication Arts Department at San Francisco State University; and
David McKenna, postproduction manager and audio engineering instructor at the
University of California, Los Angeles, for their continuous and prompt help in mak-
ing this book as accurate and current as possible.
I am again greatly indebted to the many volunteers who modeled for and
helped stage the many photos in the current and recent editions of Video Basics:
Socoro Aguilar-Uriarte, Noah Aiona, Karen Austin, Ken Baird, Hoda Baydoun, Clara
Benjamin, Rudolf Benzler, Tiemo Biemüller, Gabriella Bolton, Michael Cage, William
Carpenter, NeeLa Chakravartula, Andrew Child, Laura Child, Renee Child, Christine
Cornish, Ed Cosci, Jason Domingo, Jeovany Flores, David Galvez, David Garcia, Eric
Goldstein, Tumone Harris, Sherae Honeycutt, Poleng Hong, Chin Yu Hsu, Michael
Huston, Lauren Jones, Akiko Kajiwara, Hamid Khani, Philip Kipper, Andrew Lopez,
Fawn Luu, Orcun Malkoclar, Brittney McCahill, Joseph Mengali, Renée Mengali,
Jasmine Mola, Johnny Moreno, Anita Morgan, Morgan Mureno, Tomoko Nakayama,
Tamara Perkins, Richard Piscitello, Ildiko Polony, Adriana Quintero, Robaire Ream,
P R E FA C E xxiii

Kerstin Riediger, Joaquin Ross, Maya Ross, Algie Salmon-Fattahian, Eric Sanchagrin,
Heather Schiffman, Alisa Shahonian, Pria Shih, Vinay Shrivastava, Jennifer Stanonis,
Mathias Stering, Heather Suzuki, Julie Tepper, Takako Thorstadt, Jeremy Valencia,
Jason Villaroman, Mike Vista, Andrew Wright, and Arthur Yee.
My wife, Erika, again gets a big hug for keeping me focused on the writing of
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Miles
Lawson
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Title: Miles Lawson

or, the Yews

Author: Mrs. W. Reynolds Lloyd

Release date: January 17, 2024 [eBook #72740]

Language: English

Original publication: Boston: Ira Bradley & Co, 1896

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MILES

LAWSON ***
Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as
printed.

Miles Lawson;
OR,

THE YEWS.

BY THE AUTHOR OF
"HOW TO SEE THE ENGLISH LAKES," ETC.

"Therefore, although it be a history

Homely and rude, I will relate the
same,
For the delight of a few natural
hearts."
WORD
SWORTH.
 BOSTON:

PUBLISHED BY IRA BRADLEY & CO.

162 WASHINGTON STREET.

CONTENTS.

Chapter I. The Homestead

Chapter II. Conscience

Chapter III. The Snow Drift

Chapter IV. The Search

Chapter V. Home Again

Chapter VI. The Mountain Echoes

Chapter VII. Changing Seasons

MILES LAWSON;
 OR,

THE YEWS.

CHAPTER I.
THE HOMESTEAD.

"The lonely cottage in the guardian nook,

Hath stirred then deeply—with its own
dear brook,
Its own small pasture—almost its own
sky."
WO
RDSWORTH.

BENEATH the crags which overhang one of the deep

mountain valleys of Westmoreland, there nestles an old
farm-house, whose low, irregular roof, deep stone porch,
and large round chimneys, make it a type of its class. Its
windows are low, wide, and mullioned; and on the sunny
side, next the small garden, they are quite embowered by
an ancient jasmine, an old-fashioned cabbage rose, and a
broad sheet of ivy, whose twisted stems are as large as
those of a good-sized tree, and whose long, clinging arms
clasp the walls nearly all round the building, festooning and
fringing even the great round chimneys. Those chimneys
are almost as large as little lime-kilns; but the smoke,
which curls up in gentle volumes, is of that pure blue tint
which betokens it to be the breath of a peat fire. The house
is beautifully white—whitewashed afresh by loving hands at
every Whitsuntide Scrow. *

* The great annual house-cleaning of the north.

But the glory of the homestead consists in its two enormous

yew trees, a pair of sombre giants, which are so old that
they never seem to grow older. They became stiff, twisted
and furrowed with age, so many centuries ago, that a few
generations time, a few odd scores of years here and there,
are nothing to them now—a mere trifle that is not worth
noticing. And so there they stretch their huge branches
towards each other, across the flagged path which leads
straight up from the garden wicket to the pointed porch,
making a dim twilight of their own, even at mid-day.

There is a rustic seat encircling the trunk of one of the

brother yew trees. Ah! That is Miles's work. Miles, the oldest
son of the house, cut those billets and branches out of the
little copse-wood at the entrance of the glen, and made
them into a seat for his sister Alice to rest on, when she is
sewing in the golden light of the summer evenings. There is
a cluster of larches, as well as a spreading oak and a
sycamore, grouped about the farm buildings; but the place
borrows its name from none of these, and for three hundred
years it has been known as "The Yews." A slab of stone, let
into the wall of the house, just above the porch, bears the
date 1559.

Pass through that deep stone porch, and you enter the farm
kitchen, a long room, whose low, raftered ceiling is made
lower still by the rack which is stretched across it, on which
rest flitches of smoked bacon, and a large assortment of
dried herbs and simples; for Mrs. Lawson is famed through
the dales for her herb teas and febrifuges. She is known,
too, for better things than these; for the perfume of her
humble piety spreads like an atmosphere around her,
though her daily cup has long been seasoned with the bitter
herbs of affliction. She does not complain of these
distasteful draughts, but declares that they are the best of
medicines, the very things to strengthen and purify the
soul's health.

"If they were not good for me, I shouldn't have them. My
Saviour knows what a bitter cup is; and he wouldn't hand it
to me unless he saw I wanted it."

Watch her as she sits in her rocking chair, which is softly

cushioned with little diamonds of patchwork. That many-
colored patchwork is a mosaic representing her whole life.
She has often expounded the story from those little pictured
memorials. This lilac spot ("pop," she calls it) is a relic of
her first short frock: the pink square is the only survivor of
the dress she wore on her first visit to Kendal—to her a
wonderful metropolis, which she thought could be like
nothing less than Jerusalem itself, "beautiful for situation,
on the sides of the north." Ah! That "innocent" chintz was
her wedding gown. Her Miles chose it himself, and he had
been a good husband to her, "walking in his house with a
perfect heart," and trying to bring up his children "in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord."

Whenever Mrs. Lawson spoke on serious subjects, she

dropped unconsciously into the language of Scripture: for
she had been a close student of only one book; and after
Miles was taken from her, that book had been the household
lamp which had lightened the darkness that had fallen upon
The Yews. She has that old family Bible on her lap now, as
she sits beside the large open hearth; and the look of
settled repose on her brow is a fine commentary on the
words which she is now reading: "In quietness and
confidence shall be your strength." Now her eye is following
her daughter Alice's lively motions, as she sees her through
the open door of the cottage parlor, where she is dusting
the furniture.

That room has a delightful old-world look; it is panelled all

round with black oak, cracked and worm-eaten, but still
shining. The mantel-piece is of carved dark oak likewise;
and faces, hideous as masks, there display their long-lived
rage or changeless smiles. Opposite the fire-place is an
ancient chest, with the name "MILES LAWESON, 1562," cut
on it in high relief, and the motto, "FEARE GOD, AND
WORKE RYTEOUSNESSE," runs along on a ribbon-like scroll,
which binds together a pair of stiff trees, like gooseberry
bushes, but which are evidently designed to represent the
goodly Yews. This, then, is the muniment room of the
Lawson family.

They were not of gentle birth; but they have been a race of
sturdy, free-born yeomen, "statesmen" * of the dales,
watching jealously over the integrity of their fell-side acres,
and of their few green meadows beside the stream: and in
every generation since 1562, has there been a young "Miles
Lawson of the Yews" to transmit the memory of him of the
old oak chest.

* "Estatesmen:" Small freeholders, whose little properties

often remain in the same family, from generation to
generation, for centuries.

This sombre-looking parlor is Alice's quiet world of

romance; it is her "chamber of imagery." For here her
young mind, stimulated by the antique features which
surrounds her, loves to picture the scenes and people of
former days.

The chief source whence she draws her genealogical

groupings of Lawsons (of whom she firmly believes the
hideous faces on the mantle-piece to be faithful portraits),
is the fine historical memory of Mark Wilson, the itinerating
schoolmaster of the dales. Mark is expected to-day at the
Yews, to take up his residence there for the next month, in
the course of his regular routine journey from homestead to
homestead. * He is the orphan son of the old curate of one
of the neighboring dales, who could leave him from his
spare pittance little besides his moderate store of learning
and his thinly furnished bookshelves. But with this
important legacy Mark felt himself, and was universally
acknowledged to be, the learned man of the district. Pardon
him his little weaknesses, for Mark is a good, honest, true-
hearted lad, though his gait is a shade too measured, and
the fountain of his learning a little too apt to overflow.
Pardon him these fertilizing inundations; for he considers
the land around to be marvellously dry and thirsty, and he
thinks he is commissioned to do the bountiful work of the
Nile when it overflows its banks and refreshes the waiting
gardens and meadows of Egypt.

* This is the plan pursued in the more remote dales,

where the population is very thinly scattered.

Before Alice had finished polishing her household motto,

and rubbing up her ungainly family portraits, the latch of
the wicket gate is heard, and she hastily looks out of the
window. "Master Wilson is come, mother, books and all!"

The said books distend the old leather bag on the shoulders
of the young man who enters, far more than do the few
quaint articles of his slender wardrobe. If this be all he
includes under the portentous name of "luggage," life is a
tolerably simple thing, after all.

"Peace be unto this house," says Mark, solemnly, as he

bends his tall thin figure under the low porch: and he looks
like a true son of peace himself, as he pronounces his
accustomed benediction, though his broad and high
forehead is not without some lines which belong rather to
the autumnal ploughing than to the spring-tide of life. But
no one who ever saw the steady light of his fine clear eye
could doubt that in him the words had been fulfilled, "They
looked unto him [their Lord] and were lightened; and their
faces were not ashamed."

Alice received him with great deference, and a certain

distant timidity; for she herself has been Master Wilson's
pupil, as well as Miles and her younger brother Mat. He
gives her a grave nod, and passes on to the widow's easy
chair.

"Winter has been here since I saw you, Mrs. Lawson. How
did you bear up under the cold? Has the rheumatism been a
little quieter?" This was spoken in a voice of such singular
sweetness and power, that if one had caught its accents in
the midst of the crush of one of the principal streets of
London, one would have been impelled to look round and
search out the speaker.

"Nae, nae, Mark," said the widow, "the rheumatism hasn't

been quiet—far awa' from that. But God hasn't forgotten
the old woman; and when he giveth quietness, who then
can make trouble?"

"You have got hold of the true medicine, Mrs. Lawson;

better than any herb tea which you can concoct."
"Nae!" said the widow, in a rather controversial tone. "They
all help! It's the three P's that does it, say I—Prayer,
Patience, and Pennyroyal."

"Well, well," replies the schoolmaster; "give me the first two

and you may keep the third. But where's my scholar, Mat?"

"Mat was off to the Scar after the sheep, hours ago," said
Alice.

"He had better get them to the lower fells before long, I'm
thinking," said his mother, turning towards the window, and
looking at the sky; "there's a snow-storm in yon clouds
above Rowter Fell—though 'tis over late in the season for
snow."

"If I read the signs aright," said the schoolmaster, "we shall
have a quiet life hereaway, blocked in by a deep fall of
snow. A fine time for Mat and his learning. Perhaps we shall
get Miles, too, to go over some of the old ground and
refresh his memory. Is Miles at home?"

"Miles has been a good deal out lately—more than I like,"

said his mother, as, a cloud of care gathered upon her calm
forehead, just like that which was veiling the fine brow of
Rowter Fell at the same moment.

"I think he must be taking to mining work, up on the 'Old

Man,'" * said Alice; "he goes that way so very often."

* "Coniston Old Man," the name of a mountain.

"Does not he tell you what he is about, when he leaves

you?" inquired Mark, anxiously.
"Nae, nae; not so very often now," was the mother's reply;
"young men like to think they are their own masters. He
says he doesn't like to be watched and followed about."

"He always used to like me to set him off as far as the top
of Green Gap in all weathers," said Alice, mournfully; "but
he thinks I can't keep up with him now, he says, and yet I
can run all the way there and back faster than old Chance."

"Does Chance go with his master?"

"No; he will not let him go either, though the dear old fellow
whines after him."

"There is some mystery here," thought the schoolmaster.

"Heaven grant that the widow's son, the son of many
prayers, may not be turning at last into the 'broad path.'"

"Perhaps it's only Bella Hartley, after all," exclaimed Alice,

with a sudden flush of illumination.

"Nae, I fear not," the widow replied. "Bella is a good girl,

and he needn't be ashamed to visit her; he knows he would
have his mother's blessing upon the head of that any day,"
though her brimming eyes, as she looked round tenderly on
the old place, showed how much it would cost her to leave
the ancestral Yews, and abdicate her quiet throne in favor of
a youthful successor.

At this moment came in Mat from the fells with a flushed

face; and pulling down his open forehead by the front curl,
by way of bow, he stood, cap in hand, evidently with
something to say.

"Well, Mat, my man," said his teacher in his kindest tone,

"what cheer from the fells?"
"We've brought the sheep all down to the lower fells,
because there's snow in the cloud over Rowter."

"Did Miles help you?"

"Nae; 'twas Chance and I. But Chance did it all. I'm sure he
saw the storm coming, he looked so all around, and sniffed,
and began at the sheep before I set him. But there are two
men yon, who want Miles."

"What like are the men?" asked the widow uneasily. "And
what do they want of Miles?"

"They said he was bound to meet them in the Gap, and he

didn't come, so they want to know if he is in the house."

"Did you bid them in, Mat? I would as lief know who my
son's friends may be."

"They said they would bide without and speak with him
there."

The widow shook her head and exchanged an anxious look

with Mark Wilson, who left the room immediately.

The two strangers, sullen, ill-favored men, one of whom

never looked you full in the face, but was always glancing
anywhere rather than straight before him, did not appear to
wish for a parley with the schoolmaster, the clear daylight of
whose countenance was in perfect keeping with the
uprightness of his character, and the unbending texture of
his principles.

"What is your will, friends?"

"We only want Miles Lawson. Is he in or off?"

"I cannot say. May I ask your business with him?"

"No. 'Twas only for a talk with him. He wasn't in the Gap,
where he should have met us, for we are naught but
friends: as he wasn't there, we came on. That's all."

The speaker looked a miner, and his companion might have

been a broom-maker; but they were ungainly, unhappy-
looking men; the one, bold and defiant, the other sinister
and cunning.

"Well!" said the miner, after a pause. "If you can't tell us
anything, we are off again. Come along, Jack."

"Stop!" cried Mark, hastily. "Is there no message for Miles

Lawson? Nothing about the business which brings you
here?"

"No," said the man, rudely; "catch us telling you."

And laughing loudly, they walked off at a quick pace.

Mark was still standing under the yew trees, thinking over
this suspicious affair, when he heard a step and a whistle,
and Miles himself appeared, lounging along with his hands
in his pockets. He started, and flushed crimson, when he
recognized the old friend and master who had not only
taught him all that he knew of book-learning in his many
migratory visits, but who had earnestly endeavored to
counteract the faults of his character by instilling good,
sound Bible principles. The younger man's face was a
strikingly fine one as to outline and feature; but there was a
look of uncertainty and hesitation, a wandering, restless
expression about the eye, which gave the impression that
principles were beginning to give way to mere impulses,
healthy feeling to heartless selfishness; a critical moment in
a young man's history.
"Well Miles, dear old fellow, I'm glad you are come home.
There's a storm abroad, and we shall have a rare time for
the books. I have brought a history of England, and a book
about the stars."

Miles held out his hand; but it was not with his old eager
cordiality: no hearty welcome to the old Yews was given or
felt; and after an awkward silence, he turned round and
said in a constrained voice, "I am sorry I shall not be at
home for awhile. I have business that takes me away."

Mark Wilson turned the full power of his piercing eye upon
his face, and was grieved to see that his friend's eye fell
under the searching survey. "I am sorry too, I am sure. I
thought we should have had some capital times of reading
and talk in the long evenings, when the mother has got her
knitting and her Bible, and Mat is learning to write, and
Alice is listening with her eyes as much as her ears. I
confess I am very sorry, Miles, unless you have some object
in hand on which you can ask God's blessing, and your
mother's prayers, just as freely as if you were sitting in your
father's own seat in his own old place."

The young man winced painfully at this, and then,

recovering himself with a bluster, (the usual recourse of a
bad cause), exclaimed, "I declare, I am treated like a child.
I am watched and questioned, and doubted, as if I was not
old enough to take care of myself: and mind, I am not a
little fool of a schoolboy any longer, Mark Wilson, I say."

Mark's powerful eyes were still fastened on his old friend, so

that the voice, which began boldly enough, died off into a
pitiful shake before the sentence was finished. He saw his
advantage and quietly said, "You know he is the fool who
says in his heart, 'There is no God:' and it is really and
practically to say this, if we act as if we had not his all-
seeing eye constantly upon us. You never need tell me what
you are about, if you go to God and tell him. You know I
don't want your confidence, Miles, if you can give it to God
in prayer, and to your widowed mother in grateful love. But
a man is known by the company he keeps." This was said in
so significant a tone that it was Miles' turn now a look of
searching inquiry; and he read something in Mark's face
which evidently startled and troubled him.

"What do you know about my friends? What do you mean

by the company I keep?"

Mark lifted up his heart in silent prayer and then replied, "I
will just leave this little word with you, my brother, 'If
sinners entice thee, consent thou not.'"

"Well," said Miles, after musing for a long season, in which,

strong symptoms of the inward conflict between the two
principles of good and of evil were visible on his changing
countenance; "well, I do believe you are my true friend,
Mark, after all; and I wish I had never sought others."

The poor fellow wrung the hand of his old master, while a
rushing tide of feeling rose within him until it left a moisture
even in his softened eyes. Mark pressed his hand in return,
in wise silence; and the two reconciled friends entered the
farm kitchen together. Neither knew that during this painful
conversation, one, feeble in body but strong in faith, had
been earnestly wrestling for a blessing; and that even
young Alice had stolen into the old oak parlor, and slipping
down on her knees, in a dark corner, had offered up the
clear, pure gems of a sister's tears. The mother looked up
through her misty spectacles, and saw, as the young men
crossed the threshold, that the prayer of faith had gained
the victory, at least for this time.
"Mother, we'll have a regular jolly evening, as Mark is come.
He shall not say a word about his old books; we're going to
have a holiday. Where's Alice? Alice give us your best
riddle-cakes, and Mat shall bring out some of his whitest
honey. Let us have some broiled ham, too; and then we'll
crack * to heart's content."

* "Crack" signifies chat in Westmoreland parlance, as well

as in Scotland.

This was spoken with an uneasy effort to be cheerful, which

did not deceive any one of the party. But they were rejoiced
to have the truant son of the ancient house, the
representative of an honored father—glad to have him
safely amongst them, on any terms. And so a grand fire
was built up on the hearth on scientific principles, by Alice's
skilled hands, peat laid against peat, and log resting on log,
until the crackling and sputtering were prodigious. The
whole long, low room was brilliantly illuminated; the jets of
reflected flame danced upon the shining old oak; a great
toasting and buttering of cakes began; the frying-pan added
its characteristic hearth-song to the general chorus of
household music, which was in truth more cheering than
melodious; a coarse table-cloth of snow-like whiteness was
spread; horn-handled knives and forks were arranged like
rays about the round-table; and a great homemade cheese
took its respectable stand in the centre.

The mother's calm eyes watched Alice's movements with

loving approval; other eyes followed her, too, but she took
little heed, until Miles broke out with the words—sincere,
genuine words this time—

"Well, it is a pleasure to have such a warm home, and a

nice handy little sister to make one comfortable on a cold
winter evening."

She looked full at her brother with a sparkling smile; but

her eyes presently brimmed over at the recollection of how
rarely of late that brother had chosen to be "made
comfortable" beside his own warm hearth-stone. He saw
what was in her mind; for Alice's was a face as truthful in
reflecting all her meanings, as the little tarns and broader
lakes which enamel her mountain land, to mirror the blue
skies or the solemn stars of heaven, and to give back the
bending of a reed or the waving of a fern:

"Heaven's height and home's deep valley,

Much of earth, but more of heaven."

Miles read the thoughts which were reflected on his sister's

simple, open countenance; his own flushed at the silent
expostulation; and turning hastily to the schoolmaster, he
led him off into talk about the months which had passed
since the last round of scholastic visits. "How are the folk up
at Scarf Beck?"

"Oh, they are very well; the sons are fine likely lads, and
Bella is a clever winsome girl. They have got a deal of
learning, out of my mouth amongst them. Fine scholars
they will be, the best in the round, except you, Miles, and
little Mat here. At least, you have been my prime scholar,
and Mat promises fair. I wish you would keep it up. It is a
fine thing to have a good home-pursuit, something to keep
the hearth bright besides the peat and the logs."

"There are no books to be had," said Miles evasively; "one

can't read the spelling book over and over again. It's weary
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