The leap was quick; return was quick; he soon regained his place ;Then threw the glove, but not with love, right in the lady's

face!

"Well done!" cried Francis,

where he sat :

"No love," quoth he,

"but vanity sets love a task like that!"

CAUTIONS: a. Care must be taken not to dwell upon the numerous rhymes in these verses; the rhymes must be allowed to take care of themselves, and only the sense attended to. b. Take care not to let the accent strike the in.

MEANINGS 1. Crowning show, show that crowned or capped all the others that went before. 2. Regained, took again,

KILLED AT THE FORD.

This poem relates an incident in the late American war. A young officer, one night going the rounds of the pickets and advanced guards, is shot by a Southern soldier lying in ambush. The news reaches the lady to whom he is engaged; and she falls dead of a broken heart. The changes in the rhythm of the lines admirably bring out the changes in the feelings-as the narrative goes on.

He is dead, the beautiful youth,

The heart of honour, the tongue of truth,

He, the light and life of us all,

Whose voice was blithe as a bugle call.

Whom all eyes followed with one consent,

The cheer of whose laugh, and whose pleasant word,
Hushed all murmurs of discontent.1

Only last night as we rode along,
Down the dark of the mountain gap,2

To visit the picket-guard at the ford,

Little dreaming of any mishap,

He was humming the words of some old song:
"Two red roses he had on his cap,

And another he bore at the point of his sword."

Sudden and swift a whistling ball
Came out of a wood, and the voice
was still,
Something I heard in the darkness fall,
And for a moment my blood grew chill;
I spake in a whisper, as he who speaks
In a room where some one is lying dead;
But he made no answer to what I said."

We lifted him up on his saddle again,

And through the mire, and the mist, and the rain,
Carried him back to the silent camp,

INCIDENT IN THE FRENCH CAMP.

And laid him

as if asleep on his bed;

And I saw by the light of the surgeon's lamp
Two white roses upon his cheeks,
And one just over his heart

And I saw in a vision how

blood red

far and fleet

That fatal bullet went speeding forth,

Till it reached a town in the distant North,-
Till it reached a house in a sunny street,-
Till it reached a heart that ceased to beat
Without a murmur, without a cry;

And a bell was tolled in that far-off town,

For one

who had passed from cross to crown,3
And the neighbours wondered that she should die.

127

LONGFELLOW.

CAUTION: a. This line must be read in a low and slow tone, with pauses beween each group of words.

MEANINGS 1. Discontent, among the soldiers. 2. Gap, an American term for a mountain pass. 3. From cross to crown, from the disappointments and crosses of this life, to the triumph and crown of the next.

INCIDENT IN THE FRENCH CAMP.

In one of Napoleon's campaigns against Germany, his army, under the immediate command of General Lannes, laid siege to Ratisbon (or Regensburg, which is its German name), a town at the northern bend of the Danube. A young aidede-camp was sent with a message to Napoleon, but on the way received a mortal wound. His heroic strength of will was so great that he compelled himself to live until he had delivered his message.

Then off there flung in smiling joy,
And held himself erect

By just his horse's mane, a boy;—
You hardly could suspect

(So tight he kept his lips compressed,

Scarce any blood

came through)—

You looked twice ere you saw his breast

Was all-but shot in two.

"Well," he cried, "Emperor! by God's grace
We've got you Ratisbon!

The marshal's in the market-place,

And you'll be there anon

To see your flag-bird flap his vans2
Where I, to heart's desire,

Perched him!" The chief's eye flashed; his plans

Soared up again like fire.

The chief's eye flashed; but presently

Softened itself, as sheathes

A film the mother eagle's eye

When her bruised eaglet breathes:

66

"YOU'RE WOUNDED!" Nay," his soldier's pride

Touched to the quick, he said:

"I'M KILLED, SIRE!" And, his chief beside,

Smiling the boy fell

CAUTIONS: a. This line to be read in the ordinary clear and slow level utterance. b. Take care not to let the accent touch as.

MEANINGS: 1. Prone, hanging forward. 2. Vans, a poetical word (from the Latin vannus, a fan) for wings.

HE NEVER SMILED AGAIN.

The son of Henry I. set sail in the White Ship from Calais, bound for Dover. Some casks of wine were distributed among the sailors, who thus became unfit for their work. The ship struck on a rock, and all on board perished, including the prince. It is said that his father was never seen to smile from the day on which the news reached him.

THE bark that held a prince went down,
The sweeping waves rolled on;

And what was England's glorious crown
To him that wept a son?

He lived-for life may long be borne
Ere sorrow break its chain1;-

Why comes not death to those who mourn?
He never smiled again!

In pleasure's reckless train;

and fair,

But seas dashed o'er his son's bright hair—
He never smiled again!

He sat where festal bowls3 went round;
He heard the minstrel sing;
He saw the tourney's victor crowned1
Amidst the knightly ring:

A murmur of the restless deep
Was blent with every strain,

5

A voice of winds that would not sleep-
smiled again

He never

Hearts, in that time, closed o'er the trace
Of vows once fondly poured,

And strangers took the kinsman's place

At many a joyous board;

Graves, which true love had bathed with tears,

Were left to heaven's bright rain,

Fresh hopes were born for other years

He never smiled again!

129

MRS. HEMANS.

CAUTIONS: a. The emphatic word is death, and the reader should hasten on to it. b. Avoid the verse-accent on of. c. The emphatic word is true.

MEANINGS: 1. Sorrow break its chain, before a man dies of grief. 2. Reckless, thoughtless. 3. Festal bowls went round, the wine-cup was passed from guest to guest. 4. Tourney's victor crowned, the tourney or tournament was a sham battle; the conqueror in the tourney was generally crowned by the lady who had been named queen of the tournament. 5. Blent with every strain, mingled with every sound of music. 6. Trace, mark.

THE MOTHER'S JEWELS.

IN schools of wisdom all the day was spent ;

His steps at eve the rabbi' homeward bent,

With homeward thoughts which dwelt upon the wife
And two fair children who adorned? his life.

She, meeting at the threshold, led him in,

And with these words preventing,3 did begin :
"Ever rejoicing at your wished return,
Yet do I most so now, for since the morn
I have been much perplexed and sorely tried*
Upon one point which you shall now decide

K

"Some years ago, a friend into my care

Some jewels gave, rich, precious gems they were;
And, having placed them in my charge, this friend
Did after neither come for them nor send;

But left them in my keeping for so long,
That now it almost seems to me a wrong,
That he should suddenly arrive to-day
And take the jewels that he left away.

What think you? Shall I freely yield them back,
And with no murmuring ?-so henceforth to lack5
Those gems myself, which I had learned to see

Almost

as mine for ever,-mine in fee.""

"What question can be here? Your own true heart
Must needs advise you of the only part;7

That h may be claimed again which was but lent,i
And should be yielded with no discontent,
herein a wrong

Nor surely, can we find

That it was left us to enjoy so long."

"Good is the words!" she answered, "may we
And evermore, that it is good allow!”

And, rising, to an inner chamber led :

k

now,

And there she showed him, stretched upon one bed,
Two children pale, and he the jewels knew
Which God had lent him, and resumed

anew.9

R. C. TRENCH.

CAUTIONS: a. Avoid the verse-accent which strikes upon and read upon-thewife and two fair children. b. Do not accent with. c. Avoid the accent on have and hurry on to much. d. The emphasis is on one. e. Avoid the verse

accent on he, and hurry on to suddenly. f. Avoid the accent upon that. g. Avoid the accent on with; there is an emphasis on no. h. The emphasis is upon that. i. There is a quiet emphasis on but and lent. j. Avoid the accent on that and hurry on to left. k. Avoid the verse-accent which strikes upon and read upon-one-bed.

MEANINGS: 1. Rabbi, a Jewish priest or teacher. 2. Adorned, helped to make happy. 3. Preventing, speaking before he had time to ask her any questions (in the old sense of going before). 4. Tried, puzzled. 5. Lack, be without. 6. In fee, to hold for my own. 7. Part, right way to act. 8. Good is the word, what you say is right. 9. Resumed anew, taken to Himself again.

KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT,

King John hears that the Abbot of Canterbury is very wealthy, and keeps great state and a vast number of followers. He begins to suspect that the abbot is going to plot against his power and throne, and sends for him. He puts to him three questions; and if the abbot fails to answer, he is to lose his head. The abbot travels about to find help-but can get no advice anywhere, till at last he meets his old shepherd. The shepherd outwits the king.