That blown about the foliage underneath,
And sated with the innumerable rose,

Beat balm upon our eyelids.

Hither came

Cyril, and yawning, 'O hard task,' he cried:

'No fighting shadows here.

I forced a way

Thro' solid opposition crabb'd and gnarl'd.

Better to clear prime forests, heave and thump
A league of street in summer solstice down,
Than hammer at this reverend gentlewoman.
I knock'd and, bidden, enter'd; found her there
At point to move, and settled in her eyes
The green malignant light of coming storm.
Sir, I was courteous, every phrase well-oil'd,
As man's could be; yet maiden-meek I pray'd
Concealment. She demanded who we were,
And why we came? I fabled nothing fair,
But, your example pilot, told her all.

Up went the hush'd amaze of hand and eye.
But when I dwelt upon your old affiance,
She answer'd sharply that I talk'd astray.

I urged the fierce inscription on the gate,

And our three lives. True we had limed ourselves

With open eyes, and we must take the chance.
But such extremes, I told her, well might harm
The woman's cause. "Not more than now," she

said,

"So puddled as it is with favoritism."

I tried the mother's heart. Shame might befall

Melissa, knowing, saying not she knew;

Her answer was, "Leave me to deal with that."
I spoke of war to come and many deaths,
And she replied, her duty was to speak,
And duty duty, clear of consequences.
I grew discouraged, sir; but since I knew
No rock so hard but that a little wave
May beat admission in a thousand years,
I recommenced: "Decide not ere you pause.
I find you here but in the second place,
Some say the third the authentic foundress you..
I offer boldly; we will seat you highest.
Wink at our advent; help my prince to gain
His rightful bride, and here I promise you
Some palace in our land, where you shall reign
The head and heart of all our fair she-world,
And your great name flow on with broadening time
For ever." Well, she balanced this a little,
And told me she would answer us to-day,
Meantime be mute; thus much, nor more I gain'd.'

He ceasing, came a message from the Head.
That afternoon the Princess rode to take
The dip of certain strata to the north.

Would we go with her? we should find the land
Worth seeing, and the river made a fall
Out yonder;' then she pointed on to where
A double hill ran up his furrowy forks
Beyond the thick-leaved platans of the vale.

She stood

Agreed to, this, the day fled on thro' all
Its range of duties to the appointed hour.
Then summon'd to the porch we went.
Among her maidens, higher by the head,
Her back against a pillar, her foot on one
Of those tame leopards. Kitten-like he roll'd
And paw'd about her sandal.
I drew near;

Yet I felt

I gazed. On a sudden my strange seizure came
Upon me, the weird vision of our house.
The Princess Ida seem'd a hollow show,
Her gay-furr'd cats a painted fantasy,
Her college and her maidens empty masks,
And I myself the shadow of a dream,
For all things were and were not.
My heart beat thick with passion and with awe;
Then from my breast the involuntary sigh
Brake, as she smote me with the light of eyes
That lent my knee desire to kneel, and shook
My pulses, till to horse we got, and so
Went forth in long retinue following up
The river as it narrow'd to the hills.

I rode beside her and to me she said: 'O friend, we trust that you esteem'd us not Too harsh to your companion yestermorn; Unwillingly we spake.' 'No-not to her,' I answer'd, but to one of whom we spake Your Highness might have seem'd the thing you say.'

Again?' she cried, are you ambassadresses From him to me? we give you, being strange,

A license; speak, and let the topic die.'

I stammer'd that I knew him could have

wish'd

Our king expects

was there no precontract? There is no truer-hearted - ah, you seem All he prefigured, and he could not see The bird of passage flying south but long'd To follow. Surely, if your Highness keep

Your purport, you will shock him even to death, Or baser courses, children of despair.'

'Poor boy,' she said, 'can he not read no books?

Quoit, tennis, ball-no games? nor deals in that Which men delight in, martial exercise?

Το

o nurse a blind ideal like a girl,

Methinks he seems no better than a girl;

As girls were once, as we ourself have been.
We had our dreams; perhaps he mixt with them.
We touch on our dead self, nor shun to do it,

Being other since we learnt our meaning here, To lift the woman's fallen divinity

Upon an even pedestal with man.'

She paused, and added with a haughtier smile, And as to precontracts, we move, my friend,

At no man's beck, but know ourself and thee,
O Vashti, noble Vashti! Summon's out
She kept her state, and left the drunken king
To brawl at Shushan underneath the palms.'

'Alas, your Highness breathes full East,' I said,
'On that which leans to you! I know the Prince,
I prize his truth. And then how vast a work
To assail this grey preeminence of man!

You grant me license; might I use it? think ;
Ere half be done perchance your life may fail;
Then comes the feebler heiress of
your plan,
And takes and ruins all; and thus your pains
May only make that footprint upon sand
Which old-recurring waves of prejudice
Resmooth to nothing. Might I dread that you,
With only Fame for spouse and your great deeds
For issue, yet may live in vain, and miss
Meanwhile what every woman counts her due,
Love, children, happiness?'

And she exclaim'd,

'Peace, you young savage of the Northern wild!
What! tho' your Prince's love were like a god's,
Have we not made ourself the sacrifice ?

You are bold indeed; we are not talk'd to thus.
Yet will we say for children, would they grew
Like field-flowers everywhere! we like them well:

✓ But children die; and let me tell you, girl,
Howe'er you babble, great deeds cannot die;