Hear gathered in a woman's cry-
The years of such an agony,

It seemeth me that I would take
Sweet pity's side for mine own sake,
And, knowing guilt alone should quake,
For chance of right one battle make.”
But no man heeding her, she stayed
Beneath the linden's trembling shade,
And peered, half hopeful, half afraid,
While passed in silence man and maid.
She, staring on the stone-dry street
Through the long summer-noonday heat
And stirring never from her seat
Half saw men's shadows pass her feet.
"Ah me!" she murmured, "well I see
How bitter each day's life may be
To them who have not where to flee
And are as one with misery."
But, whether knight to tourney rode,
Or bridal garments past her flowed,
Or by some bier slow mourners trode,
No sign of life the woman showed.

When as the priestly evening threw
The blessed waters of the dew,
About her head her oloak she drew
And hid her face from every view;
Till, as the twilight grew to shade,
And passed no more or man or maid,
A sudden hand was on her laid.

"And who art thou?" she moaned, afraid.
Beside her one of visage sad

Which yet to see made sorrow glad

you more.

head

Stood in a knight's white raiment clad,
But neither sword nor poignard had.
"One who has loved you well," he said,
"Living I loved you well, and dead
I love you still; when joys were spread
Like flowers, and greatness crowned your
None loved
Not Arthur gave~
He will not check me from his grave,—
So deep a love; nor Launcelot brave
With purer love had yearned to save."
"Then," said the woman, still at bay,
"Why do I tremble when you lay
A hand upon my shoulder? Stay,
What is thy name, sir knight, I pray?
For wheresoever memory chase
I know not one such troubled face,
Nor one that hath such godly grace
Of solemn sweetness any place;
But, whatsoever man thou be,
What is it I should do for thee?"

Whereon, he, smiling cheerily,

Said: "I would have thee follow me."

Not

any answer did he wait,

But turned towards the city gate;
Not any word said she, but straight
Went after, bent and desolate;

And, as a dream might draw, he drew

Her feet to action, till she knew

That house and palace round her grew,
And some wild revel's reeling crew,

And dame and page and squire and knight,
And torches flashing on the sight,

And fiery jewels flaming bright,
And love and music and delight;
But slow across the spangled green

The stern knight went and went the queen,
He solemn, silent and serene,

She bending low with humble mien.
But where he turned the music died,
Love-parted lips no more replied,
And, shrinking back on either side,
Serf and lord stared, wonder-eyed,
Or marveling shrunk swift away
Before that visage solemn, gray:
Till where the leaping fountains sway
Thick showed the knights in white array.
Then, as he passed beneath the trees,
Where turned his eyes, by slow degrees
Fell silence and some strange unease,
Whilst whispered some: "Who may it be?
What knight is this? And who is she?"
But only Tristram looked to see,
And trembling fell upon his knee.
Then said a voice full solemnly :
"Of all the knights that look on me,
If only one of them there be
That never hath sinned wittingly,
Let him the woman first disown,
Let him be first to cast a stone
At one, who, fallen from a throne,
Is sad and weary and alone.

Him, when the lists of God are set,
Him, when the knights of God are met,
If that he lacketh, answer yet,
The soul of him shall answer get."

Then, as a lily bowed with rain

Leaps shedding it, she shed her pain,

And towering looked where men, like grain
Storm humbled, bent upon the plain;
Whilst over her the cold night air
Throbbed with some awful pulse of prayer,
As, bending low, with reverent care,
She kissed the good knight's raiment fair.
When as she trembling rose again,
And felt no more in heart and brain
The weary weight of sin and pain,

For him that healed she looked in vain ;
And from the starry heavens immense
Unto her soul with penitence

Came as if felt by some new sense
The noise of wings departing thence.

S. WEIR MITCHELL.

A REMINISCENCE OF EXHIBITION DAY.

"WE

ELL no," the boy said, "the thing didn't go off exactly as I expected. You see, I was the sixth boy in the class, that was next to the head when the class formed left in front, and I was pretty near the first boy called on to declaim. I had got a good ready and it was a fine piece too."

And the boy sighed as he paused to lift a segment out of a green apple, and placed it where it would do the most good for the cholera doctor. We asked what piece it was.

66 6

'Spartacus to the Gladiators,"" he said. "I got it all by heart, and used to go clear out to the Cascade to rehearse. Old Fitch "-Mr. Fitch was the boy's pre

ceptor and one of the finest educators in the State-" he taught me all the gestures and inflections, and said I was going to take them all down.'

"Excel your competitors?" we asked.

"Yes," he said, "and the way it went off was bad. You see, I didn't feel easy in my Sunday clothes on a week day, to begin with. And my collar was too tight and my necktie was too blue, and I was in a hurry to get off early, and so I only blacked the toes of my boots, and left the heels as red as a concert ticket, and the crowd there was in the school-house, everybody in their good clothes and everybody looking solemn as Monday morning. When my name was called something came up in my throat as big as a football. I couldn't swallow it and I couldn't spit it out, and when I got up on the platform-did you ever see a million heads without any bodies?"

We felt ashamed of our limited experience while we confessed that we could not recall having witnessed such a phenomenon.

"I never did till then," the boy went on, "but they were there, for a fact, and I began to remember when these heads danced round and round the room that I had been forgetting my piece in the last five minutes just as fast as I ever forgot to fix the kindling wood at night. But I commenced. I got along with 'It had been a day of triumph at Capua,' and 'Lentilius returning with victorious eagles,' and all that, well enough, but when I got on into the heavy business, I was left, sure. If Spartacus had talked to the gladiators as I did, they would have thought he was drunk and hustled him off to bed. It was awful. I stumbled along until I came to Ye stand here now like giants as ye are. The