And looked with tears upon her boy, and thought
Hard things of Dora. Dora came and said:

"I have obeyed my uncle until now,
And I have sinned, for it was all through me
This evil came on William at the first.
But, Mary, for the sake of him that's gone,
And for your sake, the woman that he chose,
And for this orphan, I am come to you.

You know there has not been for these five years
So full a harvest let me take the boy,
And I will set him in my uncle's eye

Among the wheat; that, when his heart is glad
Of the full harvest, he may see the boy,
And bless him for the sake of him that's gone."
And Dora took the child, and went her way
Across the wheat, and sat upon a mound
That was unsown, where many poppies grew.
Far off the farmer came into the field,
And spied her not, for none of all his men
Dare tell him Dora waited with the child;
And Dora would have risen and gone to him,
But her heart failed her; and the reapers reaped,
And the sun fell, and all the land was dark.

But when the morrow came, she rose and took
The child once more, and sat upon the mound,
And made a little wreath of all the flowers
That grew about, and tied it round his hat
To make him pleasing in her uncle's eye.
Then, when the farmer passed into the field,
He spied her, and he left his men at work,
And came and said, "Where were you yesterday?
Whose child is that? What are you doing here?”
So Dora cast her eyes upon the ground,

And answered softly, "This is William's child."
"And did I not," said Allan, "did I not
Forbid you, Dora?" Dora said again,

"Do with me as you will, but take the child,
And bless him for the sake of him that's gone."
And Allan said, "I see it is a trick

Got up betwixt you and the woman there.

I must be taught my duty, and by you !

You knew my word was law, and yet you dared
To slight it. Well for I will take the boy;
But go you hence, and never see me more."
So saying, he took the boy, that cried aloud
And struggled hard. The wreath of flowers fell
At Dora's feet. She bowed upon her hands,
And the boy's cry came to her from the field,
More and more distant. She bowed down her head,
Remembering the day when first she came,

And all the things that had been. She bowed down,
And wept in secret; and the reapers reaped,

And the sun fell, and all the land was dark.

Then Dora went to Mary's house, and stood
Upon the threshold. Mary saw the boy
Was not with Dora. She broke out in praise
To God, that helped her in her widowhood.
And Dora said, "My uncle took the boy:
But, Mary, let me live and work with you;
He says that he will never see me more."
Then answered Mary, "This shall never be,
That thou shouldst take my trouble on thyself:
And now, I think, he shall not have the boy,
For he will teach him hardness, and to slight
His mother; therefore thou and I will go,
And I will have my boy, and bring him home,
And I will beg of him to take thee back;

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95

100

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But if he will not take thee back again,
Then thou and I will live within one house,
And work for William's child, until he grows
Of age to help us.”

So the women kissed

Each other, and set out and reached the farm.

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The door was off the latch; they peeped, and saw

The boy set up betwixt his grandsire's knees,

Who thrust him in the hollows of his arm,

And clapt him on the hands and on the cheeks,

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Like one that loved him; and the lad stretched out

And babbled for the golden seal, that hung
From Allan's watch, and sparkled by the fire.

Then they came in; but when the boy beheld

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His mother, he cried out to come to her:
And Allan set him down, and Mary said,
"O father! - if you let me call you so
I never came a-begging for myself,
Or William, or this child; but now I come
For Dora. Take her back; she loves you
O sir, when William died, he died at peace
With all men: for I asked him, and he said
He could not ever rue his marrying me
I had been a patient wife; but, sir, he said
That he was wrong to cross his father thus.

well.

'God bless him!' he said, 'and may he never know The troubles I have gone through!' Then he turned

His face, and passed

unhappy that I am!

But now, sir, let me have my boy, for you

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Will make him hard, and he will learn to slight

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His father's memory; and take Dora back,

And let all this be as it was before."

So Mary said, and Dora hid her face

By Mary. There was silence in the room;

And all at once the old man burst in sobs:

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(6 I have been to blame

to blame.

I have killed my son.

I have killed him — but I loved him my dear son.

May God forgive me!

I have been to blame.

Kiss me, my children."

Then they clung about

The old man's neck, and kissed him many times.

And all the man was broken with remorse,

And all his love came back a hundred-fold;

And for three hours he sobbed o'er William's child,
Thinking of William.

So those four abode

Within one house together; and as years
Went forward, Mary took another mate;
But Dora lived unmarried till her death.

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ADDITIONAL PIECES FOR STUDY.

If the foregoing pieces, in the opinion of the teacher, are not considered suitable or sufficient, others may be readily selected from the more common books of compilations. As additional pieces, the author would suggest the following:

Longfellow's Victor Galbraith, Skeleton in Armor; Whittier's Barbara Frietchie, In School Days, Wreck of Rivermouth, Nauhaught the Deacon; Rogers's Ginevra; Alice Cary's Picture-Book; Celia Thaxter's Wreck of the Pocahontas.

CHAPTER III.

THE NORMAN BARON AS A MODEL.

In the preceding guide analysis, four points, or helps to a better understanding of a simple English poem, have been explained, with "The Wreck of the Hesperus a model. Several poems by standard authors have been added, to be studied after the plan suggested.

We are now prepared to go one step farther. We present below a guide analysis with four other points added (III., IV., V., VI.) and fully explained.

Longfellow's "Norman Baron" is selected as a model to illustrate the suggestive points added to the analysis.

GUIDE ANALYSIS: THE NORMAN BARON.

I. Read the poem carefully and thoughtfully.

II. Recite the story of the poem.

III. Write a paraphrase of the piece.

IV. Divide the piece into parts, or scenes: let them be fully realized, and described separately.

V. Show the relation of the minor parts of the piece to the whole; i.e.. study the harmony of the whole.

VI. Give due attention to subordinate matters which illustrate the piece.

VII. The study of the text.

VIII. The author of the poem: Henry W. Longfellow.