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.

125

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,

130

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
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

135

I never came a-begging for myself,

Or William, or this child; but now I come
For Dora. Take her back; she loves you well.
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.

140

145

'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

Will make him hard, and he will learn to slight

150

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;

155

And all at once the old man burst in sobs:
"I have been to blame - to blame.

I have killed him- but I loved him

I have killed my son.

- 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 following are recommended:

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" as 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.