Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: In a Garden HEAR of two far hence In a garden met, And the fragrance blown from thence Fades not yet. The one is seven years old, And my friend is he: But the years of the other have told Eighty-three. To hear these twain converse Or to see them greet Were sweeter than softest verse May be sweet. The hoar old gardener there With an eye more mild Perchance than his mild white hair Meets the child. I had rather hear the words That the twain exchange Than the songs of all the birds There that range, Call, chirp, and twitter there Through the garden-beds Where the sun alike sees fair Those two heads — And which may holier be Held in heaven of those Or more worth heart's thanks to see No man knows. 1881. A. C. Swinburne Sir Walter Scott and Marjorie Fleming c IR WALTER sat down in his large green morocco elbow-chair, drew himself close to his table, and glowered and gloomed at his writing apparatus, "a very handsome old box, richly carved, lined with crimson velvet, and containing ink-bottles, taper-stand, etc., in silver, the whole in such order, that it might have come from the silversmith's window half an hour before." He took out his paper, then starting up angrily, said, " ' Go spin, you jade, go spin.' No, d— it, it won't do, — "'My spinnin' wheel is auld and stiff, The rock o't wunna stand, sir, To keep the temper-pin in tiff Employs ower aft my hand, sir." I am off the fang. I can make nothing of Waverley to-day; I'll awa' to Marjorie. Come wi' me, Maida, you thief." The great creature rose slowly, and the pair were off, Scott taking a maud (a plaid) with him. " White as a frosted plum-cake, by jingo!" said he, when he got to the street. Maida gamboled and whisked among the snow, and her master stro...