He seemed to hear a murmuring stream
And gaze into a rippling pool
Beneath thick branches dark and cool
And gazing, gazing till a gleam
Within the darkness caught his eyes,
He saw there smiling up at him
A young girl's face, now rippling dim,
Now flashing clear.

Without surprise
He marked the eyes translucent blue,
The full red lips that seemed to speak,
The curves of rounded chin and cheek,
The low, broad brow, sun-tanned . .

He knew

That face, yet could not call to mind
Where he had seen it; and in vain
Strove to recall . . . when sudden rain
Crashed down and made the clear pool blind,
And it was lost

And, with a jerk

That well-night shook him from his seat,
He wakened to the steamy heat
And clank and rattle.

Still at work

The stolid mare kept on; and still
Over her hot, white flanks the flies
Hung humming. And his dazzled eyes
Closed gradually again, until
He dozed .

And stood within the door
Of Dinchill dairy, drinking there
Thirst-quenching draughts of stone-cold
air

The scoured white shelves and sanded floor
And shallow milk-pans creamy-white
Gleamed coldly in the dusky light.
And then he saw her, stooping down
Over a milk-pan, while her eyes
Looked up at him without surprise
Over the shoulder of her gown

Her fresh print gown of speedwell blue . . .
The eyes that looked out of the cool
Untroubled crystal of the pool

Looked into his again.

'Twas jolly, swinging through the air,
With young Dick Garland sitting there
Tugging the rope with might and main,
His round face flushed, his arms astrain,
His laughing blue eyes shining bright,
As they went swinging through the light -
As they went swinging, ever higher
Until it seemed that they came nigher
At every swing to the blue sky
Until it seemed that by-and-by
The boat would suddenly swing through
That sunny dazzle of clear blue-
And they, together...

Yesterday She'd hardly thought she'ld get away: The mistress was that cross, and she Had only told her after tea

That ere she left she must set to
And turn the parlour out. She knew,

But how could she! Her money meant
So much to them at home. 'Twas spent
So quickly, though so hard to earn.
She'd got to keep her place, and learn
To hold her tongue. Though it was hard,
The little house in Skinner's Yard
Must be kept going. She would rob
The bairns if she should lose her job,
And they'd go hungry . . .

Since the night They'd brought home father, cold and white,

Upon a stretcher, mother and she
Had had to struggle ceaselessly
To keep a home together at all.
'Twas lucky she was big and tall
And such a strong lass for fifteen.
She couldn't think where they'ld have been
If she'd not earned enough to feed
And help to keep the bairns from need
Those five young hungry mouths . . .

And give her such a holiday
But she was sleepy now.
As they were rushing through the air
To see Dick's blue eyes shining bright
As they went swinging through the light,
As they went swinging ever higher
Until it seemed that they came nigher
At every swing to the blue sky
Until it seemed that by-and-by
Their boat would suddenly swing through
That sunny dazzle of clear blue

If she could swing for evermore
With Dick above the golden shore,
With no more parlour-floors to sweep
If she could only swing and sleep.
And wake to see Dick's eyes burn bright,
To see them laughing with delight
As suddenly they swung right through
That sudden dazzle of clear blue
And they two, sailing on together
For ever through that shining weather!