Reuben and Other Poems by Robert Leighton |
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 | Reuben and Other Poems |  |
But, one day, when the squire was snugly set
Over his breakfast, reading the Gazette,
His eyes fell carelessly upon the list
Of Frankfort prizes. Suddenly his fist
Came down upon the table with a thump
That made his egg out off the egg-cup jump:—
“Can I believe my eyes? No, no,—yet zounds!
It is John's ticket! eighty thousand pounds!
For years and years have I this lottery tried,
And still my luck was on the losing side;
The most unlucky dog may have his day,
But I, poor whelp, have given my turn away.
Had it but been a hundred pounds or so,
I could have bid my disappointment go;
I would have e'en congratulated John,
And sworn how glad I was that he had won.
But eighty thousand pounds all in a crack!
'Twere well I think to get my ticket back.—
No, no, not even a mint of money can
Outweigh the honour of a gentleman,
Whereas this breach of honour would distrain
The very worth of its unworthy gain.
John shall enjoy it; I will realise
More interest from his joy than from his prize.
And John's no common footman; I have seen
A dash of higher breeding in his mien—
A sort of gentleman in short; and Fate,
Having seen the same, bequeaths him an estate.”
Over his breakfast, reading the Gazette,
His eyes fell carelessly upon the list
Of Frankfort prizes. Suddenly his fist
Came down upon the table with a thump
That made his egg out off the egg-cup jump:—
“Can I believe my eyes? No, no,—yet zounds!
It is John's ticket! eighty thousand pounds!
For years and years have I this lottery tried,
184
The most unlucky dog may have his day,
But I, poor whelp, have given my turn away.
Had it but been a hundred pounds or so,
I could have bid my disappointment go;
I would have e'en congratulated John,
And sworn how glad I was that he had won.
But eighty thousand pounds all in a crack!
'Twere well I think to get my ticket back.—
No, no, not even a mint of money can
Outweigh the honour of a gentleman,
Whereas this breach of honour would distrain
The very worth of its unworthy gain.
John shall enjoy it; I will realise
More interest from his joy than from his prize.
And John's no common footman; I have seen
A dash of higher breeding in his mien—
A sort of gentleman in short; and Fate,
Having seen the same, bequeaths him an estate.”
| Reuben and Other Poems | |