A Summer Christmas and a Sonnet upon The S.S. "Ballaarat." By Douglas B. W. Sladen |
 |
|
 |
|
|
December 29th—Sunday. |
|
|
|
 | A Summer Christmas and a Sonnet upon The S.S. "Ballaarat." |  |
140
December 29th—Sunday.
Two persons we may feel quite sure
Found that the morning air was pure,
And wondered why folks slept away
The nicest two hours in the day,
Lil and her lover. Lil was drest,
As suited the occasion best,
In the same gossamery white
Which first on Christmas-day saw light.
The morn was young and so was she
And both were fresh as fresh can be:
'Twas early summer in the year
And early summer too in her,
And nothing looks so apposite
To early summer as pure white.
Found that the morning air was pure,
And wondered why folks slept away
The nicest two hours in the day,
Lil and her lover. Lil was drest,
As suited the occasion best,
In the same gossamery white
Which first on Christmas-day saw light.
The morn was young and so was she
And both were fresh as fresh can be:
'Twas early summer in the year
And early summer too in her,
And nothing looks so apposite
To early summer as pure white.
He picked some fresh forget-me-not
For her to wreath about her throat
And now, as then, her slender waist
With a broad pale blue sash was laced.
For her to wreath about her throat
And now, as then, her slender waist
With a broad pale blue sash was laced.
Unless to scepticism slave,
Behold an instance of brain-wave.
For ere their blithe good-night they bade
No word had Lil or Cobham said
Of early rising. Yet they both,
Though as a rule extremely loath
To quit their bed's society,
Were up in time to see the sky
Grey with the promise of the dawn
And the dew sparkling on the lawn,
Each speculating on the chance
Of a praeprandial romance.
Behold an instance of brain-wave.
For ere their blithe good-night they bade
No word had Lil or Cobham said
Of early rising. Yet they both,
Though as a rule extremely loath
To quit their bed's society,
Were up in time to see the sky
141
And the dew sparkling on the lawn,
Each speculating on the chance
Of a praeprandial romance.
Had she been roguishly inclined
She might have tried her lover's mind
Being ‘en rapport’ of the plot
And how t'would end, which he was not.
But Lil was open as the day
And rushed to him with glad “we may,”
As soon as they were face to face
Lending herself to his embrace,
With some soft blushes as protest,
And toss of her dishevelled crest
When it was over. “Yes, we may,”
Repeated she, nor drew away
Her waist from his endearing arm,
But yielded to the subtle charm,
Which gentle women oft confess,
Of feeling her own helplessness.
“Last night, when we good-night had said,
Before my father came to bed,
I called my mother and disclosed
The solemn fact that you'd proposed
And I'd accepted wedded bliss,
Subject to her consent and his,
And begged the question of her own
By confidently going on
And asking her to intercede
With Father and my cause to plead.
Which she so eloquently did
That he consented, subject to
A satisfactory talk with you.
And—was not dear old mother kind?—
She stole to me to ease my mind
With the good news before she turned
T' enjoy the sleep she'd so well earned.
She might have tried her lover's mind
Being ‘en rapport’ of the plot
And how t'would end, which he was not.
But Lil was open as the day
And rushed to him with glad “we may,”
As soon as they were face to face
Lending herself to his embrace,
With some soft blushes as protest,
And toss of her dishevelled crest
When it was over. “Yes, we may,”
Repeated she, nor drew away
Her waist from his endearing arm,
But yielded to the subtle charm,
Which gentle women oft confess,
Of feeling her own helplessness.
“Last night, when we good-night had said,
Before my father came to bed,
I called my mother and disclosed
The solemn fact that you'd proposed
And I'd accepted wedded bliss,
Subject to her consent and his,
And begged the question of her own
By confidently going on
And asking her to intercede
With Father and my cause to plead.
Which she so eloquently did
142
A satisfactory talk with you.
And—was not dear old mother kind?—
She stole to me to ease my mind
With the good news before she turned
T' enjoy the sleep she'd so well earned.
“Father would like it, if you'd walk
With him to church, to have the talk.
He says that both of you will be
Just twice as easy and as free,
If you are in the open air,
As cooped up in his study there,
And that the motion will inspire
Your words with swing if not with fire.
I'm sure he will not be severe,
But if he is, be patient dear,
And talk him over—as you can
If you are as expert with man.”
With him to church, to have the talk.
He says that both of you will be
Just twice as easy and as free,
If you are in the open air,
As cooped up in his study there,
And that the motion will inspire
Your words with swing if not with fire.
I'm sure he will not be severe,
But if he is, be patient dear,
And talk him over—as you can
If you are as expert with man.”
The upshot of the walk was this
That the dull sermon seemed like bliss
To the Professor, for he sate
To Lily most approximate
And whispered to her a kill-care
Before he breath'd his bidding pray'r.
And when the ‘voluntary’ rose
From the harmonium to close
The service, kindly Mr Forte
Asked—sotto voce—if Lil thought
The walk would be too much for her
(To rest him since he had walked there
Was the excuse, although he went
Backwards and forwards quite content
On ev'ry Sunday of the year),
And when the waggonette was clear
Of greeting neighbours, he turned round
And told what fairly might astound
Miss Ridley, Madge, and Chesterfield,
And Maud and Ida, who appealed
For abnegation of the tale
To Mrs Forte without avail.
That the dull sermon seemed like bliss
To the Professor, for he sate
To Lily most approximate
And whispered to her a kill-care
Before he breath'd his bidding pray'r.
And when the ‘voluntary’ rose
From the harmonium to close
The service, kindly Mr Forte
Asked—sotto voce—if Lil thought
The walk would be too much for her
(To rest him since he had walked there
143
Backwards and forwards quite content
On ev'ry Sunday of the year),
And when the waggonette was clear
Of greeting neighbours, he turned round
And told what fairly might astound
Miss Ridley, Madge, and Chesterfield,
And Maud and Ida, who appealed
For abnegation of the tale
To Mrs Forte without avail.
That Lil with Cobham walked alone
Had indeed struck Maud Morrison,
As rather odd, considering
What kind folks say of such a thing,
Nor could she the engagement eye
Without some pangs of jealousy,
Not that she envied Lil her lover
(She'd have refused him three times over
Had he addressed his suit to her),
But in that Lil without demur
The object of her choice had gained
And every consent obtained.
Had indeed struck Maud Morrison,
As rather odd, considering
What kind folks say of such a thing,
Nor could she the engagement eye
Without some pangs of jealousy,
Not that she envied Lil her lover
(She'd have refused him three times over
Had he addressed his suit to her),
But in that Lil without demur
The object of her choice had gained
And every consent obtained.
Maud was a pretty butterfly
Whom all admired as she flew by
But every man forbore to touch
Lest she should crumble in his clutch.
Besides to marry a poor belle,
Who hopes to dress and drive out well,
Need a long purse, and Midases
Are fond of bachelorial ease.
Whom all admired as she flew by
But every man forbore to touch
Lest she should crumble in his clutch.
Besides to marry a poor belle,
Who hopes to dress and drive out well,
Need a long purse, and Midases
Are fond of bachelorial ease.
Ida was filled with pure delight,
As she was ever, at the sight
Of fresh-begotten happiness.
Madge was too shy her thoughts t'express
But a soft radiance filled the skies
Of her magnificent blue eyes.
Like Maud, Miss Ridley felt a pang
From jealousy's envenomed fang
That true love's course should be so smooth
To some folks in their earliest youth,
While others had to wait and wait,
Poor suppliants at the feet of fate.
She'd had a lover of her own
Since dear old girlish days byegone,
And that suggestive word ‘Engage’
Recalled a towered parsonage
(Towered against the reiving hand
Of Scotsmen) in Northumberland,
Where a shy curate tried to tell
The tale which Lil had liked so well.
144
Of fresh-begotten happiness.
Madge was too shy her thoughts t'express
But a soft radiance filled the skies
Of her magnificent blue eyes.
Like Maud, Miss Ridley felt a pang
From jealousy's envenomed fang
That true love's course should be so smooth
To some folks in their earliest youth,
While others had to wait and wait,
Poor suppliants at the feet of fate.
She'd had a lover of her own
Since dear old girlish days byegone,
And that suggestive word ‘Engage’
Recalled a towered parsonage
(Towered against the reiving hand
Of Scotsmen) in Northumberland,
Where a shy curate tried to tell
The tale which Lil had liked so well.
But soon the paroxysm passed
Before a joy that was to last,
That her pet pupil, whom she loved
More than her own kin, thus was moved
By one whom everyone approved.
And Chesterfield, a bachelor
Of forty-three or forty-four,
Seized the occasion to descant
On the advantages which haunt
An early marriage, and went on
In his own pleasing way to con
All the Professor's pleasing traits
And say the utmost in his praise.
Before a joy that was to last,
That her pet pupil, whom she loved
More than her own kin, thus was moved
By one whom everyone approved.
And Chesterfield, a bachelor
Of forty-three or forty-four,
Seized the occasion to descant
On the advantages which haunt
An early marriage, and went on
In his own pleasing way to con
All the Professor's pleasing traits
145
One good result did really come
Of these two lovers walking home,
That those, who had not been to church,
Were not left blindly in the lurch
But posted in the present state
Of matters, ere they reached the gate.
And doubtless they enjoyed the treat
Of trudging through the dust and heat
More than a comfortable seat
In the paternal waggonette
Where seven other persons met.
Of these two lovers walking home,
That those, who had not been to church,
Were not left blindly in the lurch
But posted in the present state
Of matters, ere they reached the gate.
And doubtless they enjoyed the treat
Of trudging through the dust and heat
More than a comfortable seat
In the paternal waggonette
Where seven other persons met.
Dinner on Sunday being at two
Arose the question what to do
In the whole hour, which intervened
'Twixt front door reached and soup tureened,
Decided by a hint from Will
That there might be some ‘cats’ to kill,
Who, hearing the Professor vent
Expressions of astonishment,
Said that the victim slaughtered thus
Was not the old domestic puss
But native cat of ferret shape
Which would not let one fowl escape,
If it were left at liberty
To ravage and to multiply.
The trap in which the cats were snared
Was a large wooden box prepared
With inward sloping sides and lid
Pierced with a drop, secured and hid
With a long tunnel-fashioned top,
Baited with meat above the drop.
Will lifted off the lid and showed
Three slender, sharp-nosed creatures, cowed
And crouching to conceal themselves
Under the overhanging shelves,
And went to fetch his terriers.
Arose the question what to do
In the whole hour, which intervened
'Twixt front door reached and soup tureened,
Decided by a hint from Will
That there might be some ‘cats’ to kill,
Who, hearing the Professor vent
Expressions of astonishment,
Said that the victim slaughtered thus
Was not the old domestic puss
But native cat of ferret shape
Which would not let one fowl escape,
If it were left at liberty
To ravage and to multiply.
The trap in which the cats were snared
Was a large wooden box prepared
With inward sloping sides and lid
Pierced with a drop, secured and hid
With a long tunnel-fashioned top,
146
Will lifted off the lid and showed
Three slender, sharp-nosed creatures, cowed
And crouching to conceal themselves
Under the overhanging shelves,
And went to fetch his terriers.
But when he'd seen their spotted furs
Lil gave her lover's arm a pull;
She was too soft and pitiful
To witness even beasts of prey
Being baited: Nor would Cobham stay
Although he would have liked no doubt
To see the rivals fight it out,
As cat and dog proverbially
Do when they meet in enmity.
Lil gave her lover's arm a pull;
She was too soft and pitiful
To witness even beasts of prey
Being baited: Nor would Cobham stay
Although he would have liked no doubt
To see the rivals fight it out,
As cat and dog proverbially
Do when they meet in enmity.
Two cats they coursed, of which the one
Was caught and killed ere he had run
A dozen yards, the other, given
A longer start to make things even,
Escaped into a firewood-stack.
A ‘pup’ was then put in t' attack
The third, a staunch fox-terrier
Who did not show one sign of fear,
Though he had not before this one
Been set to face a ‘cat’ alone,
But boldly grappled with his foe
And would not whine or let it go,
Although it made its sharp teeth meet
Right through the skin of his forefeet.
Was caught and killed ere he had run
A dozen yards, the other, given
A longer start to make things even,
Escaped into a firewood-stack.
A ‘pup’ was then put in t' attack
The third, a staunch fox-terrier
Who did not show one sign of fear,
Though he had not before this one
Been set to face a ‘cat’ alone,
But boldly grappled with his foe
And would not whine or let it go,
Although it made its sharp teeth meet
Right through the skin of his forefeet.
Near sundown in the afternoon
They took the terriers for a run
About the paddocks,—I should say
All but the two betrothed, for they
Wiled the delicious hours away
Upon a rustic garden seat
Secured from passing gaze and heat
By a huge Wellingtonia's boughs
Sloped downwards—a live summerhouse,
With branches six feet from the ground
Inside, and on the turf all round.
The others sat down while the dogs
Hunted or scratched at hollow logs
And holes beneath the gum-tree roots
For ‘possums,’ ‘cats,’ and bandicoots,
And here and there a rabbit who
Had not had time to get into
His proper burrow. Once they were
Attracted to a terrier
Whose hind paws only could be seen
His body being hidden in
A fallen tree, whence after close
And lengthy struggle, by the nose
He drew an old buck ‘possum’ out
Instantly set on by the rout
And torn to pieces.—To resist
Impossible.—And once there hissed
An angry serpent from a log
Stirred by a stick because no dog
Would enter to drag out again
A rabbit which had refuge ta'en.
They took the terriers for a run
147
All but the two betrothed, for they
Wiled the delicious hours away
Upon a rustic garden seat
Secured from passing gaze and heat
By a huge Wellingtonia's boughs
Sloped downwards—a live summerhouse,
With branches six feet from the ground
Inside, and on the turf all round.
The others sat down while the dogs
Hunted or scratched at hollow logs
And holes beneath the gum-tree roots
For ‘possums,’ ‘cats,’ and bandicoots,
And here and there a rabbit who
Had not had time to get into
His proper burrow. Once they were
Attracted to a terrier
Whose hind paws only could be seen
His body being hidden in
A fallen tree, whence after close
And lengthy struggle, by the nose
He drew an old buck ‘possum’ out
Instantly set on by the rout
And torn to pieces.—To resist
Impossible.—And once there hissed
An angry serpent from a log
Stirred by a stick because no dog
Would enter to drag out again
A rabbit which had refuge ta'en.
All vied in kindliness to Lil
Her cup of ectasy to fill
To overflowing. She had been
So warm and gentle in her mien
To everyone. The only chaff,
Tempered by a disarming laugh,
Was Kit's, who put it in this wise
“It's not fair to monopolize
The only safe man of them all
Who may not, if he wants to, fall
In love with us, with whom we can
Enjoy ourselves like man with man,
Without inspiring false alarms
Of being victims to their charms.
148
To overflowing. She had been
So warm and gentle in her mien
To everyone. The only chaff,
Tempered by a disarming laugh,
Was Kit's, who put it in this wise
“It's not fair to monopolize
The only safe man of them all
Who may not, if he wants to, fall
In love with us, with whom we can
Enjoy ourselves like man with man,
Without inspiring false alarms
Of being victims to their charms.
“Lil, you our benefactress are
For thus disabling for the war
Another of the skirmishers
Hovering to cut off stragglers
Who chance to fall out from the flanks
Of the firm Amazonian ranks.
For thus disabling for the war
Another of the skirmishers
Hovering to cut off stragglers
Who chance to fall out from the flanks
Of the firm Amazonian ranks.
“A woman can't be fair and free
Without men fancying that she
Acknowledges their kindling eye
And irresistibility.”
There was no story told that night,
Without men fancying that she
Acknowledges their kindling eye
And irresistibility.”
Not because Lil's new found delight
Demanded leisure undisturbed,
For 'twould have any how been curbed
By Mr Forte's religiousness.
He did not his religion press
At point of bayonet down one's throat
149
Irregularities, which he,
Walking straight forward, would not see.
But when it came to yes or no
He never doubted what to do.
He was a man who served his Lord
In deed, in thought, in will, in word,
But held that ‘practice’ and not ‘preach’
Was the true Christian way to teach.
| A Summer Christmas and a Sonnet upon The S.S. "Ballaarat." | |