“What! Were you, too, provoking the muse, Mr. Howard?” asked Melinda, with eager interest.
“I am afraid I was,” said Walter, gravely, choosing to understand the young lady’s words literally.
In fact he had written a few verses, at Mr. Barclay’s suggestion, “for the fun of it,” in order to contribute his quota to the feast of reason expected in the evening.
“But I hope you will excuse my reading it,” he added, with affected bashfulness.
“Indeed I will not. Mr. Barclay, help me to persuade Mr. Howard.”
Walter finally yielded, as he intended to do all the while, but on condition that Mr. Barclay would read the poem. This being accepted, Barclay read, with appropriate emphasis, the following verses, which were modeled after a song found in a small collection of minstrel verses in Walter’s possession:
“Around the little cottage
Waved fields of golden grain
And in it lived my heart’s delight,--
My Sophronisba Jane.