“At the close of Dr. Holmes’s speech he read the poem that appears in his works under the title of ‘Lines recited at the Berkshire Festival,’ beginning:
“ ‘Come back to your mother, ye children, for shame,
Who have wandered like truants for riches or fame;
With a smile on her face and a sprig on her cap
She calls you to feast from her bountiful lap.”
And it appears from the report that “the recitation of this poem was the most popular exercise of the day.”
We have a book of French exercises with page after page written by Mr. Field. They begin with “Avez vous le pain?” and the last sentence is, “Votre ami a-t-il le miroir que vous avez ou celui que j’ai? Il n’a ni celui que vous avez ni celui que j’ai, mais il a le sien.” He never spoke French, but one can fancy that these exercises were written before he went to Europe, in April, 1849, and in preparation for the exigencies of intercourse with the natives that might arise.
Mr. and Mrs. Field sailed for England in a packet-ship commanded by Captain Hovey. They were eighteen days in crossing, and landed at Plymouth, and posted through Cornwall. This journey was taken by the advice of his physician. The excitement and work of the past fourteen years had told very decidedly upon him, and perfect rest was imperative. Their four little girls were left under the care of an aunt in New Haven, Conn., and on arriving in England the parents’ first thought was of their children; and great was the joy with which these hailed the advent of a box of toys, and in it was a blue-and-white tea-set which gave unusual happiness. Here is one of the messages that came back across the sea:
“Precious Little Isabella,—What are you about just now? Can mother guess?
“Well, Belle is singing her German song.
“No. Does Belle say no? She is rocking her doll to sleep, and she is making a nice dress for dolly.
“I have put up a little bundle of pieces for Grace, Alice, and Isabelle, and now you can make a great many dresses. Mother wishes much to see her little Belle and Fanny, and to give them a good number of kisses. Mother always wished to kiss all her little girls before she went to bed, but now she cannot reach them.
“Will Belle kiss her sister for her mother and will she kiss her cousins, too?