Come hither, my ten years’ maiden;
O’er what do you ponder so much?
“I am reading in Tanglewood Stories,
The tale of the Golden Touch.”
Ah! Hattie, my flax-haired darling,
How buried in study you seem.
“I am reading in Tales from Shakespeare,
Of Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
And there on the sofa is Mayo;
My laddie, what pleases you so?
“This picture and fable in Æsop,—
See here,—of the Pitcher and Crow.”
Come hither, my dream-eyed baby,
You’re falling asleep on the floor!
“I’m reading in Sing Song, papa,—
I wish you would read me some more.”