When her married life was cut short some few years later, Barlaeus proposed to the young widow; but it was in vain, as she informed him by quoting from Cats these lines:-- When a valved shell of ocean Breaks one side or loses one, Though you seek with all devotion You can ne'er the loss atone, Never make again the edges Bite together, tooth for tooth, And, just so, old love alleges Nought is like the heart's first troth.
These are Tesselschade's lines upon the nightingale in Mr.Gosse's happy translation:-- THE WILD SONGSTER.
Praise thou the nightingale, Who with her joyous tale Doth make thy heart rejoice, Whether a singing plume she be, or viewless winged voice; Whose warblings, sweet and clear, Ravish the listening ear With joy, as upward float The throbbing liquid trills of her enchanted throat; Whose accents pure and ripe Sound like an organ pipe, That holdeth divers songs, And with one tongue alone sings like a score of tongues.
The rise and fall again In clear and lovely strain Of her sweet voice and shrill, Outclamours with its songs the singing springing rill.
A creature whose great praise Her rarity displays, Seeing she only lives A month in all the year to which her song she gives.
But this thing sets the crown Upon her high renown, That such a little bird as she Can harbour such a strength of clamorous harmony.
Arnheim presents after dinner the usual scene of contented movement.

The people throng the principal streets, and every one seems happy and placid.

The great concert hall, Musis Sacrum, had not yet begun its season when I was there, and the only spectacle which the town could muster was an exhibition of strength by two oversized boys, which I avoided.
At Arnheim, I should relate, an odd thing happened to my companion.

When she was there last, in 1894, she had need to obtain linseed for a poultice, and visited a chemist for the purpose.

He was an old man, and she found him sitting in the window studying his English grammar.