Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-07-18

the pathway arrested their progress. \
light-haired, blue-eyed girl of ten or
twelve years was standing beside II, not
little frightened at not having shout
dered her burden yet for, like all IS
landers, she knew the Queen, and to
have INSTRUCTED the path 10 the grave
yard, before The entrance OF which lay
the fagots, seemed themofe unfortunate
to her, as the high road, owing to its
muddy condition ON that day, could not
be used ut all by pedestrians.
Tennyson assisted the littlc Girl in
binding and shouldering her bundle of
faggots the Queen asked her name--it
was Anna-and gave hera piece OF mon
ey, and the happy girl went slowly on
her way.
IA sweet-faced child, - said the Queen,
gazing after her, IL she was lettering
along with her heavy burden and thcn,
as if to lead the poet back to the subject
of their previous conversation she adj
ded musingly 'it is about thus that
think your Anna Lee must have looked,
I mean at the time when she was the
playmate of Enoch and Philip, and, to
reconcile them in their boyish quarrel.,
promised them both to Lecome their
little wife,
"a painter really might use that little
girl as "A model for that purpose, your
Majesty" replied Tcnnyson.
He had stoon still, in order to allow
the Queen topass puddle OF water, and
the august lady, calling to mind beau-
tful passage in TennYson : ldyl- OF the
King, on seeing the ripple on the sur
face of the puddle rccited The lines.
But that inscription is Enoch is it
not ?' asked the Queen looking in pas
sing ut the cpitaph ON one of the moss
grown tombstones, and then answering
herself: "Sure enough, it Is EnOch 1t
is strange how important something
which we formerly regarded with utter
indifference suddenly appears to us :
Thus, for instance, this name, which /
have so often read on these stoncs among
so many others from the Old Testament
during my excursions on the isl nd
And then looking around, she added:
" It is pity chat your Philip had
not likewise n namesakC buried here;
people would not be long in believing
that the two heroes Of Your poem are
buried here, and they would, maybe,
lay the scene ofyour whole poem in Che
shade of these walnut trees. But tell
me, Mr.. Tennyson, what have you TO
reply to all these objections which |
mentioned to you before? ~
VERY little, your Majesty.
"What ?"
II should be sorry, your Majesty, if
the little girl yonder had to bear the
stain of Legitimate descent
"What little girl ?"
The little girl disappearing just now
behind the hawthorn hedge, your Ma
jesty; | mean the child carrying the
bundle of fagots.n
"And what has that girl to do with
your poem?'
A great deal, for, if the Bishop Of
n. had had his way, little Anna yonder
would be considered IL child born in il
licit wedlock."
The Queen had stood STILL
"YOu do not mean to say, Mr.. Tcnny-
son." she replied, that on our little
island here an event such as you relat-
ed in your EnOch Arden has really hap
pened?"
And as Tennyson was silent for mo-
ment, she continued, ooh, know you
do not like to answer such questions
But tell me, now did Enoch Arden
led underneath that tOmbstOne?n
Your Majesty" said Tennyson,
''there occur among the lowly and poor
many traits of heroism, for which his
torians. might envy the quiet observer
OF the people. Happy he who can con-
template and comprehend such traits
with an unbiased mind happy he who
Is enabled to relate them in his poems
without spelling their simple originate
ty too much; happy, above all, he of
whom poets can tell such traits. His
memory disseminates heavenly seed"
The Queen had walked across the
lawn to the tombstone and laid her
hand on its moss-grown edge. She
stood there long while in silence, her
eyes fixed on the spot where Enoch had
she drew herself up, and, turning to go
home, she said: "God bless him He
did right after ALL
VERY MORAL.--The London Times