ight be well to tell the pupils something of
Bret Harte--his residence in California, his experience as a prospector
in the goldfields, his stories of the mining camps, and his admiration
of Dickens. (See Manual on _The Ontario Readers_, p. 315.) These facts
throw considerable light upon the poem, and will be useful in aiding the
pupils to interpret it properly. This poem was written shortly after the
death of Dickens. It might well follow the study of _David Copperfield's
First Journey Alone_ and _The Indignation of Nicholas Nickleby_.

PREPARATION

When the poem has been read, the teacher should, before beginning the
analysis, ask a few general questions, such as:

What has Dickens to do with the story related
in the poem? He was the author of the book read
in the camp, _Old Curiosity Shop_, of which
"Nell" is the heroine. (A brief outline of the
story, with special reference to the feelings
it arouses in the reader, might be given here.)

What kind of camp is referred to in the poem? A
mining camp. The last line of the second stanza
suggests this.

Where is the scene laid? Apparently in
California, among the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
This is indicated in the first stanza.

What is the leading idea of the poem? The
effect which the reading of a story by Dickens
produced in a Western mining camp.

What are the main sub-topics?

1. The scene of the incident. Stanzas I-III.
2. The reading of the story. Stanzas IV-VII.
3. A lament for the death of Dickens. Stanzas VIII-X.

MINUTE ANALYSIS

Stanza I

How does the description of the scene, as given
in stanza I, differ from that given in stanza
II? Stanza I gives the background and the
remote surroundings, while stanza II places us
in the midst of the camp.

What features give the story a romantic
setting? The stately "pines", the singing
"river", the "slowly drifting moon", the
snow-capped mountains.

From the description in the first stanza, give
as clear a picture of the location of the camp
as possible. It was situated on the edge of a
canyon in the Sierras, towering pines rising
round about, the river flowing noisily beneath,
and the mountains uplifting their snow-covered