uch an outcry wild
As welcomed to life the Ocean-child!

I've lived since then, in calm and strife,
Full fifty summers a sailor's life,
With wealth to spend, and a power to range,
But never have sought nor sighed for change;
And Death whenever he comes to me,
Shall come on the wide unbounded Sea!

B. W. PROCTER: ("Barry Cornwall")

LITTLE DAFFYDOWNDILLY

"I slept, and dreamed that life was beauty;
I woke, and found that life was duty."

Daffydowndilly was so called because in his nature he resembled a
flower, and loved to do only what was beautiful and agreeable, and took
no delight in labour of any kind. But while Daffydowndilly was yet a
little boy, his mother sent him away from his pleasant home, and put him
under the care of a very strict schoolmaster, who went by the name of
Mr. Toil. Those who knew him best affirmed that this Mr. Toil was a
very worthy character; and that he had done more good, both to children
and grown people, than anybody else in the world.

Certainly he had lived long enough to do a great deal of good; for, if
all stories be true, he had dwelt upon earth ever since Adam was driven
from the garden of Eden.

Nevertheless, Mr. Toil had a severe and ugly countenance, especially for
such little boys or big men as were inclined to be idle; his voice, too,
was harsh; and all his ways and customs seemed very disagreeable to our
friend Daffydowndilly. The whole day long this terrible schoolmaster sat
at his desk overlooking the scholars, or stalked about the school-room
with a certain awful birch rod in his hand. Now came a rap over the
shoulders of a boy whom Mr. Toil had caught at play; now he punished a
whole class who were behindhand with their lessons; and, in short,
unless a lad chose to attend quietly and constantly to his book, he had
no chance of enjoying a quiet moment in the school-room of Mr. Toil.

"This will never do for me," thought Daffydowndilly.

Now the whole of Daffydowndilly's life had hitherto been passed with his
dear mother, who had a much sweeter face than old Mr. Toil, and who had
always been very indulgent to her little boy. No wonder, therefore, that
poor Daffydowndilly found it a woeful change to be sent away from the
good lady's side and put under the care of this ugly-visaged
schoolmaster, who never gave him any apples or cakes, and seemed to
think that little boys were created only to get lessons.

"I can't bear i