s _smile_ and _style_ rhyme. Both
of these are monosyllables and hence accented. The vowel sound is
the long sound of _i_; the consonant sound of _l_ follows. The
sounds preceding the _i_ are similar but not identical, represented
by _sm_ in the first case and _st_ in the second. In the fifth
stanza the first line ends with the word _dispatch_, the third with
the word _batch_. This rhyme is perfect, because the accent on the
word _dispatch_ is naturally on the second syllable. In the ninth
stanza the word _dress_ is made to rhyme with _nakedness_. This is
not strictly perfect, for the natural accent of _nakedness_ is on
the first syllable.

It may be interesting for beginners to work out the rhyme scheme of
a poem and write it down. This is very easily done. Take the first
stanza in _The Country Squire_. Represent the rhyming syllable of
the first line by _a_, the rhyming syllable of the second line by
_b_. It follows then that the rhyming syllable of the third line
must be represented by _a_, and the rhyming syllable of the fourth
line by _b_. Writing these letters in succession we have the
nonsense word _abab_, which will always stand for stanzas of this
kind. If you are interested in this turn to the studies at the end
of the next poem, _To My Infant Son_.

TO MY INFANT SON

_By_ Thomas Hood

Thou happy, happy elf!
(But stop, first let me kiss away that tear,)
Thou tiny image of myself!
(My love, he's poking peas into his ear,)
Thou merry, laughing sprite,
With spirits, feather light,
Untouched by sorrow, and unsoiled by sin;
(My dear, the child is swallowing a pin!)

Thou little tricksy Puck!
With antic toys so funnily bestuck,
Light as the singing bird that rings the air,--
(The door! the door! he'll tumble down the stair!)
Thou darling of thy sire!
(Why, Jane, he'll set his pinafore afire!)
Thou imp of mirth and joy!
In love's dear chain so bright a link,
Thou idol of thy parents;--(Drat the boy!
There goes my ink.)

Thou cherub, but of earth;
Fit playfellow for fairies, by moonlight pale,
In harmless sport and mirth,
(That dog will bite him, if he pulls his tail!)
Thou human humming-bee, extracting honey
From every blossom in the world that blows,
Singing in youth's Elysium ever su