old Tom.

"Human natur'," muttered Stapleton, with the pipe still between his
lips.

"Not the first vessels that have run foul in a fog," observed young Tom.

"No, boy; but generally there ar'n't much love between them at those
times. But, come, now that we can breathe again, suppose I give you a
song. What shall it be, young woman, a sea ditty, or something
_spooney_?"

"Oh, something about love, if you've no objection, sir," said Mary,
appealing to the Dominie.

"Nay, it pleaseth me maiden, and I am of thy mind. Friend Dux, let it
be Anacreontic."

"What the devil's that?" cried old Tom, lifting up his eyes, and taking
the pipe out of his mouth.

"Nothing of your own, father, that's clear; but something to borrow, for
it's to be _on tick_," replied Tom.

"Nay, boy, I would have been understood that the song should refer to
women or wine."

"Both of which are to his fancy," observed young Tom to me, aside.

"_Human natur'_," quaintly observed Stapleton.

"Well, then, you shall have your wish. I'll give you one that might be
warbled in a lady's chamber without stirring the silk curtains:--

"Oh! the days are gone when beauty bright
My heart's chain wove,
When my dream of life from morn to night
Was Love--still Love.
New hope may bloom, and days may come,
Of milder, calmer beam,
But there's nothing half so sweet in life
As Love's young dream;
Oh! there's nothing half so sweet in life,
As Love's young dream."

The melody of the song, added to the spirits he had drunk and Mary's
eyes beaming on him, had a great effect upon the Dominie. As old Tom
warbled out, so did the pedagogue gradually approach the chair of Mary;
and as gradually entwine her waist with his own arm, his eyes twinkling
brightly on her. Old Tom, who perceived it, had given me and Tom a
wink, as he repeated the two last lines; and then we saw what was going
on, we burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Boys! boys!" said
the Dominie, starting up, "thou hast awakened me, by thy boisterous
mirth, from a sweet musing created by the harmony of friend Dux's voice.
Neither do I discover the source of thy cachinnation, seeing that the
song is amatory and not comic. Still, it may not be supposed, at thy
early age, that thou canst be affected with what thou art too young to
feel. Pr'ythee continue, friend Dux, and, boys, restrain thy mirth."

"Though the bard to a purer fame may soar
When wild youth's p