ored at the request of some of my friends, in particular my
son-in-law, Edward Quillinan.--I.F.]

It was only excluded from the editions of 1820, 1827, and 1832. In the
edition of 1807 it was placed amongst a group of "Poems composed during
a Tour, chiefly on foot." In 1815, in 1836, and afterwards, it was
included in the group "referring to the Period of Childhood."

In Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal, the following reference to
this poem occurs:

"Feb. 16, 1802.--Mr. Graham said he wished William had been with him
the other day. He was riding in a post-chaise, and he heard a strange
cry that he could not understand. The sound continued, and he called
to the chaise-driver to stop. It was a little girl that was crying as
if her heart would burst. She had got up behind the chaise, and her
cloak had been caught by the wheel, and was jammed in, and it hung
there. She was crying after it, poor thing. Mr. Graham took her into
the chaise, and her cloak was released from the wheel, but the child's
misery did not cease, for her cloak was torn to rags. It had been a
miserable cloak before; but she had no other, and it was the greatest
sorrow that could befall her. Her name was Alice Fell. She had no
parents, and belonged to the next town. At the next town Mr. G. left
money to buy her a new cloak."

"Friday (March 12).--In the evening after tea William wrote 'Alice
Fell'."

"Saturday Morning (13th March).--William finished 'Alice Fell'...."

Ed.

The post-boy drove with fierce career,
For threatening clouds the moon had drowned;
When, as we hurried on, my ear
Was smitten with a startling sound. [1]

As if the wind blew many ways, 5
I heard the sound,--and more and more;
It seemed to follow with the chaise,
And still I heard it as before.

At length I to the boy called out;
He stopped his horses at the word, 10
But neither cry, nor voice, nor shout,
Nor aught else like it, could be heard.

The boy then smacked his whip, and fast
The horses scampered through the rain;
But, hearing soon upon the blast 15
The cry, I bade him halt again. [2]

Forthwith alighting on the ground,
"Whence comes," said I, "this piteous moan?" [3]
And there a little Girl I found,
Sitting behind the chaise, alone. 20

"My cloak!" no other word she