She said not one word in her heart's sore ache; Then sat up in a passionate yearning, And gnashed her teeth for balked desire, and wept As if her heart would break. Day after day, night after night, Laura kept watch in vain In sullen silence of exceeding pain. She never caught again the goblin cry : 66 Come buy, come buy";— She never spied the goblin men Hawking their fruits along the glen; But when the noon waxed bright, Her hair grew thin and gray; She dwindled, as the fair full moon doth turn To swift decay and burn Her fire away. One day, remembering her kernel-stone, She set it by a wall that faced the south; Dewed it with tears, hoped for a root, Watched for a waxing shoot, But there came none; It never saw the sun, It never felt the trickling moisture run: False waves in desert drouth With shade of leaf-crowned trees, And burns the thirstier in the sandful breeze. She no more swept the house, Fetched honey, kneaded cakes of wheat, But sat down listless in the chimney-nook, Tender Lizzie could not bear To watch her sister's cankerous care, Yet not to share. She night and morning Caught the goblins' cry: "Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy”: Beside the brook, along the glen, She heard the tramp of goblin men, The voice and stir Poor Laura could not hear; Longed to buy fruit to comfort her, But feared to pay too dear. She thought of Jeanie in her grave, Who should have been a bride; But who for joys brides hope to have In her gay prime, In earliest Winter time, With the first glazing rime, With the first snow-fall of crisp Winter time. Till Laura dwindling Seemed knocking at Death's door: Then Lizzie weighed no more Better and worse; But put a silver penny in her purse, Kissed Laura, crossed the heath with clumps of furze At twilight, halted by the brook: And for the first time in her life Began to listen and look. Laughed every goblin When they spied her peeping: Came towards her hobbling, Flying, running, leaping, Puffing and blowing, Chuckling, clapping, crowing, Clucking and gobbling, Mopping and mowing, Demure grimaces, Cat-like and rat-like, Ratel- and wombat-like, Snail-paced in a hurry, Fluttering like pigeons, Gliding like fishes, — Hugged her and kissed her, Russet and dun, Bob at our cherries, Citrons and dates, Grapes for the asking, Out in the sun, Plums on their twigs; Pluck them and suck them, Pomegranates, figs." "Good folk," said Lizzie, Mindful of Jeanie: "Give me much and many Held out her apron, Tossed them her penny. "Nay, take a seat with us, Night yet is early, Warm and dew-pearly, Wakeful and starry: Such fruits as these No man can carry ; Half their dew would dry, دو : Half their flavor would pass by. Sit down and feast with us, Be welcome guest with us, Cheer you and rest with us." "Thank you," said Lizzie. "But one waits At home alone for me: So without further parleying, If you will not sell me any Of your fruits, though much and many, Give me back my silver penny One called her proud, They trod and hustled her, Clawed with their nails, Barking, mewing, hissing, mocking, Held her hands and squeezed their fruits One may lead a horse to water, Twenty cannot make him drink. Though the goblins cuffed and caught her, Coaxed and fought her, Bullied and besought her, |