STANDARD PENNY

READINGS.

HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS FROM GHENT TO AIX.

BY ROBERT BROWNING.

I SPRANG to the stirrup, and Joris, and he; I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three;

"Good speed!" cried the watch, as the gatebolts undrew

;

"Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through;

Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest,

And into the midnight we galloped abreast.

Not a word to each other; we kept the great

pace

B

Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place;

I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight,

Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right,

Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit,

Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit.

'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near

Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear

At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see, At Düffeld, 'twas morning as plain as could

be;

And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard the half-chime,

So Joris broke silence with, "Yet there is

At Aerschot, up leaped of a sudden the sun, And against him the cattle stood black every

one,

To stare thro' the mist at us galloping past, And I saw my stout galloper Roland at last, With resolute shoulders, each butting away The haze, as some bluff river headland its spray.

And his low head and crest, just one sharp ear bent back

For my voice, and the other pricked out on his track;

And one eye's black intelligence,--ever that glance

O'er its white edge at me, his own master

askance !

And the thick heavy spume-flakes which aye

and anon

His fierce lips shook upwards in galloping on.

By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, "Stay spur!

Your Roos galloped bravely, the fault's not

in her,

We'll remember at Aix"-for one heard the quick wheeze

Of her chest, saw the stretched neck and staggering knees,

And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the flank,

As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank.

So we were left galloping, Joris and I, Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in the sky;

The broad sun above laughed a pitiless laugh,

'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff;