He woke—and swift unto the land of misty sleep His dreams rolled back, and left him still on earth, But ever after did the Poet’s spirit keep This deep, unchanging, mystic, second birth! * * * * * THE LADY’S CHOICE. BY MRS. EMMA C. EMBURY. “In terms of choice I am not solely led By nice direction of a maiden’s eyes.” _Merchant of Venice._ “I want to ask you a question, Mildred, but I am afraid you will deem it an impertinent one.” “Ask me what you please, dear Emily, and be assured that you shall receive a frank reply; we have known and loved each other too long to doubt that affection and not mere idle curiosity prompts our mutual inquiries respecting each other’s welfare during our separation.” “When I bade farewell to my native land, Mildred, I left you surrounded by a wide circle of admirers; you were beautiful and rich,—these gifts alone would have won you many a suitor,—but you were also possessed of the noblest qualities of heart and mind, and were as worthy to be loved as to be admired. How has it happened then that from among the many who sought your hand, you selected one so—so—” “I understand you, Emily,—so misshapen and ugly, you would say; it is precisely because I possessed a little more heart and soul than usually belongs to a fashionable belle.” “What do you mean, Mildred? when I parted from you I thought you were more than half in love with the handsome Frank Harcourt.” “And you return to find me married to his crooked cousin.” “I did not know Mr. Heyward was related to your quondam admirer.” “Ah, I see I must tell the whole story; ‘wooed an’ married an’ a’’ is not enough for you; I must relate all the particulars which led to such an apparently whimsical choice.