Behold, the blinking dawn with sleepy eyes Peers from her cloudy lattice in the skies, Early astir to see if it be time For Phoebus to awake and make day's prime. Be glorious in thy rising, day-god bright, For thou wilt usher us to that delight We hardly dared to pray for: mark this day With thy most splendid, most benignant ray; For fate has blessed it, and time seems to make A new departure--yea of life to take A fresh lease: so, henceforth, our years shall date.-- Follow us lovers linked in hands and hearts Like true love-knots that strength or skill ne'er starts. [Alardo, Conrad, and Guido go out. Martha. Eulalie! Eulalie. Dear mother! Rupert. And mine too. Cinthio. Now, let us wash our faces in the dew. Rupert. O, I forgot th' observance of the day. All hail my mistress and my Queen of May! Eulalie. I am afraid that all our joys but seem, And I shall yet awake out of a dream. Rupert. Have no such fear, my love.--Behold us, then, Two happy maidens and two happy men. Lo, wakened by the lark, his bellman true, Armed with a torch that merrily doth shine, Arrayed in saffron of the deepest hue, The sun, like Hymen, comes with smile benign! As long as his resplendent light shall burn, May our love-tides increase, but never turn. A ROMANTIC FARCE (Edinburgh, 1878) PERSONS Earl Edmund. Sir James Montgomery. Antinous. Clown. Captain Mercer. Ringan Deane, a boy. Lady Montgomery. May Montgomery. Mary-Jane. Bellona. Herminia. Annie Smith, a girl. Scene: A Country Town in Scotland. ACT I SCENE.--A Room, opening off a Ballroom. Enter a lady dressed as an Amazon, and a gentleman dressed as a Clown; both masked.