“Those hues of gold and azure, that hush of the world’s expectation as day died, were still a Hebrew speech for me; nevertheless I was looking at the fair, illuminated letters, and had an eye for their gilding.” With the little one’s friendship for cattle and poultry we shall not much intermeddle. It may be that hereby he acquired a certain deeper sympathy with animated nature. He says again: “Impressive enough was it to hear in early morning the swineherd’s horn, and know that so many hungry quadrupeds were, on all sides, starting in hot haste to join him for breakfast on the heath. Or to see them at eventide, all marching in again with short squeak, almost in military order; and each trotting off in succession to the right or left, through its own lane, to its own dwelling.” Thus encircled by mystery, waited on by the four seasons, with their changing contributions, for even grim winter brought its skating matches, its snowstorms and Christmas carols, did the child sit and learn. These things were the alphabet whereby in after time he was to syllable and partly read the grand volume of the world; what matters it whether such alphabet be in large gilt letters or in small ungilt ones, so you have an eye to read it? For Gneschen, eager to learn, the very act of looking thereon was a blessedness that gilded all; his existence was a bright, soft element of joy, out of which wonder after wonder bodied itself forth to teach by charming. _From “Sartor Resartus.”_ A SCENE FROM WILLIAM TELL. SHERIDAN KNOWLES. SCENE I. [WILLIAM TELL, ALBERT HIS SON, AND GESLER.] _Gesler._ What is thy name? _Tell._ My name? It matters not to keep it from thee now:-- My name is Tell. _Ges._ Tell!--William Tell? _Tell._ The same. _Ges._ What! he so famed ’bove all his countrymen For guiding o’er the stormy lake the boat? And such a master of his bow, ’tis said His arrows never miss!--Indeed--I’ll take Exquisite vengeance!--Mark! I’ll spare thy life-- Thy boy’s too!--both of you are free--on one Condition. _Tell._ Name it. _Ges._ I would see you make A trial of your skill with that same bow You shoot so well with. _Tell._ Name the trial you Would have me make. _Ges._ You look upon your boy As though instinctively you guessed it. _Tell._ Look upon my boy! What mean you? Look upon My boy as though I guessed it!--Guessed the trial You’d have me make!--Guessed it Instinctively! you do not mean--no--no-- You would not have me make a trial of My skill upon my child!--Impossible! I do not guess your meaning. _Ges._ I would see Thee hit an apple at the distance of A hundred paces. _Tell._ Is my boy to hold it? _Ges._ No. _Tell._ No!--I’ll send the arrow through the core! _Ges._ It is to rest upon his head. _Tell._ Great Heaven, you hear him!