And left me here, a widowed ghost, Aye, even to this day!" My indignation at his wrongs, I told the grateful spook: "Gramercy!" cried he, as with misty Fist, my hand he shook, And charged me thus, with eager verve, Of deep revengeful tones, "If ever thou dost meet a man, Who deals in deeds, and loans, Who bears the patronymic, and The shield, of Mervyn Jones, I care not how, by forgery! By fist, or aye by knife! By sneaking of his fiancée, Or mayhap of his wife! By burgling of his premises, Or pelting him with stones! Avenge me, on the offspring, of The man, called Mervyn Jones!" I sware him, if such christened man, Did ever dare my sight, In widest open day, or from The nooks, of darkest night! It mattered not, if extra tall, Or what his weight, or width, _I'd borrow from him_, to avenge The wrongs, of Rupert Smith! "I thank thee well!" the spectre cried, With chuckle, sad, and grim, "Adieu!" And lo! he vanished thro' The hazy gloaming dim: He vanished, and I thanked my luck, He left no aching bones! For I'm a male descendant, of The man, called Mervyn Jones! And Mervyn, haps my christian name, A broker, I am he, A windfall fructifaction, of That genealogic tree. * * * * * Next evening, when I told this tale, To Doctor Bolus Chuff, Incredulous, and unimpressed, With mien, erect, and tough, Presenting a prescription, for Some tonic tempered pills, Said he "Thro' too much spirits, you Have got D.T.'s and chills!" [Illustration: THE MAGIC SPECS] he WROUGHT a specs, with magic rim, of strange, and subtle parts, For by those optics made by him, he saw men's inmost hearts, The grim old sage, 'twas of his fads, to wear those wrysome lamps, For evermore, and find the lads, the worldly-wise, and scamps. He saw the plottings, and the strife, he saw the woes, and tears! The murky glooms of unknown life, the spring of hopes, and fears, The sham of face, the sham of name, the sham of heart within; He sifted all, and wrote for fame, record of unknown sin. "Ho, ho!" cried he at length, "I wis, the dross of men is such, 'Tis surfeit, thus to seek for this, it palls me overmuch; I'll seek a gem of human hearts, and find it, if I can,"-- He sought at home, and foreign parts, to meet an honest man. In that pursuit, a year and seven, did on his labours fall; "Heigho!" cried he, "outside of Heaven, they're masks, and faces all! They're masks, and faces all!" quoth he, and from the world he went To bide alone, beside the sea, in selfish self-content.