Chapter 7

Midnight and silence! At each waiting tied, Husband and wife, embracing, kneel in prayer; And lips unused to such a benison Breathe blessings upon evil, and give thanks For knowledge of its sacred ministry. An infant nestles on a mother's breast, Whose head is pillowed where it has not lain For months of wasted life--the tale all told, And confidence and love for aye secure.

The widow and the virgin: where are they? The morn shall find them watching with the dead, Like the two angels at the tomb of Christ,-- One at the head, the other at the foot,-- Guarding a sepulcher whose occupant Has risen, and rolled the heavy stone away!

THE END.

[Transcriber's Note: In the First Movement, one word was missing from our print copy; the symbol [***] denotes the missing word.

This work contains some rare words and variants, such as blent, indites, mekly, reck, ruth (no capital), sprent, and ween.]