Page:The Vow of the Peacock.pdf/56

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The love which with her stature grew, Caught something mournful from the dead; And her young spirit quenched its tone Too much with dwelling on the gone. She sat beside her mother's grave, And thought of him, the loved, the brave; He who had been the only guide Of his betrothed and orphan bride. Thus had she grown, a lonely child Like the wood-flower, as sweet and wild; The darling and delight of all Within the old ancestral hall; None looked beyond the brow the while, Which still was sweet with childhood's smile.

How often has the maiden felt, When at Leoni's feet she knelt,