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and shiver as the bitter East steals round a corner to meet us, and we welcome the gentle South with a smile.

2. But the days are long gone by since men clothed these airy visitants in godlike forms, and tried to avert their power of evil by sacrifices. For we know now whose messengers are "the four winds of heaven."

3. In the days when men's thoughts were poems, Zephyrus, the gentle west wind, walked the earth as a beautiful youth with winged shoulders, and a garland of flowers about his head. His brother-winds received their meed of praise. But the best beloved of all the sons of Aurora was the gracious and benignant young god Zephyrus, who wandered over the world hand-in-hand with his young bride, Flora, the beautiful goddess of flowers.

4. For, said men, in a thought rich in meaning, at the kiss of his lips, at the outgoings of his fragrant breath, flowers spring up, and tender grass. Everywhere he leaves the world a greener and a fairer place. Oh, happy, careless days, when these two traversed the earth on their

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behind it. Before the sunshine of their smile, Winter flies afraid. The flowers take courage, and carpet all their path. Music meets them, for "the time of the

singing of birds is come."

Mrs. Browning

has given us in a few lines a picture of Zephyrus so exquisite that it could not well be equalled. As we read, he seems to take shape, and rise before us in all his rare young beauty.

"Hush!

Meseemeth through the leafy trees to ring
A chime of bells, to falling waters tuned;
Whereat comes heathen Zephyrus, out of breath
With running up the hills, and shakes his hair
From off his gleesome forehead, bold and glad
With keeping blithe Dan Phoebus company,
And throws him on the grass, though half-afraid—
First glancing round, lest tempests should be nigh—
And lays close to the ground his ruddy lips,
And shapes their beauty into sound, and calls
On all the petall'd flowers that sit beneath,
In hiding-places from the rain and snow,
To loosen the hard soil, and leave their cold,
Sad idlesse, and betake them up to him.
They straightway hear his voice."

6. A little of this glad new life which was his gift to the earth must have come to men's hearts, too, as the young winged god flitted across their path. We welcome him yet when we feel the first waftings of his sweet breath after the long, hard sway of Winter; we, too, lift our

heads, and something of reviving kindliness and thankfulness steals through us at his touch. The lesson which the west wind bears on its wings is so simple, that "he who runs may read." For which of us has failed to feel the influence of a kind and sunny nature?

7. Somewhat of the gentle young god's power there is in it, for kind deeds, pleasant looks, wholesome thoughts are the flowers of its growth which spring up wherever it is found. Still, strange as it may sound, we do not all choose gentle Zephyrus for our friend. Some of us, it is not to be denied, prefer the east wind for our companion. We make all our windows to face it; we wrap ourselves about in it, and hug it to our hearts; we deny indignantly that it is cold or comfortless.

8. And yet, when we enter the house of our friends, we bring a sudden chill with us. Why else are the words checked on their lips by our presence? why do they seem afraid to laugh or smile when we are by?

9. They could easily tell us the reason. We hardly ever find it out for ourselves,

till some Zephyrus crosses our path, and we see, with curious eyes, that the flowers which we only blight with our breath rise up in new beauty at his step.

Grammar. (1) Analyse the first sentence of the lesson. (2) Parse "Oh, happy, careless days, when these two traversed the earth!" Make adverbs from the following words:-wind, airy, courage, ease.

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1. When Hubert first joined the squadron, his name was entered in a little book as a second-rate private of dragoons, awaiting promotion. Everything he did of any moment was immediately recorded in this book, together with all his marches and campaigns. As he grew older and stronger, he grew dangerous; and his excess of animal spirits betrayed him into many acts of mischief. In the spring of

1847 he was condemned to perpetual imprisonment; and I, his dearest friend, was charged with the execution of the sentence.

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