Part 4 (1/2)

He took the Wine and blessed It; He blessed and brake the Bread.

With His own Hands He served Them, and presently He said: 'Look! These Hands they pierced with nails outside my city wall Show Iron--Cold Iron--to be master of men all!

'Wounds are for the desperate, blows are for the strong, Balm and oil for weary hearts all cut and bruised with wrong.

I forgive thy treason--I redeem thy fall-- For Iron--Cold Iron--must be master of men all!'

'_Crowns are for the valiant--sceptres for the bold!

Thrones and powers for mighty men who dare to take and hold._'

'Nay!' said the Baron, kneeling in his hall, 'But Iron--Cold Iron--is master of man all!

Iron, out of Calvary, is master of man all!'

Gloriana

THE TWO COUSINS

Valour and Innocence Have latterly gone hence To certain death by certain shame attended.

Envy--ah! even to tears!-- The fortune of their years Which, though so few, yet so divinely ended.

Scarce had they lifted up Life's full and fiery cup, Than they had set it down untouched before them.

Before their day arose They beckoned it to close-- Close in destruction and confusion o'er them.

They did not stay to ask What prize should crown their task, Well sure that prize was such as no man strives for; But pa.s.sed into eclipse, Her kiss upon their lips-- Even Belphoebe's, whom they gave their lives for!

Gloriana

Willow Shaw, the little fenced wood where the hop-poles are stacked like Indian wigwams, had been given to Dan and Una for their very own kingdom when they were quite small. As they grew older, they contrived to keep it most particularly private. Even Phillips, the gardener, told them every time he came in to take a hop-pole for his beans, and old Hobden would no more have thought of setting his rabbit-wires there without leave, given fresh each spring, than he would have torn down the calico and marking-ink notice on the big willow which said: 'Grown-ups not allowed in the Kingdom unless brought.'

Now you can understand their indignation when, one blowy July afternoon, as they were going up for a potato-roast, they saw somebody moving among the trees. They hurled themselves over the gate, dropping half the potatoes, and while they were picking them up Puck came out of a wigwam.

'Oh, it's you, is it?' said Una. 'We thought it was people.'

'I saw you were angry--from your legs,' he answered with a grin.

'Well, it's our own Kingdom--not counting you, of course.'

'That's rather why I came. A lady here wants to see you.'

'What about?' said Dan cautiously.

'Oh, just Kingdoms and things. She knows about Kingdoms.'

There was a lady near the fence dressed in a long dark cloak that hid everything except her high red-heeled shoes. Her face was half covered by a black silk fringed mask, without goggles. And yet she did not look in the least as if she motored.