THE LAZY HOUR.

So bright are the branches, The shadows so cool, So dark is the water, So deep is the pool, So hard is the lesson, So hot is the school— If I were the son of a merman I never should hear of a rule! Light as the arrow Springs from the bow, Off the big ledges Down I should go Into the hollow Whose secret I know, Up I should come like a bubble, Shake off the water and blow! Now for a breast stroke Under the tide— Arm o'er arm sweeping I float on my side; Deep in green crystal Slowly I slide. There goes the class up in Cæsar! I wish I'd a corner to hide! Harriet Prescott Spofford.