Chapter CXVI

Is it regret for buried time--grief for the friend whom he has lost--which makes him feel so tender and susceptible of the influences of Spring? Not wholly so: for "life re-orient out of dust," the revival of vegetation, raises his spirits, and "heartens," strengthens his trust in that Power which made the earth beautiful.

Nor is it altogether "regret" that he feels; for the face and the voice of his friend come back; and the voice speaks of me and mine--his sister as well as himself--and he is conscious of

"Less yearning for the friendship fled,
Than some strong bond which is to be"--

reunion hereafter.