The pair sally forth hand in hand:  ere the sun
  Has peered o’er the beeches, their work is begun: 
  And yet, into whatever sin they may fall, 35
  This child but half knows it, and that not at all.

  They hunt through the streets [8] with deliberate tread,
  And each, in his turn, becomes leader or led; [9]
  And, wherever they carry their plots and their wiles,
  Every face in the village is dimpled with smiles. 40

  Neither checked by the rich nor the needy they roam;
  For the grey-headed Sire [10] has a daughter at home,
  Who will gladly repair all the damage that’s done;
  And three, were it asked, would be rendered for one.

  Old Man! whom so oft I with pity have eyed, 45
  I love thee, and love the sweet Boy at thy side: 
  Long yet may’st thou live! for a teacher we see
  That lifts up the veil of our nature in thee. [B]

* * * * *

VARIANTS ON THE TEXT

[Variant 1: 

1800.

  Oh! now that the boxwood and graver were mine,
  Of the Poet who lives on the banks of the Tyne,
  Who has plied his rude tools with more fortunate toil
  Than Reynolds e’er brought to his canvas and oil. 
                                                       MS. 1798.]

[Variant 2: 

1800.

  Then Books, and Book-learning, I’d ring out your knell,
  The Vicar should scarce know an A from an L. MS. 1798.]

[Variant 3: 

1820.

  Little Dan is unbreech’d, he is three birth-days old, 1800.]

[Variant 4: 

1837.

  ... a-stealing ... 1800.]

[Variant 5: 

1827.

  ... of peats ... 1800.]

[Variant 6: 

1820.

  Dan once ... 1800.]

[Variant 7: 

1800.

  ’Twas a smooth pleasant pathway, a gentle descent,
  And leisurely down it, and down it, he went.  MS. 1798.]

[Variant 8: 

1802.

  ... street ... 1800.]

[Variant 9: 

1837.

  ... is both leader and led; 1800.]

[Variant 10: 

1837.

  For grey-headed Dan ... 1800.

  The grey-headed Sire ... 1820.]

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT

[Footnote A:  Thomas Bewick, the wood engraver, born at Cherryburn, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1753, died 1828.  He revived the art of wood engraving in England.  His illustrations—­drawn for the ’General History of British Quadrupeds’ (1790), and for his own ’History of British Birds’ (1797 and 1804)—­were unrivalled in their way.—­Ed.]