by Frank Baker
With Hoopoe, Knot and Sanderling,
And other fowls that cannot sing.
Yes, dear birdie, you shall be
Choirmaster to the company
Of all the birds on every tree–
Doctor P! Doctor P!
TRIOLET: EARLY TO ELY
Constantia, he called me in those days–
The far-off days when friendship flower’d freely,
Unchoked by weeds. The name in memory stays . . .
Constantia. He called me in those days
When wonder filled our hearts with songs of praise
To rise at dawn and bicycle to Ely.
Constantia, he called me in those days
The far-off days when friendship flower’d freely.
THE BLOOMSBURY GROUP
The Brontës Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson
Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys
Love’s Shadow by Ada Leverson
A Kid for Two Farthings by Wolf Mankowitz
Mrs Tim of the Regiment by D.E. Stevenson
The History of Bloomsbury Publishing
Bloomsbury Publishing was founded in 1986 to publish books of excellence and originality. Its authors include Margaret Atwood, John Berger, William Boyd, David Guterson, Khaled Hosseini, John Irving, Anne Michaels, Michael Ondaatje, J.K. Rowling, Donna Tartt and Barbara Trapido. Its logo is Diana, the Roman Goddess of Hunting.
In 1994 Bloomsbury floated on the London Stock Exchange and added both a paperback and a children’s list. Bloomsbury is based in Soho Square in London and expanded to New York in 1998 and Berlin in 2003. In 2000 Bloomsbury acquired A&C Black and now publishes Who’s Who, Whitaker’s Almanack, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook. Many books, bestsellers and literary awards later, Bloomsbury is one of the world’s leading independent publishing houses.
Launched in 2009, The Bloomsbury Group continues the company’s tradition of publishing books with perennial, word-of-mouth appeal. This series celebrates lost classics written by both men and women from the early twentieth century, books recommended by readers for readers. Literary bloggers, authors, friends and colleagues have shared their suggestions of cherished books worthy of revival. To send in your recommendation, please write to:
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New York, NY 10010
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For more information on all titles in The Bloomsbury Group series
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Copyright © 1940 by Frank Baker
Ex libris illustration © 2009 by Penelope Beech
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Bloomsbury
USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR.
ISBN 978-1-60819-051-5 (paperback)
First published in 1940 by Eyre and Spottiswoode
Published in the U.S. by Bloomsbury USA in 2010
This e-book edition published in 2010
E-book ISBN: 978-1-60819-188-8
www.bloomsburyusa.com
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Contents
Dedication
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
A Note on the Author
Postscript
The Lay of the Last Cricket
A Small Thing
The Ferry
Evensong in Advent
A Friend for Tea
Sonnet to My Bath
Doctor Pepusch
Triolet: Early to Ely
Imprint