ps
which led to the platform in front of the show; but they took no
notice of it, paid their money, and entered.

Inside they found an exciting scene. The place was pretty well
lighted, and the birds and beasts were all alive in their several
dens and cages, walking up and down, and each uttering
remonstrances after its own manner, the shrill notes of birds
mingling with the moan of the beasts of prey and chattering of
the monkeys. Feeding time had been put off till night to suit the
undergraduates, and the undergraduates were proving their
appreciation of the attention by playing off all manner of
practical jokes on birds and beasts, their keepers, and such of
the public as had been rash enough to venture in. At the farther
end was the keeper, who did the showman, vainly endeavouring to
go through his usual jogtrot description. His monotone was
drowned every minute by the chorus of voices, each shouting out
some new fact in natural history touching the biped or quadruped
whom the keeper was attempting to describe. At that day a great
deal of this sort of chaff was current, so that the most
dunder-headed boy had plenty on the tip of his tongue. A small
and indignant knot of townspeople, headed by a stout and severe
middle-aged woman, with two big boys, her sons, followed the
keeper, endeavouring by caustic remarks and withering glances to
stop the flood of chaff, and restore the legitimate authority and
the reign of keeper and natural history.

At another point was a long Irishman in cap and gown, who had
clearly had as much wine as he could carry, close to the bars of
the panther's den, through which he was earnestly endeavouring,
with the help of a crooked stick, to draw the tail of whichever
of the beasts stopped for a moment in its uneasy walk. On the
other side were a set of men bent on burning the wretched
monkeys' fingers with the lighted ends of their cigars, in which
they seemed successful enough, to judge by the angry chatterings
and shriekings of their victims.

The two new comers paused for a moment on the platform inside the
curtain; and then Drysdale, rubbing his hands, and in high glee
at the sight of so much misrule in so small a place, led the way
down on to the floor deep in sawdust, exclaiming, "Well, this
_is_ a lark! We're just in for all the fun of the fair."

Tom followed his friend, who made straight for the show man, and
planted himself at his side, just as that worthy, pointing with
his