. He was willing to give up his uniform. It was rubbed and
rubbed, and a spot here and there was washed out; and he kept
continually repeating: 'When it's dry it will all brush off; when it's
dry it will all brush off, won't it?' But soon the fear of being too
late at the archery meeting began to balance the dread of appearing in
his stained habiliments; and now he as anxiously repeated, whilst the
woman held the wet coat to the fire: 'Oh, I shall be too late! indeed, I
shall be too late! Make haste; it will never dry! Hold it nearer--nearer
to the fire. I shall lose my turn to shoot. Oh, give me the coat! I
don't mind how it is, if I can but get it on.'

Holding it nearer and nearer to the fire dried it quickly, to be sure;
but it shrank it also, so that it was no easy matter to get the coat on
again. However, Hal, who did not see the red splashes which, in spite of
all these operations, were too visible upon his shoulders and upon the
skirts of his white coat behind, was pretty well satisfied to observe
that there was not one spot upon the facings.

'Nobody,' said he, 'will take notice of my coat behind, I dare say. I
think it looks as smart almost as ever!' and under this persuasion our
young archer resumed his bow--his bow with green ribands now no
more--and he pursued his way to the Downs.

All his companions were far out of sight.

'I suppose,' said he to his friend with the black patch--'I suppose my
uncle and Ben had left home before you went for the shoes and stockings
for me?'

'Oh, yes, sir; the butler said they had been gone to the Downs the
matter of a good half-hour or more.'

Hal trudged on as fast as he possibly could. When he got upon the Downs,
he saw numbers of carriages and crowds of people all going towards the
place of meeting at the Ostrich. He pressed forwards. He was at first so
much afraid of being late that he did not take notice of the mirth his
motley appearance excited in all beholders. At length he reached the
appointed spot. There was a great crowd of people. In the midst he heard
Lady Diana's loud voice betting upon some one who was just going to
shoot at the mark.

'So then the shooting is begun, is it?' said Hal. 'Oh, let me in! pray
let me in to the circle! I'm one of the archers--I am indeed; don't you
see my green and white uniform?'

'Your red and white uniform, you mean,' said the man to whom he
addressed himself; and the people, as they opened a passage for him,
could n