figure darted out of the tent, and
flew to meet them from afar. Dare, who had been on the lookout for them
for some time, offered to lift out Molly, helped out Ruth, held the
baskets, wished to unharness the donkey, let the wheel go over his
patent leather shoe, and in short made himself excessively agreeable, if
not in Ruth's, at least in Molly's eyes, who straightway entered into
conversation with him, and invited him to call upon herself and the
guinea-pigs at Atherstone at an early date.

Then ensued the usual scene at festivities of this description. Tea was
poured out like water (very like warm water), buns, cakes, and bread and
butter were eaten, were crumbled, were put in pockets, were stamped
underfoot. Large open tarts, covered with thin sticks of pastry, called
by the boys "the tarts with the grubs on 'em," disappeared apace, being
constantly replaced by others made in the same image, from which the
protecting but adhesive newspaper had to be judiciously peeled. When the
last limit of the last child had been reached, the real work of the day
began--the games. Under a blazing sun, for the space of two hours,
"Sally Water" or "Nuts in May" must be played, with an occasional change
to "Oranges and Lemons."

Ruth, who had before been staying with the Alwynns at the time of their
school-feast, hardened her heart, and began that immoral but popular
game of "Sally Water."

"Sally, Sally Water, come sprinkle your pan;
Rise up a husband, a handsome young man.
Rise, Sally, rise, and don't look sad,
You shall have a husband, good or bad."

The last line showing how closely the state of feeling of village
society, as regards the wedded state, resembles the view taken of it in
the highest circles.

Other games were already in full swing. Mrs. Alwynn, flushed and shrill,
was organizing an infant troop. A good-natured curate was laying up for
himself treasure elsewhere, by a present expenditure of half-pence
secreted in a tub of bran. Dare, not to be behind-hand, took to swinging
little girls with desperate and heated good-nature. His bright smile and
genial brown face soon gained the confidence of the children; and then
he swung them as they had never been swung before. It was positively the
first time that some of the girls had ever seen their heels above their
heads. And his powers of endurance were so great. First his coat and
then his waistcoat were cast aside as he warmed to his work, until at