THE STATUTES. 393 



scratching, but as a pretty girl had volunteered to sing a song, all 

 was hushed ; even Jack Straw seemed to sober beneath her syren- 

 voice as she warbled forth the following : 



When a shade is on the wood, 



Where the nightingale is singing, 

 And echoes roll along the flood, 



From the vesper-bell slow swinging, 

 Meet me in the primrose-dell. 



When the wind sweeps gently by, 



Stealing fragrance from the rose ; 

 When the moon walks up the sky, 



And the song-birds seek repose, 

 Meet me in the primrose-dell. 



When the bells of flowers are folding, 

 Bowed by dews which on them rest ; 



When the stars are up and holding, 

 Converse on the night's blue-breast, 

 Meet me in the primrose-delh 



When the kine sleep on the hill, 

 Where the new hay smelleth sweet, 



And all around us is so still, 

 We can hear our fond hearts beat, 

 Meet me in the primrose-dell. 



As her companion thanked her with a kiss, I thought Jack Straw 

 frowned ; the serjeant looked comical, but as the sound of a drum 

 and fiddle was now heard outside, and being the hour of twilight, we 

 walked out to breathe the evening air, and find out fresh amusement. 



At one corner of the " Blue-bell" was erected a temporary stage, 

 or show, as they termed it. The company consisted of three persons ; 

 a tall dark woman stood fronting the ladder, which led up, on general 

 occasions, to mine hostess's hay-loft, but was now converted into the 

 medium of ascension to witness the king of all the conjurors. 



" Walk up, walk up," vociferated the dusky damsel, " only one 

 penny ; just a-going to begin I'll forfeit a thousand pounds if 

 there is the like of this exhibition in all England walk up ! walk 

 up ! the apparatus is now ready." This said apparatus consisted of 

 a table, a pack of cards, and some cups and balls, all, saving the cups 

 and balls, being the property of mine hostess. The covering of this 

 establishment was a waggon-tilt, which Farmer Tong had generously 

 lent them. A one-eyed fiddler, a stray bird from Boswell's gang 

 (who were now in the parlour), stood scraping away in the back- 

 ground, rolling his one eye by no perceivable regulation like a 

 comet, it moved in an eccentric orbit or, as one of the rustics ob- 

 served, looked nine ways for a Sunday's dinner. " The king of 

 all the conjurors" could not weigh less than fifteen stone ; his business 

 was to drum and dance alternately, while he was engaged in the 

 latter, in the small space of about three yards, a loud crack was 

 heard, which caused the blazing grease-pots, which illuminated the 

 exhibition, to shake. A portion of the scalding contents happened 

 to fall upon the vulnerable part of a rough farmer, who, jn the ple- 



M. M. No. 100. 3 E 



