I66 FIELD AND HEDGEROW, 



Spanish, and Italian blood. It is, in fact, the inter- 

 marriages that have kept the falsely so-called pure races 

 of these human parasites alive. The mixing is con- 

 tinually going on. The gipsies who still stay in their 

 tents, however, look askance upon those who desert them 

 for the roof Two gipsy women, thorough-bred, came 

 into a village shop and bought a variety of groceries, 

 ending with a pound of biscuits and a Guy Fawkes mask 

 for a boy. They were clad in dirty jackets and hats, 

 draggle-tails, unkempt and unwashed, with orange and 

 red kerchiefs round their necks (the gipsy colours). Hap- 

 pening to look out of window, they saw a young servant 

 girl with a perambulator on the opposite side of the * street; ' 

 she was tidy and decently dressed, looking after her mis- 

 tress's children in civilised fashion ; but they recognised 

 her as a deserter from the tribe, and blazed with contempt 

 ' Don't she look a figure !' exclaimed these dirty creatures 

 The short hours shorten, and the leaf-crop is gathered 

 to the great barn of the earth ; the oaks alone, more 

 tenacious, retain their leaves, that have now become a 

 colour like new leather. It is too brown for buff — it is 

 more like fresh harness. The berries are red on thf 

 holly bushes and holly trees that grow, whole copses o 

 them, on the forest slopes — ' the Great Rough ; ' th< 

 half-wild sheep have polished the stems of these holly tree; 

 till they shine, by rubbing their fleeces against them 

 The farmers have been drying their damp wheat in th( 

 oast-houses over charcoal fires, and wages are lowered 

 and men discharged. Vast loads of brambles am 

 thorns, dead firs, useless hop-poles and hop-bines, am 

 gorse are drawn together for the great bonfire on th( 

 green. The 5th of November bonfires are still vita 

 institutions, and from the top of the hill you may : 

 them burning in all directions, as if an enemy had se 

 fire to the hamlets, 



