A NEW JOHN GILPIN. 319 



A circus came there, and, a breakage having occurred 

 in some of the iron work, it was repaired by A. 

 M . The proprietor of the circus went off with- 

 out paying, and was followed by his creditor, who at 

 last consented to accept a horse in lieu of money. 

 So the horse, a piebald one, such as are often found 

 in a circus, was taken back to E . 



' A few days afterwards, the new owner having to 

 settle an account at some little distance, determined 

 to ride there. All went well until he arrived at his 

 destination, when, seeing a circular flower-bed, with 

 a gravel path round it, the horse took it into his 

 head that the path was a circus, and accordingly 

 dashed into it, and began to gallop round and round 

 in circus fashion. 



' Poor A , a short, stout man, and a very 



bad rider, clung to the horse's neck, and then sud- 

 denly realised the fact that he was enacting the part 

 of John Gilpin. Meanwhile, off flew his hat, strictly 

 according to the part ; the, enraged gardener held up 

 his spade and tried to stop the horse, and save the 

 flowers, which were being kicked to pieces, and 

 hurled right and left. The worst of it was that the 



proprietor of the house and garden, Mr. S , was 



looking on from an upper window. 



' Presently the horse stopped, and A - hoped 

 to get down. But there was no such luck for him. 



