A JOURNAL KEPT IN THE COUNTRY. 1 67 



unsophisticated by Board School French. As the 

 necessary expenses of the saturnalia cannot be legally 

 borne by the Society's funds, certain of the gentry 

 in the parish are invited to dine with the brethren 

 and, by inferential presentation of a subscription-list, 

 to contribute to the banquet. I received the customary 

 invitation by the hands of the grocer's boy on his 

 round a few days ago, and accepted as a matter of 

 course, with the mixed feeling usual in these cases, 

 the hope that the self-sacrifice involved may in some 

 vague way compensate for the probable failure of 

 any good effect from one's presence. 



The Loyal Saxons, following an ancient undeviating 

 procedure, make a full day of their holiday. At nine 

 o'clock there rises above the ordinary village sounds 

 the thump and blare of the brass band, whose music 

 may be traced as it travels here and there about the 

 environs to serenade the seats of the chief subscribers. 

 Distance delivers me from this honour, and takes the 

 worst out of the cacophony, reduced as I hear it to 

 a not altogether unpleasant jingle of cymbals and 

 pulse of the big drum. Towards eleven the National 

 Anthem denotes that the Society prepares to attend 

 Church, where at their request, following tradition, 

 they hear the Rector read service and give them a 

 short address I have heard several of these plain, 



