238 AT THE FAIR. 



owner of the concern when you placed a half- 

 penny on the board turned the table, and you 

 received the particular ration of sweetstuff to 

 which the indicator pointed. This was the 

 Homburg quarter of the fair. Big^ Breeches 

 was sorely tried, but was frightened by the ruin 

 of a boy who came up to try his luck. The 

 boy was fascinated by the chance of winning a 

 yard of the prize confection which was on one 

 green division of the table. He staked three 

 halfpence against the bank, and though the 

 indicator trembled over the prize, it finally 

 settled above a miserable morsel, which was 

 handed to the winner with an attempt on the 

 part of the proprietor of the concern to con- 

 sole the unfortunate plunger with a generous 

 amount of brown paper to wrap his inch of 

 sugarstick in. The ruined boy bore off the 

 parcel without looking at it, and Big Breeches 

 made his safe tuppence chuckle in his pouch, 

 and we passed on to other vanities. After a 

 walk of nearly ten yards, and stopping at 

 everything, we met a friend of little Big 

 Breeches, in a white smock, holding a tiny 

 maiden by the hand. The party simulta- 



