THE BOOK OF THE BOYAL 



to obtain their own refreshment, were recalled from the jaublic- 

 houses to which they had retreated, in order to enable the guests 

 to terminate the fete with dancing ; and on. the wet and splashy 

 grass dancing was for some short time kept np. This, however, 

 soon ceased — dancing in soaked boots and shoes'" on wet grass 

 not being an amusement capable of long enjoyment — and at last 

 the day's entertainment came to an end. No sooner had the 

 last visitor taken his departure, and the men been released 

 from their long and laborious duty, than the posts and pegs at 

 the back of the tents and buildings slowly yielded, ploughing 

 through the muddy puddle in which they stood, and the whole 

 fabric gave way with a crash, burying in one undistinguishable 

 inin the tables, and the dinuer-service, wines, and viands under 

 their wet and heavy folds. "What are we to do, Sirl" cried 

 the panic-stricken servants. " Let them lie until Monday," was 

 the rejjly ; and so they did, and longer than Monday. It was 

 a fortnight afterwards before the purveyors got all the articles, 

 overwhelmed on that night, removed. And it is noteworthy and 

 to the credit of the Society's servants, that although the whole 

 appareil of the feast — broken crystal, and viands — lay mixed 

 with valuable plate for so many days, not a single article was 

 lost. The spoons and forks were recovered by raking them out 

 of the mud, and not one was missing. 



Such accidents as this, or even the risk of such misfortunes, 

 rendered the Council, when they saw that the seasons or their 



* There is a tradition that a bushel of wet shoes and stockings was picked up 

 in tlie Garden and neighbourhood next day, probably thrown from the carriage 

 windows after the owners had obtained fresh supplies from the Chiswick shops 

 on leaving. 



