54 



the show), was rank Blue to the very tips of her 

 fingers, and had, indeed, contributed one of her 

 female slaves to sustain a very important character 

 in the show; for when the Blue procession was ready 

 to set forward, there was evidently a hitch, some- 

 thing was wanting ; and there seemed to be no 

 possibility of getting on without it — when suddenly 

 we saw a tall woman dressed in mourning (being 

 Miss Edwards herself) rush out of our hotel, drag- 

 ging along by the hand a strange uncouth kind 

 of a glittering tawdry figure, all feathers, and pitch- 

 fork, and painted pasteboard, who moved most 

 reluctantly, and turned out to be no less a person- 

 age than Britannia herself, with a pasteboard shield 

 covered with the arms of Great Britain, a trident 

 in her hand, and a helmet made of pale blue silk 

 and silver. The poor girl, it seems, was bashful 

 at appearing in this conspicuous manner before so 

 many spectators, and hung back when it came to 

 the point. But her mistress had seized hold of 

 her, and placed her by main force in her destined 

 position. The music struck up ; Miss Edwards 

 gave the Goddess a great push forwards; the drum- 

 sticks and the elbows of the fiddlers attacked her 

 in the rear; and on went Britannia willy-nilly ! 



The Blue girls called themselves " the Blue girls 

 of Waterloo." Their motto was the more patriotic; 

 that of the Red was the more gallant : — " Britannia 

 rules the day ! " streamed upon the Blue flag ; 

 " Red girls for ever !" floated upon the Red. But, 



