194 



THE HAWTHORN. 



told US, added to his ardent love of ancient lore, 

 a scarcely less anxiety to preserve in their pristine 

 purity all the festivities of ' The May.' 



^'Accordingly we proceeded to*^ Hatton, the 

 doctor's residence, and on arriving at the village, 

 we found a gigantic May-pole erected in an open 



MAY-POLE. 



space, decorated with innumerable flowers, and 

 surrounded by the villagers in their holiday attire. 

 Among a crowd of ladies and gentlemen, we 

 observed a portly personage, attired in full canon- 

 icals, and wearing a wig of most orthodox dimen- 

 sions, whom we could not for a moment hesitate 



