THE QUEEN OF MAY. 
123 
They also were ornamented with flowers, and had a 
stranger suddenly come up, who had never before 
witnessed these floral amusements, he would have 
thought that the nymphs of Arcady had wandered 
from their ancient and poetical vales, and come to 
pay homage to the flowery pastures of England. A 
handsome-looking young gentleman stood gazing 
upon the scene, with his horse’s bridle thrown neg¬ 
ligently over his arm, while he timed the measure 
of the dance with the butt-end of his riding-whip, 
upon the ground. The Queen of May lowered her 
flowery sceptre, and, stopping the dance, beckoned 
one of the village maidens to approach, when, 
whispering something in her ear, she took the band 
of rosebuds from her neck and placed it in the 
hands of the dancer, who exchanged a few words 
with five of her fair companions, and they went 
trippingly up to the young gentleman, and, throw¬ 
ing the wreath of roses around him, brought him 
prisoner before the Queen of May. Laughing, he 
knelt down and kissed the white hand which was 
extended towards him, then took his seat beside 
her on the throne of flowers. Then again the music 
sounded, and the light-footed dancers whirled round 
the dizzy maze, now joined by the jolly old English 
squire, who made the earth shake again beneath 
the tread of his heavy top-boots. A few bottles of 
the choicest wine had been brought from the 
