,
who we thought would have split the coat that slid down to meet him, with
laughing.

We had been looking on at this little pantomime with great satisfaction
for some time, when, to our unspeakable astonishment, we perceived that
the whole of the characters, including a numerous _corps de ballet_ of
boots and shoes in the background, into which we had been hastily
thrusting as many feet as we could press into the service, were arranging
themselves in order for dancing; and some music striking up at the
moment, to it they went without delay. It was perfectly delightful to
witness the agility of the market-gardener. Out went the boots, first on
one side, then on the other, then cutting, then shuffling, then setting
to the Denmark satins, then advancing, then retreating, then going round,
and then repeating the whole of the evolutions again, without appearing
to suffer in the least from the violence of the exercise.

Nor were the Denmark satins a bit behindhand, for they jumped and bounded
about, in all directions; and though they were neither so regular, nor so
true to the time as the cloth boots, still, as they seemed to do it from
the heart, and to enjoy it more, we candidly confess that we preferred
their style of dancing to the other. But the old gentleman in the list
shoes was the most amusing object in the whole party; for, besides his
grotesque attempts to appear youthful, and amorous, which were
sufficiently entertaining in themselves, the young fellow in the pumps
managed so artfully that every time the old gentleman advanced to salute
the lady in the cloth boots, he trod with his whole weight on the old
fellow's toes, which made him roar with anguish, and rendered all the
others like to die of laughing.

We were in the full enjoyment of these festivities when we heard a
shrill, and by no means musical voice, exclaim, 'Hope you'll know me
agin, imperence!' and on looking intently forward to see from whence the
sound came, we found that it proceeded, not from the young lady in the
cloth boots, as we had at first been inclined to suppose, but from a
bulky lady of elderly appearance who was seated in a chair at the head of
the cellar-steps, apparently for the purpose of superintending the sale
of the articles arranged there.

A barrel-organ, which had been in full force close behind us, ceased
playing; the people we had been fitting into the shoes and boots took to
flight at the interruption; and as we were