he shed
opened, and a party emerged therefrom, clad in the costume and emulating
the appearance, of May-day sweeps!

The first person who appeared was 'my lord,' habited in a blue coat and
bright buttons, with gilt paper tacked over the seams, yellow
knee-breeches, pink cotton stockings, and shoes; a cocked hat, ornamented
with shreds of various-coloured paper, on his head, a _bouquet_ the size
of a prize cauliflower in his button-hole, a long Belcher handkerchief in
his right hand, and a thin cane in his left. A murmur of applause ran
through the crowd (which was chiefly composed of his lordship's personal
friends), when this graceful figure made his appearance, which swelled
into a burst of applause as his fair partner in the dance bounded forth
to join him. Her ladyship was attired in pink crape over bed-furniture,
with a low body and short sleeves. The symmetry of her ankles was
partially concealed by a very perceptible pair of frilled trousers; and
the inconvenience which might have resulted from the circumstance of her
white satin shoes being a few sizes too large, was obviated by their
being firmly attached to her legs with strong tape sandals.

Her head was ornamented with a profusion of artificial flowers; and in
her hand she bore a large brass ladle, wherein to receive what she
figuratively denominated 'the tin.' The other characters were a young
gentleman in girl's clothes and a widow's cap; two clowns who walked upon
their hands in the mud, to the immeasurable delight of all the
spectators; a man with a drum; another man with a flageolet; a dirty
woman in a large shawl, with a box under her arm for the money,--and
last, though not least, the 'green,' animated by no less a personage than
our identical friend in the tarpaulin suit.

The man hammered away at the drum, the flageolet squeaked, the shovels
rattled, the 'green' rolled about, pitching first on one side and then on
the other; my lady threw her right foot over her left ankle, and her left
foot over her right ankle, alternately; my lord ran a few paces forward,
and butted at the 'green,' and then a few paces backward upon the toes of
the crowd, and then went to the right, and then to the left, and then
dodged my lady round the 'green;' and finally drew her arm through his,
and called upon the boys to shout, which they did lustily--for this was
the dancing.

We passed the same group, accidentally, in the evening. We never saw a
'green' so drunk