ower, my friends, each and all,
which of these homes shall be yours. I have thought that some active
amusement is necessary, and have arranged, after consultation with your
vicar and with Mr. and Mrs. Dodgson, that a choir-master from Birmingham
shall come over twice a week, to train such of you as may wish and may
have voices, in choir-singing. As the lads of Stokebridge can beat those
of any of the surrounding villages at cricket, so I hope in time the
choir of the lads and lasses of this place will be able to hold its own
against any other." Again the speaker had to pause, for the cheering was
enthusiastic. "And now, good-night; and may I say that I hope and trust
that when the fireworks, which will now be displayed, are over, you will
all go home and straight to bed, without being tempted to join in the
doings at the feast. If so, it will be a satisfaction to me to think
that for the first time since the feast was first inaugurated, neither
lad nor lass of Stokebridge will have cause to look back upon the
feast-day with regret or shame."

CHAPTER XIX.

THE GREAT RIOT.

Stokebridge feast had not gone off with its usual spirit. The number of
young pitmen and lads from the surrounding villages were as large as
ever, and there was no lack of lasses in gay bonnets and bright dresses.
The fact, however, that almost the whole of the lads and girls of
Stokebridge between the ages of fifteen and eighteen had left the
village and gone to a rival fete elsewhere, cast a damper on the
proceedings. There were plenty of young women and young men in
Stokebridge who were as ready as ever to dance and to drink, and who
were, perhaps, even gaudier in attire and more boisterous in manner than
usual, as a protest against the recession of their juniors; for
Stokebridge was divided into two very hostile camps, and, as was perhaps
not unnatural, those over the age of the girls and lads at the
night-schools resented the changes which had been made, and rebelled
against the, as they asserted, airs of superiority of younger sisters
and brothers.

In some cases no doubt there was ground for the feeling. The girls and
lads, eager to introduce the new lessons of order and neatness which
they had learned, may have gone too fast and acted with too much zeal,
although their teacher had specially warned them against so doing. Hence
the feeling of hostility to the movement was strong among a small
section of Stokebridge, and the feeling