strikes at
the old man's body.

[70] #Sir Roger de Coverley#: a typical old country gentleman
of delightful simplicity of character. See Addison's
"Spectator."

"Blood, blood!" shout the crowd, "Joe's head's broke!"

Who'd have thought it? How did it come? That body-blow left Joe's
head unguarded for a moment, and with one turn of the wrist the
old gentleman has picked a neat bit of skin off the middle of his
forehead; and though he won't believe it, and hammers on for three
more blows despite of the shouts, is then convinced by the blood
trickling into his eyes. Poor Joe is sadly crestfallen, and fumbles in
his pocket for the other half-sovereign, but the old gamester won't
have it. "Keep thy money, man, and gi's[71] thy hand," says he, and
they shake hands; but the old gamester gives the hat to the shepherd,
and, soon after, the half-sovereign to Willum, who thereout decorates
his sweetheart with ribbons to his heart's content.

[71] #Gi's#: give us.

"Who can a[72] be! Wur[73] do a cum from?" ask the crowd. And it soon
flies about that the west-country champion, who played a tie[74] with
Shaw, the life-guardsman[75] at "Vizes"[76] twenty years before, has
broken Joe Willis's crown for him.

[72] #A#: he.

[73] #Wur#: where.

[74] #Tie#: a contest in which neither side gains the victory.

[75] #Life-guardsman#: one of the Queen's body-guard.

[76] #"Vizes"#: a contraction of Devizes, a town in Wiltshire.

THE REVELS ARE OVER.

How my country fair is spinning out! I see I must skip the wrestling,
and the boys jumping in sacks, and rolling wheelbarrows blindfolded;
and the donkey-race, and the fight which arose thereout, marring the
otherwise peaceful "veast," and the frightened scurrying away of the
female feast-goers, and descent of Squire Brown, summoned by the wife
of one of the combatants to stop it, which he wouldn't start to do
till he had got on his top-boots. Tom is carried away by old Benjy,
dog-tired and surfeited with pleasure, as the evening comes on and the
dancing begins in the booths; and though Willum and Rachel in her new
ribbons, and many another good lad and lass, don't come away just yet,
but have a good step out and enjoy it, and get no harm thereby, yet
we, being sober folk, will just stroll away up through the
church-yard, and by the old yew-tree; and get a quiet dish of tea and
bit of talk with our gossips, as the steady ones of our village