tolling other dames, and therefore we should have all our knights,
squires, horses, armour, and so on.'

'But must we not publish regulations afterwards?' observed Mumbles.

'Of course we must. That is to say, every knight who professes his
readiness to break a lance must provide himself with horse, weapons, and
esquire, and send in his certificate of noble blood and knightly
bearing.'

'But where shall we place the proclamation?'

'On the doors of the church, certainly; upon the "cage"; upon the
"pound"; and other public institutions of our country.'

'Good,' said Mr. Mumbles; 'I like to honour the institutions of my
country, and therefore I would not have forgotten the parish pump.'

'Certainly not, my dear sir. Well, then, we must apply to the
schoolmaster to let us have, on hire, the boys and girls of the national
schools to walk in order before the procession, with silver wands in
their hands and blue ribands in their hats, while the girls should be
dressed all in white like nymphs, and strew flowers.'

'Capital,' said Mr. Mumbles; 'and then we can give them a tuck-out with
rolls and treacle; won't the boys like it--ay, and the girls too! Lawks!
how I did laugh once to see girls eat rolls and treacle! They beat the
boys out and out at that fun. They dabbed the treacle into each other's
eyes, and roped it over each other's shoulders, and swung it into each
other's faces, like good 'uns. There is nothing like girls for a spree;
when they do begin, they beat the boys hollow.'

'Well, then,' continued Quiddity, 'I thought of hiring for a day the old
workhouse women, to act as matrons or sibyls, as the case may be. They
will be a pretty contrast to the "gals." And, that they may not cry out,
we will treat them all to a pound of snuff apiece, and a new dress.'

'And a red brocade petticoat each, and a Margaret of Anjou cap or hat.'

'What, one of those with a long poke behind like a rolling-pin, and a
veil at the end of it?' said Mr. Mumbles.

'Just so, my dear,' replied the lady; 'and they must have one stocking
red and the other blue.'

'Ay, ay,' rejoined Mumbles, with an arch look, 'I know the reason of
that; you fancy but for this expedient that in the _crowd_ the old
ladies would not otherwise know one leg from the other.'

'You are quite wrong, my dear; but we must follow the ancient costume,
you know, or else we shall be laughed at.'

'What shall be next?' said Mr. Quiddity.

'Ay, what next, my de