6 MAY-FAIR DAY AND

kept on raining, they were ever to get home that
night.

At four o'clock, at five o'clock, at six o'clock, it
rained just as hard as ever, and seemed as if it would
rain all night; and the public-houses were brimful :
in kitchen and parlour, and bed-room, and everywhere,
there was a smell of wet clothes and tobacco smoke,
and ale, and gin-and-water. What was to be done ?
What indeed was to be done? For at that very time,
there came, slowly and heavily advancing into the
town, one after another, in long and weary line, seven
heavy baggage wagons belonging to a regiment which
had marched shortly before through the town, on its
way to Ireland. Wearily went onward the wagons
along the wet, grinding street, piled up, as high as
the houses, with baggage, and soldiers’ wives and
children. The drivers were wet; the horses were
wet; the soldiers who attended the train were wet ;
and so were the wives and children, who, wrapped in
gray woollen cloaks and coats, sat up aloft among the
baggage: the rain lay in large pools in the hollows of
the tarpauling, and rocked about, and spilled over, as
the wagons went along unsteadily up the ill-paved
street; and altogether, the whole train presented 4
most comfortless and weary appearance, On, however,
it went, wagon after wagon; and cheerful families,
sitting at home by their warm firesides, were filled with
a kindly compassion for the poor strangers, who had
arrived thus disconsolately and thus inopportunely.

There was no room in the market-place for the
unloading of the luggage; so the wagons, having
made the circuit of the town, came at length to a
stand in the widest part of the widest street, and
began slowly to unload.