THE RAG MARKET AT BRUGES.

see a human being in its grass-grown silent streets. But on Saturday all is
changed. The pavements are crowded with jostling busy people from the coun-
try : men in blue blouses and little black silk caps, or in black broadcloth and
gorgeous colored waistcoats; women in dark blue or green gowns with little
bright colored shawls crossed on their shoulders over a white lace or muslin ker-
chief, and wonderful caps with long lace
lappet-ears, and coal-scuttle shaped bonnets
of yellow straw with a lace flap behind, and
long gold earrings, and gold crosses round
their necks, sometimes set with tiny diamonds
or sparkling crystals, and over all an enor-
mous black cloak — such a cloak — that falls
into great sumptuous folds, and is big enough
to cover three people at once. Every corner,
every little square, is turned into a market
for something. There is the egg market
and the fowl market, the potato market
and the fish market, the fruit market, in-
numerable meat markets, the “ great
market,” where everything from cakes

to umbrellas is sold—and last of all,
the Rag Market.

 

The pilgrims were sorely tempted to SSeS Ui
stop in the great market, and poke about
among the booths on the Grande Place. “(A STILL, BROWN CANAL.”

But terror lest some enterprising foreigner
should be before them in the Marché aux Chiffons gave the four friends
strength of mind to tear themselves away from the gay stalls, and on they
hurried — through more queer old streets— under the great Church of Notre
Dame, until they found themselves on a quay beside a still, brown canal.
Along the quay —it is called the Dyver—ran a double row of lime-trees.
Under these was a row of booths filled with new goods. And between the
booths and the water, hung on strings stretched between the trees, heaped on
the ground upon bits of carpet, piled in boxes and baskets, and in carts drawn
by patient dogs, were rags —rags— rags. Yes; real rags, and rubbish of all
sorts and kinds — odds and ends such as the pilgrims had never seen before.
Bright flame-colored wools in big hanks, with shawls and handkerchiefs, and
woollen and cotton goods, piles of boots, white caps dangling and swaying
in the air, pinned up by their long lace strings, black cloaks, gold and silver:
crosses and earrings, purple umbrellas — these were all sold in the booths. Soaps,
and combs, and boxes of ointment were displayed on little stands. Colored
stuffs, brown and pink stockings, yards upon yards of common new lace, hung