There could not be a quieter village anywhere than Southbourn, except
once a year, when it was full of gaiety, noise, and bustle. Once a year
the Fair was held there, and then nobody would have known that it _was_
Southbourn. The cottages that went straggling up the hill were almost
hidden from sight by the booths and shows, and nothing of the village
could be seen except the church and the clergyman's house.
About half a mile off there lived a little girl named Jessie White, who,
together with all the other little girls, and boys too, of the
neighbourhood, looked forward to July, the month when the Fair was held,
with the greatest pleasure. In that quiet country place they were no
fine shops to go to when you wanted to buy anything, and no exhibitions,
zoological gardens, and such agreeable places to amuse people; but the
Fair came once a year, and for it they saved up their money, and they
hoped to enjoy all manner of fine sights when they went to it.
July had come; and the 13th of July had come; and the next day the Fair
began. Already there were several preparations. Some booths had been
erected in the village, and wonderful things began to come along the
road. The house that Jessie lived in was close to the roadside, but none
of the windows looked that way. There was, however, one corner of the
garden wall from which, if you got upon a wooden bench that was by it,
and looked over, you could see all that passed. Here Jessie took her
station whenever she had time to leave her lessons and work. She had
already heard some heavy rumbling things go by this morning. And now she
heard a sound as if something very wonderful indeed was coming. But
whatever she expected, what she saw was far more extraordinary. She saw
a great wooden caravan painted yellow, with pictures of lions, tigers,
bears, and such savage creatures on it, and drawn by a large elephant,
on each side of whom walked a man. The elephant came on in a stately
manner with his great feet and strong legs, as if he did not care about
his load. She watched him as he passed close by her, and she could see
that, though his huge head and long trunk never moved, he looked at
her, perched up in her corner, out of his wise little eye. Behind him
came another caravan, painted with pictures of wolves, hyenas, jackals,
and other animals, drawn by two camels. Their tall necks, with the small
head at the end, might have touched her face if they had liked, and they
looked so strange that she jumped down, but soon got up again, and saw
that two more caravans drawn by horses followed.
"These must be the wild beasts," thought she to herself. She was sure of
it, because, besides the pictures, she had heard strange sounds as they
passed, of growls, howls, and squeaks. No wild beasts had come the year
before. This was a great pleasure indeed!
While she was watching till the caravans were out of sight, a man passed
carrying a box, on which was written, "The only real Mermaid!" Jessie
was very much puzzled to think how a mermaid could live in a box. She
thought they always lived in the sea.
Nothing else came for a long time; so she went to play in the garden,
but presently saw a flag moving along behind the trees; so she went to
look, and saw that the flag was fastened to the top of a wooden house on
wheels, with a door in front. A man smoking a pipe, a woman and child,
sat at the door, and two strong horses drew it. On the flag was
written, "The greatest Wonder of the Age;" and on the side of the house
"The Irish Giant, and his friend the American Dwarf;" and there was a
picture of a giant about fourteen feet high, and by his side a little
gentleman with a sword by his side, who came about to the giant's knee.
Jessie supposed they were both inside, and the man in front was the
showman; but she thought the giant must be very much crowded.
It was time to go in again, and she saw no more things pass; but she
once heard a funny noise, that made her believe Punch was going by, and
a great deal of barking, which she was told came from the dancing dogs,
who were very tired, and barked for joy that they were near their
journey's end.
Next morning she awoke to the happy feeling of a holiday and the Fair,
and after breakfast set off with her mama towards the village. The road
was thronged with country people in their Sunday clothes; and as they
got near they heard the sound of bells, horns, fiddles, drums, and loud
voices. The sound of horns became louder than all the rest; and, turning
a corner, they saw advancing towards them a line of men on horseback,
each blowing a brazen trumpet, and all dressed in grand scarlet coats,
with blacket velvet hats ornamented with ribbons. Presently they stopped
their horses and left off playing, and the foremost man began to
proclaim with a loud voice, that on the common outside the village there
was to be seen the finest collection of animals in the world. The great
Elephant from Siam; the Royal Lion and Lioness--the great Bengal Tiger;
the Black Bear and the Brown; Wolves and Panthers; a fine set of
Monkeys; and a splendid show of Parrots, Mackaws, and Owls. They then
began to blow their trumpets again and moved on. Jessie's mama promised
her that she should go to see the wild beasts.
When they got to the first booth in the village, they found themselves
among a crowd of people buying and bargaining. There was a gingerbread
booth, with gilt cakes, parliament, and gingerbread nuts; a
confectioner's, with sugar-plums, bull's-eyes, barley-sugar,
sugar-candy, and all sorts of sweet things; a jeweller's, with
necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and pins; a haberdasher's, with gay
ribbons, laces, gloves, and handkerchiefs, and, best of all, a toy-shop.
Here Jessie and her mama stopped to look and admire. Then they went back
to the first booths and bought a bagful of gingerbread nuts,
sugar-plums, and such things, to give to some of Jessie's little
friends. Again they went to the toy-shop. There was a kite that Jessie
fancied would please her cousin Arthur very much, and she thought she
would buy it; but she doubted between it and a horse on wheels. While
she was deliberating, her mama looked at a pretty doll, and gave her the
choice of it or a box of bricks, and after thinking a good while, she
chose the bricks; so it was wrapped in paper and given into her hand.
Still, the question between the kite and horse was not settled, when she
heard behind her some shouts of admiration, and found that a conjuror
was performing some wonderful tricks; so they went to look at him.
The conjuror had on a peaked hat and loose coat, and had a long beard,
and beside him was a clown with a ridiculous red and white dress, who
made fun of everything he did, and made him very angry every now and
then. The conjuror did the most amazing things. He held up a ball to
shew them, and then put it under a cup. He never touched the cup,--that
they were sure of,--and yet, when he raised it, the ball was gone, and
was under quite another one at the other end of the table. Then he put a
sheet of paper into his mouth, all crumpled up, and drew it out, twenty
yards long, out of his nose. And, last of all, he swallowed a knife.
Always, while he was preparing some new trick, a man kept playing on
the Pandean pipes, and beating a drum at the same time.
Behind the conjuror there was a theatre, where there was to be a play at
night, and on the other side there was a peep-show. Jessie felt the
greatest wish to see into it; so her mama told her she might. Two boys
were looking at the last picture in it as she came up, and she heard one
of them say, "Oh my! it _is_ beautiful!"
She paid her penny, and put her eyes to the glass, and there she saw a
grand procession. The show-man told her it was Queen Victoria going to
open Parliament-"There she sat," he said, "in her carriage, with her
Crown upon her head, and her Sceptre in her hand, and the eight
cream-coloured horses to draw her; and after her came the Royal Children
in a carriage with four black horses; and then all the lords and ladies
of her court, and the Royal Life Guards to guard her." All this
disappeared; and there were the gold workings in Australia, with a man
carrying a lump of gold half a hundred weight on his back, and all the
hills and rivers shining with gold. Then came St. Paul's and the Tower
of London. Afterwards, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the Aldermen,
Sheriffs, and their ladies, taking water at London Bridge, to go up the
river in the State Barge. Then a view of Edinburgh, with the
castle-rock rising in the middle, and the sea in the distance. And there
were a great many views in the peep-show besides. Jessie was very much
delighted with it; but her mama told her she must not quite believe all
the showman told her about Australia, nor exactly about all the other
things; she must only remember it as something very amusing.
Jessie now went back to the toy-shop and bought the kite. It was time to
go home, and much more remained to be seen; but her mama made her happy
by telling her that she should have another holiday to-morrow, and that
her cousin Arthur had promised to come, so that they could enjoy all the
other sights together. Foremost among these were the wild beasts. Some
friends they met in the Fair told them the animals were very fine
indeed. Jessie asked them if they had seen the mermaid, but they had not
heard of it.
"Oh!" said a boy standing near, "it's not a live mermaid,--only a dead
one; and I believe that it's nothing in the world but a stuffed monkey
with a fish's tail glued on it, and a green wig."
Jessie no longer wished to see it; but she was delighted at the prospect
of having Arthur with her, and of going to the wild beasts. She found
Arthur already arrived when she went home. He was very much pleased
with his kite, and they were very happy together next day, and enjoyed
the sight of the elephant, lions, tigers, and all the other creatures.
They also had a swing with a great many other boys and girls, and all
agreed they never remembered a better Fair than this had been.
[Illustration: ROGER AT THE FARM.]