Dare, who had been on the lookout for them for some time, offered to lift out Molly, helped out Ruth, held the baskets, wished to unharness the donkey, let the wheel go over his patent leather shoe, and in short made himself excessively agreeable, if not in Ruth's, at least in Molly's eyes, who straightway entered into conversation with him, and invited him to call upon herself and the guinea-pigs at Atherstone at an early date.
Then ensued the usual scene at festivities of this description.

Tea was poured out like water (very like warm water), buns, cakes, and bread and butter were eaten, were crumbled, were put in pockets, were stamped underfoot.

Large open tarts, covered with thin sticks of pastry, called by the boys "the tarts with the grubs on 'em," disappeared apace, being constantly replaced by others made in the same image, from which the protecting but adhesive newspaper had to be judiciously peeled.

When the last limit of the last child had been reached, the real work of the day began--the games.

Under a blazing sun, for the space of two hours, "Sally Water" or "Nuts in May" must be played, with an occasional change to "Oranges and Lemons." Ruth, who had before been staying with the Alwynns at the time of their school-feast, hardened her heart, and began that immoral but popular game of "Sally Water." "Sally, Sally Water, come sprinkle your pan; Rise up a husband, a handsome young man.
Rise, Sally, rise, and don't look sad, You shall have a husband, good or bad." The last line showing how closely the state of feeling of village society, as regards the wedded state, resembles the view taken of it in the highest circles.
Other games were already in full swing.