Margery brightened at this, for she had heard that the Shepherds’ play was the most popular of all the pageants, and she had been afraid of missing it. Though she and Colin had laughed at the idea of “a bit of a sleep,” each found a strange feeling of drowsiness creeping nearer, and considering that they had been up since daybreak, and it was now past noon, this was not so surprising as they considered it. At any rate, when their mother softly entered the room an hour later, she roused both children from sleep.
The Shepherds’ play, she told them, was expected in a few minutes; and they ran eagerly into the front room to take their old places at the window.
“Do tell us what they’ve been acting!” begged Margery, as their friend Master Gyseburn welcomed them with a smile.
“Well! we’ve had Moses lifting up the Serpent in the Wilderness. That was the Hosiers’ pageant. Then came the Grocers with the Salutation of Mary to Elisabeth. Next came Mary and Joseph with an angel commanding them to go to Bethlehem, acted by the Pewterers; and the last one was the Tylers’ (Thatchers’) pageant of the Stable at Bethlehem, with the Child Jesus in the Manger.”
“Oh! we wanted to see that!” exclaimed both the children, very disappointed.
“You will,” Master Gyseburn assured them. “After this pageant, the Shepherds go to the stable to worship the Child, so the manger scene appears again; in fact it appears several times.”
By the stir and noise in the crowd below, it was evident that the Shepherds’ play was awaited with great eagerness. There was a pushing and scrambling in the throng, which had greatly increased in numbers. Many people who had strolled away to get something to eat and drink had returned, and were trying to recover their lost places.
“Is this a funny play?” asked Colin.
“Yes,” said Master Gyseburn. “The Shepherds’ play, or at any rate the first part of it, is always expected to be amusing. It is an old custom, and the people would be very disappointed, and perhaps angry, if it were changed. This particular play is one that is always acted at Wakefield, but our Chandlers have borrowed it this year, because it is such a good one.”
“Oh! this is the Chandlers’ pageant, then?” asked Margery.