They had scarcely done eating when ‘boom!’ came the sound of a great drum,—and all sorts of musical instruments struck up, and the boom of the great drum was quickly followed by the ‘rub-a-dub row-de-dow’ of smaller drums, and the ‘too-ra-loo’ of fifes, and then we saw the show coming along the streets. The streets were lined with soldiers who made a long alley; on the outside of the soldiers next the houses the crowds were struggling to look over the soldiers’ heads; and along the inside of the alley formed by the soldiers, the show came pompously along in the middle of the street.
I have said that I was seated between two broken bricks, at one side of the wall, and next to me was Brigitta. There were at least five people standing behind us at the same window, looking over our heads, and behind Brigitta was a person in a water-proof cape, part of which, hanging over Brigitta’s left shoulder, came just in front of my face. Brigitta perceived this, and several times pushed the cape back to enable me to see; but as the show came on and got finer and finer, and more thick with men all dressed in colors, and silks, and ribbons, and gold lace,—and the horses in their fine harnesses and trappings came nodding and dancing along, and the coaches got more golden and shining with fat figures in cocked hats sitting inside, and very fat gentlemen with red faces in splendid waistcoats, and the crowds of cocked hats, and multitudes of knees with shining buckles increased,—of all this splendor I had only time to take one look, and then the heavy cape again fell before my eyes, and Brigitta was too much engaged herself to think any more of removing it. However, I did occasionally manage to see, because the person in the water-proof cape moved about, and often bent himself from side to side to see better, and once when he did so, I got sight of the two men in armor,—two men covered all over,—one in iron and one in brass, just as lobsters are covered with their shells, only shining in the sun, and riding on large black horses. Besides these I also saw the principal dolls of this wonderful show—I mean the Lord Mayor in his coach, with the wooden Sword-bearer and the gingerbread Mace-bearer—at least, they looked like wood and gingerbread; and, indeed, so did the Lord Mayor himself. The Sword-bearer and the Mace-bearer both sat back to back at the open windows in a thorough draught, and they both appeared to have got colds in their noses. We had an excellent view of the Lord Mayor in his robe of scarlet, with gold and colored stripes over it, and wearing a beautiful necklace hanging down upon his breast. He gave a sigh as he passed us, and laid his hand upon his fine stomach, and then he gave a smile. The coach was drawn by eight horses with proud necks, all covered with rich aprons, and ribbons, and straps, and tassels, and tinkerums and things, and with quantities of colored ribbon-bows, and streamers and gold lace, and brass nails and buckles. Then the coach—oh, what a coach! It was like a coach made of glass set in a very fine, fancy looking-glass frame, and stuck on a sort of gilded car all covered with paintings and golden carvings and sweetmeats, extremely like several coaches I had seen on Twelfth-cakes, only a great deal bigger. I wondered very much if it was made of sugar.
We waited till the procession returned; it was a long time, but we were determined to wait. When they all came back we saw, besides the fine gentlemen, a number of beautiful fat ladies in feathers, with diamonds and rosy cheeks, the fattest of whom, and the most beautiful of course, was the Lady Mayoress in an apricot satin dress with all sorts of embroidery, and lace, and ribbons, and spangles, and precious things, and looking all so stiff and expensive behind the glass, but yet seeming to be alive, although afraid to move in the least for fear of injuring some part of all this dress. I thought it was so kind of everybody in the show to take the time and trouble to let themselves be dressed for us to see them.
All of a sudden we heard a great crack, and then a loud cry from a number of people below, ‘The wall is falling! come down, all of you!’ No one wanted a second warning, and all who were up at the windows went scrambling down as quick as they could, and in the best way they could; but how it was all done I have no notion, as Marco had suddenly seized me, and thrust me, head foremost, into his pocket, where I remained for two or three hours, and when next taken out I found myself in the little back room, where they were going to have some supper of macaroni.
CHAPTER XV
THE LOST BRACELET
The next events of my life were two pleasures and one pain. The pain was a change of circumstances, and the first pleasure was the possession of a new wardrobe. How could I have a new wardrobe, when my mamma was only the little sister of a poor Italian organ-boy, and had but one dress for herself? It all came about through what I considered, at the time, a great misfortune; it was the change of my present mamma for another; and I was very fond of my little Italian mamma, and therefore was sorry to be obliged to leave her.
The day after Lord Mayor’s day was cold and wet; but, notwithstanding, we all went out with the organ, for Marco said we must earn some money to make up for yesterday, which was a day of pleasure; so we went round to several houses where he was accustomed to play. At last we got in Finsbury Square, and there began to play before a house where a little girl called Lydia Thomson lived. Her papa was a partner in the house of Barclay and Perkins, the great brewers, and she used to come out on the balcony when Marco played, and always threw him a penny, and sometimes danced up and down the balcony to his music. Well, while we were playing on this cold wet day, it began to snow, and little Lydia, who was dancing on the balcony, was obliged to run into the warm drawing-room for fear she should catch cold; and when she looked out, she thought Brigitta seemed so wet and cold in the snow, that she almost began to cry, and asked her mamma to let us all come in. Her mamma gave us leave, so down she ran and brought us all in, and placed us by a warm parlor fire. Then away she ran to her mamma again, and presently came back dancing and skipping about before a servant, who carried a tray with two plates full of roast mutton and potatoes from the servants’ dinner, and she told Marco and Brigitta to begin to eat, and they laughed and looked so pleased, and ate away, and began to look so much warmer and more comfortable. Then away she ran again, and brought down a box full of sweetmeats and sugar-plums, and put it down before Brigitta, and said, ‘That is for you,’ and Brigitta kissed her hand to her so prettily, and said, ‘Thank you, dear little lady.’ Then Marco asked if he might play to her, and she said, ‘Oh yes;’ so he played all his tunes, and she danced up and down the passage, and in and out of the room.
When all the tunes were done, Marco said, ‘Now we must go;’ so they bid good-bye, and the servant opened the door, and the wind blew in very cold. So the little girl said, ‘Shut the door again, and wait a minute,’ and ran away again to her mamma; and after about five minutes, down she came, bringing a warm woollen shawl for Brigitta, and an old cape of her papa’s for Marco, and she said, ‘My mamma gives you these.’ Oh, they were so much obliged to her. They thought her such a dear, kind little girl; and Brigitta’s large black eyes filled with tears while she thanked her, but little Lydia only danced and jumped about.
Then Brigitta put on the shawl, and took me up, and I thought she was going to carry me away with her, but she said, ‘Dear, kind little lady, take this doll from me; it is such a great pleasure to me to have something to give you.’ Lydia said, ‘But you like to have the doll.’ ‘No, no!’ answered Brigitta, ‘take it, dear little lady!’ So she and Marco hurried away, and left me with Lydia Thomson.