THE MASTER OF THE REVELS. 323 ornamented refreshment tent, which I hope you intend to decorate with garlands and festoons." "We must leave all that to the vicar," said the major; “he will, no doubt, display his classical taste in emblematical appointments. I shall terminate the festivities of the day by a grand display of fireworks, the arrangements of which may fall under my own more immediate direction. The vicar will perhaps allow me to proclaim him master of the revels; for he is, as we all know well, deeply versed in ancient customs, and I am especially anxious that every department should be conducted with classical taste." "I willingly accept the office," said Mr. Goodenough, with a gracious smile, "since there is authority for my acquiescence. The Romans, in their entertainments, usually appointed a person, whom they styled king, and held responsible upon such occasions. I accept it also on a different ground-that my presence may check any undue enthusiasm of the people, and restrain the hilarity of the evening within the boundary of rational decorum." The reader must have already observed that Mr. Goodenough was greatly influenced by the spell of antiquity, but we doubt whether he has any idea of the extent to which the reverend gentleman carried this enthusiasm. We may state one instance which will serve to illustrate this taste. His mince pies at Christmas were fabricated with an inflexible adherence to ancient authority he maintained that the introduction of meat into their composition was a scandalous heresy; that the choicest productions of the East ought alone to be admitted, since the custom was originally intended to allegorize the offerings made by the wise men who came from afar to worship, bringing spices, etc. Indeed we may congratulate the rising generation at Overton on the circumstance of the offices of village schoolmaster and vicar of the parish not having centred in the same individual; for we have not the shadow of a doubt, so great was his veneration for ancient usages, but he would, as we are informed was the ancient custom, have whipped every child within his jurisdiction. on the morning of Childermas Day, or that of the Holy Innocents, "in order that the memorial of Herod's murder of the Innocents might stick the closer." Every arrangement at Oakwood Park had been completed on the day preceding that on which the return of the newly-married pair was expected. The various show-booths had been erected by their respective owners with an expedition that might have put many a prouder architect to shame, and the marquees and temporary rooms for refreshments had been completed. The erection of a convenient stage for the display of fireworks had been accomplished under the sole guidance of Major Barker, who considered this department as belonging more immediately to himself. We shall not, however, detain the reader with an account of the amusements and festivities, nor even with a relation of the great incident of the day-the arrival of the bride and bridegroom. It will be sufficient to state, in the language generally used upon such occasions, that the whole went off with great éclat, and gave universal satisfaction to the delighted guests. The reader must now be contented to retire from the scene of frolic, and leave the villagers to the undisturbed enjoyment of their jollity. The major and his party returned to the house, where they remained until the hour approached at which the fireworks were to be discharged and the festivities of the day concluded. Mr. Seymour accompanied his children to the stage erected for the pyrotechnic exhibition, in order that he might explain the construction of the fireworks before they witnessed them in action. "Upon my word, the major has provided most liberally for our entertainment!" exclaimed Mr. Seymour, as he ascended the steps which led to the platform. "I declare there is a forest of rockets!-and what magnificent pinwheels, tourbillions, marroons, pots des aigrettes, gerbes, courantines, and Roman candles!" "Are those paper cylinders, with long sticks, rockets?" inquired Tom. "They are; and if you will attend to me, I will explain the principle of their construction. They have ever been considered as holding the first place amongst single fireworks, and deservedly so-not only on account of the splendid appearance they present when fired by themselves, but from their extensive application in increasing the beauty of other exhibitions. The rocket, you perceive, consists of a strong paper cylinder, which is filled with a suitable composition; it is crowned with a head, or 'pot,' as it is technically termed, charged with various materials, and THE FIREWORKS. · 325 after the body of the rocket has been consumed, the 'pot' takes fire in the air, and throws out sparks, stars, and other decorations. You may observe that the head is made to terminate in a point, which greatly facilitates its passage through the air. The whole is affixed to a straight stick, which, like the rudder of a ship, makes it turn towards that side to which it is inclined, and consequently causes the rocket to ascend in a straight line." "But, papa," observed Louisa, "all the rockets have not straight rods. See, there is one with a crooked stick." "That is for the purpose of causing the rocket to ascend in the form of a screw." "Are not those pin-wheels, which are elevated above the railing?” said Tom. 66 Yes; they are pin or Catharine-wheels, and if you will look at them, you will perceive that they are of very simple construction-consisting merely of a long paper tube filled with inflammable matter, and rolled round a small circle of wood, so as to form a helix or spiral line." "The circle of wood, I suppose, is pierced in the middle for the purpose of receiving a pin, by which the wheel is attached to the post?" said Tom. 66 Exactly so; and the cause of their revolution is the same as that which produces the flight of the rocket." "I think you told us, when speaking of the thaumatrope, it was the rapidity with which the flame revolved that occasioned the starlike appearance which is exhibited by this firework," observed Louisa. "Undoubtedly, my dear: it cannot be otherwise." At nine o'clock the commencement of the fireworks was announced by a shower of rockets. The music ceased, and the dancers, together with the spectators who had gathered around the platform, hastened to the spot, whither they were summoned by the sound of trumpets, to witness the pyrotechnic entertainment which was to crown the festivities of the day. The little Seymours had been stationed by their father in the most favourable spot for seeing the exhibition, and highly were the major and his party delighted with the observations which fell from the intelligent children on the occasion. "Observe, Louisa, the rocket as it ascends describes a parabola," cried Tom. "Oh, how extremely beautiful! see, the head has burst, and What is that red is discharging a number of brilliant stars! spark which is now falling to the ground, papa? "That is the ignited stick of the rocket," replied his father. "Take care, Louisa, do not hold your face up," exclaimed Tom; "for as the rocket bursts over our heads, the stick may fall upon us." "I scarcely expected such an observation from you, Tom,' said his father, "after the sensible remark you just made respecting the parabolic path of the rocket: do not you remember that when a projectile has reached its greatest altitude it will descend in a curve similar to that in which it ascended? "True, true," answered Tom; "I see my error: the stick must, of course, fall at a considerable distance from us." "Look! look! There goes a courantine: how it ran along the rope!" exclaimed Louisa. It is not necessary to enumerate the series of beautiful exhibitions which succeeded. We shall only add that the concluding firework was a Catharine-wheel of imposing splendour. After having repeatedly changed its device during its revolution, it at length exploded and threw out a group of serpents; the dense volume of smoke which followed this explosion having gradually cleared off, the appropriate motto of "FAREWELL !" appeared in brilliant letters of fire. This word indicates that our task is done and our tale is told. For you, gentle reader, who have patiently followed us to this, the last page, we may venture to express a hope that some profit may remain after the volume is closed, and the personages of our story are remembered no more. In parting from them, and from you, kind reader, again we say Farewell! a word that must be, and hath been- FINIS APPENDIX. NOTE A.-MUSICAL PITCH. The following table shows the numbers of complete vibrations per second, corresponding with notes of the natural gamut. By a complete vibration is to be understood the to and fro movement of the vibrating body; so that, in this sense, the ordinary seconds pendulum may be said to make thirty complete vibrations in one minute. The table is extended beyond the octave, in order to show the relations between successive octaves. 660 704 32 32 36 40 45 48 54 60 64 9:8 5:4 4:3 3:2 5:3 15:8 2:1 2×9:82×5:42×4:3) The scale of notes in the above table belongs to what musicians term the key of C major; but, as every one knows, many other keys are made use of in music, so that, in fact, any note whatever may serve as the fundamental note of a scale. It will be found, however, that except when a C is made the fundamental note, the notes in the above table cannot furnish a complete series, in which the vibrations shall have the above ratios-a necessary condition of harmony. But by introducing between each pair of notes two additional ones, the numbers of whose vibrations shall respectively be to the lower note of the pair as 25 : 24, and to the higher as 24: 25, the |