"Can I join in this one?" asked Maggie innocently.

"Certainly," came the reply, among muffled sniggers.

All went well (crocodiles, kangaroos etc..), until it came to 'Elephant Rounds' (twice), after which Maggie decided that she wanted nothing more to do with the proceedings.

In between these bouts of hysteria, everyone danced a jig, except the (then) Squire John, who'd been trying to avoid doing so all night. But amid a crescendo of "Come on you skiving sod, do a jig", he finally succumbed and announced,

"I'll do Shepherd's Hey

"That's not a jig!"

" … with Mick on me shoulders."

This declaration was met with gasps from all those present, especially Mick, who nevertheless sat on John's shoulders, and prayed hard that no misfortune would befall him. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to measure the height of the ceiling, and as this was less than the combined height of Mick and John, Mick suddenly found himself rubbing shoulders with the ceiling. A sudden sway from John over balanced Mick, who, to save himself, pressed his hands against the ceiling, leaving more evidence that 'The Earls were Here'.

But somehow they managed to miss the 8' by 6' window and the furniture, and did not require the services of ever attentive Bill, who hovered nearby ready to catch them in the event of a fall. With everybody's critical eye on John's stepping, he did this perfectly, even including the hand movements; he was concentrating so hard that, when everyone insisted that he should jump for 'Hats', he did so, forgetting the low height ceiling.

CRASH!... Mick's head connected, leaving several cracks and a dent. Another Earl's visiting card!