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death, when the banker ran away with the money and the father took and died off.

MARY. Oh! oh! I see: Nora could not make sense of my lady being burned to death by the torches at her own funeral, so her vivid romantic imagination suggested Hymen's torch, and created the daughter to be run away with instead of the money.

WALTER. Of course, with Ada to make a mess of it. Now, I said it was a jackdaw that died of eating the horses when they were killed by drawing water to put out the fire when the house was burned by the torches at the funeral of my lady, when the banker ran away and the father took and died off.

LUCY. Please, Walter, I think I said it was an old magpie.

WALTER. Well, it's all the same.

CHARLES. Except when a magpie turns into a donkey! As, by the bye, they often do.

MARY. And I fully believe, Lucy, that I only said the bank failed; not that the banker ran away.

CHARLES Only, how did you ever make this unlucky fellow a friend of mine?

MARY. Wasn't he?

CHARLES. Fancy that! when torches were used at funerals, and there certainly could not have been any penny post, or he'd not have waited to hear the story till the old rogue came up walking to Oxford. The story is as old as the hills, too old for you to have heard it; and if that is the way you tell every story you hear, nice sort of tales must be running about the world.

MARY. After all, that was a long story, rather hard to repeat rightly in all its details. Let us try again with a very short one.

NORA. I know! I know quite a short one that nobody could get wrong in. I will just set it down, and then call one of you out.

(Nora writes her story down, then summons Ada, and the narration is passed from one to another in succession as before, Charles being last. On his return to the room he begins):

"Ladies and gentlemen,-I am credibly informed on the authority of a lady from Ireland, that the means by which people are there taken up hills, is that the driver says, 'Come, sir, he won't do it, so you must,' turns the passenger out of the fly, puts the horse into the carriage, slams the door, and makes the traveller draw the horse up the hill."

been making?

NORA. For shame, Charles! what nonsense have you CHARLES. What have you been making? This is the story that was so short that nobody could possibly make a mistake in it.

NORA. Now, do you really mean to say that you did not do anything to the story, Charles, and that this is just as Lucy told you?

LUCY. No, indeed; I never made all that ridiculous beginning; I did not tell him it was the way people were taken up hills; I only said it once happened to one gentleman up one hill, and that was exactly as Walter told me.

:

WALTER. Come, Lucy, that is too bad I said nothing about the traveller drawing the horse.

LUCY. I'm quite sure you said the horse would not go up the hill, till the driver had put him inside the carriage, and said, Come, sir, he won't do it, so you must," and slammed the door.

WALTER. But 't was your own fancy that the traveller drew the fly.

MABEL. Oh! oh! Walter, I never said a fly at all—I said a car, just as Philip told me.

PHILIP. An inside car, I know I said! Ada told me so; and Mabel hearing something about inside, thought the horse was put inside, but I never said so.

WALTER. And then no wonder the traveller walked up!

MARY. But as it happens, he did not walk up, nor do I believe I ever said so; did I, Ada?

ADA. Well, I am not sure, I know I thought he did.

CHARLES. Now, Mary; you tell it just as you think you had it from Nora.

MARY. Well, then; Nora said that a gentleman was going in an inside car up a hill; at the steepest place the horse stopped, and the driver came up, opened the door and slammed it again, saying, "You see, sir, I must do this, or he 'll never go up the hill, unless I come round him this way." The horse, you see, thought the traveller was walking, and so pulled willingly. NORA. Yes, Mary, you have told it just as I wrote it down, except that you put the explanation at the end.

MARY. But I might not explain it when I told Ada, and so all the little ones misunderstood, and made nonsense.

NORA. Till Charles made worse nonsense!

NOTE.-Perhaps our specimens are a little exaggerated, but we assure all Russian Scandalizers that the most amusing way of playing at the game is for each to try for the utmost possible accuracy rather than the wildest deviation. The involuntary mistakes will be quite wonderful enough.

THE GAME OF PLANTING.

Each player in turn says, "I planted such a person or thing, and it came up such a tree, flower, or vegetable." Latin or scientific names are of course of little or no use in this game: a large acquaintance with "Culpepper's Herbal," and of old English plants and their virtues, will add much to the amusement of the circle, as well as an aptness for punning to make such names available. A few specimens are giveu to start the game with spirit. ADA. I planted a scotch terrier, and it came up ratsbane. EDITH. I planted a dunce, and he came up beet.

ANNA. I planted a false chignon, and it came up maidenhair.

VIOLET. I planted a village belle, and she came up queen of the meadow. PHILIP. I planted a Lord Mayor, and he came up London pride.

MABEL. I planted a ball-room flirtation, and there came up love in idleness.

FANNY. I planted a good housekeeper, and there came up thrift.
WALTER. I planted an old fogie, and he came up sloe.

CHARLES. I planted a truce, and there came up a white flag.

MARY. I planted Napoleon's definition of his empire, and it came up peas.
ALL. Oh, Mary!

LOUISA. I planted Father Ignatius, and there came up monkshood.
ADA. (Second time round.) I planted a schoolmaster, and he came up cane.
EDITH. I planted a studious young lady, and she came up bluebell.
PHILIP. I planted a dandy, and he came up cockscomb.

MABEL. I planted a broken engagement, and there came up love lies bleeding.

ANNA. I planted a government appointment, and there came up a small celery.

We add a few more examples for the use of our young players.

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THE GAME OF BURIED CITIES.

Each player repeats a sentence in which the name of a city is contained, so broken up and altered in pronunciation, if possible, as to render it difficult of discovery. The sentences ought to be said viva voce, as, if read, the eye is too much helped by the spelling.

Another way of playing is to choose a judge, who gives every player so many counters. She then names a city, and cach player must construct a sentence containing it. The judge decides on the best sentence, and all the players give a counter to the successful person. Another city is then named by the judge, and so on till the counters have accumulated in one or two hands, when the player who has the largest number is declared the winner, and becomes judge in her turn. Persons' names, such as poets, warriors, and other celebrities, may be used instead of cities, but it will render the game more difficult, as few historical names can be used without bringing in curious words, which at once rouse the attention and make the disguise too transparent.

A few specimens, however, are given below.

Names of Persons.

1. To quicken vegetation and stimulate its sap, phosphates are largely employed.

2. Children pop everything into their mouths.

3. In the island of Serendib dinner consists of rice.

4. Man goeth every day to his labour till the evening.

5. The joint was so lean, derisive shouts greeted its appearance.

6. When her father began to scold, she rose and left the room.

7. If I had a coal-pit, the miners should use the safety lamp.

8. The taste for fox hunting is peculiar to the English.

9. He ordered them to put the grapnels on their places in the ship's side Names of Cities.

1. Let me hope, kind friends, for your approbation.

2. The crew were obliged to rig a jury-mast in the storm.

3. Napoleon is one of the most sombre men of his day.

4. Cæsar was sensitive to any taunt on his baldness.

5. There I saw Anna polishing my boots.

6. The mutiny broke out in the military cantonments. 7. Titiens has the same mellifluous voice as ever.

8. The prettiest children are not always the best.

9. French students seldom remember genders and cases. 10. They say it was a mad rascal who tried to kill Bismarck.

11. Is not every rose bud accompanied by a thorn?

12. Did you see the gooseberry bush I received from the country? 13. On that grassy slope rabbits abound.

14. How glad I am oysters are in again!

15. Zeus did not hate Hera, notwithstanding her bad temper.
16. While firing the bomb, a young artilleryman shot off his finger.
17. Is there any rinderpest hereabouts?

18. I hate public meetings, there is always such a din and clatter.
19. I always take an ice at the Crystal Palace concerts.

20. "I shall never fight Tom Sayers again," cried Heenan testily.

21. The Parliament on every occasion lately has pooh-poohed Reform. 22. Minerva was a goddess and a strong-minded female.

23. What shall we play at, Tom? skittles I should prefer.

24. From eve to morn, from morn to dewy eve.

25. The same day that saw the outbreak of war saw also the advance of the French.

26. Generally on Sunday people dine at two o'clock.

27. Down fell the tinker mangled by the bulldogs.

28. Mademoiselle Parepa riscs every morning at six o'clock.

29. Where is the "Saturday Review" published?

30. My Roman books are vellum bound.

31. They cut off the water, for Duncan would not pay the rate.

32. December never came so mildly as last year.

33. That river is very opaque; be careful, or you may be drowned.

34. Americans think that royalty ought to be abolished.

35. It was Paul Ivanovich you saw at the fair.

36. Having fitted the coat, the tailor leans on his elbow, and contemplates his work with satisfaction.

37. The best juniper and the best alcohol are required for real Schiedam. The key to these sentences will be found at the end of the solutions to charades, &c.

THE REVIEWERS.

Charles, Mary, Walter, Lucy, Ada, and Nora are each provided with half a sheet of note paper. Charles writes the title (real or imaginary) of a book, and folds it down, giving it to Mary, who, without seeing his, writes a second title, folding it out of sight, and passing it on to Walter, who gives it an author, hides this, and gives the paper to Lucy, who contributes a motto. Ada writes one opinion of the press; Nora a second; all that has gone before being unknown to each player. A second paper is started by Mary with the first title, Walter writes the second title, Lucy the author's name, Ada the motto, Nora the first opinion of the press, Charles the second

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