unmercifully made fun of.

While every one was enthusiastically demanding a repetition of this
shadow dance, Angelica slipped away to look after the supper, like a
careful hostess. At length she reappeared and invited them to table;
whereat Rosenbusch ventured to remark that it was high time they should
cut a door through the wall so that they might visit one another in a
friendly, neighborly way, without having to go round by the cold
corridor. The confusion of the moment permitted Angelica, who was
usually very strict in keeping this light-hearted red-beard within
bounds, to ignore this somewhat audacious remark.

So they entered the other festal hall, in the centre of which stood a
tastefully-laid table covered with shining dishes, plates and glasses,
ornamented with flowers and surmounted by a slender miniature
Christmas-tree, from which hung candy and sweetmeats for the dessert.
But we must unfortunately deny ourselves the pleasure of describing the
joys of the table, to which this select company now abandoned itself.
It is enough to know that it was one of those singularly happy evenings
when everything succeeds, when the serious vein is not too heavy, and
the merriment not too light, the sentiment not too gushing, and the
jollity not too noisy. No one could resist the charm of the cheery
present, or brood with sad thoughts upon the past or future; and even
Felix and old Schoepf soon had no further need to force their feelings,
in order to join in the merry laughter over Schnetz's biting jests and
Rosenbusch's inexhaustible drolleries.

Besides all this, the domestic talents of the two ladies stood the test
most gloriously. Angelica's simple entertainment found favor even with
Rossel; and a hidden genius was discovered in Julie for brewing an
incomparable punch, according to a receipt which she had inherited from
her father, the general. It was, therefore, merely an expression of the
universal feeling when Rosenbusch rose, and in neat verses, which
unfortunately have not been preserved, proposed the health of their two
lady-friends, the foster-sisters of this circle, who had so wisely
administered the peculiarly feminine office of providing for the
earthly wants of poor humanity.

This toast, which was received with the wildest applause, was followed
by a number of merry, gallant, and serious harangues; and even the two
ladies mustered up sufficient courage to make some pretty little
speeches, which, it is t