u,
That when her dear daughter the altar drew near,
She should wear the same gem that her mother had worn
When she as a bride full of promise stood there.

The answer is _Ear-ring_. The bells _ring_, the sound steals upon the
_ear_, and the bride wears an _ear ring_. Charades may be sentimental
or humorous, in poetry or prose; they may also be _acted_, in which
manner they afford considerable amusement.

53. Charades (Acted).

A drawing room with folded doors is the best for the purpose. Various
household appliances are employed to fit up something like a stage,
and to supply the fitting scenes. Characters dressed in costumes made
up of handkerchiefs, coats, shawls, table-covers, &c., come on and
perform an extempore play, founded upon the parts of a word, and its
_whole_, as indicated already. For instance, the events explained in
the poem given might be _acted_--glasses might be rung for
bells--something might be said in the course of the dialogues about
the sound of the bells being delightful to the _ear_; there might be a
dance of the villagers, in which a _ring_ might be formed; a wedding
might be performed, and so on: but for _acting charades_ there are
many better words, because _Ear-ring_ could with difficulty be
_represented_ without at once betraying the meaning. There is a little
work entitled "Philosophy and Mirth united by Pen and Pencil," and
another work, "Our Charades; and How we Played Them," [1] by Jean
Francis, which supply a large number of these Charades. But the
following is the most extensive list of words ever published upon
which Charades may be founded:

[Note: hyphen added to Art less, Bar rack]

[Footnote 1: "Philosophy and Mirth, united by Pen and Pencil," One
Shilling.

"Our Charades; and How we played Them," by Jean Francis, One Shilling.

Both published by Houlston and Sons, Paternoster Square, London, EC.]

[A FOOL'S BOLT IS SOON SHOT.]

54. Words which may be converted into Acting or Written Charades:

Aid-less
Air-pump
Ale-house
Ann-ounce
Arch-angel
Arm-let
Art-less
Ass-ail

Ba-boon
Back-bite
Back-slide
Bag-gage
Bag-pipe
Bag-dad
Bail-able
Bale-ful
Band-age
Band-box
Bane-ful
Bar-bed
Bar-gain
Bar-rack
Bar-row
Bat-ten
Beard-less
Bid-den
Bird-lime
Birth-right
Black-guard
Blame-less
Block-head
Boat-man
Boot-jack
Book-worm
Bound-les