children.
However, it was agreed that playing upon words, where the sound was the
same, was quite allowable.

"Tom, do you like to ask questions?"

"Yes, I like to _give_ a question to be answered."

"Aunt Lucy, what shall be our story to-night?"

"That is more easy to ask _than_ to answer."

"Charlie, are you fond of mince-pie?"

"Yes, and of cherry pie _too_."

"Alice, are you not almost tired of this game?"

"Yes, I'd _receive_ pleasure from a change."

"Let me see--George's _blessed_, and John's _two_--blessed too--Oh, I
know, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Now let's play
'Twenty Questions.'"

"How is that played? It is quite a new game to me."

"It used to be a favorite game in distinguished circles in England;
Canning, the celebrated minister, was very fond of it; and it really
requires some knowledge and skill in the lawyer-like craft of
cross-examination, to play it well--so have your wits about you, young
people, for the more ready you are, the better you'll like it. One
person thinks of a thing, and by a skillful questioning on the part of
one, two, or the whole party, as you prefer it, your thought can always
be found out. Twenty questions and three guesses are allowed. If
Cornelia will think of something, I'll discover what it is, to show you
how it is played."

"I have a thought," said Cornelia, "but you never can find it out."

"We'll see: does it belong to the animal, vegetable, mineral, or
spiritual kingdoms?"

"The animal."

"Is it biped or quadruped, fish, flesh, fowl, or insect?"

"Biped."

"Man, monkey, or bird?"

"Bird."

"Wild or tame?"

"Tame."

"Is it the species you think of, or one individual of it?"

"One particular individual."

"Is it used for the table?"

"The species is--but I doubt that this individual was ever used for
food."

"Did this bird live in ancient or modern times--before or after the
Christian era?"

"Very ancient; before the Christian era."

"Does this ancient bird belong to the goose, duck, chicken, peacock, or
turkey tribe?"

"Turkey."

"Was it very thin?"

"Very, indeed--to a proverb."

"Job's turkey?"

"You've guessed it, and with ten questions too. Now you can think,
Ellen, and the rest of us will question you, in turn."

"I have a thought," said Ellen.

"Treasure it then," said Charlie Bolton; "thoughts are very rare things
with me. Animal, vegetable, mineral, or spiritual?"

"Vegetable."

"In its natu