hem and their ways.'

'I fairly dreamt of that Elysium of his last night,' said Charles:
'a swamp half frozen on a winter's night, full of wild ducks. Here,
Charlotte, come and tell Mary the roll of Guy's pets.'

Charlotte began. 'There was the sea-gull, and the hedgehog, and the fox,
and the badger, and the jay, and the monkey, that he bought because it
was dying, and cured it, only it died the next winter, and a toad, and a
raven, and a squirrel, and--'

'That will do, Charlotte.'

'Oh! but Mary has not heard the names of all his dogs. And Mary, he has
cured Bustle of hunting my Puss. We held them up to each other, and Puss
hissed horribly, but Bustle did not mind it a bit; and the other day,
when Charles tried to set him at her, he would not take the least
notice.'

'Now, Charlotte,' said Charles, waving his hand, with a provoking mock
politeness, 'have the goodness to return to your friends.

Tea over, Laura proposed the game of definitions. 'You know it. Philip,'
said she, 'you taught us.'

'Yes I learnt it of your sisters, Thorndale,' said Philip.

'O pray let us have it. It must be charming!' exclaimed Miss Harper, on
this recommendation.

'Definitions!' said Charles, contemptuously. 'Dr. Johnson must be the
hand for them.'

'They are just the definitions not to be found in Johnson,' said Mr.
Thorndale. 'Our standing specimen is adversity, which may be differently
explained according to your taste, as "a toad with a precious jewel in
its head," or "the test of friendship."'

'The spirit of words,' said Guy, looking eager and interested.

'Well, we'll try,' said Charles, 'though I can't say it sounds to me
promising. Come, Maurice, define an Irishman.'

'No, no, don't let us be personal,' said Laura; 'I had thought of the
word "happiness". We are each to write a definition on a slip of paper,
then compare them.'

The game was carried on with great spirit for more than an hour. It was
hard to say, which made most fun, Maurice, Charles, or Guy; the last
no longer a spectator, but an active contributor to the sport. When the
break-up came, Mary and Amabel were standing over the table together,
collecting the scattered papers, and observing that it had been very
good fun. 'Some so characteristic,' said Amy, 'such as Maurice's
definition of happiness,--a row at Dublin.'

'Some were very deep, though,' said Mary; 'if it is not treason, I
should like to make out whose that other was of happiness.'

'