This is a girls party. All the young ladies and gentlemen are assembled
to celebrate the birth day of Kate. They are playing one of the games of
Forfeits. Kate is on her knees. I will explain the game to you. It is a
nice game; so when you get a party of boys and girls together, you can
play it. There are various kinds of games of Forfeits; they are almost
as various as the forfeits themselves. The manner of conducting them is
the same for all. Some play is settled on, such as the "Arbor of love;"
"Spinning the plate," or any other. When all the ladies and gentlemen
have had to give various forfeits, the work of redeeming them commences.
A lady sits down and a gentleman blindfolded kneels at her feet. She
takes up each article separately, and asks for judgment. The gentleman
then tells what the owner of the forfeit must do, in order to redeem
it. The sentence once passed is never revoked, and so the sooner the
punishment is performed the better. The game waits until the culprit
performs his sentence.
In the party you see, they have been playing a game of forfeits and
sentence is being passed upon all those, who have been unfortunate
enough to have had them to pay. Kate, without not knowing it, has just
sentenced herself to kiss all the gentlemen in the room, but as there
are only two, it will be an easy task.
[Illustration: The Dispensary.]