and held her fingers to her ears; a second knelt down before her,
and hid her face in her lap; a third threw herself between them,
and embraced her sister with a thousand tears; some insisted on
going home; others, unconscious of their actions, wanted sufficient
presence of mind to repress the impertinence of their young partners,
who sought to direct to themselves those sighs which the lips of
our agitated beauties intended for heaven. Some of the gentlemen
had gone down-stairs to smoke a quiet cigar, and the rest of the
company gladly embraced a happy suggestion of the hostess to retire
into another room which was provided with shutters and curtains.
We had hardly got there, when Charlotte placed the chairs in a
circle; and, when the company had sat down in compliance with her
request, she forthwith proposed a round game.

I noticed some of the company prepare their mouths and draw
themselves up at the prospect of some agreeable forfeit. "Let us
play at counting," said Charlotte. "Now, pay attention: I shall
go round the circle from right to left; and each person is to count,
one after the other, the number that comes to him, and must count
fast; whoever stops or mistakes is to have a box on the ear, and
so on, till we have counted a thousand." It was delightful to see
the fun. She went round the circle with upraised arm. "One,"
said the first; "two," the second; "three," the third; and so on,
till Charlotte went faster and faster. One made a mistake, instantly
a box on the ear; and, amid the laughter that ensued, came another
box; and so on, faster and faster. I myself came in for two. I
fancied they were harder than the rest, and felt quite delighted.
A general laughter and confusion put an end to the game long before
we had counted as far as a thousand. The party broke up into
little separate knots: the storm had ceased, and I followed Charlotte