MADAME DE MONTPARNASSE to M. DORINET.—­I have the four corners of my
Aunt’s Flower Garden, etc., etc.

Monsieur Dorinet repeats the formula to Madame Desjardins; Madame
Desjardins passes it on to me; I proclaim it at the top of my voice to
Madame Marotte; Madame Marotte transfers it to Mdlle.  Honoria; Mdlle. 
Honoria delivers it to the fair Marie; the fair Marie tells it to M.
Lenoir, and the first round is completed.

Mueller resumes the lead :—­

     “In the second grow heartsease and wild eglantine;
     Fair exchange is no theft—­for my heart, give me thine.”

MDLLE.  ROSALIE to M. PHILOMENE:—­

     “In the second grow heartsease and wild eglantine;
     Fair exchange is no theft—­for my heart, give me thine.”

M. PHILOMENE to MDLLE.  DE MONTPARNASSE:—­

     “In the second grow heartsease,” &c., &c.

And so on again, till the second round is done.  Then Mueller began again:—­

     “In the third of these corners pale primroses grow;
     Now tell me thy secret, and whisper it low.”

Mdlle.  Rosalie was about to repeat these lines as before; but he stopped her.

“No, Mademoiselle, not till you have told me the secret.”

“The secret, M’sieur?  What secret?”

“Nay, Mademoiselle, how can I tell that till you have told me?  You must whisper something to me—­something very secret, which you would not wish any one else to hear—­before you repeat the lines.  And when you repeat them, Monsieur Philomene must whisper his secret to you—­and so on through the circle.”

Mdlle.  Rosalie hesitated, smiled, whispered something in Mueller’s ear, and went on with:—­

     “In the third of these corners pale primroses grow;
     Now tell me thy secret, and whisper it low.”

Monsieur Philomene then whispered his secret to Mdlle.  Rosalie, and so on again till it ended with M. Lenoir and Mueller.

“I don’t think it is a very amusing game,” said Madame Marotte; who, being deaf, had been left out of the last round, and found it dull.

“It will be more entertaining presently, Madame,” shouted Mueller, with a malicious twinkle about his eyes.  “Pray observe the next lines, Messieurs et Mesdames, and follow my lead as before:—­

     ’Roses bloom in the fourth; and your secret, my dear,
     Which you whisper’d so softly just now in my ear,
     I repeat word for word, for the others to hear!’

Mademoiselle Rosalie (whose pardon I implore!) whispered to me that Monsieur Philomene dyed his moustache and whiskers.”

There was a general murmur of alarm tempered with tittering.  Mademoiselle Rosalie was dumb with confusion.  Monsieur Philomene’s face became the color of a full-blown peony.  Madame de Montparnasse and Mdlle.  Honoria turned absolutely green.