g declared
the "old Duke" exactly like in turns to Domitian and Tiberius--his
features quite forbidding.

This lasted till the younger ones, who had been playing and rioting till
they were tired, came up, and throwing themselves down on the grass,
Blanche petitioned for something that every one could play at.

Meta proposed what she called the story play. One was to be sent out of
earshot, and the rest to agree upon a word, which was then to be guessed
by each telling a story, and introducing the word into it, not too
prominently. Meta volunteered to guess, and Harry whispered to Mary it
would be no go, but, in the meantime, the word was found, and Blanche
eagerly recalled Meta, and sat in the utmost expectation and delight.
Meta turned first to Richard, but he coloured distressfully, and begged
that Flora might tell his story for him--he should only spoil the game.
Flora, with a little tinge of graceful reluctance, obeyed. "No woman had
been to the summit of Mont Blanc," she said, "till one young girl, named
Marie, resolved to have this glory. The guides told her it was madness,
but she persevered. She took the staff, and everything requisite,
and, following a party, began the ascent. She bravely supported every
fatigue, climbed each precipice, was undaunted by the giddy heights she
attained, bravely crossed the fields of snow, supported the bitter cold,
and finally, though suffering severely, arrived at the topmost peak,
looked forth where woman had never looked before, felt her heart swell
at the attainment of her utmost ambition, and the name of Marie was
inscribed as that of the woman who alone has had the glory of standing
on the summit of the Giant of the Alps."

It was prettily enunciated, and had a pleasing effect. Meta stood
conning the words--woman--giant--mountain--glory--and begged for another
tale.

"Mine shall not be so stupid as Flora's," said Harry. "We have an old
sailor on board the Alcestis--a giant he might be for his voice--but he
sailed once in the Glory of the West, and there they had a monkey that
was picked up in Africa, and one day this old fellow found his queer
messmate, as he called him, spying through a glass, just like the
captain. The captain had a glorious collection of old coins, and the
like, dug up in some of the old Greek colonies, and whenever Master
Monkey saw him overhauling them, he would get out a brass button, or
a card or two, and turn 'em over, and chatter at them, and g