Place this among the golden rules, Which you may learn in moral schools; When you receive a secret blow Be sure that you can name the foe; Nor let Suspicion’s vain pretence, Risque your revenge on Innocence.
There is also another description of hot-cockles, called “Brother, they strike me.” There are two penitents, the one who finds himself touched with the corner of a pocket-handkerchief, calls out to the other, “Brother, they strike me.” The other replies, “Who strikes you?” and the first one must guess. But one of the players is a false brother; sometimes he himself strikes, and sometimes his companion; he takes care not to name himself. The game does not finish till the person upon whom the trick is played perceives the cheat; but if his comrades are clever, the illusion may last a good while. The false brother complains that they strike him too violently, and is the first to call out and to complain of the trick. At the expiration of a certain time he gives up to another, who purposely allows himself to be caught; and this serves to prolong the joke and the game. At last they own to their deceived comrade, the trick they have been playing him, and they comfort him by telling him, that in future he may catch others in the same manner.
[3] The letter in which Madame de Sevigné speaks of the marriage of De Lauzun with Mademoiselle D’Orléans.
A complete change took place at the Castle of D’Hernilly; the master of the house and his son arrived to pass the vacation at the castle. The gentry of the neighbourhood also hastened there to enjoy the last fine days of autumn. Several young companions of Victor renewed their acquaintance with him, and they gave themselves up to games much less sedentary than those played by the ladies. The young people of both sexes very rarely met during the week-days, but they walked and conversed together on the Sundays and holidays; sometimes during the latter they amused themselves with country-dances in a temporary ball-room raised in a grove. Victor, who played very well on the flute, was occasionally one of the musicians, but more frequently appeared among the dancers.
When the boys had a holiday, they amused themselves in the park with noisy sports, such as prison bar, leap frog, _le cheval fondu_, &c. &c. The little ones played at the poison ball, the skipping-rope, and the hoop. Madame D’Hernilly’s daughters were very frequently the witnesses of these sports; they admired the cleverness which the boys shewed, but they did not envy them their amusement.