Page:Carroll - Sylvie and Bruno Concluded.djvu/183

IX] said Lady Muriel, plaintively. "Did you hear that?") "so we had plenty to talk about!"

"And when you got stung" the old lady began.

"They were all chained-up, dear Madam!" And the old lady gave a satisfied nod.

There was no silence to follow, this time. "Third Chapter!" Lady Muriel proclaimed at once, "Moving-Guests!"

"Even the Wild-Creatures proved monotonous," the orator proceeded. "So we left the guests to choose their own subjects; and, to avoid monotony, we changed them. We made the table of two rings; and the inner ring moved slowly round, all the time, along with the floor in the middle and the inner row of guests. Thus every inner guest was brought face-to-face with every outer guest. It was a little confusing, sometimes, to have to begin a story to one friend and finish it to another; but every plan has its faults, you know."

"Fourth Chapter!" Lady Muriel hastened to announce. "The Revolving-Humorist!"

"For a small party we found it an excellent plan to have a round table, with a hole cut in