The locality
was chosen as allowing more opportunity for high jinks than the
bookroom, and also because the swords and pistols in trophy over the
mantelpiece had a great fascination for the two sisters, and to
'drink tea with Mr. Griffith' was always known to be a great
ambition of the little queen of the festival. As to the mullion
chamber legends, they had nearly gone out of our heads, though
Clarence did once observe, 'You remember, it will be the 26th of
December;' but we did not think this worthy of consideration,
especially as Anne's entertainment, at its latest, could not last
beyond nine o'clock; and the ghostly performances--now entirely laid
to the account of the departed stable-boy--never began before
eleven.
Nor did anything interfere with our merriment. The fun of fifty
years ago must be intrinsically exquisite to bear being handed down
to another generation, so I will attempt no repetition, though some
of those Twelfth Day characters still remain, pasted into my diary.
We anticipated Twelfth Day because our guests meant to go to visit
some other friends before the New Year, and we knew Anne would have
no chance there of fulfilling her great ambition of drawing for king
and queen. These home-made characters were really charming. Mrs.
Fordyce had done several of them, and she drew beautifully. A
little manipulation contrived that the exquisite Oberon and Titania
should fall to Martyn and Anne, for whom crowns and robes had been
prepared, worn by her majesty with complacent dignity, but barely
tolerated by him! The others took their chance.
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