STOOL OF REPENTANCE.
The players seated round the room, a stool is placed in the centre, which one of the company volunteers to occupy while certain charges are being made against him. One person acting as Lord President then goes round the room, inquiring of each player what charge he or she has to make against the culprit, who is humbly sitting on the stool of repentance. All the accusations are whispered into the president's ear, who will do wisely, should the party be a large one, to be supplied with paper and pencil, and attach to each accusation the name of the person who makes it. All being in readiness, the president then begins by saying, "Prisoner on the stool of repentance, you are accused of (being conceited, or noisy, or vain &c.). Can you tell me the name of the person who makes this serious charge against you?" Should the prisoner guess rightly, the accuser must pay the forfeit, and prepare himself to take the place of culprit in the next game; but, on the other hand, should the prisoner guess wrongly, he must pay the forfeit himself, and keep his seat on the stool of repentance. It sometimes happens that when the prisoner has at an early stage of the proceedings guessed correctly, and by so doing has earned his freedom, he still wishes to hear the rest of the accusations. If such be the case, he is entitled to have his wish gratified, being willing, of course, to pay a forfeit for every mistake; and when all have been heard (if he has succeeded in guessing rightly more than once), he has the privilege of choosing the next culprit to occupy the seat that he has vacated.