"In the third of these corners pale primroses grow;
Now tell me thy secret, and whisper it low."
Mdlle. Rosalie was about to repeat these lines as before; but he stopped her.
"No, Mademoiselle, not till you have told me the secret."
"The secret, M'sieur? What secret?"
"Nay, Mademoiselle, how can I tell that till you have told me? You must whisper something to me--something very secret, which you would not wish any one else to hear--before you repeat the lines. And when you repeat them, Monsieur Philomène must whisper his secret to you--and so on through the circle."
Mdlle. Rosalie hesitated, smiled, whispered something in Müller's ear, and went on with:--
"In the third of these corners pale primroses grow;
Now tell me thy secret, and whisper it low."
Monsieur Philomène then whispered his secret to Mdlle. Rosalie, and so on again till it ended with M. Lenoir and Müller.
"I don't think it is a very amusing game," said Madame Marotte; who, being deaf, had been left out of the last round, and found it dull.
"It will be more entertaining presently, Madame," shouted Müller, with a malicious twinkle about his eyes. "Pray observe the next lines, Messieurs et Mesdames, and follow my lead as before:--