21. Comparisons.—The gentleman or lady must compare some one in the room to some object or another, and must then explain in which way he or she resembles the object, and in which way differs from it. For instance, a gentleman may compare a lady to a rose, because they are both equally sweet; unlike the rose, however, the lady is of course, without a thorn.
22. The Excluded Vowels.—Pay five compliments to some lady in the room. In the first one the letter a must not occur, in the second the letter e must be absent, in the third there must be no i, in the fourth no o, and in the fifth no u.
23. Kiss your own shadow.—The most pleasant method of executing this command is to hold a lighted candle so that your shadow may fall on a young lady's face, when you must take the opportunity of snatching a kiss.
24. Form a blind judgment.—The person upon whom the sentence has been passed must be blindfolded. The company are then made to pass before him one by one, while he not only gives the name of each, but also his opinion concerning them.
Not unfrequently the victim has to remain blindfold a very long time, for even if the name should be guessed correctly, it is no easy matter to form a just estimate of character, and unless his ideas meet with the approbation of the company, his forfeit is withheld from him.
Great silence must be observed while the ordeal of examination is going on. No one should speak, and all should step as lightly as possible.
25. Act the dummy.—You must do whatever any of the company wish you to perform without speaking a single word.
26. The telegraphic message.—Send your lover's name by telegram to the other end of the room. To do this you must whisper the favoured name to the person sitting next to you, who will whisper it to his neighbour, and so on until every one has been made acquainted with it.
27. Act the Prussian soldier.—This penance is one that is generally performed only by gentlemen. The uniform assumed is usually a coat turned inside out, a hat made of a twisted newspaper, a bag of some description for a cartridge-box, and soot moustaches.