Men are but children of a larger growth.--SHAKESPEARE.
The chairs have been cleared out of a large apartment, and a party of
full-grown men and women, some of whom have long passed maturity, are
seated on the floor for a game at 'high jinks.' Bowls of punch, bottles
of wine, and abundant refreshments of a strong nature, are put on the
ground behind, within easy reach of the revellers, who are in the full
enjoyment of a boisterous game of 'hunt the slipper.' The party is made
up of an abundance of pretty rosy damsels, blooming, blushing, and
smiling, such as Rowlandson with his etching needle or his reed pen
could produce at will, and in every degree of perfection; corpulent
matrons, dowagers, and gothic old maids are likewise plentiful. There
is a gentleman to every lady, and the whole scene is a very animated
one; while the fun is apparently appreciated by the performers, who are
entering into the spirit of the diversion. The rules of the Society are
framed on the wall:--
Ici on boit, on danse, on rit!
Et quelquefois on joue aussi.
Two pictures, hung over the doors, are supposed to be indicative of
the subject. _Vive la Bagatelle!_ a party in pursuit of a balloon; and
_Sans Souci, sans six sous_, a bacchanalian revel.