with the lists of the invited and non-

invited guests. Likewise they would show one another various articles of their ward- robes, and the hostess would proudly vaunt the merits of her sheets, her knitted gar- ments, and her lace of home manufacture. Yet at length even these things would begin to pall ; whereupon coffee, tea, and cakes would be served, and a silence, broken only by desultory remarks, ensue.

Of course, also, there were certain rare occasions when these methods of spending*

the time were interrupted bysuch happenings as the entire household falling ill of a fever, or some member of iFeither tripping over a stake in the dark or falling out of the hayloft or being struck on the head by a beam which had slipped from the roof. Yet, as I say, such events were rare, and when they occurred, every known and tried domestic remedy was brought into play. The injured spot was rubbed with ointment, a dose of holy water was administered, a prayer was muttered and all was well. On the other hand, a winter headache^[1] was quite a common phenomenon, and in that case the household would retire to bed, groans