"I _ain't_ staring," said Ellen, indignantly; — "but I don't believe it is right to play it, if it _is_ out of the Bible." "Well, it is, though," said George. "Now listen; — I'll think of somebody in the Bible — some man or woman, you know; and you all may ask me twenty questions about him, to see if you can find out who it is." "What kind of questions?" "Any kind of questions — whatever you like." "That will improve your knowledge of scripture history," said Gilbert. "To be sure; and exercise our memory," said Isabel Hawthorn. "Yes, and then we are thinking of good people and what they did all the time," said little Ellen. "Or bad people and what they did," said William. "But I don't know enough about people and things in the Bible," said Margaret; "I couldn't guess." "Oh, never mind — it will be all the more fun," said George. "Come! let's begin. Who'll take somebody?" "Oh, I think this will be fine!" said little Ellen Chauncey; — "but, Ellen — where's Ellen? — we want her." "No we don't want her! — we've enough without her — she won't play!" shouted William, as the little girl ran upstairs. She persevered, however. Ellen had left her sofa before this, and was found seated on the foot of her bed. As far and as long as she could, she withstood her little friend's entreaties, and very unwillingly at last yielded and went with her downstairs. "Now we are ready," said little Ellen Chauncey; "I have told Ellen what the game is; who's going to begin?" "We have begun," said William. "Gilbert has thought of somebody. Man or woman?" "Man." "Young or old?" "Why, he was young first, and old afterwards." "Pshaw, William! what a ridiculous question," said his sister. "Besides, you mustn't ask more than one at a time. Rich or poor, Gilbert?" "Humph! — why, I suppose he was moderately well off. I dare say I should think myself a lucky fellow if I had as much." "Are you answering truly, Gilbert?" "Upon my honour!" "Was he in a high or low station of life?" asked Miss Hawthorn. "Neither at the top nor the bottom of the ladder — a very respectable person indeed." "But we are not getting on," said Margaret. "According to you, he wasn't anything in particular; what kind of a person was he, Gilbert?" "A very good man." "Handsome or ugly?" "History don't say." "Well, what _does_ it say?" said George — "what did he do?" "He took a journey once upon a time." "What for?" "Do you mean _why_ he went, or what was the _object_ of his going?" "Why, the one's the same as the other, ain't it?" "I beg your pardon." "Well, what was the object of his going?" "He went after a wife." "Samson! Samson!" shouted William and Isabel and Ellen Chauncey. "No — it wasn't Samson either." "I can't think of anybody else that went after a wife," said George. "That king — what's his name? — that married Esther?" The children screamed. "_He_ didn't go after a wife, George — his wives were brought to him. Was it Jacob?"