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CHAPTER XVII |
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April
AN APRIL-FOOL DINNER
"A bit of folly now and then Is relished by the wisest men."
S
UCH was the preface to the invitations sent to the masculine guests by a certain young hostess for a dinner on April the first. Others bore "Come, catch folly as it flies," and other quotations in praise of inconsequent light-heartedness—to which one reply read, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread— therefore expect me"; and another, "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise—I would not be other than unwise."
The guests, half suspecting a hoax, found the decorations of the table were intended to symbolise the customs of the day. In its centre, the flowers (daffodils) were held in a large fool's-cap inverted, made of pale yellow satin with narrow ribbons criss-crossed around it, to which were attached many little round bells, the "badge of office" of fools and jesters.
The name-cards were in the form of fishes; the fish is in France the type and expression of the customs of the first of April. As we use the term "April Fool," they say "Poisson d'avril" in allusion to the fact that they are easily "caught."
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