At the edge of the
lake lay charming gondolas ready for those who wished to rest and
refresh themselves by a sail upon the dancing waves. For the hunters
and huntresses targets were placed upon the trees; all kinds of
fire-arms and cross-bows and arrows lay near them. Scattered
throughout the forest, were a number of small huts, entirely covered
with the bark of trees, and looking like a mass of fallen wood, but
comfortably and even elegantly arranged in the interior. Every one
of these huts was numbered, and at the beginning of the fete every
lady had drawn a number from an urn, which was to designate the hut
which belonged to her. Chance alone had decided, and each one had
given her word not to betray the number of her cabin. From this
arose a seeking and spying, a following and listening, which gave a
peculiar charm to the fete. Every nymph or goddess could find a
refuge in her cabin; having entered it, it was only necessary to
display the ivy wreath, which she found within, to protect herself
from any further pursuit, for this wreath announced to all that the
mistress of the hut had retired within and did not wish her solitude
disturbed.
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