that makes it any better?
And, BY the WAY," he continued, in a tone of even greater severity, "I'd
a like to know where you got those cakes. Where'd you get 'em, I'd just
like to inquire?"

"In the pantry." Jane turned and moved toward the house. "I'm goin' in
for some more, now."

William uttered a cry; these little cakes were sacred. His mother,
growing curious to meet a visiting lady of whom (so to speak) she had
heard much and thought more, had asked May Parcher to bring her guest
for iced tea, that afternoon. A few others of congenial age had been
invited: there was to be a small matinee, in fact, for the honor and
pleasure of the son of the house, and the cakes of Jane's onslaught
were part of Mrs. Baxter's preparations. There was no telling where
Jane would stop; it was conceivable that Miss Pratt herself might go
waferless.

William returned the cardboard box to its drawer with reverent haste;
then, increasing the haste, but dropping the reverence, he hied himself
to the pantry with such advantage of longer legs that within the minute
he and the wafers appeared in conjunction before his mother, who was
arranging fruit and flowers upon a table in the "living-room."

William entered in the stained-glass attitude of one bearing gifts.
Overhead, both hands supported a tin pan, well laden with small
cakes and wafers, for which Jane was silently but repeatedly and
systematically jumping. Even under the stress of these efforts her
expression was cool and collected; she maintained the self-possession
that was characteristic of her.

Not so with William; his cheeks were flushed, his eyes indignant. "You
see what this child is doing?" he demanded. "Are you going to let her
ruin everything?"

"Ruin?" Mrs. Baxter repeated, absently, refreshing with fair water a
bowl of flowers upon the table. "Ruin?"

"Yes, ruin!" William was hotly emphatic, "If you don't do something with
her it 'll all be ruined before Miss Pr-- before they even get here!"

Mrs. Baxter laughed. "Set the pan down, Willie."

"Set it DOWN?" he echoed, incredulously "With that child in the room and
grabbing like--"

"There!" Mrs. Baxter took the pan from him, placed it upon a chair, and
with the utmost coolness selected five wafers and gave them to Jane.
"I'd already promised her she could have five more. You know the doctor
said Jane's digestion was the finest he'd ever misunderstood. They won't
hurt her at all, Willie."

This deliberate misi