, and Mrs. Roberts springs to her feet, with arms outstretched
to her.

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "_What_, Bella?"

_Bella:_ "Why, you know, ma'am, I couldn't help thinking how things fly
about a house like this."

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "Yes, yes!"

_Mrs. Campbell:_ "Go on!"

_Bella:_ "I didn't believe the gentlemen would have sent word like that
themselves, if they'd thought of it; and so--"

[Illustration: "THAT LITTLE SUPPER"]

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "And so?"

_Mrs. Campbell:_ "So?"

_Bella:_ "I know you like to have me always speak the truth, and so I
do, to you, ma'am, and every lady I ever lived with; but I wasn't going
to have that young waitress of Mrs. Baker's and that nasty cook of Mrs.
Merrick's laughing at us."

_Campbell:_ "Well, and what did you do?"

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "Yes, Bella!"

_Bella:_ "I told Mrs. Merrick's cook that the gentlemen were getting up
some charades; and I told Mr. Baker's second girl that the tailor hadn't
sent Mr. Roberts's coat home."

_Mrs. Campbell:_ "Well, you _were_ inspired, Bella."

_Mrs. Roberts_, to Bella: "Oh, you--angel!"

_Campbell:_ "Well, that isn't quite what they call the father of them.
Who was the father of what? But we won't dispute about terms. The great
thing now is to get at that little supper. Come on, Roberts!"

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "Yes, Edward, take out Amy--"

_Roberts_, putting himself in evidence: "But don't you see, my dear, I
can't draw a full breath now; and if I were to eat anything--"

_Mrs. Roberts:_ "Oh, well, go and change them at once. We won't wait for
you, dear, but I'll see to keeping it hot for you."

_Campbell_, as he follows the ladies out of one door, while Roberts
vanishes into his dressing-room through the other; "Yes, just slip on
anything that will fit you. It's so near morning now that we won't
insist on evening dress."

THE END

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Evening Dress, by W. D. Howells

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EVENING DRESS ***

***** This file should be named 27880.txt or 27880.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/7/8/8/27880/

Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
(This file was produced from images generously made
available by The Internet Archive.)

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creatin