craping-knife was a long one with a thin blade
which bent easily; a palette knife, such as artists use in cleaning
their paints up, her grandmother explained.

"It seems funny to use an artist's knife to scrape dishes with," said
Margaret, when she came back. "I should think we would just scrape the
plates with the silver knives on them. That's the way Bridget does."

"But it is bad for the knives," her grandmother said. "Besides, a stiff
knife cannot get the grease off, and this thin one can. You will see
presently how beautifully it works. Now we must carry out the food."

The dishes of meat, potatoes, bread, and other things were taken to the
kitchen table and emptied; the bread was put back into its box; the bits
of meat and vegetable were put on small dishes and put in the
refrigerator; the butter on the small plates was scraped together into a
little bowl and set aside to cook with. Then they were ready to get the
dishes together on the dining-room table. They carefully emptied the
tumblers and coffee-cups into the tray-bowl, so they would not be
spilled in carrying them out. They piled the silver carefully on a dish,
and carried out the plates and other things on the table. When it was
quite cleared, Margaret took up the crumbs and laid the cloth and pad in
the sideboard drawer. A centrepiece was put on the bare table with the
fern-dish on it, and the two armchairs were pushed back in their places,
one at each end. "There," said the grandmother, "when you have dusted
the room will be right to leave until luncheon. Once or twice a week, of
course, it has to be thoroughly swept and put to rights, but this is the
way we do every day."

In the kitchen they scraped the plates very carefully, putting all the
scraps into a bowl to empty into the garbage pail. They piled them
nicely, putting all the same kind of plates into one pile, not mixing
two sizes or sorts. The cups were put together, and the saucers piled
also. The tray was set ready on one end of the table, and Margaret got
out her new, clean dish-towels, soft ones for glass and silver, and
firmer ones for the rest of the things. Then she put out the two
dish-pans, and turned on the water. It ran very hot from the first, so
it was all right, but Margaret was told she must always try it before
she sat down to a meal, and if it was only warm she must put on a
kettleful to heat, so it would be ready when needed, because it was
impossible to wash dishes well in a