her
clacking at the oven door out beyond, an' gittin' out some dishes. She
was a brisk-actin' little woman, an' I thought I 'd caution her when
she come back not to make up a great fire, only for a cup o' tea,
perhaps. I started to go right out in the kitchen, an' then somethin'
told me I 'd better not, we never 'd been so free together as that; I
did n't know how she 'd take it, an' there I set an' set. 'T was sort
of a greenish light in the best room, an' it begun to feel a little
damp to me,--the s'rubs outside grew close up to the windows. Oh, it
did seem dreadful long! I could hear her busy with the dishes an'
beatin' eggs an' stirrin', an' I knew she was puttin' herself out to
get up a great supper, and I kind o' fidgeted about a little an' even
stepped to the door, but I thought she 'd expect me to remain where I
was. I saw everything in that room forty times over, an' I did divert
myself killin' off a brood o' moths that was in a worsted-work mat on
the table. It all fell to pieces. I never saw such a sight o' moths
to once. But occupation failed after that, an' I begun to feel sort o'
tired an' numb. There was one o' them late crickets got into the room
an' begun to chirp, an' it sounded kind o' fallish. I could n't help
sayin' to myself that Mis' Fulham had forgot all about my bein' there.
I thought of all the beauties of hospitality that ever I see!"--

"Did n't she ever come back at all, not whilst things was in the oven,
nor nothin'?" inquired Miss Pendexter, with awe.

"I never see her again till she come beamin' to the parlor door an'
invited me to walk out to tea," said Mrs. Hand. "'T was 'most a
quarter past six by the clock; I thought 't was seven. I 'd thought o'
everything, an' I 'd counted, an' I 'd trotted my foot, an' I 'd looked
more 'n twenty times to see if there was any more moth-millers."

"I s'pose you did have a very nice tea?" suggested Abby, with interest.

"Oh, a beautiful tea! She could n't have done more if I 'd been the
Queen," said Mrs. Hand. "I don't know how she could ever have done it
all in the time, I 'm sure. The table was loaded down; there was
cup-custards and custard pie, an' cream pie, an' two kinds o' hot
biscuits, an' black tea as well as green, an' elegant cake,--one kind
she 'd just made new, and called it quick cake; I 've often made it
since--an' she 'd opened her best preserves, two kinds. We set down
together, an' I 'm sure I appreciated what sh