lbow sleeves. The children thought that she looked dazzlingly
fashionable. Verena seemed to remember that she had seen figures very
like Aunt Sophia's in the fashion books. Aunt Sophia's hair in particular
absorbed the attention of four of her nieces. How had she managed to turn
it into so many rolls and spirals and twists? How did she manage the wavy
short hair on her forehead? It seemed to sit quite tight to her head, and
looked as if even a gale of wind would not blow it out of place. Aunt
Sophia's hands were thin and very white, and the fingers were
half-covered with sparkling rings, which shone and glittered so much that
Penelope dropped her choicest peas all over her frock as she gazed at
them.

John was requisitioned to wait at table, and John had no livery for the
purpose. The family as a rule never required attendance at meals. On this
occasion it was supposed to be essential, and as Betty refused
point-blank to stir from the kitchen, John had to come to the fore.

"No, no, Miss Renny," said Betty when poor Verena begged and implored of
the good woman to put in an appearance. "No, you don't. No, you certain
sure don't. Because you looked pretty and a bit coaxing I gave up Miss
Dunstable and the Dook of Mauleverer-Wolverhampton two hours ago, but not
another minute will I spare from them. It's in their select society that
I spend my haristocratic evening."

Verena knew that it would be useless to coax Betty any further. So John
appeared with the potatoes in a large dish on a rusty tray, each potato
having, as Betty expressed it, a stone inside. This she declared was the
proper way to cook them. The peas presently followed the potatoes. They
were yellow with age, for they ought to have been eaten at least a week
ago. The lamb was terribly underdone, and the mint sauce was like no mint
sauce that Miss Tredgold had ever dreamed of. The pudding which followed
was a pudding that only Betty knew the recipe for, and that recipe was
certainly not likely to be popular in fashionable circles. But the
strawberry-jam was fairly good, and the cream was excellent; and when,
finally, Miss Tredgold rose to the occasion and said that she would make
some coffee, which she had brought down from town, in her own coffee-pot
on her own etna, the girls became quite excited.

The coffee was made, and shed a delicious aroma over the room. Mr. Dale
was so far interested that he was seen to sniff twice, and was found to
be observing th