horseman,
"come to pay my respects"--

As Linka heard these words, she threw the egg-shells into the dish
instead of the yolk, and snatching the Regelo from her pocket, without
further reflection, she threw it into the fire.

"What have you done, Miss Linka?" exclaimed the portly cook; "all your
burnt paper has got into my dishes."

And to put the _comble_ to her distress, the old gentleman entered,
his face beaming with pleasure, and, going maliciously up to his
daughter, he looked in her face, and smiled knowingly without saying a
word, while the poor girl only wished that the floor might open by
some miracle and permit her to sink into the cellar.

"Do you want anything, dearest papa?" she ventured at last to ask.

"I do not want you to stay in the kitchen!"

"And why not, dear father?"

"Because you will be sure to salt everything to-day."[13]

[Footnote 13: Sos, salt salted.]

Poor Linka! if she could have blushed still more deeply she would have
done so, for she understood her father's meaning too well; and,
moreover, the cook increased her embarrassment, by adding, "Indeed,
sir, you will do well to carry off the young lady, for she is not at
all like herself, poor thing! and giving us much unnecessary trouble;
only a few minutes ago, she put the egg-shells into the pudding
instead of the yolk; and then she burnt"--

Lina tried to silence the cook, who, however, only talked the
louder--so she was compelled at last to yield; and, taking her
father's arm, she made up her mind with a sigh to the great sacrifice
of leaving the kitchen and going to her guests. And what a place of
refuge the poor girl had often found there on such occasions!

Meanwhile the guests were assembled in the sitting-room. On one side
of the sofa sat Aunt Zsuzsi, endeavouring with great vehemence, and
frequent application of her finger to the side of her nose, to explain
something in an under tone to a mild lady, in whom we recognise Mrs.
Tallyai, who was sitting beside her listening patiently to her tales.

Our nephew Sandor sat at the table, evidently a good deal put out by
seeing so many strangers; although it never crossed his imagination
that he had two rivals among them.

His father sat beside him, administering wise counsel about various
matters, such as how to behave when he was addressed, how to sit at
table and use his knife and fork, not to put his nail into the
salt-cellar instead of the point of his knife, or to wi