" she inquired eagerly.

Telling ghost stories and witch stories was quite an amusement at that
period.

"Why, yes--if you want to." She was rather pleased to have it go to the
Royalls'.

"The last stitch," and Betty folded up her work. "Come, Doris, say
good-night, and let us go to bed."

Doris put a little kiss on Aunt Priscilla's wrinkled hand.

CHAPTER XV

A FREEDOM SUIT

Aunt Priscilla had a dozen changes of mind as to whether to go to Cousin
Adams' or not. But Betty insisted. She trimmed her cap and altered the
sleeves of her best black silk gown. The elderly people were wearing
"leg-o'-mutton" sleeves now, while the young people had great puffs.
Long straight Puritan sleeves were hardly considered stylish. And then
Cousin Win sent the chaise up for her.

Mrs. March, Cary's aunt, had come up to Boston to make a little visit.
Mr. March was a ship builder at Plymouth. She was quite anxious to see
this cousin that Cary had talked about so much, and she was almost
jealous lest he should be crowded out of his rightful place. She had no
children of her own, but her husband had four when they were married. So
a kind of motherly sympathy still went out to Cary.

Betty came over in the morning. She and Miss Recompense were always very
friendly. They talked of jells and jams and preserves; it was too early
for any fresh fruit except strawberries, and Cato always took a good
deal of pains to have these of the very nicest.

The wide fireplace was filled in with green boughs and the shining
leaves of "bread and butter." The rugs were taken up and the floor had a
coat of polish. The parlor was wide open, arrayed in the stately
furnishings of a century ago. There were two Louis XIV. chairs that had
really come from France. There were some square, heavy pieces of
furniture that we should call Eastlake now. And the extravagant thing
was a Brussels carpet with a scroll centerpiece and a border in
arabesque.

The guests began to come at two. Miss Recompense and Betty had been
arranging the long table with its thick basket-work cloth that was
fragrant with sweet scents. Betty wore her blue and white silk, as that
had met with some mishaps at Hartford. Miss Recompense had on a brown
silk with a choice bit of thread lace, and a thread lace cap. Many of
the elderly society ladies wore immense headgears like turbans, with
sometimes one or two marabou feathers, which were considered extremely
elegant. But Miss Recom