untain of mashed potato--corn on the
cob, and an enormous heavy salad mantled with mayonnaise--Margaret
could have wept over the hopelessly plebeian dinner!

"Mother, mayn't I get down the finger-bowls," she asked; "and mayn't
we have black coffee in the silver pot, afterwards?"

Mrs. Paget looked absently at her for a dubious second. "I don't like
to ask Blanche to wash all that extra glass," she said, in an
undertone, adding briskly to Theodore, "No, no, Ted! You can't have
all that cake. Half that!" and to Blanche herself, "Don't leave the
door open when you go in, Blanche; I just drove all the flies out of
the dining-room." Then she returned to Margaret with a cordial: "Why,
certainly, dear! Any one who wants coffee, after tea, can have it! Dad
always wants his cup of tea."

"Nobody but us ever serves tea with dinner!" Margaret muttered; but
her mother did not hear it. She buckled the strap of the lunch-box,
straightened her back with an air of relief, and pushed down her
rolled-up sleeves.

"Don't lose that napkin, Ted," said she, and receiving the boy's
grateful kiss haphazard between her hair and forehead, she added
affectionately: "You're more than welcome, dear! We're all ready,
Mark,--go and tell them, dear! All right, Blanche."

Ruffled and angry, Margaret went to summon the others to dinner.
Maudie had joined them on the porch now, and had been urged to stay,
and was already trying her youthful wiles on the professor.

"Well, he'll have to leave on the five o'clock!" Margaret reflected,
steeled to bitter endurance until that time. For everything went
wrong, and dinner was one long nightmare for her. Professor Tenison's
napkin turned out to be a traycloth. Blanche, asked for another,
disappeared for several minutes, and returned without it, to whisper
in Mrs. Paget's ear. Mrs. Paget immediately sent her own fresh napkin
to the guest. The incident, or something in their murmured
conversation, gave Rebecca and Maudie "the giggles." There seemed an
exhausting amount of passing and repassing of plates. The room was
hot, the supply of ice insufficient. Mr. Paget dwelt on his favorite
grievance--"the old man isn't needed, these days. They're getting all
young fellows into the bank. They put young college fellows in there
who are getting pretty near the money I am--after twenty-five years!"
In any pause, Mrs. Paget could be heard, patiently dissuading little
Robert from his fixed intention of accompanying the