so much as to let her have an
egg to clear the coffee? I forgot to tell her yesterday that ours
were all gone."

"Certainly," I said. "Bridget, give Nancy an egg."

"Mrs. Jordon is very sorry to trouble you, Mrs. Smith," said Nancy,
re-appearing in a little while, and finding me still in the kitchen,
"but she says if you will lend her a bowl of sugar it will be a
great accommodation. I forgot to tell her yesterday that the sugar
was all gone."

"You appear to be rather forgetful of such matters, Nancy," I could
not help saying.

"I know I am a little forgetful," the girl said, good humoredly, "but
I have so much to do, that I hardly have time to think."

"Where is the large earthen dish that you use sometimes in making
bread?" I asked, after Mrs. Jordon's cook had withdrawn, missing it
from its usual place on the shelf.

"Nancy borrowed it last week."

"Why don't she bring it home?"

"I've told her about it three or four times."

Nancy opened the door again.

"Please, ma'am to let Mrs. Jordon have another half pound of butter.
We haven't enough to do for breakfast, and the butter man don't come
until the middle of the day."

Of course, I couldn't refuse, though I believe I granted the request
with no very smiling grace. I heard no more of Nancy until toward
dinner-time. I had given my cook orders not to lend her anything
more without first coming to me.

"Mrs. Jordon has sent in to know if you won't lend her two or three
scuttles full of coal," said Bridget. "Mr. Jordon was to have sent
home the fires are going down."

"Certainly," I replied, "let her have it, but I want you to see that
it is returned."

"As to that, ma'am, I'll do my best; but I can't get Nancy to return
one half what she borrows. She forgets from one day to another."

"She mustn't forget," I returned, warmly. "You must go to Mrs.
Jordon yourself. It isn't right."

"I shall have to go, I guess, before I'm able to get back a dozen
kitchen things of ours they have. I never saw such borrowing people.
And then, never to think of returning what they get. They have got
one of our pokers, the big sauce-pan and the cake-board. Our muffin
rings they've had these three months. Every Monday they get two of
our tubs and the wash-boiler. Yesterday they sent in and got our
large meat-dish belonging to the dinner-set, and haven't sent it
home yet. Indeed, I can't tell you all they've got."

"Let Nancy have the coal," said I. "But we must stop