rn
and knitting-work, a paper of tobacco and a pipe, a few crackers, one or
two gilded china-saucers with some pomade in them, one or two thin old
shoes, a piece of flannel carefully pinned up enclosing some small white
onions, several damask table-napkins, some coarse crash towels, some
twine and darning-needles, and several broken papers, from which sundry
sweet herbs were sifting into the drawer.

"Where do you keep your nutmegs, Dinah?" said Miss Ophelia, with the air
of one who prayed for patience.

"Most anywhar, Missis; there's some in that cracked tea-cup, up there,
and there's some over in that ar cupboard."

"Here are some in the grater," said Miss Ophelia, holding them up.

"Laws, yes, I put 'em there this morning,--I likes to keep my things
handy," said Dinah. "You, Jake! what are you stopping for! You'll
cotch it! Be still, thar!" she added, with a dive of her stick at the
criminal.

"What's this?" said Miss Ophelia, holding up the saucer of pomade.

"Laws, it's my har _grease_;--I put it thar to have it handy."

"Do you use your mistress' best saucers for that?"

"Law! it was cause I was driv, and in sich a hurry;--I was gwine to
change it this very day."

"Here are two damask table-napkins."

"Them table-napkins I put thar, to get 'em washed out, some day."

"Don't you have some place here on purpose for things to be washed?"

"Well, Mas'r St. Clare got dat ar chest, he said, for dat; but I likes
to mix up biscuit and hev my things on it some days, and then it an't
handy a liftin' up the lid."

"Why don't you mix your biscuits on the pastry-table, there?"

"Law, Missis, it gets sot so full of dishes, and one thing and another,
der an't no room, noway--"

"But you should _wash_ your dishes, and clear them away."

"Wash my dishes!" said Dinah, in a high key, as her wrath began to rise
over her habitual respect of manner; "what does ladies know 'bout work,
I want to know? When 'd Mas'r ever get his dinner, if I vas to spend all
my time a washin' and a puttin' up dishes? Miss Marie never telled me
so, nohow."

"Well, here are these onions."

"Laws, yes!" said Dinah; "thar _is_ whar I put 'em, now. I couldn't
'member. Them 's particular onions I was a savin' for dis yer very stew.
I'd forgot they was in dat ar old flannel."

Miss Ophelia lifted out the sifting papers of sweet herbs.

"I wish Missis wouldn't touch dem ar. I likes to keep my things where I
knows whar to go to 'em," said