ckery
and so many silver spoons, and such a variety of unusual viands and
beverages. When the laugh rose around Roxy and her saucy beau, several
looked in that direction with an anxious expression, as if something had
happened, a lady fainted, for instance, or a couple of lively fellows
come to high words.

"Young folks will be young folks," said Deacon Soper. "No harm done.
Least said soonest mended."

"Have some of these shell-oysters?" said the Colonel to Mrs. Trecothick.

A delicate emphasis on the word shell implied that the Colonel knew what
was what. To the New England inland native, beyond the reach of the
east winds, the oyster unconditioned, the oyster absolute, without a
qualifying adjective, is the pickled oyster. Mrs. Trecothick, who knew
very well that an oyster long out of his shell (as is apt to be the
case with the rural bivalve) gets homesick and loses his sprightliness,
replied, with the pleasantest smile in the world, that the chicken she
had been helped to was too delicate to be given up even for the greater
rarity. But the word "shell-oysters" had been overheard; and there was a
perceptible crowding movement towards their newly discovered habitat, a
large soup-tureen.

Silas Peckham had meantime fallen upon another locality of these recent
mollusks. He said nothing, but helped himself freely, and made a sign to
Mrs. Peckham.

"Lorindy," he whispered, "shell-oysters"

And ladled them out to her largely, without betraying any emotion, just
as if they had been the natural inland or pickled article.

After the more solid portion of the banquet had been duly honored, the
cakes and sweet preparations of various kinds began to get their share
of attention. There were great cakes and little cakes, cakes with
raisins in them, cakes with currants, and cakes without either; there
were brown cakes and yellow cakes, frosted cakes, glazed cakes, hearts
and rounds, and jumbles, which playful youth slip over the forefinger
before spoiling their annular outline. There were mounds of blo'monje,
of the arrowroot variety,--that being undistinguishable from such as is
made with Russia isinglass. There were jellies, which had been shaking,
all the time the young folks were dancing in the next room, as if
they were balancing to partners. There were built-up fabrics, called
Charlottes, caky externally, pulpy within; there were also marangs, and
likewise custards,--some of the indolent-fluid sort, others firm, in