ide, Mary descended to the kitchen, where she
found the table arranged with more than usual care. An old red waiter,
which was only used on special occasions, was placed near Miss Grundy,
and on it stood the phenomenon of a hissing coffee-pot: and what was
stranger, still, in the place of the tin basin from which Mary had
recently been accustomed to eat her bread and milk, there was now a
cup and saucer, which surely must have been intended for her. Her
wonder was at its height when Miss Grundy entered from the back room,
bearing a plate filled with snowy white biscuit, which she placed upon
the table with an air of "There! what do you think of that?"--then
seating herself, she skimmed all the cream from the bowl of milk, and
preparing a delicious cup of coffee, passed it to Mary, before helping
the rest.

"Is the Millennium about to be ushered in?" asked Sal in amazement;
while Uncle Peter, reverently rising, said, Fellow-citizens, and
ladies, for these extras let us thank the Lord, remembering to ask a
continuation of the same!"

"Do let your victuals stop your mouth," said Miss Grundy, "and don't
act as though we never had coffee and biscuit for breakfast before."

"My memory has failed wonderfully, if we ever did," was Uncle Peter's
reply.

Breakfast being over, Mary as usual commenced clearing the table, but
Miss Grundy bade her "sit down and _rest_ her," and Mary obeyed,
wondering what she had done to tire herself. About 9 o'clock, Mr.
Knight drove up alone, Mrs. Mason being sick with nervous headache. "I
should have been here sooner," said he, "but the roads is awful rough
and old Charlotte has got a stub or somethin' in her foot But where's
the gal? Ain't she ready?"

He was answered by Mary herself, who made her appearance, followed by
Billy bearing the box. And now commenced the leave-takings, Miss
Grundy's turn coming first.

"May I kiss you, Miss Grundy?" said Mary, while Sal exclaimed aside,
"What! kiss those sole-leather lips?" at the same time indicating by a
guttural sound the probable effect such a process would have upon her
stomach!

Miss 'Grundy bent down and received the child's kiss, and then darting
off into the pantry, went to skimming pans of milk already skimmed!
Rind and the pleasant-looking woman cried outright, and Uncle Peter,
between times, kept ejaculating, "Oh, Lord!--oh, massy sake!--oh, for
land!" while he industriously plied his fiddle bow in the execution of
"Delia's Dirge,