ing-currant was very early
this year--"

To my horrified amazement Mis' Fire Chief Merriman lifted her
black-bordered handkerchief to her face and broke into subdued sobbing.
Suddenly I understood that all the others were looking at me in a kind
of reproachful astonishment. My bewilderment, mounting for an instant,
was precipitately overthrown by the sobbing woman's words.

"Oh," Mis' Merriman said indistinctly, "I'm much obliged to you, I'm
sure. But how can you think I would? I haven't looked at lanterns an'
bunting an' such things since the Fire Chief died. I don't know how I'm
ever going to stand the Carnival!"

In deep distress I apologized, and found myself adrift upon a sea of
uncharted classifications. Here were niceties of distinction which
escaped my ruder vision, trained to the mere interchange of signals in
smooth sailing or straight tempest, on open water. But I knew with grief
that I had given her pain--that was clear enough; and in my confusion
and wish to make amends, I caught up from their jar on the hall table my
Flowering-currant boughs and thrust them in her hands.

"Ah," I begged breathlessly, "at all events, take these!"

On which she drew away from me and shook her head and fairly fled down
the path, her floating crape brushing the mother bushes of my offending
offering. And I was helplessly aware that sympathetic silence had fallen
on the others and that the sympathy was not for me.

"But what on earth was the matter?" I entreated my guests.

It was that great Mis' Amanda Toplady who slipped her arm about me and
explained.

"When we've got any dead belongin' to us," she said, "we always carry
all the flowers we get to the grave--an', of course, we don't feel we
_can_ carry them that's been used for a company. It's the same with Mis'
Fire Chief. An' she can't bear even to see flowers an' things that's
fixed for a company, either. Of course, that's her privilege."

Mis' Sykes took my hands.

"You come here so lately," she said, "you naturally wouldn't know what's
what in these things, here in Friendship. An' then, of course, Mis' Fire
Chief Merriman is very, _very_ delicate."

Calliope linked her arm in mine.

"Don't you mind," she whispered; "we're all liable to our mistakes."

* * * * *

Half an hour after tea my guests took leave.

"I enjoyed myself so much," said Mis' Holcomb-that-was-Mame-Bliss; "you
look tired out. I hope it ain't been too much