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's 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. Clair 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 ain'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 ain't no room, noways."

"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 was 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; "that _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 Dinah, rather decidedly.

"But you don't want these holes in the papers."

"Them's handy for siftin' on't out," said Dinah.

"But you see it spills all over the drawer."