our or crusty."

"You wouldn't have failed to see if you'd watched Mr. Bradley at
dinner," retorted Bessie. "He ate two pieces of it."

"And just because a man eats two pieces of lemon pie prepared by
your own fair hands you whirl about, and, from utterly disliking
him, call him, upon the whole, one of the most admirable products of
the human race?" said Thaddeus.

"Not at all," Bessie replied, with a broad smile; "but I did admire
the spirit and politeness of the man. On our way home from church
in the morning we were talking about the good times children have on
their little picnics, and Mr. Bradley said he never enjoyed a picnic
in his life, because every one he had ever gone to was ruined by the
baleful influence of lemon pie."

Thaddeus laughed. "Then he didn't like lemon pie?" he asked.

"No, he hated it," said Bessie, joining in the laugh. "He added
that the original receipt for it came out of Pandora's box."

"Poor Bradley!" cried Thaddeus, throwing his head back in a paroxysm
of mirth. "Hated pie--declared his feelings--and then to be
confronted by it at dinner."

"He behaved nobly," said Bessie. "Ate his first piece like a man,
and then called for a second, like a hero, when you remarked that it
was of my make."

"You ought to have told him it wasn't necessary, Bess," said
Thaddeus.

"I felt that way myself at first," Bessie explained; "but then I
thought I wouldn't let him know I remembered what he had said."

"I fancy that was better," said Thaddeus. "But about that dinner.
What do you say to our inviting the Bradleys, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips,
the Robinsons, and the Twinings?"

"How many does that make? Eight besides ourselves?" asked Bessie,
counting upon her fingers.

"Yes--ten altogether," said Thaddeus.

"It can't be done, dear," said Bessie. "We have only eight fruit
plates."

"Can't you and I go without fruit?" Thaddeus asked.

"Not very well," laughed Bessie. "It would never do."

"They might think the fruit was poisoned if we did, eh?" suggested
Thaddeus.

"Besides, Mary never could serve dinner for ten; eight is her
number. Last time we had ten people, don't you remember, she
dropped a tray full of dishes, and poured the claret into the
champagne glasses?"

"Oh, yes, so she did," said Thaddeus. "That's how we came to have
only eight fruit plates. I remember. I don't think it was the
number of people at the table, though. It was Twining caused the
trouble, he ha